Miraculous Chaos

Trumpeter Swans

Sometimes life has a strange way of challenging us. These past two weeks had been extremely difficult for me. I always try to do excellent work with the best of intentions. This past week's lifebird and mega-rarity for Arizona reminded me to keep everything in perspective. The arrival of the Trumpeter Swans made me forget all the needless crazy human drama.  

So the birding world also had a little big drama. The arrival of the Trumpeter Swans shook the foundation of the Arizona birding world. Never in our lives did we expect these rare gems to show up. Maybe they heard about our infamous Gem Show here in the Old Pueblo!?!? There are VERY few records of these birds visiting the state. All day long, working birders were trapped inside their work spaces while reports from the retired, visiting, workers with flexible jobs and those "who-don't-have-jobs-but-can-still-bird" reported these mega-rarities.  I paced like a lion in a cage wishing I were ancient, wise and retired. WHY??!!!!!!!!  I called Micheal and told him to grab the camera and GO!  "But I have to work in a half hour!", he whined.  "GO! NOW!"  So he went and discovered a media frenzy at Sweetwater.  Several minutes later, he texted me back and said, "Got 'em!"  

Here are the "Big 3" in the US.  On the left, the invasive Mute Swan hails from Europe. In the Upper Right hand corner, the rarer Trumpeter Swans are  making a comeback from near extinction.  The Tundra Swan is the only common, yet rare, visitor to Arizona during our winter months.  The bill on this swan is slightly different than that of the Trumpeter Swan AND this bird also has a yellow spot on the lores.

The school bell rang and I shot out of my cage like any trapped wild spirit would do. I arrived at Sweetwater to a full parking lot and went straight to the spot.  There they were!  NO WAY!  We didn't know it at the time, but we would be the last group to view these 2 swans before they disappeared the next day! I glowed for several hours after that observation.  But alas, it would not resolve my ridiculous issue the following day. 

I began this adventure as a young Spanish instructor.  Inspiration has always come from my work out in the field and it has been infused into my lectures today. That same energy is still there but it has changed over the years in a more seasoned matter. The world is not the same place it was many years ago. 

After doubting my teaching style that has been successful over the years, I saw this little message from A Little Piece of Me.  

There is only one of you in all time, 

this expression is unique. 

And if you block it, 

it will never exist through any other medium 

and it will be lost.

 ― Martha Graham

I have lost family, friends and students over the years.  I am reminded that we must live for today and not tomorrow.

I have always been a "teach with a smile and laugh" kinda guy.  But this past week the joke was on me and it wasn't very funny. To make a long story short, I blame it all on Pablo Neruda.  I'll have to write an ode to him for all the headaches he has given me over the years!  For now, I'll stick to the birds. 

The ear tufts stick out.  But will she stick it out over the next several months with all the students around?

My day began with the special sighting of our Great Horned Owls!  This is significant because she finally chose the human made basket instead of her yearly "ledge-of-death".  In the past, the owlets would try to leave the nest from a super high ledge only to fall to their demise.  About 4 years ago, we tried something different for this insistent pair of owls.  Finally this year, she chose the basket!  During the 4 year time period, we've successfully helped them raise 10 owlets!

I'm just calling this one...."The Southwest Today"

While my personal storm passed, another arrived in the form of dark gray skies full of wet and heavy clouds. Rain.  We wanted to do some birding in fun places around the state, but unfortunately, every place we turned had the same forecast!  So I stayed close to home. It still was a lot of fun.....although it was a wet birding trek. 

The Lark Sparrow

Winter storms are common during the months of January and February, but this one brought us an unusual amount of rain.  It rained for a day and a half!  This is very rare for us as our rain events usually last less than an hour or two at the most. 

But as you can see, the washes filled up.  Birds were hungry and cold!  My feeders saw a LARGE influx of Lesser Goldfinches. 

A juvi Sharp-shinned Hawk

It was a drive and bird kinda weekend. However, towards mid-afternoon, a downpour happened at one of our locations and it was time to pack up and leave.  We had been far from our car so by the time we reached it, we were soaked!

A Mourning Dove endures the rain

One of our fun challenges this year has been working with our cell phone camera option.  If you haven't noticed, my posts have begun to feature several artsy shots each week utilizing the camera part on the cell phone.   

I've also crossed the photography line regarding detail in pics. I like my camera very much but I'm wanting more now. For the first time, I switched the setting on my camera this past week for stronger results.  So far so good.  However, these pics take up more space on the SD cards and I have to be conscious about how many pictures I'm taking.

For now, I'm still thinking about the Trumpeter Swans.  What life bird follows after their grand departure?  I don't know.  I really don't. 

Black-crowned Night Heron

So I'll continue observing and snapping photos of previously seen birds enjoying their habitats and behaviors. 

Redhead

But like the Trumpeter Swans, I may at one point snap and fly drive....somewhere new.  There are still several locations I have to check out, but I know I'll be on the road again soon. 

A pair of Redheads

Winter is winding down and soon spring migration will be upon us. As for now, I'd like to keep the chaos to a minimum:)  My blood pressure can only rise so much:) More to come......

Common Merganser

El Presidio Friends



Northern Cardinal

 I began planting the plants.  And then I began feeding the birds.  I discovered all the tricks to get them to our home. Water. Seed. Fruit. Nuts. Nectar. Feeders.  It's the secret to attracting incredible birds.


An angry Northern Mockingbird

 Our yard in Midtown Tucson has come alive over the past year as regular birds visit while new ones stop by.

Yellow Warbler

I woke up early one morning and heard the unmistakable call of the Yellow Warbler in our Mesquite tree.  I hadn't thought it possible and yet, there he was!  Magnificent!

I've placed dead wood branches behind the fence where I believe several Northern Cardinals are nesting!

Curve-billed Thrasher

At the dawn and dusk of El Presidio, the Curve-billed Thrasher jets around quickly on the edges of the garden.

Verdin

A Verdin stops by for a quick sip from the hummingbird feeder.

The female Anna's Hummingbird counters the feeder opposite to that of the Verdin.

White-winged Dove-they make a mess!!!

As the Mourning Dove population decreases, the White-wing Dove populations increase.

Great-tailed Grackle

Great-tail grackles fly into our old Live Oaks.

                                       Hummingbirds nest. And watch guard over their babies.

Female Anna's Hummingbird nesting in our Live Oaks

My parents give me a snowman sunflower feeder to attract the Northern Cardinal.  When one comes, I jump for joy.  When they stay to nest, I'm honored.

House sparrows cover tree branches like a cloud of hershey kisses.

 House finches sound off one by one as they wait for me in the morning to fill their feeders. Sometimes dropping down impatiently to grab that first morning seed.

 A Northern Mockingbird takes a quick sip from the nasty bird bathe.  Instead of leaving like he did in years past, he stays with a partner and irritates the visiting Red-tail Hawks.

 Mourning doves bend branches and look inside my house.

I become frustrated that everyone has Lesser Goldfinches in their yards.....but me.  I buy a thistle feeder and two days later, Lesser Goldfinches enter El Presidio grounds for the first time.

This year a Common Raven flew over our house.  It was early morning and made me smile.  Yet another bird!

Each day is a new one.  I live in a nasty neighborhood that has nothing around it.  When I made an oasis, the birds began to make our place home.  Our running water fountain is a quick drink for many of our birds. Hummingbirds zip up and down catching bugs.

And when there aren't any birds around?  We know Mr. Cooper is in the hood!  It just proves that any place can become a refuge.  Create it and they will come!

For more fun, check Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday featuring birds from all over the world.  More to come.....

The Tucson CBC 2012

The Verdin

I always bird with my camera.  Not having the camera on our Christmas Bird Count would have been a bad idea.  I am a strong believer in photo ID.  And it would come in hand with an accipiter found.  Turned out it was just a battered Cooper's Hawk.  However our day would turn up some amazing species!

It had rained non stop for almost 2 days. However our morning cleared up and made for a wonderful day birding.  There were 4 of us walking the Tucson area.

We found some great birds including the Black Throated Gray Warbler and Male Summer Tanager.  It's amazing that the Summer Tanager has remained in Tucson for the winter.  The Tucson team counted a total of 6!  That's an incredible amount of Summer Tanagers for our area at this time.

Some of the regulars like the Cactus Wren put on a good show.  We found 9 of them hopping around a house.

It was cold so the birds were very very hungry.

As you can see, everyone is a little "puffed" out and huddled together.

This Curve billed Thrasher makes me laugh.  They have such a grouchy face.

And if looks could kill......

Tucson again reigns as the nation's number one Vermilion Flycatcher capital.  On this day, over 177 of them would be counted in our city.  That's a record breaker for the US.

A truly special find is the Peregrine Falcon.  This is a first time wild sighting for me and I was thrilled!

Rock Pigeons were numerous.

And so were the Broad Bill Hummingbirds.  All wonderful and lovely sightings.  Overall the Tucson CBC had one of its highest turnouts and counts of bird species within the city.  It was a lot of work but also quite fun.