A Life With Covid

With trips cancelled and covid the norm now here in Arizona, we've been in isolation.  I hate TV so much.  It's SO boring.  I'd be outside gardening but it's HOT.  Today, our temps will reach 114 degrees!  Last night we had our first rain storm which was rather exciting.  So, what's a birder to do? After years of not tackling our ceilings and walls, I am now forced to do so!  There is a silver lining to it all even though I'd rather be birding in Panama. 

My exploration days have come to a halt for now.  A lot of the money that I would have used for travel is now being invested into projects that I needed to get done. I have had a lot of projects sitting inside my brain waiting to get done from over the years!  When we first moved into our place I had electrical work done in 3 rooms.  And we removed popcorn from the ceilings!  Well, ONLY now, some 13 years later, I am forced to deal with those ugly cuts in the drywall!  

It began with this room.  I couldn't travel to Panama so I worked on the place that inspires me, my office. This is the place that transports me to all of my favorite Spanish speaking countries.  And a tin ceiling went up and covered the ugly patchwork.  Then it was onto Covid Project 2, the Eared Quetzal and laundry room. 

Our laundry area, in the hallway, had a nice spot for some of my photography BUT there was an ugly ancient intercom that blocked part of the wall and didn't allow for a nice framed picture.  I took the non-functioning intercom off the wall which revealed a huge hole, patched and stuccoed it all.  Once that was done, I pulled out my paints and found the right green tint and touched up the white areas.  Meanwhile, as I finished ceilings and walls, I worked at night organizing pics from my work that I wanted to hang on the walls for Covid Project 3. 

Gotta include butterflies!  This is the Western Tiger Swallowtail from the Tijuana Slough

 It is absolutely time consuming, but the end results are amazing.  It's trying to pick a balanced group of themed pics for each room that is the challenge.  It can't be all birds.  I will say that the Eared Quetzal was an exception.  It will probably mark the ONLY highlight of the 2020 birding season.  I have added 3 lifers this year so far and I'm okay with this reality.  

Now I'm working on Covid Project 3, the other bedroom.  As you can see in the above pic, there are cuts in the ceiling that I want covered.  

So I have been working on this project now.  This material is trickier as it is vinyl planking.  This room will be the coastal room.  It will have lighter elements mixed in with the darker insides of a lighthouse.  I love lighthouses and this theme works well in super bright Arizona.  In some cases, the darker rooms are very important and necessary to let your eyes recover from the blinding light outside.  Some of the photography that will be used here are not Arizona birds!  Instead, I'll be using work from Maine, California, Wisconsin and Wales. 

Northern Gannet-the white against the blue

It's really difficult to choose wall art.  Or at least, it's difficult to pick a favorite because of the lack of wall space. While I was in Wales, I fell in love with my friend Bonnie's place.  Her home is so cozy and happy.  Every inch of her walls are covered with wonderful birds.  If you can't travel, you can bring those experiences into your home. 

A pair of Atlantic Puffins

 These works will be arriving soon and I can't wait to put them up on the walls.  This room attaches to the catio that opens up into our beautiful garden.  I still have much work to do in the other rooms.  The dining room will have grouse.  

Crested Caracara-still trying to figure out where to put this one

 The living room will have a Madera Canyon theme utilizing hummingbirds and a very special owl, the Mountain Pygmy-Owl(still titled Northern Pygmy-Owl, but it's not the same species-calls and looks are different).  It is my absolute favorite owl of Arizona.  

Ruffed Grouse is one of the grouse that will be featured in the dining room

 It's hard to pick and choose a favorite, but there are some birds that make me smile more than others.  Grouse and sparrows are my favorites.  I'm still trying to figure out a way to put together a sparrow collage!  

Mountain Pygmy-Owl

This is what happens at night, these endless nights.  I put together canvas works and remember these amazing experiences. I measure spaces on the wall and am excited about how the wall will come alive with MY work, not someone else's stuff. In a way, it's a good pause in life to reflect.  In many other ways, I find myself going stir crazy!  At least I'm being constructive and not giving up.  

The coastal room will include these amazing birds PLUS lighthouses, sea lions and other coastal delights.  

Razorbills

 Then I think about why I'm putting these themes together.  Why the hispanic room(rain forest)?  Why the coastal and montane themes?  Because I think these areas, including the grasslands, are some of my favorite places to bird. 

Marsh Wren

 These projects haven't been too expensive.  Each room is around 500 dollars, including the photography, paint and ceiling materials.  I get into my OCD mode and am a perfectionist.  I can't stand looking at unfinished work so I push myself to get it done.  Then I take a break from the projects until I'm ready for the next one.   

American White Pelican

 If you've never been inside of a lighthouse, you'd be surprised by how dark the inside can be.  The top is beautiful with bright and open airy windows. I'd love to have my office up in that room.  But the bottom floor is also very cozy and dark.  It reminds me of a cave, except you can hear the waves crashing against the shore outside the building. 

Now onto the official news. During the last week of June, we contracted covid.  It was hell.  The coughing and breathing were real issues.  Non-believers called it the flu, but I lost my taste and smell so I knew it wasn't the flu.  For one week, we both slept away our lives and lost lots of weight.  Here in Arizona, we are the hotspot of the world.  I don't know how we got it, but it was nasty.  We are mostly recovered now as the infection rates continue to rise in the state.  Our governor is an idiot, but not as stupid as the one in Florida. Even the Texan governor looks a tad more intelligent than Ducey and that's not saying much.  We badly need a change in our government here in the US.  We are finally beginning to see people switch sides against this current administration.  They are all about the money and could care less about human life.  Welcome to the Republican Party.  November can't arrive fast enough.  In short, we don't trust anything our state or government officials are saying and have to go to real sources, like the CDC.  Meanwhile, the death rate continues to climb as do the infections. And people are still ignoring the recommendations.  It's such a strange time. We just lost someone to covid in our family this morning from Micheal's side.  I continue to isolate.  I am so grateful for the love and support from our family and friends.  I work inside the house and dream of birding. But I am back to feeding my birds and watching them from our windows.  Today we had a Brown-crested Flycatcher visit our fountain. Stay safe everyone wherever you are.  And let's hope for a cure by the end of the year!  Until next time, I'll continue working on birdy home projects:)

Las Aventuras: 2017 in Review

On a trek to Aribabi in Mexico, a Canyon Wren stops by to check out my binos

With this year coming to a close, I can safely say that it has been a life changing period for me. I would tell you that my work hasn't been all "innocent and fun" like in years past. The naive birder is gone and a more focused/data driven person has taken over. In other words, I've redefined my approach to all things avian.  There are times when I miss my beginning days as a birder, but I wouldn't give them up for everything that I have gained through experience.  

In Cartagena, Costa Rica, we spy some excellent birds

Our Costa Rica trek this summer was amazing. After being on the trails everywhere this year, I realized that it was the Arizona birds that mattered most.  While observing a life bird for the first time is great, it's quickly replaced with another adrenaline push to find the next.  However, with the birds I know best, I feel a deeper connection.  When I guide people to find our birds, I realize that I truly am in love with Southern Arizona birds. Here are highlights from the year.  

While not my favorite place to bird during the hot and humid summer, the Glendale Recharge Pond was home to a rare Red Knot

You might note that many of these birds were found with Gordon and Magill.  If it wasn't for Magill's prodding, I wouldn't have gone due to distance. And if it wasn't for Gordon's drive to find birds, I may have missed a few. In short, teamwork and friendship mean everything. And in my mind, it justifies the reason why we trek so far away to find a rare bird.  It's the experience that stays with us for life. Plus it's better to share that moment with a friend.  So get ready for some stories......:)

Dead cattle on the other side of that pond.  Nasty.  Nasty. Nasty. 

Grossest place to bird?  State challenges are fun. Can you find a rare bird in impossible conditions?  That's the challenge.  This year, I'd give this award to the Ruddy Turnstone. While I've seen this ocean/water species many times, I have not seen one in Arizona.  And with reason! Who wants to bird ugly areas in the hot humid desert? During migration, a few show up at cattle slop ponds.  What are cattle slop ponds?  Well, they are made up of water, poop, mud and more poop with some run off chemicals. To make matters worse, one showed up near a pile of dead rotting cattle.  Usually my gag reflex is good, but it took days for the smell of decay and death to get out of my nose.  I actually considered becoming a full time vegetarian after that trip.  Micheal drove to the spot in his bright pink scrubs after work.  He is not a birder but finds the places we visit interesting and weird.  After Magill and I spotted the bird, we prodded Micheal to get out of the car to look at the target bird just so he could tick it on his Arizona list. 

A Wood Thrush drives the tractor over to us

Earliest AM? Another epic rare bird showed up for the state, the Wood Thrush.  It happened to be in Dateland, AZ which is in the middle of nowhere and 2+ hours away from my house.  Last year I said, I'd be ok driving 2 hours anywhere, but this year, it's more like 45 minutes.  While the Wood Thrush wasn't a life bird, it was a bird that I didn't have ANY photo documentation of!  So it was important to find this bird and we did. I slept for a whole 3 hours that night and drove under the starlight to Gila Bend where I'd meet up with Magill. It was a 3AM wake up call for a 7:10 arrival. 

I love winter birding in AZ.  It's pretty magical. 

Most beautiful place to bird? Without a doubt, one of the most magical days to bird was on a cold misty morning in the northern part of our state in an area lined with wineries and forests. Again with Magill, we searched for a Tennesee Warbler.  With my magic powers, I pointed to a stump and said "That's where the Tennessee Warbler will show up."  And by my command, the warbler appeared exactly where I pointed.  I didn't tell her about my secret powers because we both were enjoying the views of this rare visiting Arizona warbler. After we found the warbler, we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the beautiful Page Springs Fish Hatchery.  

Between the Great Potoo and the Spotted Antbird, I'd have to say that Spotted Antbird won me over just a little bit more. 

Best Bird? My favorite bird this year? The Spotted Antbird. We were near a secret waterfall in the rain forests of Costa Rica.  It was dark and there were small pools of water attracting the attention of the forest birds. We watched in the darkness as a beautiful Spotted Antbird bathed in one of these pools.

Parque Metropolotano La Sabana in San Jose, Costa Rica is home to lots of great birds, but bring a friend

Closest call to danger?  During a trek to a park within San Jose, we searched and found the Yellow-naped Parrot. There were joggers and cool people around us. Then we spotted our target bird. So I thought it was safe to take out the camera. That's when two hoodlums eyed up my camera.  Thankfully the police were just around the corner to apprehend them.  We took off just in time. Never again.  Knock on wood.  

Puddles like these in Liberia were full of biting mosquitos....and birds. 

Worst bug attacks?  In Liberia, we stayed near farm fields to find some important birds.  And we found them but not without a major bug attack.  I got excited about a Wood Stork or Southern Lapwing, I forget, and stepped/slipped in some mud.  Something bit me and made my foot three times larger.  It was a strange and gross experience.  

One of my favorite days during our Pacific Northwest trip

Coolest bird in snow? I will never forget my experience with the Spruce Grouse.  We were with friend and bird guide Khanh Tranh in Oregon hiking a snowy trail.  At one point the snow got very deep.  It didn't stop us though.  I heard a slight noise and then glimpsed a shadow from the forest.  Then a beautiful male stayed awhile for us to observe him. What a great experience! 

Hearing Mountain Quail, we followed the misty road.  I felt like there was a savage killer hiding somewhere in that broken forest. 

Creepiest place? While on the hunt for Mountain Quail and Sooty Grouse, we explored an area outside of Timber, OR. It was a logging area that was quite remote and beautiful.  Everything was great until we found gun casings and a dead pig that had been recently shot.  We tend to think of Oregon as a liberal minded state, but I learned that there are areas where savage morons lurk.  I would not want to be alone in this area. As birders, we must always be aware of our surroundings. 

Slaughter Ranch easily had 80 some birders on the property.  Most were nice:)

Birder drama.  Yes.  There was even drama this year. A mega rare bird for Arizona, the Little Bunting, had shown up at a place called Slaughter Ranch.  I know.  It sounds like a haunted house.  Slaughter just happened to be the last name of the rancher.  Anyhow, there were MANY birders there.  In fact, there were lots of top bird guides among the birding crowd.  We walked around the property and I realized the Little Bunting wasn't going to show.  SO, me and the Gordon strolled around the property and had fun. It was getting warm and we both wanted to go home.  On the way out, we stopped to look at a field full of birds. I noticed a weird looking yellow bird in that field and thought it was a meadowlark, but it was strange enough for me to take pics.  So I half heartedly took the pics, got some much needed water and headed home with Gordon.  Later as I was developing my photos, I discovered that the "meadowlark" in question was actually a female Bobolink!!!!  THAT was a state bird.  I submitted the records to our organization here which got several individuals that were at the ranch, including one very vocal birder, angry. Apparently, they missed that bird too! Why hadn't I told them all?!  He thought maybe I did it on purpose. I would never do that to anyone. I responded politely that if I had known right away what the bird was, I would have let everyone know. Yikes!

Remembering Grandma.   As many of you know, my Grandma passed away this summer and it was difficult for me to let go, especially when it came time to fill her hummingbird feeders for the last time. A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird flew directly in front of my face as I was filling up HIS feeder.  I laughed and cried at the same time.  At the time, I had thought our family would lose the land.  Today, my brother Adam has purchased this very special place and it will continue to be with our family for generations.  And he has assured me that Grandma's birds will be fed.  And I'll be there to help him out.  Every year, my Grandma and I both prepared for her birds to arrive around her birthday in May.  I gave her migration updates and tricks to improve her feeder activity.  I know her energy will shine with her grandsons looking after her birds. 

The beautiful grasslands of the Cienagas

The birds that made me piss myself.  This year during my tour with bird guide guru Chris Benesh, we took our participants to an area full of Prairie Dogs in the grasslands.  While we were having fun with everyone and helping them ID their life birds, a couple from our group spied a weird looking bird.  We went to help them ID the bird and then.....we both pissed ourselves, an Upland Sandpiper! These are VERY rare migrating birds to our state and most often you need a scope for them.  This bird was fairly close for all to see with their binos.  I'd say it was my best bird for the state until a LeConte's Sparrow showed up!!!  I ran right after work to look at that rare sparrow. Not only was it a life bird, it was a state and county bird as well. Both birds were epic. 

Arenal!  Oh you wonderful birdy location

Life Bird Bonanza. After my first years of birding, life birds slowed down to a trickle and I forgot how overwhelming it was at first.  Then I went to Arenal in Costa Rica with Gordon and for a full two hours, we were bombarded with life bird after life bird.  You forget about food.  You forget about reality.  You just snap shots of birds and ask questions later.  One bird would pop up and disappear to be replaced with another new bird. Every day we stayed at the lodge, we had new birds.  It was overwhelming. And fun:)

This trail on Mt. Lemmon is both beautiful and gnarly at the same time. 

The Birds That Made Me Question My Sanity. I have been really enjoying Pima County birding this year.  With friend Brian Nicholas, we went on a journey to Mt. Lemmon to find Cassin's Finches and Golden-crowned Kinglets.  And maybe a Clark's Nutcracker.  All are birds that I didn't have on my Pima County list.  I did not prepare well at all for this trek.  I don't know what I was thinking but I came unprepared. Things got scary for me when we took a wrong turn on the trail.  I had only enough water for the length of the hike.  Luckily, Brian had extra water. Next week, I head over again.  This time I will be prepared.  We found Cassin's Finches and Golden-crowned Kinglets though:)

Favorite Pic? While there are too many to choose from, there is one that stands out.  I was with Magill at Madera Canyon when I heard mobbing going on. We found the source of the bird call and looked up. 

Mountain Pygmy-Owl

Birding takes dedication.  People always ask me how I do it with a full time job.  Easy.  I make time for it. It has changed my life forever. This is what dreams are made of.  And I am living my dream, slop ponds and all:)  Until next time......

My Nomadic Inclinations

Arizona Gray Squirrel

As I hold in a pattern of wait before our next grand adventure, I hang out in my little cubby hole like the Arizona Gray Squirrel above.  

Black-headed Grosbeak

A lot of planning and work is going into the Las Aventuras summer and fall adventures.  Another exciting trek is also getting mapped out into a remote area of the world that many do not explore. There will be birds, culture, tequila and laughter. I look forward to that photo shoot. But for now....

Wild Turkey

Life is short.  One day you're a lizard eating an ant.  The next, you're food for a Mountain Pygmy Owl. 

Mountain Pygmy Owl

As I'm planning and budgeting the money, I'm keeping my birding local.  After all, this is Arizona birding.  There are so many opportunities to witness some of the world's most amazing birds close to home.  So in short, to keep the costs down, I've been birding locally. 

It's rather fun.  My challenge?  To keep my birding skills sharp as a knife.  But the other challenge?  To capture something truly amazing in that one moment.  It's one thing to take a pic of a bird; it's another to capture it doing something interesting. 

Verdin

So what was this weekend's challenge?  Well, it wasn't as exciting as last BUT it was still fun.  Near the White Citadel(San Xavier Del Bac), our group received word of an uncommon Black-bellied Whistling Duck in a mysterious watering hole.  That piqued my interest.  So I headed towards the mines of Moria and the White Citadel near the edges of my Old Pueblo.  And sure enough.....there was water in a great hole in the ground. 

The bird life was incredible.  How long have I lived here and never known about this obscure place?  Well, it's on my radar now.  Mission accomplished....in both senses of the word "mission":)  As I fine tune my Pima County birding, I'm also getting a sense that the regular Pima County birders are doing the same.  We have spread a net over our area and I'm liking the team work going on.  Before it was 2 or 3 birders finding rarities.  Now, it's more like 10 or 12 excellent birders covering the area.  

And quickly from the Tucson garden.  Ever notice white fuzzy spots on your Prickly Pear Cactus?  If the answer is yes, you're hosting the cochineal bug, a scale insect.  While watering my garden this weekend, I noticed that the scale had gotten out of control.

So I took the hose and washed off my cactus pads.  People have asked me if the scale is bad for their cactus.  Most years, it doesn't present a problem but for some reason, this year it has been bad.  We had a wet winter but it was followed by a super hot and dry spring....which allowed for the scale to grow! And it was doing damage.  So I took the hose to it. 

Cochineal Bug...notice the yellow coloring.  Not good.

As the scale washed off, it looked like blood pooling up around the base of the plant. The Cochineal bug plays an important role here in the Old Pueblo.  The native people use this bug to dye their clothes.  Historically, it was also important in the world trade market.  Today, this carmine dye is used primarily as a food colorant.

Last but not least.  Warblers.  This year has been a sensational year for so many warblers in the state of Arizona.  The year isn't over but look who has come to visit over the past several months.  Las Aventuras will continue the search this summer.

Until next time.....