Reliable Tucson Birds

Before I begin today, I have to apologize for the lack of blogging.  We have been hiking nonstop and when we're not doing that, I'm grading final exams.   It has been extremely crazy over here with the holidays in gear.  Personally, I believe everyday in life is a holiday if we make it that way....so I never quite understood this time of year.  I like the actual day when family and friends get together but everything else just weirds me out. What if we could just spread it all out over the year and be nice to each other all the time?  OR What if we didn't make the holidays such a big production!?  Of course I only write this because it gets in the way of birding;) Speaking of birding....

Anna's Hummingbird ....you can't miss 'em:)

Vermilion Flycatcher....get up and head to one of our many parks.  You won't miss this one!

The Red Tail Hawk is everywhere in Tucson.  In fact if you come to bird in Tucson, we'd like you to know that this hawk, the Cooper's Hawk, the Harris Hawk, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin and Vermilian Flycatchers are several of our main attractions.  Meaning....of all the birds that live in Arizona, you'll have a great chance spotting these birds.  There are others that are also reliable like the Anna's Hummingbird.  Some of our specialties(but not guaranteed to find) include the Sulphur Bellied Flycatcher, Elegant Trogon and  of course the many hummingbirds:) These birds are seasonal so check when they come to visit. We have the highest counts of these birds in the country! So here's my question for you.  If I were to go to your city, what would be a reliable bird I'd find on most to every outing?

                                                          Red Tail Hawk in Flight

Harris Hawks...depends where you look, but while I bird in Tucson, they are almost spotted on each outing.

The Verdin.  Research the sounds and listen for that hummingbird like sound....but not quite....and you'll find this little number hopping around you.  Sometimes you don't even know it!   

Reliable and Common bird....the Red Tail Hawk
Check telephone poles in the city.

After School Special

I had been trapped.  So trapped by all of this....this stuff we call life.  I was tired of the heat, the crazy of my work and the do this and do that!  Constant and nonstop.

Verdin

And that's when I booked it after the last school bell of the day.

Bullfrog

I had to get on the road before the traffic got crazy.  And boy did I get out in a hurry.

Gambel's Quail

I felt a lot of stress inside.  I won't go into details but I will say this.  We need to stop making excuses for our youth and we parents need to hold them accountable for their actions.  We're heading down a strange road. And I'll leave it at that.

Go go go!!!  And then I arrived.  It had been two weeks since I last went out with the camera and that was with Kathie!!  For you, that post would have been yesterday.  For me it was nearly 2 weeks later!

I was alone and with my camera.  And as soon as I hit the trail, my anxiety and stress evaporated and I felt calm inside again.

The signs of fall all around me.  While subtle in the desert, they are noticeable after years of living here.  The ducks are back again in large groups.

Mallard Duck

And it was nice to see them again.  I got so used to their presence last winter that I took them for granted.  During the summer, many disappear and the ponds around Sweetwater are quiet. Not anymore:)

Northern Shoveler

And the Yellow Headed Blackbirds are back!!!!!  They flew in great numbers above my head and I smiled.  Last year at this time I was asking myself what these birds were.

Yellow Headed Blackbirds

The Dragonflies will disappear as will most of the hummingbirds.  But I'm excited for our winter guests to arrive.  And that includes several new birder friends that I met on my walks before summer.  And I can't wait to see their faces again.

Recently, I had a week off to explore Southern Arizona.  I went alone this time.  And it was incredible.

I went to Portal and I'll have all my discoveries and so much more coming up from that trip.

You'll see what I find on my adventures soon.  But like this Harris Hawk.....

.....I'm just going to be exploring all over this fall.

Harris Hawk

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  I write this post wondering what things I'll discover.  Everyday is like that for me when I don't have to work.  Routine is good, but sometimes no routine is even better.

And I will migrate my way......somewhere exciting. But for today, this walk cured me of my stress.  While it was hot, it still relaxed my mind from the troubles and anger of our society.