Stay On The Path

Common Loon on nest

 A place that I had always wanted to visit was Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. I wanted to give Kathie and Gus some alone time (and a break!) from us birding every day.  Thankfully Magill was around doing some work in Maine.  She had told me over the years that Monhegan Island was a fantastic place to go birding for rarity chasers.  If any rarity was going to show up in this state, it would be on Monhegan Island.  And it's all true.

She didn't have to twist my arm too hard to go.  There were some potential lifer sea birds on this trip.  Unfortunately, we were a little too early for the "main" sea bird event, but it was great doing some exploring in new habitat with Magill.  We always choose new places to bird because they are not birded or are underbirded. So on our way to Monhegan, we did a two night cabin stay along the coast checking area blocks for the Maine Bird Breeding Atlas. 

The trek out to Monhegan Island was beautiful.  There was lots to see.  Our mission?  To find a rare invading Eurasian Collared Dove. We rolled our eyes and laughed, but for Magill and myself, it would be a new state bird.  These doves come to my feeder in Arizona.  In fact, they live around Magill's house in Phoenix. But here we were chasing this silly dove on an island. 

I have this dove memorized.  I know its flight pattern and body shape from quite a distance. Because of that distinct flight pattern glide, I found it right away and of course, it flew down behind a house behind a bunch of trees. Magill didn't see it.  So because it was a rare bird for Maine, we wanted to get photo documentation.  But before I took another step, Magill warned about the people on the island.  According to many Mainiacs, they are assholes. Or at least, most of them were.  So we had to stay on the path. Easy. We're always so good about following the rules.  Or so we thought. 

a bird that is looking to take Maine hostage, the "rare" invasive Eurasian Collared Dove

 For the first time in my life, I used playback for this dove and it worked like a charm.  We, I thought, were safely on a public road until a crabby Lobsterman (are there any other kinds?) came out and tried getting into a verbal fight with us.  We ignored him and walked away.  It seemed like he followed us a little bit from his house, but we just kept walking on the road with him shouting at our backs. 

This sign is a complete lie.  And note it says during bird migrations.  So they really don't want anyone there

After that experience, I was done with the island.  The sign above is a complete lie.  Why would I invest money into this island if many of the people there were jerks? I felt bad because Magill loves this island and I think she was disappointed that I didn't think much of it.  I just thought to myself that if people were that hostile towards visitors, why in the world would anyone want to spend money at this place.  It was a pretty island, but so is Machias Seal Island and the hundred other islands along the coast of Maine. And you don't get hassled at those locations. 

Tree Swallow

 However, we did encounter some nice people watering their yards.  They had bird houses out for Tree Swallows.  We counted birds along the path. And let me add something positive here.  There weren't any bugs:)

And it was scenic.  Sure.  Absolutely beautiful.  I laughed because when Magill and I are together, we always have an adventure.  But something was very different this time around!  And it bothered me a lot. 

I can't put my finger on it but the Common Yellowthroats on the eastern side of the US are different acting and even looking than our yellowthroats we have here in AZ. 

 Magill was doing a great job about marking down breeding codes for the island and I didn't care!  I am going to admit this in writing.  I wasn't into the birding. Maybe it was the experience with that guy, or maybe it was because I had seen the birds a million times and just wanted to hang out by the ocean with a cup of coffee. I had fun with Magill, but it wasn't Arizona nor was it Wisconsin.  I had no personal connection to the common birds found in Maine. And it was a weird thing to feel.  

When we got back onto the mainland, I focused on bird song and recorded vocalizations of Blackburnian Warblers. We also explored a new spot, Islesboro, which was a lot of fun because it was another island of mystery birds.  I understand why people love Maine. It's a beautiful state.  I began to wonder though.  Was my former Cheesehead friend favoring her Maine grounds over her Arizona ones?  I felt like she had become a Mainiac!  I hated the thought of losing Magill to Maine. We have so many more Arizona adventures ahead! But there is something about Maine that gets into a person's psyche.  I get it. But it's more of a love affair for me and not a steady relationship:)

Common Eiders at the port of Monhegan Island

 One of the most memorable experiences we had together didn't happen on the islands, but at a blueberry barren.  There, we heard the fluttering heart drum calls of the Ruffed Grouse!  It was amazing. 

Eastern Towhee

 And there were sparrows! 

Savannah Sparrow

But back to Monhegan.  As we headed back to port to the mainland, we had more sightings of Atlantic Puffins.  I never get sick of observing these birds. 

Atlantic Puffin

 I let this post sit for a little over a month before I wrote it because I had to separate my feelings on this experience.  I wouldn't say Monhegan Island was a negative experience nor a positive one.  Just more of a disappointment. I also had to resolve my feelings about why my attitude was so negative about the bird counts on that day.  It really bothered me. 

We watched this local garden while listening to a territorial Virginia's Rail

 When I eventually arrived in Wisconsin, I had figured out why I had been so frustrated on Monhegan Island. I wanted to be home with my family and doing work for the final year of the Wisconsin Bird Breeding Atlas.  And I felt like I was wasting my time in Maine when I could have been "working" and using my experience for the atlas in my hometown.  It's often underbirded there and I know things about my hometown that others do not. Bernie had passed on his "warbler insights" with me before he died(I'll discuss this in a later post). As a kid, I played in every little nook and cranny possible. And here I was in Maine getting yelled at by a loser while chasing a "rare" dove that I have seen a million times.  So I apologize to Magill for my less-than-stellar attitude during those days.  I was worried about my Dad and wanted to be home helping out on both fronts. 

That's not to say we didn't have fun because we did:) I was just birding with a heavy heart.  So I will say this, birding is therapeutic:) I'll never say never, but it's unlikely I'll go to Monhegan again. Even if you "stay on the path", you'll get yelled at.  If you live in Maine and this is one of the few places a birder can find rarities, I suggest moving to Arizona;)  Until next time....

Final Exams and Birds

Lewis's Woodpecker

During my final exam period, I find it hard to go birding with all the grading I have to do.  I force myself to go out and keep up with the challenges even though I've seen most of Arizona's birds many times. I'd rather sleep. I do it because when spring comes, I'm often asked to guide.  And it's good to keep fresh with our key species here like the Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Red-faced and Olive Warblers, etc. 

Arizona has large pecan groves and during the winter, it's always a good idea to check these trees for not only the Lewis's Woodpeckers but other species as well like the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Some of these groves are on private property and others grow in city parks or abandoned lots.  

Savannah Sparrow

It was a good weekend out.  The sparrows are back again and I enjoy sorting through all of them during my counts.  And of course, the month of December always seems to be a banner month for wintering Lawrence's Goldfinches as they feed from the seed heads of a particular grass that grows here. I couldn't believe the numbers at each of the stops we made!

Lawrence's Goldfinches

On Saturday, I went out with Micheal to the town of Patagonia to bird the Patagonia-Sonoita Nature Conservancy and look for the reported Carolina Wren. We didn't see it but I get a sense that it's probably the same bird who showed up early this year at Patagonia Lake State.  We had a nice hike and found lots of great birds, mammals and a male tarantula below. 

We laughed at the antics of the juvenile Coue's Whitetail Deer as they jumped around in the fields chasing one another.  In total, we counted around 36 deer!  Apparently, there are many many more.  I sat at the end of our walk on a bench speaking with the volunteer.  According to Micheal, we spoke for over an hour about birds.  How does that even happen?  I felt bad so I treated him to dinner.  I could have camped there that night.  It was so beautiful.  

Coue's Whitetail Deer

While on the trails there, I heard the distinct electronic sliding "ZEET!" call of the Black-capped Gnatcatchers. So I began taking pics for photo documentation to submit to the report.  When I got home, I discovered a Blue-gray had slipped into the middle of my Black-capped Gnatcatchers just to meddle with my ID abilities.  These can be extremely difficult birds to ID.  Thankfully I had pics of both species.  When documenting this "rare(but growing)" population of Black-capped Gnatcatchers, it's important to ID 4 key items.  The important part is to see the under tail of this species for the white pattern.  A long narrow bill is helpful but not always easy to figure out when the bird is alone.  There is also a brownish tone to the back of these birds in winter. Lastly, their call is distinct.  If you have audio equipment, try to record their call for your ebird report. But if the bird is silent, make sure you ID that under tail. It's always easy when you spot a male in summer with a black cap and an almost all white under tail. 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

We finished up our trek to Patagonia successfully.  Then Sunday arrived.  I hung out with my friend Hollie to bird around her area in Green Valley.  We had a blast exploring new areas that are now open for birders to explore. It was a crazy day full of rare birds. To make the day even better, it was cold and foggy!

Daylight forces me to be smart about where I bird.  Sometimes all I can do is bird my local patch. 

drake Canvasback

After work, I rush over to Reid Park to do my weekly bird count.  It rarely disappoints. 

When you're a drake Wood Duck, it's hard not to be conspicuous

As I finish up with grades, I am also planning for 3 upcoming treks over the next several weeks.  Some of these treks are for specific birds.  We'll be road tripping back into California for possibly the last time as we search for the Yellow-billed Magpie and Mountain Quail.  That's all I have left for species on land in Cali. I lived in the Bay area once and I remember observing the Yellow-billed Magpies often, but I glanced at them.  And I wasn't a birder.  So we're going to make it official and fun in the process. 

Neotropic Cormorant

There are other birds that are like that for me in the US.  I call them "clean up" birds because they live in out-of-the-way areas that often require special trips due to their range restrictions. 

The Big Feet of an American Coot

Finally, I'd like to address something that has bothered me over the past several weeks.  The birder's club is just like any kind of human social group. It has good members and a few naughty ones.  Often I love my birder peeps, but there are some that break the rules and ruin it for everyone.  I dropped off the AZ Listserv after I kept getting emails from every Tom, Dick and Henrietta about reporting owls.  It got annoying.  Before that, I was irritated by birders who don't follow land rules and trespass. If you're reading this, I'm preaching to the choir.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  The Green Valley Water Treatment Plant must have also been annoyed because it took time to create this monstrosity of a sign.  Birding continues to grow and with it, we must all teach the newbies the rules. Or we lose important places to bird, not bird watch:) "Bird Watchers" made me laugh.  We are birders.  When someone says bird watcher, I think of robin strokers which is not birding.  Bird watching is like sitting at your window and not knowing what you're seeing.  You just like the birds. And that's ok. I will even admit that I bird watch from my dining room window. Birding is a whole lot of "work"!

Ok.  I'm off my soap box now.  Final exams are notorious for making teachers grouchy.  Teenagers are sneaky.  Soon, I'll be able to finish up my grades and fully commit to travel again.  Next week we join my one and only CBC for this year up on Mt. Lemmon. I'm hoping we have some cool weather with some cool birds.  Until next time......

March Madness

Hello everyone!  First I'd like to apologize to my readers for not keeping up with the comment section.  It has been a very busy month with visitors and birds.  My schedule booked up in March fast and that was when I realized that I needed to write things down on a calendar:)

Hooded Oriole

Somehow I manage a full time job while getting all this other stuff done.  And I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. 

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

April and May are also packed with a busy schedule as we get ready for our huge fundraising event for Tucson Audubon, THE BIG DAY! The Wrenegades will once again join together and search for as many bird species as we can in one day to raise money for Southern Arizona's birds and the protection of their habitats.  Sara Pike is one of the fabulous team members and donations can be made here. 

Rivoli's Hummingbird

I'm also excited about several guests coming to visit this month and next as we find as many of their birds as we can for their life lists.  Then it'll be on to San Carlos, Mexico for some ocean birding.  Our summer trek will be a surprise. It'll be interesting to see where we end up since we haven't planned anything concrete yet:)

A Steller's Jay knows an opportunity when it see one.  But do these people know?

 But in the meantime.  I had a blast with my friend Kristen, her daughter Kayla and Kelly.  They did some fun hiking around Northern and Southern Arizona.  I wish they had more time.  Both are park rangers and LOVE to hike and see what there is to see.  

Steller's Jay

We had a beautiful visit up in Northern Arizona at Walnut Canyon National Monument. We did some great hiking around the area and found lots of excellent birds in the process. 

Montezuma's Castle is one of the many historic and beautiful national monuments of Arizona

 I was paying attention to the birds while they enjoyed the historic cliff dwellings of the ancient people.  We kept an ebird checklist and Kelly and Kristen were able to add new birds to their lifelist. 

We headed down to Montezuma's Castle near the Prescott/Sedona area and Kelly found this *almost* hidden Common Black Hawk along the riparian area.  It is nesting here.  And from the information I've gathered from ebird and the local park rangers in this area, there may be as many as TWO pairs of Black Hawks nesting along this stretch of river.  That is always encouraging news to hear.  This isn't always an easy hawk to spy in Arizona outside of migration. 

Common Black Hawk

Before their arrival, we headed to Ashurst Lake outside of Flagstaff to do a waterbird count.  Ashurst Lake is great for gulls and other shorebirds migrating through the area.  It's also a somewhat dependable area for the very nomadic Pinyon Jays. 

Ashurst Lake

During our visit, we watched a juvenile Bald Eagle go after an Osprey with food.  In fact, Bald Eagles are kind of like sky pirates:) However, this Osprey outmaneuvered the Eagle. 

Juvenile Bald Eagle goes after an Osprey

Another great hotspot near Flagstaff is the Kachina Wetlands.  Here we counted sparrows and ducks during a nice walk around the area. 

Kayla looks at frogs

The birding in Flagstaff isn't like birding Southern Arizona, but it's still fun.  There are several bird species you can add here that you can't in other areas.  During our visit, we heard the unmistakable drumming of an American Three-toed Woodpecker (which I wasn't expecting to find so early in the year nor in this area).  Thanks to Kristen, she pointed out the loud rapid drum.  The bird only did it one other time and from high up a Ponderosa Pine.

A gorgeous Savannah Sparrow

We checked other spots and it was very pleasant. One area that I'd really like to explore is Humboldt Peak which is VERY high and holds a few specialty birds.  My nemesis continues to be the Dusky Grouse. 

Then we headed down to Southern Arizona and while it was hot, it was great to be back here. Migrating birds never looked so good. 

Black-chinned Hummingbird

There are lots of Hummingbirds. 

And that "secretive" American Bittern at Sweetwater. 

Phainopepla

And lots of crested and colorful birds. 

This male Northern Cardinal below was very vocal and hopped around me as I did a count at Sweetwater Wetlands. 

Shy birds were out and about walking around reeds. 

An outed Sora

One day we had an amazingly cold morning full of rain and wind.  It was beautiful!  The birds were so active!

Abert's Towhee

Birds are wonderful.  As I approach final exams with my students, I feel the stress and anxiety that they feel.  Our walks are very relaxing. And necessary:)

Pyrrhuloxia

After the ladies left, I had some alone time and went to Agua Caliente Park after a stressful day at work to just connect with nature.  During that evening, I just listened to the bird song and followed their voices along the trail. 

Bullock's Oriole

If I ever lose my eyesight, and I hope I never do, it's my ears that will navigate my birding.  My blog will revert to audio sounds instead of photos.  I love bird song so much and it's what I use to find birds.  Without my ears, I'd be lost. 

A Gray Hawk banks to the side

If they whisper a cheep or throw me a chip note, I will find them. Rattles make it too easy:) Recently, I was with a friend in a wash where we spotted a well known and very chatty birder.  I've never seen birders scatter as much as they do when they see this individual.  It's okay to talk while you bird but NOT all the time.  How in the world will you find birds when your talking?  They'll all fly off!  Anyhow, we tried our best to dodge away from this individual.  It didn't work:(

A Common Yellowthroat stops for a moment to reflect:)

It was nice to come back to Southern Arizona. 

It's also nice to not feel the pressure of finding a new life bird.  We can wander wherever we like. And find whatever it is that wants to be found. 

Louisiana Waterthrush

Some winter birds are still hanging on while others are getting ready to leave. 

Next week, we'll take you to Mt. Lemmon for the start of warbler migration. 

As we say good-bye to our wintering birds, 

We say hello to our summer residents.  We'll also get to meet lots of great people in the process. That's the adventure of birding.  Arizona birding is some of the best birding in the United States.  

Until next time......