Revisiting Old Friends

Montezuma Quail

This past week, after the onslaught of birders searching for the Eared Quetzal without any luck, they abandoned their hopeful searches and turned their eyes to our other specialties. It was mayhem.  They still continue to search.  And a few birders have reported a female now.  So it's possible the Eared Quetzals are nesting somewhere on the mountain. Whatever the case, birders need to be aware that covid has spread among the community AND birders need to follow ethical protocols. There are times when some things should be kept secret, especially during their breeding season. Playback is terrible during this time of year and people should refrain from using it. 

I was back in those old birding routes that every new hopeful birder visits.  It was rather strange.  With covid abound everywhere, I was forced to stay home during this very nasty time in Arizona.  Many of us locals leave Arizona to go birding in cooler temps.  Guides, generally, don't offer their services during this month due to nesting conditions and of course, that sweltering heat.  Everything picks up again in July when our monsoon gets into full swing and bird life is ALIVE!  

Painted Redstart

There are still windows of opportunity to bird.  Early mornings are best.  Evenings are second best. Afternoons are a no no unless you are at higher elevations but one of my favorite places to take people is currently on fire.  And it's a tragedy. So many nesting birds gone, many of them warblers.  Between crazy birders chasing that quetzal, covid closures and covid in general, the heat and the fires, it is a bit too much to take.  I regulated my outings with my friend because I can't do those extreme chases anymore for an entire day.  One of the days, I felt heat exhaustion coming on in the 104 degree temps.  Yes, I wore sun screen, a hat and drank plenty of water, but there comes a point when your body just shuts down.  Words get blurry, that little headache begins and birds become a second thought.  

Lucifer Hummingbird

There were also flashbacks during our treks.  A sadness that only one would know had they grown up as a birder with the people they once knew.  Take for example the Lucifer's Hummingbird.  Nearly every birder has gone to Mary Jo's Bed and Breakfast for their lifer Lucifer's Hummingbird.  Mary Jo passed away a little over a year now.  I haven't gone back because there are a lot of fond memories with that lady.  But we went because it's the one reliable place for birders who like photography, such as myself, to observe the secretive Montezuma Quail and of course that very special hummingbird.  Her place is now a sanctuary and it's still very special.  But I sat and looked at her home where the volunteers stay now. And it was a different experience.  The volunteers were wonderful, but Mary Jo wasn't there.  Or her African Gray Parrot. 

Least Tern

I took a day off to just work on house stuff and hang out with my neighbors.  On that day, a Least Tern showed up at Canoa Ranch.  It was a fun and fast trek to see the bird fly over the waters there. The following day, we went to search for some difficult birds.  You have to prioritize your birds.  So you choose your targets carefully.  Sometimes you spend an entire morning on ONE bird.  And that's what we did.  Anything after that window is a gift.  We achieved our targeted goals.  We stopped at another great birdy area, the Holy Trinity Monastery.  Another formerly owned Catholic property and magnet for incredible birds like the Gray Hawk, Mississippi Kite, Tropical Kingbirds and other special birds. But on the day we went there, the place looked unkept.  The shop was closed.  The pond was overgrown with algae. Broke my heart.  I sat in the meditation garden and noticed several of the wonderful shady trees were gone.  

Lesser Nighthawk

During our travels, we noticed Lesser Nighthawks hunting in broad daylight.  'Tis the season for feeding babies.  Normally these birds are only seen at dawn or dusk and at night around lights catching bugs. 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

There are several birds in Arizona that are well protected and kept secret.  However, those secrets get leaked and then coordinates appear.  Such is the case with the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, a very sensitive species in AZ.  The species is another Holy Grail for birders, ABA'ers, state listers, county listers, etc.  There are few spots in the US that you can see them.  Texas is the best place for them.  Arizona has many but they are located in VERY difficult access places far away from civilization. The best place for these owls is still Organ Pipe National Monument in a VERY accessible place.  And that's all I will say:)

Scaled Quail

I think the most exciting part of our journeys came from observing all three quail species.  It was a lot of fun revisiting these old sites for some great birds.  Currently my plans are on hold.  As we see a spike in covid around the country, it has once again messed with travel plans.  Testing in this country is a joke. I'll leave it at that.  

juvenile Gambel's Quail

Stay cool everyone. And stay safe! Until next time....

Always Chasing Rainbows

The hikes have been grueling lately.  With desert heat and rarities popping up left and right, it has made the birding a true challenge.  Which bird should I chase first?  Many of the birds are in difficult or remote locations!

Violet-green Swallow

For all the "hits" I get on my target birds, there are also the misses.  Aztec Thrush, Berryline Hummingbird, Rose-throated Becard, Slate-throated Redstart. All misses because of time.  Only one would be a lifebird.  And when I dip on a bird like I did with the Aztec Thrush, it burns bad. Timing.  It all comes down to the timing. When you don't have the time, you appreciate every minute you have more.  My life is one long schedule.  It's pretty awesome, but like everyone else reading this blog, we have lives outside our hobby that require us to be present:)  It will just make the story sweeter when I do finally see these birds in Arizona:)

Black-throated Gray Warbler

I'll hike miles to find a new bird.  But with time constraints, it makes waiting around for a bird difficult.  Had I only waited 10 minutes, I would have seen the bird!!!  BUT NO.  We had to head back down the mountain to get home.  It's a terrible feeling.  I got into my car and couldn't talk for awhile.  I got a text from a friend who told me that the bird popped out as we were heading back down the trail. 

Gordon spots an Hepatic Tanager.  In the distance, a wildfire burns near Young, Arizona.

Time was ticking and my window for the Aztec Thrush closed. No more Southern Arizona birding for awhile.  On our last days in Arizona, I birded with Gordon(above) once more on Mt. Ord.  

The heat was an astounding 117 degrees in the desert!!  I use this reliable kitty weather forecast for help. So we had to climb the mountains for some reprieve.  But not by much. It still was pretty hot up there!

It's amazing how birds can even survive these extreme temps!

Hutton's Vireo

Like good Arizona birders, we pack lots of water. Some it is frozen while the rest is chilled.  The body MUST stay cool in the extreme heat!  We also went early and left the house by 5 AM. Although, you can get up at 4 AM to start!!!  But that's way TOO early! Or is it?

Hepatic Tanager

We track water sources.  Cattle tanks.  Mountain streams, etc etc to find birds. During the Arizona summer, birds will feed before the sun rises(the 4:30 AM time period), hang out in the shade during the sunny and hot times of the day and stay near any water sources that may be around the area. Visiting birders need to take care and do the same!

We find plenty of wildlife resting in the shaded areas.  We also take advantage of these areas along the road staying out of the intense sun.  As we do, we spot several deer casually crossing the road ahead of us. 

It is also completely acceptable to sit at public bird feeders and search for rarities:)  Especially after the 10 AM time period.  

Lucifer Hummingbird

Sometimes I will chase ONE bird for 30 minutes in the sun. I am confident about where these birds are hanging out. Otherwise, I wouldn't go and get them. So I get my pic and run back to my air conditioned car:) Take for example the Tropical Kingbird below. It is currently nesting in its' typical spot at the Sweetwater Wetlands. Easy.

Tropical Kingbird

There are even easier ones to snag. Park and bird! There is nothing wrong with birding from your car. This American White Pelican decided to hang out at Lakeside Park for a few days before taking flight.  

American White Pelican from the Utah area(note green tag)

And around the same time, a Least Tern returned to the same spot.  I think it's the same one that I discovered here a year ago. The migration dates were almost exactly the same. Note the times I used "same" in this paragraph:)

Least Tern

But when it gets too hot, it's time to head up to the higher elevations.  Early mornings are still the best as they provide cooler temps. 

House Wren

While the canyons are still dark, you'll hear the owls finish up their last calls. 

Brown Creeper

Of course you have to do some hiking to see some of this stuff, but WOW!

And then an owl calls.  It's like a dream come true.  WHOA!  And the crowd goes wild!

In the shadows, lurks a Northern Pygmy Owl

With so much hiking going on, it was time to just rest and get ready for the cooler temps. June is the BEST month to leave Tucson or Phoenix.  It's hot and the rare bird alert is fairly quiet during this month.  Where do we go?  North:) Or West, to the beaches of San Diego.

It's hard to get up when you have such cute cats around you purring nearby.

My blog series will once again focus on a new birding area outside of Arizona. It can be cool, rainy.......and GREEN!

Until then, I'm going to do as this male Anna's Hummingbird is doing.....hanging out in the shade!  Birds will often "pant" to exhale the hot temps in the body through evaporation of moisture along their mouth, throat and lungs.  In other words, they stay cool.  

A HOT male Anna's Hummingbird hanging out in the shade on a 117 degree day!

Stay tuned for our next adventure.  Gordon will be joining me on an epic journey into one of the most beautiful states of the US.....Wisconsin.  So get your bug spray on and pull out those cheesehead hats!  Until next time!

An Ode to August

Barrel Cactus Bloom

August you can be quite stunning.  But you also drain me of my energy. I see rain and I smile.  I see sun and I frown. Hot, sweaty, sticky T-shirts are not my thing. It's a love-hate relationship with you.

Migrating Black Terns at Benson's WTP

You bring us rarities.  You bring us color.  Lightning, thunder, raging desert rivers along with gulls, terns and lots of other interesting things. But try searching for a Painted Bunting in 100+ degrees while walking around wet grassy bug filled fields! You, dear August, test my limits.

Texas Ranger and Barrel Cactus

I begin to think of ocean waters, cool breezes, and freezing nights.

The Benson WTP

I come home from an exhausting day at work.  No energy to do anything.  Just sleep.

Mary Jo Ballator's Ash Canyon Retreat-home to the US rare Lucifer Hummmingbirds

Hiking is not even possible.  So I sit among the blooming flowers and watch the migrating hummingbirds from within my chair. 

Male Lucifer Hummingbird

The bugs bite me.  Itch itch itch.  You are way too intense for me and all I can do to escape you, August, is retreat into my air conditioned car.

I think of stain glass windows and old pine with lots of musty books. It's raining all day long.  And cold.  Behind my window, I watch the birds while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. 

Coyote pups need water and want to play with the photographer!  Not today:)

 Most speak ill of the whipping frozen winds of the north.  Not me.  I feel energized by them. I imagine myself at the Whitewater Draw on a cold January day.

Female Lucifer Hummingbird

August.  You are beautiful but you are too high maintenance for me.

As much as I hate saying good-bye to you, I am also secretly relieved that you are leaving.  Is that terrible of me to write?

Sweetwater Wetlands

Your close friend, September, will be visiting soon and I look forward to a brief visit. Nothing personal:)

Healthy Competition

  

I almost hate to admit it, but I'm going to make this confession today.  I love the competition that comes with birding.  Now granted, I don't really like playing board games or any of that stuff, but I do enjoy a nice game of cat and mouse.  Or playing detective.

The infamous Mexican Spotted Owls from Miller Canyon

I wish I could dedicate my full attention to the birding world, but I simply can't.  Nor can several other birders I highly respect via the internet.  So we have to plan with the time we are given. On this day, I introduced Kathie to the Huachuca mountains.  These are the mountains I know best because of my constant study of hummingbirds last summer. I know where the birds are and I know the people involved around the various canyons. Here's where the fun game begins.  A fellow blogger, by the name of Mr. Butler, and another birder with a DJ name, had gone out and snagged the Elegant Trogon.  I dipped so badly on this bird that it hurt.  Of course, they dipped on the Mexican Spotted Owl. Their links are below.  These are specialty birds that are difficult to find.   To stay within the top 10 birders of Arizona, I had to find these birds!  I had gone to Patagonia to find the Elegant Trogon but missed the bird due to several tourists clinging onto my every move. It's tourist season here.  Note to self. Never answer that question, "What's that little red bird over there?"  Answer.  Vermilion Flycatcher. 

He's sexy and he knows it.

 Bad bad move on my part.  Everyone LOVES this bird. Now Kathie would tell me that I did the right thing and that I was very helpful, but this is a game! But my Wisconsin half(the good side, always takes over:) It was difficult as I had to make choices.  Instead of directly heading to Patagonia State Park before the tourists got there, I went to Paton's House.  It wasn't bad at all because I found 4 new birds for the year!  But the Elegant Trogon is different.  It's something special and I REALLY wanted to see it.  Mr. Butler and Tommy D found their Trogon and did a happy dance.  And it  frustrated me to miss a bird spotted by hordes of noisy people beforehand....all because of a choice.  It's true what they say about paths:)

Kathie doing her victory pose for the new lifebird.  Note stance is similar to another birder:)

The drive is so strong that it overrides logic.  Kathie loves to bird in a calm fashion.  We're good for each other as she teaches me to relax and just enjoy it all.  Take it all in.  I do, but I can be impulsive until I find that new bird. She reminds me to just ......enjoy. That's the chaser in me.  I've had that in my blood since I was a kid. Several weeks ago, I burned myself out.  And I suspect the same happened with Kathie as well:)  I had Spring Break and that means power birding happened everyday.  Well almost everyday.  I did shutdown one day and sleep.  But most of it was spent on the trails tracking down birds!  On this day, my friend would pick up two lifebirds......the Lucifer Hummingbird and the Mexican Spotted Owl.  She would also be able to add Bushtits to her Arizona list.  It was a lot of fun watching her get excited.  Usually it's me finding the lifebirds:)

I had filmed these birds before but I was super happy watching Kathie get excited over these birds.  And that's how I feel about my friendly rivals out in the field.  I really enjoy their work and discoveries. For me, it's about becoming a better and stronger birder. We learn a lot from each other.  My frustrations come from not doing my best work out in the field because I'm tired from overdoing it all.  I have done a lot of research on each of the birds I go find.   Sometimes, I scratch my head.   But when birding in a new exotic location, I'm like a kid in the candy store.  Too many new bird calls.  Too many birds I don't recognize!  But thankfully in Arizona, I've got most of the 300+ birds down now.  Gulls, sandpipers, empids, empaths, and some sparrows are excluded as of this write:)  Whenever a birder asks, "What's that?"  I usually respond, "It's a Harpy Eagle."  And if we're looking at the thrashers, I usually say, "It's a Crissal.":)

 Here are the blogs from the people mentioned in this post today.
Butler's Birds-Birds around the Phoenix area, state of Arizona, and a beyond!
Tommy D's Birding Expeditions-Birds around Maricopa and beyond.
Kathie's Birds-Birds and reflections from around Tucson, the US, and state of Arizona
Their work is an inspiration.  If I'm feeling "out of it", all I have to do is read their adventures to get me back in the game. There are several other birders in this state that have blogs as well....so thank you! You all motivate me to get off my lazy butt. I limited my birding to a couple days during the week, a full day on Saturday, and if I get my chores done.....today.......which means getting the yard cleaned up, plants watered, and laundry finished, I can play.

Lucifer Hummingbird

I have a lot more work coming up for everyone.  It's getting warm outside.  Kathie is writing poetry.  School is coming to an end for this year.  I'm preparing for an epic trek back to Guatemala after a 7 years absence.  My study and focus again will be on the hummingbirds and photography (along with some spectacular visits to Tikal National Park, etc.)  So I have to begin my research for the trip.   As I step outside of the human world more, I am finding some interesting truths about life. Warning: Deep thoughts are coming......

I'm a conflicted man.  Raised with a  Mother who loves parrots.  I  began my education at a younger age.

Mom posing for her annual Christmas pic with Azul

But I believe in a world of cage-less birds......and so whenever possible, our parrots were left to fly around the house when everyone was gone. I know I know....the poo.  It was and still is my Dad's biggest complaint back home:)  And check out my nifty night glasses from the late 80's! PS. This lovebird is still alive!!!!

 This lovebird(Quetzali) and her kind became invasive in the Phoenix area.  I raised this one from a little egg. She escaped once in Tucson and I was worried she'd die.  Not a chance.  She came back to me again to undo the screws on my old glasses.

Monk Parrots(aka Quakers) have invaded Casa Grande and the US! California Border Patrol now searches for illegal immigrants and illegal Monk Parrots.  It's no joke! But it sure sounds like one.  Enough that my Dad laughed out loud.  The agent did not.   My lovebird was questioned during my move to the Bay Area. So I had to translate "bird" and we were allowed to pass.  Clearly Quetzali was NOT a Monk!  

Rubi, out in the wild with Mary Jo at Ash Canyon.  My mother has an African Gray by the name of Tamara.  Can you believe that Kathie and I found one in the wild at Casa Grande??!!!!

But back to deep thoughts. Each day we develop a routine like the critters around us.  Many raise children, go to work, pay the bills, require money to survive, stress over jobs and the little things. And for many, it is not so little. Perhaps I've been around the retired crowd too long this winter, but they all say the same thing........"Does any of it really matter?  We've done our time in society and now it's ours to live."  They step out of our daily routines and explore the world realizing time is limited.  Yesterday during a bird observation, I listened to a man from Canada who had seen so many wonderful things in his lifetime, but health-wise things were shutting down.  He was going blind.  He couldn't keep up with his wife anymore.  And he suspected it would be his last year.  And yet the thrill of the Lazuli Bunting made both of them excited as if they were children again.

I'll be blue for you. 

 We bird not only because they are cool creatures.  We bird for the game, for the thrill of finding something new and unexpected, for the competition, for the strange places we get to visit (because of the birds), for the people we meet.........and for me?  It's rediscovering that lost child inside.  This "game" for me is about finding as many of the 10,000 birds as I can before my time is up. The prospect is thrilling.  I cannot wait to take Pat on those journeys. As I finish up many of my Arizona birds, I will begin to visit other states and countries.  The Elegant Trogon can wait....for now.  Watching my bird buddy thrilled over lifebirds she had never expected to see in her lifetime was.....thrilling.  In a few days, we'll be visiting the Petrified National Forest, the Grand Canyon and a look at Orioles.     Stay tuned for more....