Wrenegades 2020 Birdathon

Eared Grebe

Dear friends of Las Aventuras, 

I'm sorry for the delay in blog posts. I have been working on documentation for two separate writes for this week and next. It has been a lot of fun and it has definitely taken my mind off of our current situation. This past weekend we did some important fundraising for Tucson Audubon. I'd like to thank all the people who donated to our team, the Wrenegades.  We've raised some good money to protect Southeastern Arizona's birds, habitat and wildlife!

American Avocets

Obviously, this year we had to do things differently.  The team had to break up and work within our circles of family and friends being socially distant and responsible. In this post, you'll see how we accomplished our goals separately and yet together using technology to communicate.  

I was responsible for the shorebirds migrating through the state right now. I went with my friend Celeste and her furry pooch, Cheroot. Together we saw some amazing birds.  You'll see some of our finds in today's posts. Much of our energy was spent around water areas like Lake Cochise in Willcox and the riparian area near the San Pedro House.  It was a gorgeous day!

In Arizona, especially southeastern Arizona, there is a lot of habitat to cover.  While I took the Cochise county sector, Captain Jennie(MacFarland) Wren covered the Santa Cruz county area with Richard Fray and together they found such amazing birds like the Thick-billed Kingbird along the DeAnza trail.  

Her area is great for vultures, like the Black Vulture, and other hawks. There are also great sparrows like the Rufous-winged Sparrow just waiting to be found. And they did!

American Avocet

Throughout the day, we kept in contact with Jennie and reported our finds.  She kept together the checklist as we all accomplished our goals.  Jennie and Richard birded from home.  It also helps to live in Rio Rico where the wildlife is outstanding.  It's near a lot of great birding hotspots along the I 19 corridor.  

Meanwhile, Wrenegade's team member Sara Derouen Pike, took to the local state parks and city parks with her family to find such treasures like the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet.  Sometimes we get so busy that we forget the "basics".  You know......Rock Pigeons, European Starlings and House Sparrows.  And in our case for that day, we didn't have a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher on our list!  Sara saved the day and found us one!  

So many birds and just not enough time in ONE day to find them all!  Arizona birding is amazing. 

White-faced Ibis

Sometimes I will find random birds that I wasn't expecting to get on my list like the nomadic American White Pelican.  What a treat!  These are inland pelicans but not always guaranteed on our counts. 

American White Pelican

Often times, a lot of our amazing shorebird species are overlooked.  Some of them are too confusing I hear people say, but if you get a close up look, they are quite beautiful.  

Like sparrows, the sandpiper group can be difficult for beginning birders.  They can even be difficult for expert birders if they are in the wrong light!  Thankfully, this Western Sandpiper posed nicely for the camera where I could observe that nice rufousy cap with black legs. There are some rufous patches on the back that also help with this ID.  

Western Sandpiper

I failed to find any Baird's Sandpipers, but we did find quite a few Least, Spotted and Western Sandpipers.  

 

It may shock some people to hear that we even have Willets pass through Tucson.  Where's the water?  Again we don't have many watering holes, but where there is water, there can be waterbirds!  It's important to check them daily as birds come and go.  And during our birdathon, we checked Willcox Lake several times to pick up new birds during each visit.  

Western Willet

Meanwhile, our very own Matt Griffiths took social distancing and birding to the next level.  This guy BIKED from Tucson up into canyons of Mt. Lemmon!  He was the last to report from our group because he was out of wifi range.  My hat goes off to Matt.  I'd be dead trying to do that route. The ride up Catalina highway is a steep, hot and dangerous one. There can be so much traffic as well. Years ago I used to bike marathons.  Today, not so much.  He'd blow it off as nothing, but what he did was an amazing feat of birding.  Meanwhile, Celeste, Cheroot and myself sat in the shade and ate lunch with a nice cold coke.  That's my kind of birding:)  

I like the walks, but it's over one hundred degrees now here in Tucson.  You bird in the morning or in the evening.  And if you have a strong desire to bird the whole day, you go up into the higher elevations or bird from the a/c of your car. 

I had to take off my birder's cap for you all so that you can see this crazy covid do!  We wore our masks when people got too close.  We still have lots of cases here and so social distancing and masks are necessary.  Thankfully Arizona has a lot of wonderful wide open spaces to meander!

After all was said and done, our team managed to find 165 different bird species for the day.  Each one of us will tell you that we had several stand out birds from our journeys. I always love those conversations.  It's exciting to hear who found what and where. 

Solitary Sandpiper

What we do is important.  Our team has raised, so far, 4300 dollars.  We're not done yet.  Tucson Audubon is one of the most active organizations here in Tucson and in the country. The organization is very involved with the Tucson and Southeastern Arizona communities. There is so much going on at all times.  Even if you can't financially help, we still offer so many other ways you can participate with our local birds.  All you have to do is check out the Tucson Audubon website.  

Wilson's Phalarope

If you'd like to donate, click here. 

Long-billed Dowitcher

As always, thank you for following Las Aventuras.  Next week, we go on a chase and take an adventure up into the White Mountains as I learn to maneuver around birds and people.  We do some more social distancing in cooler weather!  Until next time.......

Treasure Hunts

The month of August is a busy one.  I've returned back to work, continue to monitor key bird areas around Tucson and lead several trips.  August is also known as an excellent month for shorebird research.  And it's also challenging due to their hidden and remote locations. 

Currently in my yard, I am monitoring a Broad-billed Hummingbird nest. On the 14th of this month, I found the nest with two eggs.  

Now I have two baby hummingbirds growing up right before my very eyes.  The mother decided to put this nest right next to my car.  So now I have to be super careful getting out!

Okay.  Currently, their bills are poking out of the nest and it's a bit of a poop fest. I know it's a full time job Mom but couldn't you clean up around the edges?:) To help Mom out, I filled up the feeders.  She now begins to catch insects and drink nectar to make a slurry for the babies. Think of it as a bug protein shake. And there are plenty of mosquitoes in my garden right now.....so have at it:)

August also brings with it bugs and heat.  However, shorebird migration is rather exciting.  Encouraged by a report from friends, I went with Micheal and Magill to find a rare Ruddy Turnstone.  It was nasty work.  I have a strong stomach but on this day, I almost lost it.  

White-faced Ibis

It was 108 degrees and we were at a cattle slop pond, not the most scenic of places to bird. The flies were terrible.  And the smell.....well that was its own special reward.  At one point, I almost threw up.  I looked over at Magill and asked her what that god awful smell was.  She pointed to the pile of dead cows and I almost tossed my cookies. We were downwind from the ground up piles of rotting flesh.

I laughed because Micheal had just gotten out of work and there he was in his bright pink scrubs in the middle of Mad Max land.  However, I needed company.  I can't drive these longer distances anymore without falling asleep at the wheel. It's hot and it's boooooring!

An excellent state bird for Arizona, the Ruddy Turnstone

State birds are difficult now and they require some team work if only for shared misery and encouragement.  Micheal enjoys birding when we are in beautiful places.  He also likes cool looking birds.  This one didn't do it for him, but it was an important state bird.  

A couple weeks later, I get a text from Magill about a Red Knot.  This is ANOTHER state bird that can be tricky to spot.  It's also a very rare migrant.  But the catch?  It was found at yet another sewage treatment facility up in the Phoenix area.  

Stilt Sandpiper

 During this time of year at the Glendale Recharge Ponds, it's hot and muggy.  At one point, Micheal almost passed out from the heat.  He did get to see the bird but once again, he wasn't thrilled. When these birds are in their breeding plumage, they are quite beautiful.  

A fantastic state bird for Arizona, the Red Knot

Once again we celebrated another new state bird for Arizona.  This month alone has landed me THREE very tricky birds for the state.  I missed the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks and Reddish Egret due to the time factor. There just wasn't enough time with my busy schedule. 

While work has taken up a good chunk of that precious time, I have found a little break time to monitor our nesting Purple Martins at my job site. They are gone now. But each year I get a couple weeks with them before their large group migrates away. 

I'd like to also stress the importance of vegetation.  If that saguaro wasn't there, there would be no Purple Martin activity ever. Sadly, this saguaro has seen the pristine desert around it disappear over the last 16 years.  Today, a huge solar panel stands next to the last of its remaining brethren. They are also now surrounded by a developing housing project.  Yes, I worry about this saguaro and I will be sad if anything ever happens to the 4 that still remain.  But this one saguaro has been home to 5 different nesting bird species AND provides food during our hot spring month of May for our desert birds!

a male Purple Martin flies about their Saguaro

Between the bugs and the heat, I'm ready for this month to be over.  If you like birding and don't care about chasing state birds, there are many great alternatives for cooler birding on the higher elevations. 

I just came back from Mexico and will be writing that blog post in a few days.  I'm taking the weekend off to catch up with all of you and have a nice cup of coffee in my pajamas. 

So for now, I hope you avoid(or not), nasty piles of ground up dead cattle.  If you are in Arizona, this is where you'll find the rare treasure birds right now.  These excellent birds are found around these poop filled watering holes.  While it's not as scenic as say the Grand Canyon, it's where state chasing birders go this month.  Until next time.....

Oculus Reparo

Greater Roadrunner

A little over a year ago, I updated my camera gear to a 500 mm lens.  She was a monster, but oh how magnificent were those photos!  

Turkeys put on a display at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon.  Photo taken with my cell phone

Now she's in the shop due to the zoom feature (which locked up on me last week). Here are the last of my 500 mm shots.  

My first White-faced Ibis of the year flies over my head at the Coachline Lake in Marana

I kept my emergency 300 mm lens from my last camera but oh.....I so notice the lack of detail in the photos now.  So while I wait for the 2 weeks to pass, migration is happening all around me. 

Rare for the US but common in our southern Sky Islands, the Buff-breasted Flycatchers are quite active on top of Carr Canyon

I have been swamped with work and with visitor's from out of state coming to bird.  It's so easy to escape and join others to find birds when there is a lot at home to get done:) Elf Owl vs Fixing The Ceiling Fan? Or Tufted Flycatcher vs watering the garden?

I might be reaching a new chapter in my life with our local birds in the sense that I don't need to drive two hours to see an American Golden Plover.  Instead, I'm okay birding a local patch nearby my house. 

My first of the year Grace's Warbler on top of Carr Canyon

And while I am without my lens, I'm actually enjoying the fact that I don't have it.  My binos have been all that I've been carrying lately. 

A beautiful Swainson's Hawk takes flight

So, I don't have any pictures of the Golden-crowned Sparrow I saw at a local resident's home this past week(thank you Cathy!). And it was also on that night that my camera lens decided to freeze up on me😠😠 I don't have a pic of the Broad-winged Hawk I saw getting harassed by a Great-tailed Grackle.  These are all rarities that I think require photo documentation, but it's not going to happen for the next several weeks.

Jenny (first person in the pic) tolerates Bill's crazy bird addiction.  When the Elf Owl shows, everyone is thrilled.  Madera Canyon this time of year is AWESOME! 

I went out one evening with Bill and Jenny from Wisconsin to Madera Canyon and helped them locate Elf and Whiskered Screech Owls.  We also got a visual of the Mexican Whip-poor-will.  All three were lifers. 

A bathing female Yellow Warbler at Sweetwater

On the day I saw this bathing Yellow Warbler, I met up with Nathan and Stella from Maryland at Sweetwater.  I'm not sure if Nathan's Dad will talk to me after he drove up a rocky road on Carr Canyon for the Tufted Flycatcher. He was visibly shaken and stayed inside of his car. I forget flatlanders are not used to our intense Arizona rugged landscape.  To him, I offer my sincerest apologies. I had new tires put on my passenger vehicle and showed them that I also made it up the road without incident.  They had a rental and it was really ok.....but still.  Finding some excellent birds can be challenging.  Their reward?  Beautiful views of the rare-to-the US Buff-breasted Flycatchers. 

Green Heron at Sweetwater

While I wait for my lens to return, I'll still continue birding.  

a large kettle of Turkey Vultures lands in the Arizona Cottonwoods for the night

One last note.  If you've been following Las Aventuras for a few years now, you'll recognize these characters:)  This year, our Great Horned Owl team, Mike, Janet, Peter and myself, purchased a new basket for our nesting owls.  

Great Horned Owl at my work site

 We weren't sure if they'd take to the new basket as they began nesting in the Saguaro nearby. 

 BUT, there were a lot of kids walking past that area and the owls decided to move to the new basket.  This year, there are only two owlets  because the first two eggs were placed inside the arm of the Saguaro.  When they moved to the basket, those eggs were abandoned. 

Anyhow, their progress is on track.  My biggest complaint?  That stupid string.  We were so worried that the basket would fall during our windy season in March that we overdid it:)  My guess is that this weekend or the next will be their first venture outside the basket. Both Mom and Dad are trying to push them out to get them on the ground.  Owlets learn to walk first.  Then fly(sometimes into buildings:) and then hang out with their parents before flying off into our nearby wash.  Until next time friends.....