The Last Stretch of the Year

Bridled Titmouse

Wandering through the elevations of Arizona state, we stop and glance at the various birds around us.

I marvel at the intelligence of the Common Raven.

Ravens, hawks and a condor look like tiny specks against the mighty Grand Canyon.

Along the rim, a Pygmy Nuthatch bops around on the ground looking for food.

We stop and carefully look over the edge.

Winter birds begin to arrive and we see them in great numbers.

Western Grebe

The rains and the cool weather force leaves to change color.

Birds normally secretive in summer, like the Canyon Wren below, pop up for a longer linger.

Birds and berries evoke thoughts of making a holiday card.

I'll be honest.  I am tired.  Exhausted.  So many feelings.  So much stress.

Blue-throated Hummingbird

If it wasn't for friends and birds, I'd think I'd go insane.

A special friend from Wales makes a visit to southern Arizona.  Hello Ms. Bonnie!

We have arrived at the final chapters of this year. There is still work to do, but for now, it's all about the enjoyment of birds.

It has been an amazing year for las Aventuras.  As always, thank you for following the adventure!

This post is dedicated to Barb Padgett who was a strong supporter of Tucson Audubon.  She passed away last week at the age of 65.  I will miss her chats about Star Trek, government and so many other things.  I never met her in person, but I got to know her via Facebook.  Thank you Barb for everything you've done in the birding world.  Thank you for supporting and believing in me. When I see a Yellow-headed Blackbird, I will know that you are with me in spirit.  You are loved by so many people.  Thank you for everything.

Saṃsāra

The North Rim at sunset

As the light fades away from the year 2013, I've been looking back on so many incredible trips taken over the year.

It's a strange feeling.  I don't want this year to end because there is still so much to discover!  BUT there is so much to look forward to next year! And that makes me smile. The journey never really ends:)

Townsend's Solitaire

It transforms and is constantly redefined while we are on the road seeking higher knowledge. 

Pygmy Nuthatch

Recently, we took a co-worker friend out who wanted to film wildlife with her new camera.  That's how it all started for me.  "What's that?!" 

We had a great time and it was fun to see it all from her beginner's eyes.

Because it's more than just taking a picture.  It's listening.  Recognizing.  Seeing beyond sight.  Knowing.  While I watched her trying to fix her camera on the target, I remembered.  

My take on the Tree of Souls from the movie Avatar

I would never want to go back to those first stages, but I miss the innocence of it all.  The missteps. The thrills of seeing a common bird for the first time. They were the times when I was unknown.....just a hopeful photographer who loved hiking and finding whatever came my way. As all of this has gone on, I have become much more in tune with the birds and animals found in our area.  It isn't so much about finding our regular residents now.  It's about understanding them, their habitat and needs.  I am turning from photographer into a field scientist.  While I'm not an expert in these areas, I do want to learn more and work more with the professionals. For the first time on this trek, I will own a pair of binoculars.  I am blind(lazy eye) on my left side and the binoculars interfered with my finding the birds.  But something unexpected has happened from my birding adventures.  My brain is telling my other eye that it needs to work again.  It has caused me great headaches of late, but it's because I'm forcing my left eye to do its' job.  My eye doctor was shocked (as was I) that the eye actually is improving!

a coyote reminds me that we are all connected together in this life

A sparrow for many is a sparrow.  Just a brown bird.  I told Kathie once that I just wanted to see the bird and check it off my list.  And that was ignorant of me.  Today, sparrows are one of the most fascinating groups of birds out there!  The reason I made such an ignorant statement?  I couldn't ID them at first......they were too difficult. Today, when I see one, I get excited.

A curious Canada Goose investigates this guy's massive telephoto lens

And I watch people watch the wildlife watching them.  It is a gift to be in tune with our surroundings.  To really hear and connect with a world that would not have anything to do with our human madness.

A Great-tailed Grackle shows us his moves

Speaking of humans.  I began alone, but now find myself surrounded by beautiful people who have also become the voices of Mother Nature.  There are a few goofy ones.  Maybe I'm one of them, but it's okay. And of course, there are the know-it-alls.  But I find that everyone has something to offer in this great quest.  Alone, I could not do this at all.  I have come to accept the fact that I will need help on this planet-wide journey from time to time.

The Lewis's Woodpecker stores food away for the winter months ahead

While I despise HUGE crowds of people anywhere, I have found that the wildlife crowd is tolerable and many times enjoyable. And in this, I have found comfort.  It's a strange thing to admit, but I have found my place after all of these years being lost. I still avoid crowds though:)

Alone with Kathie, we stare beyond the field at the mysterious wonders of Picacho Peak

"Don't shoot into the light with your camera...not good for your eyes or camera!  Don't try to take a pic of an animal or bird with the sun on its' back because it won't turn out. Put your setting to "sports" for those awesome flight shots. Manual focus on the little birds."  I am still a teacher at heart. Walking on the trails of the snow-capped Santa Ritas with our new wildlife photographer friend, I remembered so much. 

Lesser Goldfinches play Connect 4. A Pine Siskin joins in their fun.

As we improve, we grow.  As we struggle with various challenges, we hope to overcome. And probably the biggest lesson I have learned this year is to help out others who ask for it. For if it wasn't for a kind hearted soul, I may have never discovered the beauty of this epic birding journey. 

Hope for the California Condors

The Vermilion Cliffs

Some treks take us to epic places.

For on this weekend, we would look for the critically endangered California Condors along the canyon walls around the Vermilion Cliffs.

Back in the early 80's, these birds almost went extinct.  The last 22 of the wild California Condors were captured.  I was a young boy in grade school.  Mrs. Beine told us the story about these birds and I thought it sad.  Extinct meant forever.  It meant that they would be gone forever like the dinosaurs. I remembered sitting in her class listening to the lecture.  In my heart, I felt it was a hopeless cause.  Yet another species gone from our planet.

The popular Navajo Bridge demands tourists to stop and get out for incredible views! 

They declined over the years from poaching, habitat loss and lead poisoning.  Lead poisoning is still a major concern for these birds.  Why?  Hunters use lead bullets to hunt around the canyon.  Condors are scavengers and will eat the remaining carcass left behind.  Years later with international help and several breeding pairs at various zoos, the Condors would get a second chance.  Twice a year, with the help of the Peregrine Fund, several Condors are released back into the wild near the Vermilion Cliffs of Arizona. It is one of the rarest birds in the world with a wingspan of 9.8 feet!!!  It's also one of the longest living birds with a life expectancy of 60 years. The purpose of our trip?  Watch the release of the new California Condors and find the wild ones out there.  It was also an excuse to chill at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Of course this was all before the shut down of the government and the National Parks.

Park Ranger Gaelyn watched the cliffs with the crowds as large numbers of dark birds approach the cliffs

There are currently 435 California Condors left in the world.  237 live in the wild and 198 are in captivity.  As we waited for the cages to open, we noticed large black shadows moving in the sky.  Common ravens, a Golden Eagle and California Condors!!!!  11 of the birds descended upon the dead carcasses placed on the cliffs.  The young ones didn't leave their cages while we were there.  Spectators waited patiently for the birds to leave.  Instead they were treated to the other CA Condors feasting nearby.

But our day wasn't over.  And I wasn't satisfied with the photography I had taken of these birds.  We left the area to search for these birds along the cliffs.

The Vermilion cliffs were incredible.  Here we are with our friend Gaelyn from Geogypsy.  She is a park ranger for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  She, along with another ranger, went down to speak with the public about the birds along the rim.  They now are out of jobs until Congress gets their act together.

We said our good-byes.  I had a withdrawal because she's really a wonderful person.  But I am thankful to blogger and how it has helped us all connect.  So while I wouldn't call blogging work, I did have to complete my task for this post.  Better pics for my audience.  And so we left the area.

And upon a bridge we walked.  I searched high into the sky and along the canyon walls.  I saw the dark shadow float over my head.  My smile widened.  The Condors!  The Condors!  Every Condor is labeled now.  As each giant bird landed, we could ID 73 and 2.  Number 73 is a male of 11 years and Number 2 is a female of 10 years. They are currently nesting together in Marble Canyon along the cliff walls. Apparently another male has joined the party and three birds have become a family. 

While this bird may not be the most "attractive" by human standards, the Condor certainly teaches us all the great lesson of hope.  As a child, I thought I would never see these creatures.  As an adult, I was a bit emotional observing these birds in the wild.  

A lot of prep work goes into a trip like this. Research is important.  This was a great way to kick off the fall season!  At one time this bird was found across the United States.
 

I continue to hope for the best.  I hope that these birds will eventually be able to exist without human intervention out in the wild. This past year 4 wild chicks hatched in various nests around the Arizona canyons. So what continues to hold these birds back?

I paid him to pose:)  Imagine a human body fitting easily between that wingspan and you'll get an idea on how large these birds really are!

After reviewing the data on dead Condors released in the wild, I found 3 killers.  Eagle attacks, coyote attacks.....and lead bullets.   As long as hunters use lead bullets, these birds will forever be in danger of extinction.  I even read a report that one was shot and killed!  The good news is that hunters can change the lead bullets they use to copper ones.  If I were a hunter, I'd switch just because of potential lead in my meat.  Just saying.

King Tuzigoot reenacts what it must feel like flying as a California Condor.  

The majesty of a Condor in flight is awe inspiring.  Never in my life had I thought I'd be granted a look at such incredible birds.  But it happened.  I'd like to close out my bird reports this year with a Whooping Crane observation.  I've found the California Condors and Resplendent Quetzal of Guatemala.  But will I find the Whooping Cranes of Wisconsin?  You'll have to stay tuned for that report. For now, I'm still glowing from all of the California Condor sightings this past weekend.  The birding adventures continue......

California Condor

I'm linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.

Grand Happenings

The Grand Canyon is a national symbol.  It's an international sensation full of loud tourists who all come to witness this incredible landscape from picnic tables and parking lots while eating their 10 dollar ice cream cones.  But we weren't there to look at the canyon or rocks.  We were there to find the two nesting pairs of the very rare Californian Condors.  We grabbed our camelbacks and began our 7 mile hike along the rim checking out all the nooks and crannies trying to avoid the crowds.  And most of the time, it worked.

Now most of the tourists were oblivious to the wildlife hiding in the trees etc.  They sped quickly in their motor cars past elk, birds and other incredible things. WHITE THROATED SWIFT!!!

White-throated Swift

And back to.......beautiful........canyons.......cooler weather.....people watching..........back to hike.

Along the way, we'd stop to take a break noting large numbers of Mountain Chickadees staring back at us.

Mountain Chickadee

I tried to resist the urge to take shots but that's impossible when you're at the Grand Canyon.

I'm not one for heights nor standing close to the edges.

But I had to do this so that I could scan the cliffs......
                                                  this curious ring captured King Tuzigoot's attention.

It was a memorial to a person who had died at the Grand Canyon.

While we were there, Western Scrub Jays ruled the airways.  I loved seeing a new type of jay besides our Mexican Jay variety but it made me miss them.  Does this happen to you?  Do you sometimes miss your backyard birds?

Western Scrub Jay

Tourists fed these jays. And they gladly ate.

After all was said and done, we had a nice list of birds.  I dipped yet again on the Condors but that just gives me a reason to return:) Our bird count is below....

Turkey Vulture  3

Cooper's Hawk  1

Red-tailed Hawk  1

White-throated Swift  10

Pinyon Jay  2

Western Scrub-Jay  12

Common Raven  15

Violet-green Swallow  1

Mountain Chickadee  16

White-breasted Nuthatch  3

Pygmy Nuthatch  3

Western Bluebird  1

Spotted Towhee  4

Dark-eyed Junco  10

Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed)  10

Brewer's Blackbird  1

House Finch  6

Red Crossbill  2

I'm linking up with Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday