The Grassland Sea

Red-tailed Hawk

If the Santa Ritas Mountains are part of the sky islands of Southern Arizona, then the surrounding habitat would be considered the "shore" followed by a sea of grassland.  I love the Santa Rita Mountains, but I love the habitat that surrounds this mountain just slightly more.  

Particularly the grasslands. And specifically, the winter grasslands.  This is a special time of year when beautiful wintering grassland species show up.  And sometimes, a special visitor, or two, shows up for several months. 

The Gray Ghost, or male Northern Harrier, flies over the Cienegas Grasslands

Between numerous Northern Harriers and different morphs and subspecies of Red-tailed Hawks.......

a rare Rough-legged Hawk

And among the countless meadowlarks, sparrows and longspurs, hide a few goodies like the Baird's Sparrow, Short-eared Owl and sometimes.....a Rough-legged Hawk.  Southern Arizona can be hit or miss with this species each year.  But this year, there were TWO in the same general area of Sonoita flying between Santa Cruz and Pima counties. Friendly Pima birder man, Brian Nicholson found one of them hanging out on Pima county lands. 

There were several birders there who needed this lifer.  The road was busy and tricky.  Every bird was a Rough-legged Hawk until it wasn't.  Northern Harriers.  So I clued them in on the behaviors of the bird.  "Look for kiting".  It's either a White-tailed Kite or not.  And if it's not, it's the Rough-legged Hawk.  As a sign from the bird gods, a hawk flew over our heads and began to hover and kite for all to see.  Then off it went up into the thermals far far away from us over into Pima County lands. 

Black Phoebe

With one mission complete, I stopped at the iconic Sonoita gas station to purchase yet another pair of sun glasses.  I lose them all the time.  

A classic and scenic gas station in Sonoita makes for a great meeting place

Then it was off to Patagonia for some relaxing birding.  This weekend was a "just me" weekend but it didn't turn out that way. It's good to be connected to the community and I enjoyed the company. There was lots of talking and meeting new people.  It's easy to do when people have the bird spark. The teacher gene is like a magnet to people and I like it because people are really interested in the habitat and birds. If I don't have anything going on, I take the time and get to know the people on the trails if they are interested in conversation.  Sometimes, I disappear into obscure places but since this rare hawk attracted all the chasers, I waited a bit for them to see the hawk and disappear.  They like to tick birds off the list and are very competitive with each other. I don't like it. So I waited. The afternoon crowd is more my style.  They want to observe behaviors and enjoy longer sustained looks at the raptors in the area. While they were there for the Rough-legged Hawk; they were also there to explore and see some cool stuff.  And that's a beautiful thing. 

A Sharp-shinned Hawk

I went to Patagonia to finish off my day in the most beautiful weather ever.  I thought I'd have alone time there, but there was a birder who asked for help ID'ing a vireo.  It was a Hutton's.  While there, we had a rare appearance of a Chihuahan Raven.  Over the years, I've gotten really good with this species.  They are not common in Patagonia, but a few do show up from time to time.  Their vocalizations are different from that of the Common Raven and when they call, it's an ID snap.  If they don't call, it can be SUPER tricky.  Thankfully most ravens are talkative in flight.  The high "haw haw haw" of the bird stood out among all the Common Ravens.  I had a birder play the call to learn the call.  The raven responded and flew near us on top of an Aleppo Pine.  Total bird nerds geeking out.  

Cedar Waxwing

I am enjoying this lull before things start picking up again.  We'll be traveling to the west coast this winter, Wales in March, a road trek with Gordon in April, June with Ms. Kathie Brown in Wisconsin, July in New Zealand, Maine in October......and December, I've left open to be spontaneous.  Life is amazing and this is how it flies by so quickly! This blog is all about exploration and discovery. Until next time....

This weeks haul from the POWWOW in Tucson.  12 dollars for 70 pounds.  Much of this will be shared to other families. This program helps eliminate food waste on this planet.  We throw away such wonderful produce.  For 12 bucks every weekend, you are guaranteed fresh veggies every week.  And you're helping the planet.  And sharing helps spread the love.

The Winds of Change

The seasonal desert changes are subtle and in some cases, almost invisible. If it weren't for the promise of lower temps in the fall and winter, southern Arizona wouldn't be such a popular place. And so when migration commences towards the end of July into August, birders know that some incredible birds will come our way. The only thing?  The onslaught of deadly heat. This year, for the first time in my life, I can actually see the changes. 

Blue-footed Booby

Nowhere is it more apparent than with the migration of birds.  Storms still blow in rare birds like the Blue-footed Booby above.

And people still escape the heat with water.  It was this way before and forever it shall be I think until the end of our days.

On a hot day with a Mega Rare, Code 4 bird(5 is the highest), North American birders came from all over the country once again to get this first ever recorded sighting of a Blue-footed Booby in SE Arizona.  I have seen these birds in the thousands on several islands off of the coast of Northern Mexico. But for Kathie, it would be a lifebird.

I just needed to bird.....really bird.  I hadn't done so for a full week.  But as is the case during this time of year, my thoughts turned towards the future.   

I have been reading about the historical birding spots of Arizona.  Some have changed.  Some have not. And some are in danger of disappearing.  Thanks to great documentation by birders over the decades, we, today, are able to walk their footsteps and glimpse at what was, is or may become.

Kino Springs

We birded Patagonia and Kino Springs near the Mexican border.  These places, thankfully haven't changed much.

Lazuli Bunting

But as birds are now heading south, my thoughts wandered more about old birder haunts that I had read about.  Birders who are now gone.  Had the birds they had seen also changed over time?

American Coot

And then there are the birds. Those magical wonderful and random sightings that happen during migration.  I watched as a Nashville Warbler went through my garden patch in Midtown Tucson(Speedway/Alvernon).  It was a show stopper. It slowly jumped around my potted plants and while it was thrilling, I thought about the long journey ahead.  For 5 special minutes, I watched outside my living room window as it hopped out of my area picking up bugs from the ground until it disappeared for good.  And then I was sad.  In my mind, I said, "Buen viaje" or Good journey.  Never had I felt that before. I have about 15 regular birds at my feeders.  This particular bird was a first!!!  We traveled hours to find this bird in Yuma during winter. But for this time around, we didn't have to do anything but look out our window. 

Nashville Warbler

And yet our weekend was full of wonderful finds in Sonoita and Patagonia.......we discovered Grasshopper Sparrows, Buntings and more!

Eastern Meadowlark

Then we stopped at a place to watch birds.  It has been historically a birder hotspot for many decades. As with everything, change is inevitable.  The Paton's passed away and today Tucson Audubon, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours and the American Bird Conservancy are trying to save the house and property.  It's a landmark for so many people.  But will it stay open?  Time will tell.  It might very well have been my last time there. If you are interested in helping save this place, click here to make a donation. This drive will happen until October 15th.

Paton's House

I watched the Pipevine Butterfly dance across flowers.

Time has changed me.  It has made me more aware and sensitive to the subtle movements within this larger world.  One cycle ends and another begins.  But just how many cycles will I get of my own in this lifetime?  I have only scratched the surface on this lifelong world journey.

The Sonoran Pronghorn

I'm BACK from an overdue R & R vacation which required all gadgets to be gone, a book, some light birding, and some healthy hikes. And I feel much much better. This past week I was in the middle of nowhere-ville and surrounded by bears.  It was an amazing time.  I'll be back catching up with everyone again.  But back to this post! So I've waited a long time to find these amazing creatures and on our day of birding, it would happen.  It was truly one of the most exciting finds of the day.  The Sonoran Pronghorn.

Ranchers settled Arizona lands in the early 1900's and wiped out the Pronghorn from our grasslands as cattle took over and established themselves around this land.  Fences were placed all around these massive grassland properties and blocked many of the routes for these animals in Southern Arizona. Put up a border fence and it was even more difficult for the species to enter and leave the country. The Pronghorn and Jaguar almost completely disappeared. In 2002, drought and habitat loss reduced the pronghorn to only 21.  At that point, a captive breeding program began and US Fish and Wildlife intervened to prevent their extinction. 

The habitat of the Arizona Pronghorn Antelope are prairies and grasslands and are most abundant in the North Central plains of the state. Herds are often seen just north of Prescott Valley and those that travel on Interstate 17 can frequently see herds in the wild between Cordes Junction and the edges of Camp Verde, Arizona. They also inhabit the high elevation meadows between forested areas in East Central areas of Arizona. There is a sub-species of "Sonoran Pronghorn" that are on the endangered list that exist in small numbers in the desert areas of Southwestern Arizona. Antelope are grazing animals primarily feeding on grasses, weeds, cactus and small Juniper Pine.

Known as "prairie ghosts" because they are so elusive, the Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis) is the fastest land mammal in North America. Smaller and lighter in color than other pronghorn subspecies, it is uniquely adapted for survival in harsh arid conditions.Kathie and I were tipped off by a ranger that the Pronghorn had crossed a dirt road.  We quickly drove to the spot reported and were lucky to glance these amazing creatures from a distance.

Approximately 100 Sonoran pronghorn remain in the wild in the United States. There is also a small population held in a captive breeding program on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Arizona. There are approximately 650 pronghorn in Mexico.

A slow recovery is happening around these areas but it is very slow. However today they are much more visible than they were 10 years ago.  You can find them near Portal, Sonoita, or the Buenos Aires Wildlife Preserve.  They also live in the state of Sonora, Mexico.  Meanwhile, most of the thousands of miles of fence have been taken down over the past ten years around the Buenos Aires Wildlife Preserve.  The grasslands are making a comeback and it appears that a balance may soon be achieved.  As that happens, species that once roamed these areas like the Ocelot and Jaguar have had more sightings now that things are getting "fixed".  More tomorrow from our adventures....