Gordon scans one of the many watering holes in our waterbird count
I have left the birding open to....whatever. This year, unless it's a new state bird, I've decided to only bird within Pima County. It's less gas and less stress and less MONEY!
a random Northern Pintail shows up on one of my counts
I've also taken up the challenge to ebird at least once a day. So wherever I am, I have to make the time to stop and look at birds.
One of our watering holes in Phoenix had lots of cool Black Vultures flying around
These past two weekends have been fun. Last weekend, I went with my friend Gordon to count waterbirds in the urban spaces around the Phoenix area. I think most of the places we went to count birds were at golf courses.
Good form! Personally I think golf is boring but I do like their ponds that they have around the areas
During our count this year, we noticed stable numbers of certain bird species around the area. And we also noticed lower numbers in other species like the American Wigeon population. I also noticed that certain golf courses had less waterfowl when compared to the ones who didn't treat their ponds. Overall, I found that our waterfowl numbers were lower this year.
American Coot
I don't know if I would do that count alone as it could get kind of boring counting wigeons after awhile. That's why I wanted to help Gordon. He does an excellent job monitoring his section of the count. And it's more fun when we bird together. I always enjoy spending time with him. Plus when we both count, we get the work done faster.
Ring-necked Duck
In other news, I have a million projects to get done before the summer heat hits us again. I'm working on the second hummingbird garden in the courtyard. This well will contain the shade friendly Turk's Cap which is popular with our Anna's Hummingbirds.
Redhead
Meanwhile, I've been researching the birds of Britain before our trek in March and look forward to the new challenges. In other areas, we've secured several photo shoots in other states and are continuing to work on others. There's one tricky bird that I'm hoping we'll be able to secure for April's trek, but we'll see. A LOT of planning is going on right now. In May, Ms. Brown and myself have secured a spot on a chartered vessel out to Machias Island for breeding ocean birds off the coast of Maine.
Every year I do an in depth winter count at my local patch. I've just completed my annual winter count for Reid Park which requires half of a day and a trek inside the zoo for a more accurate count of birds inside the park boundaries. The zoo seems to be going through a Chinese phase right now and was filled up with Asian decor.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
I had an up close and personal encounter with a Boat-billed Heron in the South American aviary which was fun. I check ALL the aviaries inside the zoo for trapped wild birds. A weird thing has happened this year to our large Great-tailed Grackle population in the Reid Park area. Normally, there are hundreds of these birds at sunset flying around the zoo. But for the past several months, there hasn't been a single one....until a few days ago. I found one trapped inside the aviary with lots of House Sparrows.
I've been having fun chasing birds ONLY within the Pima County line. No I'm not doing a silly big year. Just challenging myself to look a little harder and zone in my detective skills on harder birds within a confined space. It requires some skill! Pima County is quite beautiful and is home to rare populations of some unique US species like the Rufous-capped Warblers and Black-capped Gnatcatchers.
I had a very personal up close interaction with this Northern Beardless Tyrannulet(above). This is one species of bird that I can communicate with well. I know its voice and often can get the bird to come closer by pishing it out of the branches.
Rufous-capped Warbler
The Rufous-capped Warbler, however, is a species that can give me headaches. Every year, it takes me time to locate these birds and I really have to listen to find this smaller population of birds. Plus they are super tricky to capture on camera. The reliable location for this very popular bird is in an area that I don't like very much. There's an okay trail that takes birders up in elevation across several streams to a dam. The dam is my issue. Every year I almost fall because I'm a clutz. These warblers hang out ABOVE the dam which really requires a walking stick for balance(especially with my heavy camera), but every year I forget to bring one with me! This year I only tripped a few times. Florida Canyon is a beautiful location full of incredible birds BUT go with a friend or walking stick. And be careful in the summer. Too hot! That's why many of us go in winter when the temps make this trail a breeze. Literally.
I've been working on TWO home projects. One is to reduce the crap we have in the house and free up space. And two is the addition of our catio(patio for cats). It has been a hit. I feel safe. We have an extra room for storage. The cats can take naps out there. Phase 1 was securing the gate with 2 locks. Phase 2 was cleaning out that nasty closet full of garden tools. Phase 3 is painting. Phase 4 is moving bulky furniture pieces into that closet for storage. Phase 5 is the fun decoration part. I'm at Phase 3 right now.
For now we rest. It's good to take a break. Until next time......
On Saturday, Ms. Muriel invited me to go birding with her. She was on a trek to find several life birds, the Rufous-capped Warbler and Red-headed Woodpecker. Both were in remote locations. So I brought along my water pack for an epic journey into some of Southern Arizona's most beautiful places, Hunter and Gardner Canyons.
Our first trek was a steep one into Hunter Canyon. Muriel was hoping to find her first ever Rufous-capped Warbler. Now you all know that I've been casually looking for this bird on several treks this year to mostly study the kind of habitat this warbler prefers.
Western Tanager
The hike was gorgeous but a killer as we crawled our way up the mountain side. With a fully charged water pack, several pound camera, and binos around the neck, it can make a hike difficult. The key these days for rare birds is documentation. And that requires equipment. So what would we find?
I was confident we'd find the bird but I wasn't going to say it outloud. That would jinx the find and leave Muriel sans a life bird. Patience and knowing where to look was key......
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Along the way, we enjoyed observing many of the more common birds. Once we reached the stream near the hillside, I knew we were in the right spot. It took time and the recognition of the call to get our eyes on the bird. One called from within the New Mexican Locust bushes/trees on the hillside. We followed the call until.....
Rufous-capped Warbler
.....the warbler made an appearance. Muriel was so excited as was I. With the adrenaline rush, we decided to go for another lifer, a rare migrating Red-headed Woodpecker in Gardner Canyon.
Western Kingbird
We followed the directions carefully as we entered Gardner Canyon. Muriel is excellent with such things. I am not. But thankfully, several birders put in their notes that a nesting pair of Red-tailed Hawks had several young. Within moments of parking the vehicle, I could hear them calling. It's like playing detective. That's part of the fun....or frustration. Several guys were camping out and we asked them if they had seen a bunch of weird birder people come through the area and they replied..."Why yes."
Curious Red-tailed Hawk babies....CUTE!
We followed the stream past the very vocal hawk babies into a campground. Muriel pointed to a tree and said, "Oh my gosh! There it is!" A white flash flew before our very eyes. What a gorgeous bird!
Then we waited to see if the bird would make a closer appearance. So we sat down on a log. What a beautiful place to camp! Soon another birder, Ms. Janine McCabe, strolled quietly along the dirt road. She does that. Secretive and almost appearing out of nowhere. Is she human? Yes. Does she possess magical bird powers? Yes. She's one of the fun Arizona birders.
Red-headed Woodpecker
As she stepped onto the scene, the woodpecker flew above our heads and there were many "ooo's and ahhhh's". This time we both had a lifer and it was exciting!
We celebrate our lifer at Gardner Canyon. That's a terrible pic of me with a really bad cheesy smile. My Grandma would not approve. As for Muriel, well I don't think she takes a bad pic at all. She's classy even after a day of birding. Me on the other hand.....I need a hair cut.
We were on a roll. So we decided to explore, the Cienagas grasslands nearby. A storm began to blow into the area.
Eastern Meadowlark(Lillian's Subspecies)
The winds picked up. But the birds were active!
So were the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs!
To finish off our day, I knew of a spot where there was a Western Screech-Owl hanging out. We went to the spot and there he was. And I do believe it is a "HE". There is a nesting box nearby and this is the time of year when their young have hatched. Dad doesn't fit in the box SO he gets the boot. Anyhow, it was the cherry on top of our banana split. Or in plain English, a great way to end our big Global Day.
Pima County, Arizona is an amazing place to bird. It's one of the birdiest areas of the US! Thanks to our mountain, canyon, grassland and desert habitat, it's home to so many wonderful critters.
Yesterday was an important day for me as I hit the 300 species mark in Pima County. A rare Least Tern flew into Sweetwater Wetlands helping me achieve this unintended goal. The highest species count for Pima County is 445 birds. Here is a look back at some of the gems discovered around Tucson and surrounding areas.
Black-capped Gnatcatcher on Proctor Road Pima County has a special group of birds that most birders need on their lists. Eventually they have to make their way to Southern Arizona:) It's amazing how many people just care about getting these birds on their US list. And then there is that ABA list! If they aren't on the ABA list, it's not important. I don't get that thinking. I understand it, but I'm not the kind of person that likes having someone tell me whether or not a bird "counts". All birds matter! Either way, these two birds are countable and very much desired! I had seen both of these birds in other countries first. Later, I added them onto my US list.
Rufous-capped Warbler at Florida Canyon
Articles have been written on both of the Black-capped Gnatcatchers and Rufous-capped Warblers. Thanks to global warming, these birds are beginning to expand their range.
Sage Thrasher It's always a treat to find birds migrating through our various areas like the Sage Thrasher(above). A central to lower US state bird, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, erased my terrible day woes last year as it flew right past me at Sweetwater Wetlands! It perched on a branch for a few moments reminding me that work is just work. Life is more important. While work is important, it doesn't define who I am. I am more.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher I think I can speak for most birders this year on these birds below. Trumpeter Swans flew into the Sweetwater Wetlands shocking the local birding establishments! People wet their pants and dropped whatever they were doing and ran to Sweetwater! I'm serious. I'm going to write something here that speaks volumes about us. We could be in the most serious conversations. Maybe we are signing divorce papers, attending a funeral, etc. But mention a rare bird and watch your birder friends secretly slip out the door:) These incredible swans stuck around for the day allowing many birders to join together on this unofficial holiday. They were one day wonders! And I would say that these two swans have been the best birds so far in Pima County this year.
Trumpeter Swans at Sweetwater Another excellent bird for us this year has been the Heerman's Gull. There have been several sightings over the past several months! This is a pretty cool gull and a bird I hadn't thought I'd add to my Pima list anytime soon! They are found along the coasts of Southern California and Mexico. It's a pretty sexy gull and an easy ID for people who aren't great with gull ID.
Heerman's Gull
One of my favorite birds is the Common Loon. Never in a million years when I first started birding did I think Tucson could have visiting Loons. As a young child growing up around Wisconsin and Minnesota, I remember their magical calls. An all-time favorite movie, On Golden Pond, always comes to mind when I see one of these majestic birds.
Common Loon
So here's a weird one. The Black Scoter. On a cloudy and rainy day, a massive storm front delivered a Black Scoter to the Old Pueblo! There, for several months in a random deep pond, a female scoter hung out. An ocean bird in the desert!
Black Scoter Other shockers included this Juvenile Tricolored Heron on a golf course.
juvenile Tricolored Heron Or this random Whimbrel in the middle of the desert. And just for fun, it hung out with a Long-billed Curlew to mess with birders:)
Whimbrel Other birds, like this Barn Owl, are sometimes hard to come by! What a treat to have seen one here within the Tucson limits! Again I don't advertise their locations as there are a few photographers who who will cross unethical lines. Since when is a picture more important than the welfare of our birds? One of the tenants of a good birder is to never intentionally disturb a bird out in the field. If I see them eating or nesting, I keep my distance. I have met several birders/photographers in the field who bait their birds(i.e. hawks, etc) for a better photo. Or they cut a branch down to get that "annoying" thing out of the way.....for a better photo. This is unethical. And that is why this particular Barn Owl left the tree. Thanks to some crazy owl fanatic who decided to cut down a couple branches, this Barn Owl didn't return to that spot.
Barn Owl at Sweetwater Mt. Lemmon is a prime location for finding nesting Red-faced and Olive Warblers during our summer months!
Red-faced Warbler
Once birders believed that Elegant Trogons(below) could not be found in Pima County. Then last year, the infamous Florida Canyon sported a pair. And they were in Pima County. This year they are still there!
During my beginning days as a birder, I went to see the visiting Brown Pelican during our monsoon at a nearby park. I was hot and sweaty, but I sure enjoyed viewing this pelican. During monsoon, it's common to have a Brown Pelican or two blown into the deserts. Many times they are rescued and taken back to San Diego, CA. A small few have remained and can be found up around the Phoenix area. Pelicans in the desert.
Brown Pelican
Finally, several years ago, a Groove-billed Ani came to the Sweetwater Wetlands and got me excited. I love Spanish and the tropics! Nothing says tropical like an Ani! I fell in love with this bird so much, I went back several times to observe it. This is one of my top ten favorite birds...for now:) The Audubon guide who discovered this bird flipped out! And this bird put Tucson on the US map for a week!
Groove-billed Ani
As you can see, birding within your own area can be fun and exciting. It's a challenge like everything else, but all these
birds add up over time. Have you tried birding within your own county? If so, what were some of the cool birds you've discovered?
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
I have several key trips planned this year that
will hopefully propel me towards the 800 life bird mark. In June, I
celebrate my 4th year as a birder. This life journey continues to
change me forever. We'll be heading out of Arizona to several states
this summer while also traveling to Southern Mexico.
On a whim, I followed a theory and discovered a 2nd tern on my own in the city of Tucson! That was a bonus! Here it is flying about at Lakeside Park. Pretty cool!
With the onset of our monsoon summer months here in Southern Arizona, many nature lovers seek the cool comforts of our beautiful canyons. There are so many to explore and I must admit that there are several isolated ones that I'd like to discover with others down the road.
Each canyon is unique and has its' own personality. My favorites are Ramsey, Huachuca, Garden and Miller Canyons of the Huachucas, and Cave Creek Canyon near Portal of the Chiricahuas. Other canyons of birder interest are Florida and Montosa of the Santa Ritas with the main attraction being Madera. And there are SO many more! I haven't mentioned the Catalina Mountains but her star attraction is the internationally popular Sabino Canyon. But if you're going to see nature quietly, the best canyons are the ones least known by the outside crowd.
Tarantula Hawk looks for a delicious juicy grasshopper or tarantula!
So here's my rundown on some of the more popular canyons. Again this is just a sampling of the various canyons. There are so many more. It's hard to believe and embarrassing to admit but I have never visited the gorgeous, mouth drooling, scenery stealing, Big Horn Sheep bucking magic of Aravaipa Canyon. It's on my list. Maybe for my birthday in October......
Red Mite
The Santa Rita Mountains
Madera Canyon-star attraction for birders, hikers and picnickers seeking cooler temps. Easy access with wonderfully maintained paved roads. There are Bed and Breakfasts in the Canyon. We've stayed at one and had a great time. It is a popular place for observing lots of wonderful hummingbirds!
The very special Black-capped Gnatcatcher can be found in both Montosa and Florida Canyons and sometimes along the Proctor Trail of Madera Canyon.
Montosa Canyon-the secret gem of the Santa Ritas. Lots of specialty birds can hang out in this area. It is a canyon for hunters, joggers and birders. Access into the canyon isn't difficult but can be if there is a monsoon storm. Parts of the road are paved while others are gravel. I also recommend going with others as I have run into drug runners. It is an area that can be remote.
Rufous-capped Warblers along the narrow canyon and stream bed of Florida Canyon
Florida Canyon-really a lovely canyon with a good chance of spotting the rare-to-the-US Rufous-capped Warbler. The road can be rocky and difficult at times if there have been rains. There are trails but they are geared more towards birders and hikers. Often, there is an active stream. There is a small waterfall area that requires climbing. It's good to have someone there to spot you in case you fall. And it does happen.
The Huachuca Mountains
This is easily my favorite mountain range because of its proximity to Tucson. It's also near the border and attracts all kinds of exotics! Great birds and other critters! Here are just a few of my favorites.
Ferruginous Hawk near the entrance to Huachuca Canyon
Huachuca Canyon-one of my favorites! There is great hiking here along with the birding. You'll need to bring your US ID to get onto this military base but it's easy. Be careful with your Canadian birder friends. Personally I never had an issue, but I've heard reports of these snowbirds getting turned away. Military threats indeed! This canyon has been home to the infamous Sinaloa Wren and other rare Mexican Species. The issues? The road can be rough after a rain event. Wildlife! This canyon, like many others, is home to bears and other fun critters. But for some reason, we hear more reports about bear in this area than any other canyon during our summer months.
Arizona Woodpecker is another special bird that people hope to glance!
Ramsey Canyon-my personal favorite. Sure there are great birds here but it's more than that. Sometimes I just want to go for a nice lovely hike and walk among deer and coati. There is a 6 dollar entrance fee but it's worth it. This is also a great canyon for rarities like the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. And I personally think this canyon and Montosa have some of the most interesting bugs flying around!
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
My surprise new favorite canyon this year has been Garden Canyon on the Ft. Huachuca base. Dark and magical with streams crossing the road, this place reminded me of something I've read in a fairytale. I even got a fairytale picture of a Spotted Owl! This shot reminds me of Winnie the Pooh.....and I don't know why.
Garden Canyon and a beautiful Spotted Owl!
Miller Canyon-Epic trails with lots of specialty birds like the Montezuma Quail, Northern Goshawk, and White-eared Hummingbird. Here you can visit Beatty's Orchard and enjoy lots of incredible hummingbirds around his CAS(Controlled Access Site). There are benches and lots of feeders to keep a nature lover occupied for some time. Sit underneath the shade of the ramada and enjoy the show! He does ask for a donation to keep his feeders full.
A Montezuma Quail watches me from a trail off of the gravel road of Miller Canyon
Ash Canyon is another great spot for birders to hang out for a break from the trails. There are lots of hummingbirds including the very special Lucifer Hummingbirds that hang out at her location. They are rare to Southern Arizona but they are regulars at Mary Jo's place. A 5 dollar donation is requested to help maintain the feeders around her bed and breakfast.
Juvenile male Broad-billed Hummingbird
The Chiricahua Mountains
Admittedly, I have barely touched these mountains. The trip from Tucson is a bit further than other mountain ranges so I have to carefully schedule my visits here. This is one incredible place full of species that cannot be found anywhere else in the US. It is home to the Mexican Chickadee and other specialty birds. Normally if I visit the Chiricahuas, I will stay for a couple nights because the one way trek is almost 3 hours long.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Cave Creek Canyon is the only canyon I have visited. It's pretty amazing as it feels like there is more wildlife than humans in this rather remote part of the world. If you are driving from Phoenix or Tucson, you will need to pass through New Mexico and then reenter Arizona on the other side of the Chiricahuas to enter Portal. There is another road that crosses over the mountain range but it requires a sturdy car:) Again, it's another favorite hotspot for me.
Bridled Titmouse
Everyone has their favorite birding hotspot. Southern Arizona is rich with diversity and has lots to offer. That's why it's such a wonderful playground for so many outdoor aficionados from around the world. We're more than just a desert. Happy Birding! Until next time.....
A little hummingbird fun at Madera Canyon. For more bird fun, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!
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