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:)

A Few Of My Favorite Things

A very wet Barred Owl at Acadia National Park

The thing about birding Maine is that there is too much to see in one visit.  Our goal this time around was to explore unknown birding spaces together so that it would be a new experience. On our final trek out, we explored the 2 islands of Acadia National Park.  It was a beautiful trek in rainy weather.  

Along the way, we'd stop to see a lighthouse or check out a Pileated Woodpecker. 

Pileated Woodpecker

At one point, Kathie swore she hit a Barred Owl on the road.  We stopped so that she could pull herself together. Then we went back to the spot to see if she had actually hit the owl.  I saw some live mice on the road and knew why the owl was in the area. In a beautiful and happy moment, I saw the owl fly onto a fallen tree. The bird was okay.  Phew! 

It was something out of a story book.  An owl in a dark forest with rain falling down around us.  You can't make that stuff up.  Acadia was a beautiful visit on my last day in Maine. I wanted to share a few of my favorite things from my visit with Kathie and Gus this past May and June. Here are some cell phone shots that have not made it onto the blog yet. 

Like our Lek trek in New Mexico, Machias Seal Island was a huge birding highlight for me this year.  We watched the birds up close from our hide. 

I couldn't believe how quickly the hour had passed.  We watched Razorbills interact with each other and it was fascinating.  They are very social birds. 

Razorbills begin to "couple" up and some even copulate!  This is a cell phone pic!

 We had a fun trek out to the island and I highly recommend this trip for birders or people who are interested in nature. 

I'll miss my Coda bear.  And Bonnie!  They were so cute.  Every morning I'd wake up to both of them competing for love. 

Gus and I would have a Coda war.  I held a secret bag of doggy treats in my room for her to come visit. For a time, Gus would wonder why she was always waiting for me to get up.  I told him that Coda loved me more:)  LOL!  Coda is unlike any dog I have known.  She reminds me of my own dog Stacy many years ago.  One day I took her in the car and absolutely loved it. I'm a cat person but I don't mind dogs.  I'm just saying that this Coda character is a pretty special friend. She remembered me from the first time I met her as a puppy.  And it's always hard to say good-bye to that furry bundle of love. 

Another fun and absolutely lovely birding outing happened at an alewife nursery.  Alewife in Wisconsin are considered invasive. They are really saltwater fish that got into our Great Lakes.  They breed well but cannot handle the extreme weather changes of the Great Lakes and will often die off in masses creating a stench along the lakeshore.  American White Pelicans came back and now clean up our shorelines naturally instead of the town having a bulldozer come to the beaches and plow piles of alewife off the shore. Anyhow, in Maine, they apparently breed these fish for people to use as bait.  It was a gorgeous spot full of incredible warblers.  It was here that I discovered my lifer Canada Warbler. 

There comes a point when birding needs to take a break.  I used to go go go. Over the years, I have mellowed.  There are days we power bird and then there are days I refuse to pick up my camera or binos.  I'll do light birding, but it's not the focus.  One day I asked Kathie if we could just go shopping at LL Bean in Freeport.  I am a HUGE fan of this store and discovered, thanks to Magill, that there was an outlet near the main buildings.  I spent way too much money, but I love all my new clothes and shoes.  That was SUCH a fun day! I hate malls. I hate shopping.  But it was fun shopping with Kathie. And Freeport is awesome.  I should also mention that Kathie is the only person I will speak to for a lengthy amount of time on the phone. I hate talking on the phone.  I also hated the idea of getting married because I hate weddings. But somehow Kathie makes all of those things I dread, better. That's just one of the things I love about her. She also got me into tea again.

Breakfast in Bar Harbor

 I discovered this top(above) for her at the outlet and absolutely love how it looks on her.  Now if she can keep from staining it with coffee or tea:)  LOL!  I should also admit that I am guilty of doing the same thing.  When we get together, I tend to eat way more than I do at home.  I have a healthy appetite and love trying new things.  Unless there's a taco salad on the menu.  But I will say that I am proud of myself for limiting the amount of taco salads on our restaurant ventures. I'm not a dessert person, but I am a sucker for blueberries. I did splurge and have fresh blueberry pie from Moody's Diner.  One day we stopped along the ocean at sunset for a nice warm cup of chowder. Maine is a real place full of colorful and unique characters.  There is no one cookie cutter type of person.  They are so weird and fun.  I think that's what I love about Maine so much.  The people are down to Earth and they are their own person.  In so many ways Wisconsin and Maine are similar but I think it's THIS detail about people that makes Maine different.  They could give a shit about what the Jones are doing next door. Northern Maine is awesome. From what I understand, the further south you go in Maine, the more you lose that colorful coastal personality. 

So along the way, we discovered the Kraut Haus near Waldoboro and Oh Mah Gawd.....Kathie ate her first real delicious sauerkraut at this fine German establishment.  We have them in many places around Wisconsin, but in Maine, it is a rarity.  One day, we had the most amazing lunch at this place. 

I love this feeder at Kathie's place.  A Tufted Titmouse and American Goldfinch share in a brief lunch

Maine, for me, is all about the people, scenery, ocean, food and friends.  The birds are great too but you can see most of them in Kathie's backyard. For the first time in my life, I recognized that I love Maine for Maine and not the birds. The birds were fun, but it was really just about getting out and meeting people.  I was in "vacation" mode and had planned several power birding days out.  But it was more fun enjoying the cool weather with the windows open and listening to the birds call bright and early.  I loved cuddling with Coda and having coffee with Kathie, Gus and Chris.  I enjoyed getting my hair cut by her talented daughter Renee. Birds were always around us, but it wasn't the "Maine" thing:)

A Blue Jay sits out by the feeders waiting to get a sip of water

By the end of my stay, I was sad to say good-bye.  The whole trip flew by so quickly. I watched the Browns work together at home and help each other out.  It was my turn to do the same for my family in Wisconsin.  With my Dad recovering from his triple bypass surgery, I was anxious to analyze the whole situation myself instead of hearing progress reports from people. Those birding and family reports are coming up. I want to thank Kathie, Gus, Renee and Chris for such a fun time.  You guys are the best. Next time Kathie, we'll go visit the Golden Girls down in Connecticut:) The Wisconsin adventures are next.  Until next time....

Machias Seal Island

My dream shot that I have pictured in my head for so many years becomes realized.  The Northern Gannet.

At the beginning of this year, I set some goals for myself.  I really wanted to study Razorbills and several sparrows in better detail.  In the whole scheme of things, this year has had a slower track with some retread, but I'm methodical and had a strong desire to understand habitat, sounds, and observe a particular set of birds I had seen only once in my lifetime. There were some birds I wanted to revisit again even if they weren't lifebirds.  And you'll see why. 

Scheduled almost 5 months in advance, Kathie and I both set out for Machias Seal Island.  While the Hardy Boat tour out to Eastern Egg Island was nice, it didn't provide the observations I had been hoping for with these birds. Plus the waters were rough and our pelagic out to the island was not great for Kathie.  So we crossed our fingers and tried something different. 

A happy Kathie sits next to a journalist

We headed to Machias Seal Island which is like the neutral zone between the Canada and US border.  While the Canadian government maintains the lighthouse, the island is left unmarked by either side and benefits from both governments. It is here on this island that one can find over 6ooo pairs of Atlantic Puffins nesting.  

It was the most perfect pelagic out.  It was overcast at first in Cutler, but once we left the dock, the clouds began to open and the sun came out!  It was a photographer's dream!  To top it off, we experienced smooth sailing the entire way there. 

If the waters are choppy, birders have to stay on board the vessel.  Normally there are about 20 some passengers, but for some reason on our day out to sea, 15 of them cancelled.  When I say it was the most perfect day, I am not exaggerating. 

Common Murre

We arrived to the slippery dock of Machias Seal Island.  All around us we watched Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murres, Arctic Terns and a Northern Gannet fly around us!

While I'm a huge fan of sparrows, grouse, parrots, gulls and several other families of birds, I really really dig ocean birds which include the alcids. 

Razorbill

Only a few decades ago, these islands were barren or mostly barren of any puffins along the north eastern part of Maine.  During the summer of 2014, thousands of puffin chicks died when their normal food source disappeared due to warm waters. However, since then, with lots of conservation work, these birds are thriving and doing well.  

All predators, including rodents and Great Black-backed Gulls, were exterminated from the islands.  Because of this controlled effort, puffins, murres and Arctic terns have also come back in greater numbers. 

I have a confession.  While I love the Atlantic Puffins, I love the Razorbills and Northern Gannets a tad more.  How do I know this?  When I got home, I discovered that I had taken more pics of Razorbills than of the Puffins. 

Because the sun was so cooperative for the photography, I was able to get fantastically detailed pics of a normally difficult ocean bird.  It's all about the eye with this bird.  Often the eye of the Razorbill blends in with the rest of the black.  But thanks to excellent lighting, I was able to get the detail. 

I watched these birds copulate, fly, and socialize.  They didn't mind the Atlantic Puffins moving around their spaces. The two species seem to coexist well together.  Common Murres stuck closer to the ocean and were always seen together. 

Kathie and I had a good laugh as the birds would peek down into our hide and watch us watch them.  We'd hear "tap tap tap" on top of our blind.  I hate to use the word "cute", but it was. 

We were given an hour inside the blind and it was great.  Here I was with my friend out in the middle of the ocean observing these amazing birds.  Life doesn't get much better than that!

Again, I can't stress to you all how much we lucked out.  Often a pelagic can be cancelled due to rough ocean waters.  Just the day before, the trip had been cancelled and the following day after us, the waters had become choppy and birders were denied access onto the island due to the dangers. Reservations book fast and must be done early in the year.  Once you book, you cross your fingers and hope the weather plays nice for your trek.  It's always a gamble. 

Common Tern on nest

As is the case with Maine, weather can change quickly.  On our way off the island, the sun was replaced with overcast skies.  Rain had come back into the forecast.  It's like Mother Nature waited for us to do our work. 

Common Eiders

It was beautiful observing birds without a ton of people around us. 

As we left our world of "Jurassic Park", I just sat back grateful for the experience.  I also was excited for Kathie as she added the Razorbill species to her life list!

These are the days that birders dream about.  Over the next several weeks, we'll do some birding in Maine.  

Until next time.....

PS.  Atlantic Puffins sound like lawn mowers:)

Arctic Tern