The Mogollon Rim

Hello everyone! Today we visit the lovely Heber-Overgaard area along the beautiful Mogollon Rim. Over the past week, I've gone on several treks with Gordon to do a dry run before our big Mexico trip!  As of this write, we are both very excited about discovering new birds again. When we come back, I'm sure we'll have lots of stories to share. 

Canyon Creek Road

We weren't chasing any birds on this weekend as we just wanted to bird.  It was wonderful finding all the wildflowers growing around the area. In fact, I found myself looking at the plants and bugs more on this trek.  

Wildflowers, top to bottom and left to right
Wild Sunflower, Bristly Pricklypoppy, Indian Paintbrush
Wild Rose, Purple-fringe, Heartleaf Arnica

Both of us had several places in mind that we had wanted to check out.  We stopped at Black Canyon and Wood's Canyon Lake for some fun finds.  On our return trip back, we made a stop at the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery.  It turned out to be my favorite spot to explore. I had wanted to check for possible American Dippers but it's really not the correct time for them to be there in this location. This was more of a scouting trek. However it is winter habitat for the Dipper!  So I'll be making a trek up again. 

We had some great finds at Wood's Canyon Lake where there were nesting Bald Eagles!  Two juveniles were seen standing on the nest and that was great news!  While we were there, we watched both the Eagles and Ospreys grab fish from the lake.

Wood's Canyon Lake-best place to bird even with a billion vacationers 

We even watched a Great Blue Heron grab a fish in flight.  Gordon has the pics for that action set.  It was a pretty awesome observation and a first time that we've both seen that kind of behavior from this bird.  

Western terrestrial garter snake

My snake detector went off when I saw a head swinging back and forth.  It seems this Arizona subspecies of the Garter Snake was looking for food.  Gordon was very excited about the find and shared it with the girls playing in the water below.  I watched them freeze and had a good laugh.  "This one is safe. Snakes are cool.", Gordon said happily.  My response was, "Yeah, but they're still snakes:)"  I have learned to appreciate them from a distance, but you won't catch me picking one up anytime soon.  Still.  It was a great find on an already awesome birding trek. 

I'm sure many of you were asking by this point in the blog where the photos of my birds were:)  Don't worry, I've got one for you.  At Wood's Lake, we discovered lots of recently fledged Steller's Jays hanging out around a pine tree. The adults were feeding them while they were getting a sip from the puddles in the rocks.

Anyhow, my focus was a bit scattered on this trip.  Therefore the pics were a little "off".  The heat was still intense at the higher levels on this weekend and made for an impatient me.  At the time of this write, June 30th, a woman was killed by a lightning strike along the Rim.  If you do visit during our monsoon season, whether you're local or visiting, please make sure you're safe.  If you see lightning or major dark cloud build up in Arizona, get inside a secure building.  Our storms here are NO joke. 

A happy Gordon along the Rim and a random butt shot behind:) It's a popular place!

However take a look at the amazing views from the Rim!  The Mogollon Rim is an important geographical feature for Arizona....especially southern Arizona.  During our monsoon season, storms will build along the Rim and blow south into Tucson and surrounding areas giving us much needed rain. It's also a place for many Phoenix residents to escape their personal hell. Phoenix is eternally hot. Recently on a trek outside of Phoenix, it was 94 degrees at 3:30 in the morning!!!  In Tucson, it gets down into the 60's at that time! You may spy an innocent and peaceful Tucsonan up there, but if you hear loud people who like to drive dangerously, they are from the Phoenix area;) As birders, we always know that any form of exercise away from tourist hotspots like piers, restaurants or shopping centers will always get us away from crazy.  So overall, it was a beautiful and quiet weekend until we drove the highways back.  I'd like to say that Tucsonans are better, but I don't think I can:) Anyhow, here's a little fun bird bit for bird and Nightjar lovers!

On a chase to find a rare male Painted Bunting, a young talented birder by the name of Walker found something very sacred at the Tres Ríos Wetlands near Phoenix.  Here is a rare look at a Lesser Nighthawk nest.  Can you see the two eggs?

Okay.  Let's move closer.  These birds are notorious for blending in with their backgrounds.  So anyone who is daring enough to explore the desert in summer, keep your eyes open while you're walking.  At first glance, the desert looks like it is a lifeless region but I assure you that it's full of incredible things. Just remember.  Go early and drink PLENTY of water!  Also have a cell phone on your being.  Watch out for snakes in the shade and if you see lightning, find cover!  

As for the bird responsible for these two eggs?  Here's a pic below from a trek I took a couple years ago to the Salton Sea.  I found a couple of these birds camouflaged on a mesquite tree limb.  Anyhow, they are VERY cool birds!

Las Aventuras takes a turn for the tropical as we head down to Southern Mexico to find our world's 10,000 birds. Join us as we explore Chiapas, Mexico for Chapter Two of the "Americano" Saga. Until next time friends.......

Forgetting Oneself

 Looking for sand crabs in Santa Cruz, CA

I think the aborigines of Australia have it right. In life, we are constantly redefining who we are.  We are not the same people we were a year ago or 5 years ago. The aborigines believe that when you change something like a profession or the things you like to do that it's time for you to change your name, but only when you're ready to do so.  If you were a musician before and you decide to become a hunter today; you would then choose to pick a name around the word "hunter". It is then celebrated by the tribe and considered a type of birthday or a day of renewal in your life....born again into someone new.

On Mt. Tam, across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisico



Climbing the Rincon Mountains with my dear friends

In my twenties, I lived an adventurous life of uncertainty and excitement.  I did so many things that it felt like I lived 10 lifetimes in 12 years. At the time, I specifically loved teaching Spanish. However, I always dabbled in nature and enjoyed climbing, hiking, and anything else I could do outdoors on my off time. 

Working at Point Beach State Park  in Two Rivers
Helping tourists and busting underage drinkers, watching deer walk around the booth while having my morning coffee in the stand ......perfection.

I'm not sure if anyone feels this way about their current jobs, but I have been going through a change of my own this past year.  I used to love teaching a lot, but it's just becoming something that I do.  I switch it up, change projects around, research the latest info for the Spanish classroom, but it's not that exciting/challenging for me anymore. People ask me why I don't go into administration and at that point, I want to laugh.  For them, it's about money and leaving the classroom. I work with Spanish only in the education system because I enjoy both the kids and Spanish. Everything else is rather terrible. The kids have a blast and we laugh a lot, but there's something else inside of me that is telling me to do something new. I have a student teacher who is great and full of energy and I see a lot of myself in her when I first started out.  It's always great to watch these "kids" become young teachers. Adding another adult in the classroom allows me to help that student to teacher ratio a bit which keeps getting larger every year.  I always ask them why they want to be teachers and why specifically Spanish?  Before I take them on, I need to know that they are passionate about the language and that they are interested in helping others learn the language. Anyone who says that it seems to be the right thing to do or it just seems like I should settle down are denied:)  In any case, my job is fine, but I am looking to add another dimension to my work. I think we all get to a point in our jobs when we start questioning, "What more is there?"  I'm at that point now.  Gardening and writing this blog have shown me that I am capable of more, but I don't know what the next step is and I think with a bit more time, the answer will present itself.

A summer spent camping at the beautiful state parks of Wisconsin. Parfrey's Glen, WI

I've become so afraid of change that I don't take those risks like I used to.  And to be honest, a risk at our older ages is much more scary than the ones we make when we are younger.  You build a lot of things by staying in one spot....friends, saving, retirement, home, your own doctors, etc.  But you also can lose that edge....I've been trying to reconnect back to my crazy twenties and be more spontaneous, but it's not easy.  I would love to work outdoors for a living. The part I don't miss about my twenties is the partying, drinking, or the weird dates I went on.  For those of you dating now, I apologize, but there are a lot of whack jobs out there.  Have fun, but be careful and always meet at a cáfe first (or somewhere public). My single friends in their forties and fifties are really questioning being in a relationship again after the peace and quiet of single life. But alas, dating can be fun and they have some great stories to tell on lunch breaks:) 



Wildflowers outside of Yuma, AZ. I don't know why I was dressed so formal or where I was going, but I do remember an amazing display of wildflowers that year:) In the last pic, we were somewhere outside of LA.  It was close to Mt. Strawberry..



So the question before me now is where do I go from here?  Is this what we may call a midlife crisis?  I'm not sure it's a crisis just a new direction of interest and focus.  All I know is that I am so happy to be doing the things that I used to do and it feels good.

In the next several blogs, we're going to travel to several different areas around Texas and talk about more prep work on the Spring projects.  I don't blog all day long, but I do write everyday setting up different posts.  I am working on a report from Biosphere.  We were at the site today and I did my investigation and reporting.....but I forgot my memory card for the camera!!!!!  Thank goodness they sold disposable cameras or I would have been really upset.  Note to self, buy more spare memory cards:)  We'll see how the pics turn out.  I hope you find it interesting.  It was a beautiful day outside.  Until next time, happy gardening!