Black-capped Gnatcatcher on the Proctor Road Trail
Nature is very powerful. It mends all wounds. It brings balance and centers me.
Lower Madera Canyon
The darker the mood; the more focused I become. Without birds, I would go crazy. The human world is chaos. Instead of running down a trail, I will stand quietly still and listen. I can move at my own speed and just absorb the bird song or snapping twig.
The Rose Garden at Reid Park
Noise pollution is my worst enemy. The rose garden in my nearby neighborhood park is lovely. You might think this garden was absolutely quiet, but I assure you that it was quite loud! Everyone including Tía Rosa were out celebrating the holiday weekend. The air was scented with carne asada and rose blooms.
The Black-crowned Night Heron at Reid Park
During this past weekend, I went to bird various areas. It kept my mind occupied as I surveyed three different spots. One was a fun chase with Magill up in Phoenix. The second was at Reid Park. And the third was at Madera Canyon.
Band-tailed Pigeon at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon
I forgot that everything was going to be crowded. However, it wasn't all bad news with the screaming and littering people. If you think like a bird, you'll know where to find them:) So I listened and followed my ears instead of my eyes. Before I knew it, I stood alone surrounded by birds.
Nesting European Starlings at Reid Park
The smell of the roses. The sounds of water running in the canyon. Blooming trees. Spring=Perfection
Neotropic Cormorant
When the world becomes too much, I run away to the trails and get lost. Yes, I am addicted to the outdoors. How can I stand for hours in one spot and not realize how quickly the time passes??!!! I love the Arizona landscape.
Black-necked Stilt with a rare American Golden-Plover somewhere in Phoenix around a farming pond
My ebird reports are usually quite revealing. When I hit the "calculate time" button on my phone, I am always shocked by how much time has passed! It's easy to get lost in the moment. Even worse when you're hanging out with friends!
Black-necked Stilt close up
This weekend allowed me to "air" out my heavy thoughts and feelings. Today I was much more balanced as I stood in front of my classroom. I smiled at my teenage students listening to their crazy weekend stories keeping my own to myself. I am reminded that it's about the times we share together. It's about making the most of each and every day. And most of all, it's about appreciating the time we have together.
I don't care what anyone says, but ID'ing black birds(note that I am not writing "blackbirds":) can be a bit tricky. There are still many to find, but here is a list on several that have made me glance once, twice, thrice........
Great-tailed Grackle
Grackles should be easy to ID and yet there can be doubt. In Southern Arizona, a Common Grackle would be rare, but the Great-tailed Grackle(above) is very common. So when I was in Colorado Springs, I knew I could find a Common Grackle, but the issue was that both Grackles were found there. How would I distinguish between the two? When I spotted several on a branch(below), I actually stood longer than normal to ID the call and look for the field marks to make sure I did in fact see the Common Grackle. Pale Yellow iris, dark bluish glossy head and heavy bill were several of the things I looked at first. The rain in the area made it a little difficult to pick out the bluish tones in the head and yellow eye......but I was able to see it better with my own eyes than that of the camera.
Common Grackle
But how do you tell a Brewer's Blackbird apart from a Common Grackle? It also has a yellow eye. The difference? Habitat and behavior help. But body shape, slight difference in the bill and coloring also can help with ID. The Brewer's likes to feed from the ground. But in this case, the calls are different and I was able to quickly ID the bird.
Brewer's Blackbird
But what's this blackbird??? Before heading to Guatemala, I studied the calls and behaviors of this Melodious Blackbird below. The call is very distinct and can be heard above all else in the canopy tree tops. They usually fly in pairs around water ways. Both bob their heads up and down while calling to each other. Sometimes they'll sit in opposite trees calling to one another.
But I tell you.....that call! It is so distinct that you can't miss it. I dropped what I was doing to capture this bird on camera. Birding by ear can be a powerful tool.
Melodious Blackbird
Another black bird, related to the cuckoo family, is the Groove-billed Ani. They are very common in Central America and make me smile. They remind me of muppets with their scraggly and monster looking faces. Again their call is distinct and I had it memorized from the time it came to Tucson. I have it recorded on my phone because it's one of my favorite bird calls next to the Loon. They are larger birds and appear to lazily perch on fence posts in pastures or on open branches around rivers, etc.
Groove-billed Ani
So how about those "other" black birds? Crows and Ravens??!!! In Tucson, it's possible to spot the Common and Chihuahuan Ravens. But how do you tell them apart? More common are the Common Ravens. They generally fly in pairs, but can be seen at times flying in great numbers. Even the experts can have a difficult time ID'ing these birds from afar. Chihuahuan Ravens will flock around Pecan orchards here and of course, open grasslands. They have a shorter bill with long nasal bristles. However, they fly a bit differently than the closely related Common Raven. The Common Raven "rows" its way across the airways.
American Crows
And the American Crow is a smaller bird with a large bill but much smaller than that of a Raven. The calls are the easiest to recognize. Understanding their calls, makes the ID a snap!
European Starling
European Starlings are black but very easy to ID with their body and bills. Their starry patterns remind me of outer space. But still.....from a distance, I have to really look. But if I can see those triangular wings, short square tails and that stocky body, I know right away that I'm witnessing the European Starling in action. They also tend to flock. Again their calls are distinct.
Common Raven
One black bird(or blackbird:) that is an easy ID is the Bronzed Cowbird....if you can see the red eye:)
Bronzed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird at maturity has a black body with a brown head....hence the name. Both birds have VERY cool calls. They sound like spacy, liquidy whistles! AGAIN another easy ID! Many people miss this one and I have to point it out to birders visiting from out of state. I've helped 3 birders add the Bronzed Cowbird to their life lists. Watching someone add a cowbird to their life list makes me smile. We take them for granted here as they are rather common.
Female Brewer's Blackbird
Here's a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds below in flight. You see how they could be difficult to ID? Usually they mix with other blackbirds to add to the confusion.
Flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds
Many out of state people come to find our Yellow-headed Blackbirds. I've witnessed this bird in the tens of thousands. Twice I have been caught in the middle of the tornado energy and it made me smile. My video below captures the many Yellow-headed Blackbirds making a landing in the fields adjacent to the gas station.
I was filling up my gas once and a black cloud descended around the parking lot. Another time I was birding in Tucson and an entire flock flew around me. I was surrounded by magic!
Yellow-headed Blackbirds
These blackbirds are easy to ID. Their calls are varied and diverse but thankfully their colors stand out among the rest. Someone asked me once, "What are those blackbirds with a yellow head?" Yellow-headed Blackbirds. "Oh, that's easy." Sure is.
So is this Red-winged Blackbird below. Interestingly enough, the female looks nothing like the male. To a beginner, they look like different birds. Is it a Waterthrush? A Finch? Nope. Just the female Red-Winged Blackbird:)
Red-winged Blackbird
Finally I end with a Chihuahuan Raven. Of all these black birds I shared today, I think the Common and Chihuahuan Ravens are probably the most difficult to ID. This may sound weird, but when I see a Chihuahuan Raven, I just "know". I'll mark them down wherever I am to keep tabs on their location. On Ebird, there is a Chihuahuan Raven expert who monitors our populations and I was able to email and chat with him about his studies. I have many more black birds to find, but here are the ones I've been able to ID so far.
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
Finally, I'd like to add one last thing about taking pictures of black birds or animals. It's really difficult!!! I find that having a very light background brings the detail out on these birds. Below is a pic of our cat Cassie. She sometimes blends right in with the surroundings.
Sometimes I find myself out in the middle of nowhere searching for a bird. Of course, there are the wins and the losses known as "dipping" or "finding the target bird". I've gotten to the point now that I will find what I find and try to get the best observation and documentation that I can while out in the field.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
The wins are absolutely thrilling. A strange bird flew into the bushes. It was a sparrow. Or was it a towhee?? I needed to be sure because the behavior was different. During this day, both Kathie and myself found ourselves in Box Canyon in the Santa Rita mountains. For this one particular bird, I pished and pished with all my heart. And the bird came out. For several minutes, we looked at one another. It was indeed a sparrow....just not one I had seen before. Large. Angular bill. And an interesting looking crown. And so it would be that I would spot the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. A lifebird.
Black-throated Sparrow
If I find my "target bird" on that outing, everything else for that day is gravy. Then I begin to play with my photography more on random things like the Black-throated Sparrow. In Arizona, we have almost every sparrow possible(minus a few) and it's rather exciting and frustrating all at once. While they can be tricky to ID, they make me a better birder.
Red-tail Hawk with Loggerhead Shrike
Sometimes I(we) dip on the target birds. And I will get frustrated. When that happens, I find that taking creative shots from already known birds helps take the edge off of the hunt. We will travel hours into strange places to find those uncommon birds. During our visit into Box Canyon, Kathie blew out a tire on the dirt road. What normally would have been a stressful moment turned into a fun practice changing tires. It felt good changing that tire. And at the end, no stress involved.
Cooper's Hawk
Back at home, the hawks continue to circle my feeders. I'm trying to attract Orioles, but not when there are Cooper's flying around! But still, I do like their visits:)
Savannah Sparrow
And yet another sparrow....the Savannah Sparrow. We've hiked and hiked miles upon miles. If my Doctor gives me a hard time about exercise, I'm going to give her an ear full:) This passion requires one to be in somewhat good shape. I've met several people now who love birds but can't get into the difficult/dangerous areas needed to view them. An older man sat with reflective eyes on a concrete slab and asked if we had seen the Rufous-capped Warbler at Florida Canyon. He couldn't climb the huge slippery rock to access the upper canyon trail. I could see that he really really wanted to climb up that slippery rock. If it hadn't been for his spouse, he may have tried the hike up that slippery rock:) It's the same one that Kathie fell from. I am reminded to seize the day now because who knows what tomorrow will bring.
I was thrilled that Kathie finally found her Arizona Woodpecker. Lovely birds, they are. But even better with a sillouette shot next to the agave stalk.
These trips must be calculated precisely. We never waste time searching for birds, but why drive all those miles without a plan? Maybe not having a plan is better, but then again, missing out on some rare birds can be a kicker.
Box Canyon before the blowout
Arizona is full of diverse habitat. I am sometimes astonished at just how large this state is! And there are times, I will pause to feel the wind against my face. Why else hike? Why else spend money on gas? Isn't there something bigger out there than birds? Birds are awesome, but so are the landscapes, wildlife sightings and random lunches/dinners in bizarre diners.
Roosevelt Lake
Finding the target birds within nice camera range can be difficult and not always possible. In my next post, I'll write about those lifebirds who escaped my camera lens.
Recently, I've made treks to the Grand Canyon to find the nesting CA Condors. 7 miles of hiking! I brought camelbacks for the trek. I dipped on the Condors, but picked up Red Crossbills, Common Goldeneyes, American Crows, Pygmy Nuthatches and Pinyon Jays. So one trade is made for another. Sometimes you are alone. Sometimes you are with a friend. And sometimes you spot a friendly rival birder on the road beeping their car at you as they drive off to their next secret destination. I then wonder, "So what did they see?" On our time in the mountains of Flagstaff, I'd dip on pictures of the Rough-legged hawk and Evening Grosbeaks! Drats:) But I did see some awesome elk up close:) Sometimes, I am much too difficult on myself. "What are those bird sounds? Who is that? Stay put!" My friends have a good time as the views and hikes are great. Plus they learn something in the process. Sometimes they wonder where I am taking them, but I always assure them that it's legit. Plus the game is afoot. Keep the eyes and ears open for anything that moves! And it becomes a game of exercise for the brain and body. It's exhausting at times. While I'm with Kathie, I'm the student. When I'm with photographers/friends, I tend to be the teacher. No one is left out on a limb. Together we play, learn and grow. And thank the bird gods for those Sibley Guides!!!
Hello everyone! Well we have been "in training" working on the Tucson Christmas Bird Count. Kathie and I both have been busy and exhausted from the holidays. But we're also trying to allow for some birding time as well. Two weeks ago, we'd go to a local Tucson park and see just how many birds we could pull out of the bushes.
Hutton's Vireo
It's amazing the levels of birding. Kathie can ID and document quickly. I get the photo for ID verification. Both of our eyes are working all at once.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
We began our training class with Rich Hoyer. I then realized that I have a ways more to go:) Kathie and I don't like to disturb the peace. We see them as we see them and rarely ever call out to them. But part of this Christmas Bird Count is getting accurate numbers of bird species found in a specific area. And that requires me to get out of my comfort zone a little. We can employ bird calls from devices etc to call the birds out. And it does work. We pished and pished and PISSSSHED! Rich even had an owl call down. Don't ask me how but he could replicate the sound. Incredible.
European Starlings
On this day, we both learned a lot. Kathie asked lots of questions about the process. I listened and watched the various interactions of the group training. The best part of our team is that we each bring something to the table in terms of skill. And it makes a great combo for power birding.
When I first began my EBIRD and Listing exercises, I had a lot of questions. Today, they are small ones and so much fun to do. After our field observations, both of us will go over our counts at lunch or breakfast to make sure we didn't miss a bird on the list. But watching people incredibly skilled in birding makes it look easy! And it's not:) Part of the fun is finding the bird yourself, but I have to admit, there are times when it's nice to have someone leading a group pointing things out. Not often...just sometimes:) It's what I call "lazy birding". We were specifically looking for 4 or 5 birds on the list. I had NO idea that they could be found there and yet....they were present. And in plain sight! Hutton's Vireo's, Warblers, and even a Broad bill Hummingbird!!! Who knew?! Rich did.
American Pipits
Rich also spoke a lot about native plants that attract birds. I found his discussion extremely helpful. Trees that don't attract birds are what I call "junk" trees. The African Sumac is one of them! Sure it provides shade but little else. Placing native plants into your garden is not only water friendly.....but wildlife friendly! El Presidio is very active today thanks to some research and proper planning.
Our big count begins today. I hope we can find them all:) The above pic was taken with my IPHONE. This is what we call an "arroyo"(ah-roy-oh) or dry creek bed. Thank you Rich for the fun morning. Can't wait for today's count and potluck!
We had heard a rumor. One that would prove true. Kathie and I met at a super early hour to find birds up in the Gilbert area. We drove into the parking lot and my lifebird count started to rise leaps and bounds.
European Starling
As I write this today, I am laughing to myself. Kathie and I have been on a million trips since this post. On Sunday, we were on an epic journey together and started talking about our blogs and how far behind we are on writing. She asked me, "Did you get to the Gilbert Ranch yet?" I smiled and panicked at the same time. "NO!" We both have so many photos to process. But life has been super busy and everything took a backseat.
Verdin
Well anyhow, we entered the park and saw all the usual suspects of Arizona...Verdin, Starlings, Blackbirds, Egrets, Herons, Thrashers, Quail, etc etc etc......but we were there for the "Peep" show. A little bird told us that we could see them up close and personal. And boy did we ever! A special post is coming on those tiny little birds.
Rabbit
But we were able to get so many birds in our first hours at this Gilbert Preserve. I'm not a Phoenix fan but it was cool enough for us to be there on this day. Phoenix is essentially one big concrete island in the middle of the desert full of crazy people who drive into your house while you're sleeping. I'm not even joking. The most random crime events happen there. It's super hot all year round. Full of cars and traffic. Nature isn't far away but it's a drive. Gilbert is essentially one big suburb of cookie cutter homes. Our GPS tracker led us straight into this preserve and I think my jaw dropped to the ground. What an amazing surprise!
Northern Mockingbird
There were birders present during the beginning hours. Although I did count one homeless person who asked us to ID a Starling. Now that could have been legit but it felt like he was going to ask us for something more. Something wasn't right with that one and we left with grace. Now don't get me wrong, I was polite but in Phoenix, you never know if someone is going to pull a knife on you....so it's best to avoid those random elements whenever possible.
Snowy Egret
We both lost ourselves in the first hour with lots of "oh my gosh Kathie, LOOK!" "Chris! Get over here!" Talk about being kids in a toy store. She's writing. I'm taking pictures. Birds are flying everywhere. Complete and utter chaos. "What's the number on that Kathie? How many Pintails would say?" And it went on and on like that......but we also stopped counting to just stare in awe at the amazing array of birds that we normally don't get to see up close.
Northern Pintail Ducks
Now if you're in Tucson, you need a spotting scope to see many of these birds.....especially in the Sweetwater Recharge ponds. But at Gilbert, you could practically touch these birds. That's how close they were.
Long-billed Dowitcher
And DOVES!!! Phoenix and surrounding suburbish cities are full of them. While Tucson has most of the same doves, most of them moved up to Phoenix and Casa Grande. It would be here in Gilbert that I would spot my first Incan and Eurasian doves.
Eurasian Dove
I'd be watching a Killdeer or Sandpiper only to find hundreds of birds all shooting up into the air because a Northern Harrier was flying our way! No way. Camera! Focus Chris! Get your lens on him! Focus FOCUS! You're going to lose the bird!
Northern Harrier
Birding with myself is terrible sometimes. I am a perfectionist when it comes to getting the shot and if I don't get it, I'm pretty hard on myself. Yes, birding is fun but it's full of challenges that push you to your limits in so many ways.
Meanwhile, a new Dragonfly comes my way and I think of Jeanne and her love of all things "wings" and snap the shot. Pretty lifer! While doing this photo shoot.......something more epic happens.
Variegated Meadowhawk
An Osprey flies over my head and I nearly crap my pants. "Kathie! Kathie! Oh my....!" It was the one bird I was hoping to see. I mean REALLY hoping to see. "Chris be careful....!" I run off with my camera. A little kid with a little bell, "Dah Ding Dah Ding" comes out of nowhere and I almost get run over. WTH! When did runners, bikers and horse back riders join the birders on the trails???!!!
I snap back to reality and train my eyes and observation onto this incredibly beautiful bird. Kathie is so supportive and understood my thrill. At that point, I stopped counting birds and just stood watching the Osprey for a long time.
Meanwhile, a Great Egret passes by the Osprey to check out his catch:) In fact a lot of birds found the Osprey's find interesting:)
Just check out the wingspan below! When it flew over our heads, I felt the presence of a dragon. The shadow was big....and so were the talons as it looked at us below:) I really respect Kathie and value her thoughts on birds. We remind each other of etiquette and keeping our distance as to not bother the birds. I'll be writing about a very controversial topic in a couple weeks while on the tail of a super rare bird on the trail. Birding etiquette is always first on our minds.
Osprey in flight!
And just as incredible as the Osprey was to me, this Incan Dove below made my day. I have been really bothered this year by their disappearance from Pima County. They are rare to find in Tucson. I've been searching for them the entire year. Once numbering in the thousands around Tucson, these birds now are somewhere in the hundreds. While Tucson has seen a major decrease in their populations, the Phoenix area has seen a rise in their numbers What gives? Over the next two days, we'll be exploring more from Gilbert Ranch.
Inca Dove
I'd like to thank Laurence from Butlers Birds and Things for putting the idea into our heads. We want to bird with you Laurence. Imagine the epic birder team we'll make together. We'd become a force unlike any other. All birders would fear us. 50 birds in a day? How about 200?! Okay maybe I have an active imagination:) But I can't wait to meet you maestro. More tomorrow....
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