Blood and Stone

I hear you Mr. Trogon. You are calling for a mate.  My ears guide me towards your voice.  Slowly I tackle the rocky hillside along the rambling creek.  There I stand behind a tree so that you won't notice me. But you probably already do:)  For minutes, I scan the trees for your voice.  

Elegant Trogon

Eventually I find you and marvel at your beauty.  I know there is another who is also calling to her.  She is in the canyon and both of you are vying for her affections. I secretly wish you luck. 

As we say our good-byes, I step off a ledge and fall into the creek. Damnit! "Don't look back!  Go get her!" The bird leaves me behind as I lie on my side.  My padded rear takes the brunt of the impact as does my left arm.  Scrapes.  Blood.  Stone.  It was worth it. 

Tree Creeper

Once the dust settles, I realize my phone flew into the stream! Quickly I grab the half submerged device and proceed to dry it off.  Oh oh.  I pick myself up and wander the trail some more. 

It doesn't take long before I am surrounded by new friends. We stand together and I think about how perfect the moment is.  I'm alone, safe and in tune with the world around me. Together we walk the dirt path without a care in the world. Isn't this the way life should be?

Hummingbirds zip around my head.  All around me, birds are nesting and singing.  I think about my last week of work before summer break begins.  I think about my friend Melissa who isn't with us anymore.  I think about what will come. And what may be.  Excited. Nervous.  Perhaps stressed. A wedding will do this to a person. But my mind wanders and I forget about what was stressing me in the first place. Like the hummingbird, my thoughts quickly move onto other forest matters.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

I move inches forward.  There I spy Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers.  It was only three years ago I found them in that exact same spot.  Were these the children or the same adults I glanced upon not so long ago?  I remember being such a novice then.  In many ways, I still am.  But now I know these local characters.  By heart. By song.  By habit.  By love.  For it's what changed me. 

As my crazy work schedule comes to an end, I can sit down and organize this summer better.  I have several conferences to attend, a trip to Colorado, a camping trip into the Chiricahuas, and our Mexican trek.  

A blurry Flame-colored male Tanager

 The mission on this day had been to find the nesting and rare-to-the-US Flame-colored Tanagers.  This bird wasn't a life bird but it was a new bird for the US list.  And honestly, I just wanted to see them.  I have yet to get a better photo of these birds, but I know I'll see them again in the future. The Flame-colored Tanager, formerly known as the Stripe-back Tanager, is a medium size songbird. Formerly placed in the Tanager family, it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family....like this Pyrrhuloxia(pronounced Pear-oh-luck-zee-ah) below. 

Pyrrhuloxia-taken at my school this week

  And so my stories shall continue.  We have reached the 1/3 mark of the year.  As we close off this chapter of the "Americano" travels, I take a look back with a video clip below. This video was filmed in Wisconsin and Arizona from the United States while another part was taken in Sonora, Mexico.

                                                   

Being out in the wild, makes me feel alive.  The stresses of work, my crazy neighborhood, and life all seem to wash away.  On this day, I am only able to spend 5 hours outdoors.  But it's the best 5 hours of therapy a person can have. PS. If your cell phone gets wet, turn it off and stick it in a ziploc bag full of dry rice.  It really works!  Until next time!

Discover Gila County!

Parker Creek in the Sierra Ancha Mountains

Exploration.  Study. And new Arizonan ground to cover.  This weekend, I attended an AZFO conference in a very unexplored area of Arizona.....Gila County! 

Brown Trout are found in a stream fed pool

Mountains, like the Pinals(specifically Pinal Peak), had some of the best birding.  Here we were able to observe Band-tailed Pigeons(difficult to get pictures of!), Cassin's Finches, a Lewis's Woodpecker, Sage Thrasher, and a strange covey of Gambel's Quail!

The camera shy Band-tailed Pigeon finally poses on Pinal Peak

While attending the conference in Miami, Arizona, birders from around the state and country had the opportunity to meet each other.  Lectures included Gray Hawk diet and expansion, the differences between the fairly new Sagebrush and Bell's Sparrow split, the Desert Purple Martin, global warming and warbler migration, etc.

White-tailed Deer watch us through the branches as Gordon and I search for elusive birds

While I didn't find any new birds for the year (or life birds), I did gain A LOT of information about the birds found around the state of Arizona.  Our visits marked new areas for ebirders in the state.  Bird populations around Gila County are relatively unknown.  While ornithologists know what birds can be found in the area, there isn't much birding data entered for this Arizona county.  So we explored the rough roads and along the way we discovered wonderful flora and fauna.

Jones Water Campground

On this trek, I went with my birding bud and friend Gordon Karre.  I really appreciate the times we get to bird together as they are few and far between.  Each birder has a mission.  Our mission this weekend wasn't necessarily finding new birds but exploring new and unknown areas.

Empress Leila butterfly

The conference was rather large this year which suggests that this birding addiction is catching on.  There were birders of all ages and that was encouraging!

Ground Beetle-Pasimachus  A special thank you to Doug Taron for helping me ID my bugs better

The participants also came from a wide variety of backgrounds ranging from photographers and artists to professors and wildlife specialists.  So on our outings, we had lots of knowledgeable people who knew their plants, bugs, lizards, birds and what to do when a sick bird was found like this Great Horned Owl below.  

The team came together and secured the owl for transportation. 

If you live around the Phoenix area and find an injured bird or animal, contact Liberty Wildlife at 480-998-5550.  

Check out the talons on this GHOW!

I'm hoping this bird makes a full recovery.  So send out your positive thoughts and well wishes for this poor owl.

Photography was "meh" when it came to the birds this weekend:)  I put together this collage highlighting several of our interesting finds.  From top to bottom and left to right.  
Band-tailed Pigeon, playful Common Ravens
Red-naped Sapsucker, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown Creeper
Turkey Vulture, male Cassin's Finch 

Alligator Lizard

I'll be back on the road again next week searching for new North American year and life birds.  Birding is a science.  It's an art.  It requires quite a bit of dedication.  It can be social. But most of all, birding for me is something quite special. I never take any of my treks for granted. Every moment matters. Many of our common birds face an uphill battle in the years to come.  Extinction will continue as our carbon emissions rise and the world's human population explodes across the globe.  Humans are using up water resources and spreading over land that is utilized by our planet's wildlife. Compound that with poisons used in agricultural fields and traffic deaths for low flying birds/crossing mammals and it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Many of these critters are getting "squeezed" out of their habitats by us.

The artist Narca Moore-Craig gets up close and personal with her amazing discovery of the Alligator Lizard

My mission will be to continue my studies with organizations like Audubon, Ebird and AZFO(Arizona Field Ornithologists).  We live in a very complicated world.  With opportunities like the ones presented this past weekend, we can help explore these "new" wild areas and contribute our knowledge for the better protection and conservation of these areas.

Gila Country offers wonderful vistas and lots of great Arizona wildlife viewing!

 For more about birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday. 

An agave stalk

Below is an overview of the Workman Creek Falls in the Sierra Ancha mountains.   Our trek into Gila County was fantastic!

Sore Eyes

What happens when you search beyond the "Usual Suspects" while birding?

Hutton's Vireo

You get sore eyes searching for new ones!!!!  But boy is it worth it!  These shots were taken at Madera Canyon while a woman was singing a Karen Carpenter song loudly.  I couldn't hear the bird sounds very well because they were drowned out by....."Why do birds, suddenly appear, every time you are near?"  Very sick sense of humor....but I like that song.  And it makes me laugh....now:)

Tree Creeper

So while the audio waves were blocked by this mad singing siren, I had to keep my eyes focused on slight movement.  There were so many little birds flying around that it was once again hard to focus.  I'm finding that there is a certain time when all the little birds flock together and feed.  I was in the hot spot as it all happened around me.

Bridled Titmouse

On this observation, I'd pick up three more for the lifelist:)  The Tree Creeper and Hutton's Vireo were most welcome surprises.....especially the Hutton's Vireo.  I knew the bird was different because of the head formation but I put it out to the ID Bird Gurus and it sparked a long conversation on how this bird gets confused with others.  I got lost in the conversation somewhere but am glad I got that one checked off my list.  Cute bird but it can be one of the difficult ones out there to ID:)

But moving along, I observed this Dark Eyed Junco(below) along with many of his compadres as they fed around the feeders at a local B & B in Madera Canyon.  

Dark Eyed Junco

Always a thrill to watch and never shy to the camera are the lovely and loud Mexican Jays:)

Squirrels, Lesser Goldfinches, Hummingbirds, Wild Turkey were all present.

The little birds make you work.  They are quick, fast and usually in deep shade to get on film or plain old ID.  But after all is said and done, it can be very rewarding.  On this day, I would learn much about behavior.

I want to say that the woman was annoying but she wasn't.  I got a little misty eyed.  I listened to Karen Carpenter as a child on the 8 Track.  She was one of my favorites growing up.  It was my parent's wedding song.  And today it's the featured video.  RIP Karen.  I still listen to your music and apparently so do others:)  More tomorrow....