Like Sand Through The Hourglass

Today I present some thoughts about birding under time constraints. As the saying goes, "Time is precious."

A wilting Firewheel Blanket flower

What would you do with the time if you knew you only had 1 year to do it all?

Juvenile Mississippi Kite will soon prepare for migration

 My New Year's challenge was to find as many birds in the US as I could while staying within the top 100 on ebird.  So far that goal has been realized, but the game gets harder and more exciting. I'm feeling the time constraints as we approach mid-September.  Migration isn't going to last forever and the year is now winding down. 

A view of Cataract Lake

Over this past weekend, we went up to Flagstaff, AZ.  It's still hot here in the desert and the upper elevations are much more preferable.  The birds, however, don't care and are moving through both the upper and lower elevations.  For me, it's a balancing act trying to juggle the time and routes taken to the various areas.  So with the time given, we did a "clean sweep" along a corridor to pick up as many new birds as we could for the national and state lists.  Granted none of them were life birds but it was fun playing detective. 

Prairie Dogs watch us while we bird near their homes

Meanwhile in other far away parts of the state, there are rare birds flying around canyon lakes and rivers. It's fun exploring new areas but it's also difficult picking and choosing which bird to go after! Places like Cataract and Ashurst Lakes had sounded interesting to me.  Plus I also wanted to check out these Río de Flag spots around Flagstaff.  All of these places proved to be exciting in their own ways.  

American Crows were everywhere around Lake Ashurst

 Sometimes the birding can seem tedious and like anything, it's good to spice it up a little.  No hotels or tents this time.  Instead we chose to stay in a teepee.  I love to plan trips like these.  It takes a little imagination to make something memorable.  And while our main purpose was to find Pinyon Jays, it was also to have a little fun. 

Our teepee "Kachina" at a Flagstaff Campground

 Inside the teepee it was comfortable and we slept well on our cots. The cool mountain air was so nice!

Have you noticed that birds inspire a lot of art around us?  Everywhere we go now, I see them on walls, beverage coasters, etc.  Last week I was called in for possible Grand Jury Duty!  

A Summer Tanager proves to be good luck!

I would have had to report to our court system twice a week until January.  Thankfully, I have a job that requires me to be with people everyday.  The judge was sympathetic to my situation and let me go. However, while I awaited his decision on that jury bench, I looked out at the colorless courtroom and discovered a bird calendar hanging on the wall.  Seeing that Summer Tanager stare back at me was a good omen.  

A Western Bluebird watches over Micheal

With migration under way, we have had to switch locales quite often.  From cool mountain breezes to the hot desert floors.

Hundreds of shorebirds and only 3 of these Stilt Sandpipers to be found!

So while we are searching for our target birds, I try to absorb everything around us because I don't know how long we'll stay in each area.  There are some spots where I wish we could spend more time. 

The grasses of Lake Cataract were full of Sparrows, Finches and other small birds.  The wind created this dreamy and sleepy feel

But the sand is slipping through that imaginary hourglass.  Every weekend is booked for the next two months.  

Near Lake Ashurst, the Pinyon Jays proved to be numerous and vocal

Once we found the Pinyon Jays, our time was up.  So on Saturday during sunset, I absorbed as much of this golden landscape as I could. 

Lesser long nosed bat

Two weekends ago, I started feeling the time constraints while observing the nectar feeding bats at the hummingbird stations. They, along with the migrating shorebirds and hummingbirds, are signs that fall will arrive soon. 

With views like this, it's a wonder we get any "work" done!

Over the next several weekends, I'll be up on Mt. Lemmon working on Hermit Warblers.  Then it's off to Globe, AZ for the AZFO conference with Gordon Karre.....and then Colorado.  Never a dull moment.  I am reminded, thanks to birding, that time is indeed precious.  

And while on the road, I am always thankful for these wonderful opportunities to explore.  Take your own trek and check out all the amazing birds around our world at Wild Bird Wednesday.  

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!