Red For Ed Part One

March and April have been two extreme months of highs and lows.  I'm glad the month is over, but not without great cost. 

During these past 2 weeks, Arizona teachers have walked out in the thousands to speak up for students, teachers, support staff and school funding. These are difficult times for many people.  With 150,000 teachers walking out of the classroom, most schools have shut down across the state.  It is a historical moment. 

Some districts fully supported their teachers while other districts pretended to wear the red shirt. But when push came to shove, they were forced into making decisions they were not ready to make. Some districts even threatened their teachers! And yes, I joined the thousands of teachers, students, and parents and walked to the capital.  And during that time, I also did our yearly fund raising campaign for Tucson Audubon's Birdathon AND guiding!  Yeah, it was crazy switching from one thing to another.  There are too many stories to be told and I cannot share it all in one post.  

Currently we wait for the Governor's announcement for how he will fix this educational financial crisis.  If it goes south tonight, I don't know what will happen.  I'm hoping it ends soon because I need to be in the classroom with my students!  Arizona ranks 49 in educational funding and falls way below the national average for teacher pay and student funding.  I can tell you that it has gotten worse.  It's hard to find anyone who wants to teach anymore in this state.  Most of my friends have left the profession for better paying jobs.  Who will teach our kids if we can't find qualified people?  Oh and there are many shades of red to Arizona education, but I don't want to bore you anymore than I already have.  

I will just say that this is such a challenging time.  There are nights I don't sleep.  We are all stressed out but we can't live like this anymore. Enough is enough.  

As the weekend approached, I eagerly looked forward to meeting up with Steve and Kathy to help them find some amazing birds that they can brag about back home when they finish up their vacation here.  And it was an intensely fun weekend chasing crazy birds like the Sinaloa Wren, Rufous-backed Robins and Rose-throated Becards. 

We found the Sinaloa Wren skulking in the shadows along the stream of a SECOND nest!  Apparently the male builds more than one nest to attract a female.  

We were lucky and found all three species but it took time and some hiking to get to them in the extreme Arizona heat. 

Together we found amazing birds like the Hermit Warbler above and the.....

......western subspecies of the Warbling Vireo.....

.....a cool looking Abert's Squirrel......

......gorgeous views of the Black-headed Grosbeak......

......and amazing views of the often secretive Spotted Towhee.......

.....and finally seeing the beautiful blues of the Steller's Jays who happened to be mimicking hawk calls while we were there. Then it was over. 

And we were back in the 100 degree temps fighting for public education. 

Life is always interesting.  And it has been a roller coaster for me.  We manage our finances well but these past days have put us to the test.  It's hard not to think about things.  Do I sign my contract or walk away from the job?  If I don't sign my contract, I'm done.  The angry side says walk away, but the rational part of me says stay and fight the good fight.  

Our birdathon was only a few days away and just thinking about it sapped the energy out of me.  

We are all fighting for a good cause.  Change is not overnight.  Whatever the verdict is, Arizona teachers, both Republicans and Democrats, united together to fight the fight.  

And while I would much rather cross sketchy bridges with awesome people searching for our amazing Arizona birds, 

...it is teaching that brought me to this place in my life.  And no matter what, I am an educator at heart whether it be in the classroom or outdoors. 

I will fight to protect the wild spaces of our planet and I will fight to protect public education because I am a teacher.  This is what I do. 

Next week, we'll finish up with part 2 of this series.  We'll find out what the Wrenegades were up to, what Governor Ducey decided and I'll share with you our discoveries.  It includes a letter, the Butcher, and Raccoon Bob.  Please keep the Arizona teachers in your thoughts, until next time.....

The Wrenegades Awaken

Pic courtesy of Sara Pike

Each year, I tell myself I'm not going to do it again.  And then I do:) Why? I like the crowd.  I like the challenge.  Raising money for Tucson Audubon is a good thing especially when our current US administration is cutting funding back for many of our conservation programs around the US. 

Tim's secret plans

Each one of us is in charge of something on this 24 hour crazy-thon.  We go a full day straight looking for birds in Southern Arizona.  Tim is our excellent organizer and planner.  Every bird hotspot is carefully chosen with a timed response.  This means we have to find as many birds as we can in our window timeframe. Then we are whisked away by our drivers Sara, Matt and Tim.  

Copulating Killdeer

 I am the documentation guy.  I ebird every hotspot conscious or not:)  I keep the lists and photos of our journey for our donors.  After it's all over, we process the data and pics so that the group can send their supporters all the highlights and fun from our treks.  

Long-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers

But I have to admit.  There are some spots I love more than others.  I love Willcox, AZ.  I love that after our search we stop at the Mexican restaurant to grab something to eat.  It's essentially the calm before the storm.  

American Avocet

 I love owling with the crew on Mt. Lemmon.  I don't like birding alone in the dark.  And you'd be surprised by how many random cars we see at night around 3 in the morning.  It's hard to see who is in the car since the windows are all fogged up:)

Scaled Quail

This year our team made some interesting discoveries.  At Cochise Lake, we found 4 Western Grebes.  I haven't seen these birds here before so it was an interesting observation. Also at Cochise Lake, we discovered, for the AZ birding crowd, a cute little Snowy Plover.  

But a big surprise was about to happen during our night out on Mt. Lemmon.  Our team has suspected for a long time that we had been hearing Northern Saw-whet Owls near Summerhaven over the past couple years.  We just never had visual confirmation.  Until now.  

A new bird to my Pima County list! Northern Saw-whet Owl

 Thanks in part from a tip by Brian Nicholas, a Tucson birder and really great guy, we went to an area near his coordinates.  Almost immediately, we heard a high whinny call that was NOT a Northern Pygmy Owl.  We knew we had a different and very rare owl on the mountain.  Any sleepy thoughts I had were quickly erased as I became super alert.  While the group was excited by the discovery, Matt and I grabbed the spotlight and flashed it up to where the call was being made.....and my camera got one shot and that was it. For Matt, it was a lifer.  For me, it was a significant discovery that will now lead me into a new investigation.  Is there a tiny population that breeds up there?  OR are they migrating through the area?  This bird alone made the trek worthwhile.  

But the fun didn't stop.  At dawn, the bird chorus on the mountain is overwhelming.  It began at around 4:30 AM and continued for 30 or 40 minutes.  One call in particular lead us to this hard to photograph warbler, the Virginia's Warbler.  For the first time in 6 years, I was able to get long and satisfying looks at this normally secretive warbler. This is one of my favorite pics from our trek. 

Virginia's Warbler

 As we continued throughout the morning, I began to get more tired.  It was cold and then it wasn't.  In fact, it got nasty hot.  And I hate birding in the heat.  But when doing a birdathon, birders have to keep going. 

Western Wood Pewee

 And we did.  The heat began to get closer to 100 degrees and my body was not having it.  

Hermit Warbler

At one point, I nearly passed out.  I couldn't do it anymore.  We were at the DeAnza trail in Tubac when I lost the energy to bird.  

the Davis Pasture in the Cienagas Grasslands-pic by Matt Griffiths

While Matt, Jennie, Sara, Corey and Tim kept hiking the 90 degree, chigger sensational DeAnza trail, I sat in the park under the ramada and counted birds.  I am, after all, a mere mortal.  I should have taken two days off instead of one but finals have arrived and students need their teacher for support.  

Matt, Jennie, Sara, Corey, Tim and me in the back

By the end of the day, I acquired new information that I can now use for my own research.  The team was exhausted but we did it. And it felt good. Not only did we raise several thousands of dollars, we broke our old record and surpassed our 180 bird species goal in a 24 hour time period with 182 birds.  I really like these people a lot.  

 We cross paths throughout the year but really only bird on these two days together each year as a team.  It's a tradition that I hope we keep going every year.  If you'd like to track that tradition, here are some links to our past searches and how we've grown as a team. 
 2014-Blur  2015-Veni, Vidi,Vici 
 2016-Return of the Wrenegades

And as a side note, I'd be remiss if I forgot to mention how Tim is always attacked by some wild mammal. One year it was a rabid skunk.  And while not wild, this year it was a mother cow.  Good times!  Until next week:)

A Future To Believe In Part 2

I remember looking up into the broken sunlight of the leafy ceiling. Birds flew from one branch to another. Just shadows really. In the grasses, he pointed to a hidden deer skull. Everyone in my 2nd grade class was in awe. 

Botteri's Sparrow-lifer for Bernie

He continued to lead us into the woods pointing out a beautiful Cedar Waxwing and American Robin.  Bernie reminded us to walk quietly.  We did our best. For most of the time. I mean...we were still kids after all:)

The darker Grasshopper Sparrow of the West

Later in life, I joined yet another nature walk with Bernie.  I was now in 7th grade.  We were looking for owls.  Their hidden locations were revealed as we watched them silently sleep on their perches. For many of us, it was our first wild owl we had ever seen!

One of the many deer I saw this summer at the Woodland Dunes

By now, I knew these woods well.  We played along a creek that once ran freely into the Dunes. I hid in the forests with my friends and built secret fortresses.  We also snuck out of our homes before the parents noticed that we hadn't done the chores. No one could find us if they tried.  It was our secret hiding place.

Eventually they cut down our secret forest and covered the creek with dirt and ugly factories. Angered adults and kids watched helplessly as the chainsaws shredded the trees to the ground. Today, those same factories that destroyed our natural playland sit empty because the work has since gone elsewhere. They had also tried to cut down the Woodland Dunes many years ago, but a few stood firm and protected this sacred area. Bernie lead the grassroot efforts to keep it free from "progress".  Many locals didn't get it. land=work=$$.  Oh if they could have seen their futures.  Today, nothing is left of the city I once knew.  The city continues to shrink and locals struggle to find work.  It is a shadow of what it used to be.  But the one thing that still attracts people from all over?  Our beautiful coastline and forests. And I gotta say.  The birding in Manitowoc County is pretty awesome.

Horned Lark

Later on in life, I returned back to the Dunes as a birder and an adult. Now I could truly understand the scope of what Bernie had set out to do. He was still there banding owls and educating us, the public. But it wouldn't be for long. Now, he was training others to do what he had done for decades.  It only took me a couple decades to catch up with Bernie and understand why the Woodland Dunes had been so important.  A few people knew early on, like Bernie, that the Woodland Dunes was an important wildlife area that needed to be protected for migrating birds, nesting songbirds, etc.  I have very few regrets in life, but there are times as a kid when I wish I would have spent more time and attention to the people and the important work they were doing. 

He was still the kind person I remembered as a kid. I watched him handle the owls with ease as he taught others the proper way to band them. 

After listening to his stories about banding birds, I realized that there is still so much I don't know. He even banded the trickier ones like Chimney Swifts! 

Bernie's Hermit Warbler

And now it was my turn to help this wonderful man out.  It was an honor and privilege to aide him in the discovery of our birds here in Southern Arizona.  We found Bernie's last warbler for the US and North America. Afterwards, we headed to the grasslands where we were able to watch a herd of pronghorns casually stroll through the verdant hills.

He gave me his "needs" list and I smiled.  While I love birding in the mountains, my favorite habitat to bird is in the grasslands.  And he needed quite a few of the grassland birds!  We had beautiful views of his lifer Botteri's and Cassin's Sparrows.  He discovered Cassin's and Thick-billed Kingbirds. And of course, the Hermit Warbler. 5 lifebirds!

Time is precious.  And although I only had a day to bird with Bernie and his son Jeff, I was so happy to do so.  It's the least I could do for a man who has done so much for us.  Thank you Bernie for your life long work.  Thank you for keeping areas like the Woodland Dunes safe from development. I don't recognize much of my city anymore, but I do remember my childhood playgrounds because they were protected and made safe by people like you.  When I enter the Dunes or Point Beach State Forest, I am neither child nor adult. I exist in a timeless space where it all comes together as one. I am surrounded by happy thoughts of my past.  I am reminded of my present. And I see future generations of kids exploring these places like I did when I was a kid.  Your life long work continues to inspire us and will continue for as long as people treasure these beautiful spaces.  Thank you for all that you do!

Not my photo but from the Woodland Dunes website.  I remember these days in the 70's and early 80's.  A sunny day with wet snow and yet still cold enough to wear gloves.  Bernie educates us about the nature.

Until next time.......