Rush Hour

Maybe I'm not the only one.  Before any major trip, I have a hard time sleeping.  Will I find my target birds?  What if it rains? How do I balance my time between family, friends and birds??!!!  It's never any easy thing to negotiate.

Cochise Lake in Willcox

I'll put hours into planning and research. It's truly detective work.  Birding during the trips is quite relaxing and enjoyable, but my problem is keeping track of time when I'm outdoors.  I love being outside so much.  Before birds, I thought time moved quickly.  Now by adding birds into my life, everything moves faster!!!

Scaled Quail

As I write this, it's the end of monsoon.  I cannot go outdoors without heatstroke or being attacked by mosquitoes.  I NEED to be outdoors.  My life from 9 to 5 is difficult.  If I don't get outside, everything becomes chaotic and I become anxious.  After work, I go home, eat, read and go to bed early because there is nothing else I can do. My job is stressful and I have found nature counters the stress and makes it bearable.  I look forward to the freezing cold temps in my vest and beanie. Soon.  Very soon.

Northern Cardinal

To occupy my mind until temps cool down, I plan areas to bird both inside and outside of the state.  They of course are within budget but have an agenda.  Birding with others is fun, but you can't always count on them.  Each birder has their own agenda. Ultimately, it's a personal journey that many times has to be done alone.

Roses at a friend's house

There are many things that can influence a birding party. Some compete.  Some chase and twitch.   For some, money dictates the outing.  For others, it's about their comfort zone and safety.  And for others, it's about the social aspect surrounding the birds.  All of these things factor into my own life. I love the restaurants and experiences that go along with it all.

Variegated Fritillary 

Going out into the field is like an addiction.  We were in New Mexico at Caballo Lake State Park and looked up to find White American Pelicans gracefully in flight.  Above the grassy desert along a stream, we found these incredible birds in flight......and time stopped.  WOW!  It was hot and sunny and these birds gently spun around like a school of fish in water. And we did arrive late to Colorado Springs because of this stop, but it was worth it.  I remembered, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."  If you think New Mexico is for the birds, you are correct.  Take an exit off of their interstate system and you'll discover the incredible beauty of this state.

American White Pelicans!

When I step back from it all....from the competitive nature of people....or that personal need to get that perfect and sometimes unattainable ID photo of a lifebird......when I step back from it all......I can relax like I did when I first began birding not so long ago.

New Mexico landscape-reminds me of the Lone Ranger

The Snow of Our Deserts

Welcome to the 2013 New Year!  I will be publishing once a week from my work in the garden, travel, and around the world this year.  Today's post focuses on my target bird, the Snow Geese of Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico.

Now unfortuneatly, I didn't know much about New Mexico other than the highway known as 25.  It is a long and boring drive from Tucson up to Colorado.   It does get a little more interesting landscape-wise towards the northern part of the state....except for the radio stations. Pardon the expression when I say, "It was god awful!"  Bring music with you unless you like this stuff. Part of the challenge was to find the beauty of New Mexico.  So like I always do, I planned and planned our way up to Colorado carefully and stopped along the way in southern New Mexico.  What we found was EVERYTHING but boring!

So instead of driving through the state making a snap judgement, we spent several nights there. It was an incredible discovery full of amazing wildlife.  I will be going back again.  I have several blogger friends in New Mexico and I still can't imagine landscaping or gardening there as it was very very cold!  But I got a better sense of what plants do well in the environment and felt like it wouldn't be difficult creating a garden space in this part of the country.  While before, I just saw a couple trees and really didn't know much more than that.....I was especially impressed with a prickly pear cactus that could withstand freezing temps!  So David, I can relate to your work better:)  It really does get cold in this high desert area.

But I followed my motto.  "Step out your door and look!"  We went to film the Snow Geese of New Mexico and film them we did!  Thousands and thousands of them.  Like snow in the sky or snow on the fields, these geese did not disappoint at all.  It was a lifebird for me and I take the lifebirds seriously the first time around. I try to get as much observation time in as I can.  I observe their sounds, movements, etc.

And I try to do the best photography that I can.  Now there are lifebirds that just fly by and pose for two seconds.....that is very challenging.  Or they're out of range from my camera like the many Bald Eagles on this trip!!  Thankfully the Snow Geese were so much more cooperative. We raced in the darkness to watch sunrise at Bosque Del Apache.  This is the time when thousands and thousands of Snow Geese will rise from their huddled slumber and fly to open water to begin their day.  They move from the fields to the water.  In fact, while driving in, we saw what looked like snow all along the fields.  It was the geese and it proved their name lived up to their description.

As a birder, I knew that there was another kind of goose similar to the Snow Goose.  It's known as the Ross's Goose.  They can also breed together and make hybrids! The difference?  Look at the head shot above at the Snow Goose.  Notice the smile on the bill?  That is typical of a Snow Goose. The Ross's Goose has a shorter bill sans the "smile".  Some birders call it a sweeter and cuter look. I call it tricky birding because in those thousands of Snow Geese, there are several hiding.  Being that this would also be a lifebird for me, I searched long and hard for them.  While I didn't count them in the thousands, I did capture them on my camera in the hundreds.

If you're a birder and your partner is not, this is a great outing to share together as it is a spectacular show.  Also present in the thousands are the the Sandhill Cranes.  See you next week with another report.  Until then, here's a video I took with my IPHONE on the trip.  

The Antelope Near Colorado Springs

We're getting closer to our Colorado Springs journey as well as our Grand Canyon trip.  Today's post is an interesting one for me.  I've lived in different parts of the world, but nothing quite prepared me for what I would see in northern New Mexico and Colorado.  I have a good eye for spotting things that don't quite blend in with the landscape or something that sticks out on the landscape....like these Antelope.  For one instant moment, I thought I was back in Africa again.  Our trip would reveal lots of antelope.....all over!!!  We have established Pronghorn back in Southern Arizona again and through excellent conservation work between the US and Mexico, they are slowly growing back in numbers near the Buenos Aires bird refuge.

But this was a shock!!  I had been looking for elk or deer...something....just not this.  The previous weekend, there had been elk walking along the rim of the Grand Canyon, but this was unexpected.  Some random thoughts that went through my head were......."Wow!"  "How many are there out there?", "What do they eat?", "How do they survive out here?", "Do ranchers/farmers get irritated that they share the land with horses, buffalo, and cattle?" "Did they escape from a refuge?"

Here is what I know.  Most antelope are NOT native to the US.  Many ranches have these animals around for hunting purposes.  However, because of their amazing jumping skills, some escaped and began to create wild colonies around the states of Texas, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, etc.  The antelope hang out in the grassland areas and follow the rain as they similiarly do on the African savanna.  So they are pretty resilient creatures....

I then imagined these exotic critters and their influence on our American soils.  Has the mountain lion population benefited from this additional food source on the plains of New Mexico?  A parting thought for today as I have been just disgusted by our human race as of late.  Two more rhino species are now listed as extinct...the white rhino and the black rhino although some remain in zoos.  Conservation efforts are hopeful, but the white rhino doesn't breed often due to some behavioral elements.  Several of the antelope species face extinction in Asia and Africa due to hunting and poaching practices.  Hope is not lost, but it does dim every time we lose a species on this planet.  It will ultimately be the end of our own species if we do not take care of this planet.  At a population of 7 billion, our planet cannot sustain much more.  At first, it will start with squabbles and mini wars.  The greedy richer countries will claim it's to protect national interests, but it will really be about controlling limited resources.  Eventually it will lead to a total collapse of our global resources....and an end to the human race.  One last thought.  How can the world maintain a capitalistic attitude? If we keep taking more and more and more....there won't be anything left.  I know....this is a rant, but it's frustrating.  Sometimes, like when I glimpsed these antelope in New Mexico and Colorado, I feel like perhaps nature will try and work itself out.  Humans are the shepherds of this planet and if we don't protect this treasure, we face our own extinction.

However, I'd like to end this post on a more positive note.  Conservation efforts are happening around the world and some truly wonderful things are happening out there.  Recently we went to a presentation on the California Condor along the rim at the Grand Canyon.  I'll be presenting that information with you tomorrow.  Nature is an amazing thing to behold and anytime I can be a part of it, I'm one happy camper. More tomorrow!!!

Choo Choo!

Keeping with today's theme of "Passing By", here is yet another shot from another recent road trip on the way to Colorado.  Here is a cool train from the outskirts of Alburquerque, New Mexico.

Dusty Roads

 Currently, we are in Colorado Springs visiting family.  On our way up through New Mexico, we took several artsy shots to keep me awake:)