The Long and Short Of It

Ambitious and unrestrained for 4 days, I took my birding on the road.  I didn't plan a thing.  I just let it unfold as it would.  And spontaneity happened!

We watched as this male Red-tailed Hawk captured this Western Patchnose Snake to present to the female as a gift.  A sign that spring is here and that nesting is about to begin for many birds in our desert.

We climbed the high elevations and found a pair of Arizona Woodpeckers hungrily tapping on the bark for a little snack.

Arizona Woodpecker

And then, we discovered this Long-eared Owl resting in the shadows.

So we got to thinking.......

Black-throated Sparrow

Could we find the Short-eared Owl that had been reported recently?

No luck, but that didn't matter. 

Other rarities popped up for us during our search like this Gray Catbird below!

And who could resist this beautiful Pyrrhuloxia?

Or the mesmerizing blue grays of the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay?

Or the orange sherbert of an Olive Warbler....

Or the colorful song of a Greater Pewee?

Simply put.  It's fun to show people around beautiful Southern Arizona and help them find a lifer or two.

It's time to get back on track and seek out new life and new civilizations.  Arizona is my home but there are new birds that must be discovered!  Stay tuned for a very special Las Aventuras next week.

Crissal Thrasher

 

Birding Ethics

The singing Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

How far would you go to get "that" shot?  Apparently for some, they'll do anything including endangering a bird's life to get that branch-free, close-up picture of their subject.  When birding in large groups (or around others), you can pick out the various degrees of birder or photographer.

The Gilded Flicker at sunset

As most of us already know, birds, in general, are tricky to capture on camera.  So finding them posing perfectly out in the open can be a wonderful opportunity. Take for example this Gilded Flicker.  At Saguaro National Park, it tends to be skittish.  When I do find the birds here, they cling closely to the Ocotillo like in the pic above.  Sometimes, they can be very accommodating like the one we found in Scottsdale below. The bird just flew in and sat on the wall staring back at us. 

Naturally we chase birds.  Sometimes playback is used a couple times.  Sometimes we pish and hope for the best. On this evening, I pished and had a curious Black-throated Sparrow come and visit me. 

Black-throated Sparrow

So here's where my story begins.  Another birder was searching for the very tricky Long-eared Owl in Arizona. To cut the time and make use of our bird schedule, we had to join this walk. I was with a lister(a person who tries to add as many species of birds as they can onto a list.  In this case, his Arizona list.) I knew of several Long-eared Owls that were being seen in a location that required a bird walk. The only drawback?  Crowds of birders! 

Female Northern Shoveler

PS.  Arizona is amazing.  If you've never been here, you've got to come and bird.  You're going to love it!  Anyhow, everyone came to the Audubon lead Arivaca-Cienaga Boardwalk on a Saturday morning to see the Long-eared Owl.  As I had anticipated, there were nearly 30 people from all over the country on this trek.  All hoping to find the owl(s).  An internal groan happened on both our parts as large groups are not our thing. But sometimes you have to do them.  However, I will say that the group was a great bunch. Sometimes they can be very talkative!  If you're talking, you're not listening or watching for the birds:)

Snowbirds enjoy the varied landscapes of Arizona

I came once before to find these owls. This time, I wanted to see if I had looked in the right area.  And I had! So that little information made me happy and confirmed my investigative powers are increasing! BUT these owls are super tricky to find because they camouflage so well into the hackberry trees/bushes along the trail.  Because we were on a tight schedule, we couldn't stay for the entire walk and had to leave early.  This is something I should have told our guide before we got on the trails.  

This is the owl that everyone got to see during our walk.  Lots of branches!  But they aren't always inside the branches. 

The word "owl" makes people go crazy.  You don't even have to be a birder to love them.  Anyhow, our guide was excellent and a very nice person.  I didn't know him nor the visiting out-of-state birders.  But we understood our guide when he told us that he didn't want to disturb the owls roosting.  We all agreed to the rules and got our quick glances and quickly moved on.  It's what I would have asked my group if I had been leading a tour.  It's what I always do when I have several visitors coming into town to find owls. 

Sometimes they perch at your campsite in the evening!

Once we saw the owl, we did some more birding with the group. However, we had to take off soon afterwards because there were several other birds we had to find for the day. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see everything before sundown.  While our guide was chatting with the group, we took off to stay on schedule.  I didn't want to interrupt the talk.  I had intended to email him that night and thank him for the wonderful job, etc.  

Peña Blanca Lake for the Rufous-capped Warbler

So we left to search for the Rufous-capped Warbler. Yet I felt an uneasiness in my stomach.  Not a good sign.  Then the unthinkable happened. I got word that rumors were spreading throughout the birding community that we had gone back to disturb the owls and get better photos.  My new lens has been getting a lot of attention which I hate.  They thought we were going to try for better photos.  And so did the guide!  If they knew me, they would have known better.  I am one of the most responsible birders out there. That night I sent emails out. More work for my carelessness! 

The next day I went out with my friend Cynthia to go birding. The ill rumors had still lingered and made me upset. Thankfully the guide wrote me back and we were able to clear up the misunderstandings.  So what did I learn? When in a group, I need tell the guide what our plan is before starting the trek.  From the guide's part, he apologized for assuming the worst. But honestly, I would have done the same thing. And thanks to my reputation, he discovered quickly that I was one of the "good" birders.  Your reputation is everything in the birding world.  The honor code is an unwritten book of rules that are known by all birders. Break a rule and you will quickly feel their wrath! Birders can be as ruthless as a Great Blue Heron filling up on a newly hatched nest of Red-winged Blackbirds!

And sometimes, when you least expect it, the bird will pose for you just like the Gilded Flicker did.  That's what's fun about birding.  Just be patient and it will happen. 

Like most things in life, it all comes down to communication.  Lesson learned.  I'm so used to being an independent birder that I forget how the whole group mentality works:)  And how about you?  Any similar stories or mishaps while on the birding trail with others? Until next time.....

The Migration North

Long-eared Owl

I am spending my warm spring break this year in Wisconsin.  The temps are somewhat agreeable for the outdoors:)  It's definitely not the 90 degree weather back home!

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary rescues 8 Red Fox pups after their mother was killed by a car.  I like to stop here when I visit to see what's happening at their center.  So grateful for all the work they do!  Plus they have nice bird feeders and it's a reliable place to pick up the American Black Duck:)  Over a hundred of these beauties mix it up with their Mallard friends along a wonderful wetland area. 

While hanging out with the family, I've managed to rack up some birds here along Lake Michigan.  The wintering birds are starting to head back north and my wintering birds from Arizona are starting to migrate back north into places like Wisconsin.  The Sandhill Cranes and Red-winged Blackbirds have made their debut!

Red-winged Blackbird

While here, I've gotten permission to survey a restricted area, visit a wildlife rehabilitation center, explore Lake Michigan's shoreline and surrounding marshlands. 

Family helps explore a restricted area near a nuclear power plant.  We obtained a permit to walk the land. Very cold!  But we found an active nesting pair of eagles!

It's tricky maneuvering as I try to balance family and birding together.  So far I've managed to land myself 4 new lifebirds including the American Tree Sparrow, Glaucous Gull, Northern Shrike and Rough-legged Hawk.  All these birds will be or are heading north.  I have been trying to track Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs, but I don't have many opportunities to chase these birds now as my time is coming to a close. I missed these birds in our area by just a few days.  They are now further north in Wisconsin!

Herring Gull

I met up with my favorite Manitowoc birder and former Professor, Doc Sontag.  We chatted for awhile discussing the various birding trends in the area for the month of March.  

Meeting Doc Sontag at the Manitowoc Impoundment

Balancing it all out is super tricky! Either way, it's weird watching a very active migration take place right before my eyes.  Everything this year seems to be a week or two early in many areas. 

American Black Duck

The birds out in Lake Michigan have been very exciting for me.  I love all the gulls and waterbirds floating around the piers and harbors. I've found the White-winged Scoters, Red-throated Loon, and the Common, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers!  Other delights include MANY Common Goldeneyes and Greater Scaups. But where oh where are those darned Long-tailed Ducks everyone is reporting:)?

Female Hooded Merganser

So for now, I leave you.  I still have "work" to do on this spring break.  

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I leave you now with one of my favorite lighthouses along Lake Michigan.  Until next time!

A Band of Birders

The Green-tailed Towhee

The journey never ends and the birds are always out there just waiting to be found.  Part of the fun about birding is getting the chance to hang out with new and old friends of all ages!  

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Butterfly

And the part I love most is how spontaneous it all can be!  It's like being a kid again.

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Recently I have really gotten back into camping.  My family used to go often on the weekends while we were growing up in Wisconsin. It has been a lot of fun setting up "home" in the middle of the woods with friends.  The secret to a good nights sleep?  An air mattress:) 

Nesting Cordilleran Flycatchers

So on a trip to Greer, we, the band of birders, went looking for some elusive birds.  There we would discover many amazing birds like the American Dipper(finally!), Gray Jays, Pine Grosbeaks and a Long-eared Owl!

Of course, we'd spot many other beautiful things, but there's nothing quite like the company of fun people to enhance the birding experience. 

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Risk taking was something I used to do often when I was younger. Birding can be a lot like gambling.  You win some and you lose some. On Friday, we hit all of our target birds except the Dusky Grouse.  But with the unexpected Long-eared Owl making an appearance, it was a win-win for everyone...making up for the dip on the Grouse.

Then Saturday came.  Oh Saturday!  We drove to the 4 corners area to search for a Black-billed Magpie(below).  Why a gorgeous bird like this would hang around the 4 corners area is beyond me!  There had been reports of several birds in the area. And they were found in a tree-lined wash.  Okay, no problem.  So we drove a looooooong way to get there.....and gambled.

Black-billed Magpie in Colorado Springs, CO

Along the way, we joked and laughed really hoping we'd see this bird and count it on our state list.  The areas we had been passing were quite beautiful but not looking very Magpie friendly.  Eventually we arrived at the Klingon sounding(Star Trek reference/I'm a nerd) settlement known as Teec Nos Pos. Actually it's Navajo for "Cottonwoods in a Circle".  

Our intrepid crew!  Pic courtesy of Tommy D!  From left to right...Me, Magill, Gordon and Tommy

That made sense because the town was built around a wash full of Cottonwoods. This part of the Navajo Reservation reminded me of a ghost town. And not the good kind.  I swear there were zombies hiding behind trees. I don't know where all the people were, but it was dead silent. Thankfully we were a band of birders exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations.  Or at least that's what I told myself:)

So we reached the area where the Magpies had been reported.  The habitat looked right. The coordinates were correct. So we hesitantly left our space shuttle vehicle. I was wearing a red shirt that day. Broken glass bottles sparkled in between the rocks. And there was trash everywhere.  Several trees were spray painted with colorful letters.  Dirty shirts and other clothing items draped tree branches. Perhaps a homeless encampment? Or maybe some sort of wild outdoor party happened here? There was evidence of beer drinking.  But the intrepid crew of the USS Gordon entered the forested area listening for a singular Magpie call. 

Solitary Sandpiper

One of the crew members explored a densely packed wooded area alone and discovered a human male shooting his arm full of drugs. "Yellow Alert!" (one condition level below Red Alert or meaning high caution) At this point, birds became secondary. Soon after, other humans arrived in a beat up car and our band of birders began to discuss the safety factors.  The heart to explore beats strongly in each of us, but sometimes the risk isn't worth it. And it was decided inside this rather sketchy and narrow wash that we would leave and explore around the settlement....at warp speed:)

Long-eared Owl

I could see the disappointment on people's faces.  I felt it as well!  It's hard to dip on a bird you know is in the area.  But safety first!  On this day, something triggered a couple of our alarms and I have found to trust in it for a good reason.  I have been incident free over the years while traveling here and there and I hope to keep it that way. 

American Dipper

However with that said, I enjoyed the experience very much.  I would never have gone to that part of the state alone and I was so glad we were able to explore new territory together.  Sometimes it's not always about getting the target bird....sometimes it's about something more. It won't be an experience I forget anytime soon. We thought we'd head to the 4 corners for a photo op on a human made landmark, but when we discovered that it was going to cost 5 bucks a person, we all said, "NO WAY!"  The bitter taste of dipping on the Magpie was still present.

Prairie Dog

But what's that saying? "Take milk from a cow and make a milkshake".  No no I think it's "Squeeze lemons and make a vodka lemonade:)" In any case, we birded our way back into Greer during a beautiful monsoon storm.  And that long trip back?  It wasn't long at all because we had fun trekking along the lakes on the return trip!  I discovered my mammal lifer!  The Prairie Dog. 

Male Calliope Hummingbird

And like the old childhood/college adventures, we returned to camp and planned our fun for the next day under the night sky while we ate our meal. Common Nighthawks called from the darkness.  The rain began to pitter patter down from the canopy of the trees.  A sign that it was time to retire into our tents.  That night I slept well as the cool breeze blew in under the tent flaps. 

As a side note, the 4 Corners area is safe as is most of Teec Nos Pos.  But many times, as in our case, we were searching in areas not populated or known by many people.  The birds always guide us.  Part of the fun in birding is playing the role of detective.  Unfortunately, there are places like the one we visited that can be sketchy.  Arizona has several of these birding hotspots and its always best to go in a group.  More next time....

From Sheep's Crossing in Greer!  A great place to go fishing and find an American Dipper:)  For more great birds and places to find them, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!