A Mental Pause

Mountain Bluebird

After the constant chases for really rare birds, it was time to take a break from all this Covid madness.  We headed up to the White Mountains to celebrate the end of our school year party.  Usually we go to Mexico, but this year, we altered the plan and chose cooler temps. Plus the border is closed:(

I went with my peeps where we drank beer, hiked and of course, watched birds, Elk, Pronghorn and so many other critters! They have eased restrictions in many places around the state and we were able to have our first beer together in public.  I didn't realize how wonderful that would feel. And there was live music! It was a well earned break.

Vesper Sparrow

It was also a working vacation so we brought our laptops and had zoom meetings.  This was the final week of school! We were at our whit's end with some of our students. And unfortunately with some parents who didn't monitor their kids better.  I hope, but I doubt it, that they can appreciate our classroom management skills now.  Things are still not normal.  Summer school was cancelled after much discussion.  Many parents refused to do online summer school (I get it) but it couldn't  be done.  Now there will be no summer school making the consequences for students who failed courses much more meaningful. 

Band-tailed Pigeon

It certainly has been a challenging time for all of us. Parents are NOT teachers.  And we are NOT parents.  A lot of students did a great job online, but for the ones who didn't do any work, it made things very stressful.  Sometimes I'd have to break quarantine and go to school and call parents.  I'm certainly not calling them on my personal phone!  From my work phone, they got an earful...in a kind and wonderful way.  But it was direct and to the point.  

We gave our seniors a proper send off.  It wasn't the same though and for many, it hit them that night as they wouldn't be able to throw tortillas into the air and say good-bye to one another. I felt their sadness on this day. I volunteered because believe it or not, I missed them. (Don't share that information with any of them though:) I felt a little bit of moisture around my eyes and rubbed it away. It must have been allergies. However, our school did a great job giving those kids....those young adults....a proper closure. The admin did a huge amount of work organizing this major operation in a safe manner for all.  My hats off to them!

Bullock's Oriole

As we were signing off, I also had the hard realization that my Panama trip would be cancelled.  The Corona virus has taken off in Central and South American countries.  The borders into Mexico are closed. Panama has banned all commercial flights into the country.  I haven't seen my friend Gordon, who was supposed to go on this trip, in over 2 MONTHS!  In fact, I miss many of my birder friends. Watching the Seniors at graduation process their final days also forced me to realistically evaluate what would happen for the summer. It put me in a funk. 

Desert Grassland Whiptail

The silver lining? Our Tucson Audubon fundraising event was more than a success!  We raised over 53 thousand dollars for this year's birdathon fundraising drive! We were super thrilled!  There were more participants this year AND we raised more money for a great cause!

There are days when I feel like I'm moving from one endless morning into another.  Summer has officially started for teachers here with those lovely hot 100 + temps. All of us are in this uncertainty cloud. Summer is about renewal for us.  Now, there is nothing to look forward to.  There is just a lot of unknowns. It was good to hear that I'm not the only one dealing with this stuff. I still hold onto my Panama ticket with the dreams that I will be able to go even though our group will not. It's not going to happen.  The Harpy Eagle will have to wait. 

Yellow-breasted Chat

Oh I still look at our AZ birds with a great fondness.  But I'm a gypsy at heart.  My hunger to learn more is ever present.  I have put together the last of my western birds that I need for my Plan B Tufted Puffin project. Plus, it's an escape from the heat. It would be a beautiful trek into California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho states.  There are 17 life birds left in this region.  Assuming I find all these birds, there will be little need to visit the Northwest again. Over the years, I have enjoyed dipping on the Gunnison Sage-Grouse in Colorado because it just means I get to keep going back there and trying. There is the Black Swift under a waterfall in Ouray, Colorado that I need to visit.  So on and on it goes, but I see the end coming for these states.  And it's hard to imagine never going back to them again.  

Turkey Vulture

10,000 life birds is a dream.  They keep me focused like a laser pointer. In Arizona, what was once a challenge for me, is now known and memorized.  I still pick up a few things here and there about our local birds.  They are still interesting, but it's not new.  I have this drive to push the envelope. And my focus has wandered. Reptiles have captured my interest. This year alone, I have actively sought, or not, snakes!  What is happening? The things that scare me are now the things I really want to learn about! Of course, having a friend like Celeste who loves herps has made me more curious about them. 

Yellow-headed Blackbird

One night, while I walked out into my garden and filled my bird feeders, I saw the moon flowers of my night blooming cacti. The air carried the heavy fragrance of the honeysuckle vine.  It was my little moment of perfection here in Tucson. In my garden, I have created a home for wildlife. I find that I've been turning more into a local naturalist. My cats certainly approve!  They do a great job chasing the White-winged Doves off of the window feeders!

I'm glad to be able to bird with my friends who are here.  My mind is also with my friends afar.  And my thoughts wander towards those who have life circumstances that have redefined their explorations for now. Birding used to be so easy.  Our lives are like an hour glass; we only have so much time before that sand runs out. It's been a meaningful time for many of us learning that we are all social creatures. For some, this is a dream!  I used to take some of my travel for granted, in that I could always do it if I wanted. Now that everything has been turned upside down, I crave that time with other people wanting to do those treks to new worlds and cultures. 

My brother back in Wisconsin has been enjoying the massive migration of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  And of my family, I think he is the one who understands my love for birds the most.  Granted, a lot of my family loves the birds, but he has a bird book!  And he was able to pick out an Orchard Oriole.  Maybe one day when we are older and retired, my brother and I will go on a birding trek somewhere and do some hiking. This is certainly a time of great pause in our lives.   

The canopy of a Central American rain forest will have to wait. 

Next week, we explore the border along Southeastern Arizona. It's a rare trek for two days into some really wild country!  Until next time.....

Southeast Arizona Birding Festival 2019

Pronghorn

This year I once again had the pleasure of guiding for Tucson Audubon during their Southeast Arizona Birding Festival.  The grassland trek out to the Empire Ranch was a success.  

Every year, I do my usual run through the grasslands and teach people about sparrows.  Sparrows are the birds I know best and it's a great time of year for birders to see many different species in the grasslands. 

We spot a very accommodating raccoon at Sweetwater Wetlands during my Wednesday morning walks

The weeks leading up to the festival were spent with Ms. Hollie, my partner in crime.  She is amazing and helps out with all the driving and prep work that goes into our outings. We offer our usual grassland outing on Saturday and then on Sunday, we do something different.  Last year, we trekked Huachuca Canyon.  This year, we took people to one of my favorite birding hotspots, the San Pedro House in Sierra Vista.  I also did some guiding on Wednesday mornings with Tucson Audubon to get myself mentally prepared for the larger group walks. 

White-nosed Coati get into hummingbird feeders like Winnie the Pooh gets into honey:)

I've gotten better about not getting stressed out with larger groups of people on these walks.  I've learned to let everyone enjoy nature and if they have questions about what they are observing, I'm there to help point out what it is that they are viewing. 

Black Vulture perched during the brutal humid and hot temps of the early Arizona afternoon

The Cienegas Grasslands were a thrill this year.  We had wicked monsoon weather developing all around us.  Lightning was on the outskirts of our adventure flashing and booming in the distance. I was a tad worried about "whether" or not we'd be rained out on our morning outing.  Thankfully, everything worked out fine.  Just as we left, the rain came down in buckets.

This was a fun crew full of younger birders.  It was really fun to have that energy mixed into our birding.

Sparrows were incredible.  This year, birders had great views of  Grasshopper, Cassin's, Botteri's, Lark, Rufous-winged and Black-throated Sparrows. I'm sure I'm missing a few others but it didn't just stop there!

Grasshopper Sparrow

We were able to find other incredible birds like a nesting Yellow-billed Cuckoo!

While I've seen these birds many many times, I always have to remember that there are many others who have not and it's my job to try and get them onto the birds. This brings me happiness and gives me a challenge. 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo carrying food

Our Sunday crew was a unique blend of birders.  We had new birders and photographers.  We also had several people who stayed back to watch feeders.  It was quite the diverse group of people and was actually a lot more challenging keeping everyone together. But I think they had a fun time. 

Our crew at the San Pedro House

As I type this post, I am scratching and itching from all the chigger bites.  This time of year is terrible for these bugs.  It's a catch 22 really.  If I wear long pants, I am miserable from the heat.  If I wear shorts, I get bit up by lots of bugs. It's a no win scenario.  Normally I would never go to these places in the summer.  But there are good birds hiding in these spaces for people who have never these feathered gems. 

Yellow-breasted Chat

I have been in love with Arizona's grasslands for many years.  It's where I find my greatest peace. It's also the group of birds I know best.  Our festival was a success and Tucson Audubon raised a lot of money to help protect Southeastern Arizona's bird habitat for future generations.  

And I'm sorry, but not sorry, for all the Pronghorn shots today.  This mammal has got to be one of my favorites.  There are several herds that are often seen along the road while we are counting birds.  Next week we meet a new friend by the name of Cheroot.  Until next time friends......

Abscondito

One of my "unofficial" duties every year is to survey the bird life at Rancho El Aribabi during the month of July.  It is usually hot, miserable and the best time to find amazing birds!

a male Varied Bunting comes into the pasture for a drink

This year was NO exception.  Located 45 minutes south of the international border in the state of Sonora, Rancho El Aribabi holds many of the Sonoran species that we have in Southern Arizona.  This is also the land of the Jaguar and Ocelot.  While I did my bird surveys, Jim did his tracker work on the cats.  In the process, we found each other data for the ranch.  A recent report was released to the public about the recent death of the Huachuca Jaguar of Southern Arizona near our survey site. Last year, another Jaguar of the Santa Rita mountains IN Arizona, was killed for its fur without much public outcry.  How this recent Mexican kill had more traction than the one is the US is beyond me?!  The Santa Rita Jaguar was recorded by National Geographic and tracked by a UA research group, which included a dog team member. What I write here is just speculation. A poacher must have used the landmarks from the video in the Santa Rita mountains to track the animal while utilizing illegal wildlife cameras with a GPS tracking signal to find this extremely secretive cat. Once a wildlife camera is tripped, a signal is sent to the owner via wireless means. From that point, s/he can check from their computer and see where the animal had recently passed. 

a cicada sheds his form to grow wings and fly

It is beyond my comprehension why such savagery happens.  When a person, who studies cats like the Jaguars, finds one of these rare gems in the wild, it's hard to hold back this exciting information.  For every 10 great people out there, there are always 1 or 2 terrible people who will break the law.  And this is the danger of revealing this information to the public. Not everyone is a good egg.

Finding a Jaguar is a privilege and many times, quite a bit of work on the researcher's part. In my opinion, this information should be kept secret from the public.  I've only seen 2 in my lifetime but I hid their exact locations when recording the data.  The data should ALWAYS be recorded.  I do the same with rare birds.  And I am super protective of any endangered species.  In the beginning, I assumed most people were honorable.  Then I discovered otherwise.  That's when I changed as an observer. 

On my trip to the Amazon years ago, I discovered that I wanted more from my camera.  These poor photos of the Jaguar helped motivate me buy a better camera.  My 6th sense had gone off on this day.  I remember that I was on a canoe.  The small crew was quiet and I noticed two vultures curiously looking at something. As we silently floated around the bend, we found this male Jaguar along the banks for a brief moment.  Our guide was shocked. This time I was ready with my camera for the Jaguar.  Today, on the ranch, several people and organizations track these endangered mammals. Finding a Jaguar is a gift and a curse at the same time. The wildlife official knows s/he will have to release the information at some point. And when that happens, everyone wants to take credit for the person's find. Meanwhile poachers, secretly take this public information and plot a course. 

If you've seen the original Jurassic Park, you'll remember the large guy getting chased by a small dinosaur.  That was me.  This bird kept making a coo-coo call in random spots around my survey point.  It was creepy but made me laugh.  I took the coo coo call as the bird telling me there was a nest nearby.  So I carefully walked out of the area keeping my eye out for the Greater Roadrunner's nest

These are just my words, but you can read the article link above and form your own opinion. These good people are just trying to protect the corridor of these magnificent beasts from human development (and also because they are in love with the chase and possible first time discovery of these rare cats).  I'm a birder first.  I get it.  We seek the impossible.  And if we find something rare, the personal rewards from all the risk taking made the difficult trek absolutely worth it. It's like winning the lottery. You want to share your excitement, but you know that if you do, there will be consequences. 

a sexy male Rufous Hummingbird

One of the notable things we saw on this trek were high numbers of Violet-crowned Hummingbirds.  MANY people from all over the world come to Southern Arizona with hopes of spotting this beauty.  Here at the ranch, they were THE most common hummingbird at the feeders.  The Rufous male hummingbirds were also present indicating that migration has begun.  

dolphins with wings, the Violet-crowned Hummingbirds

For me, seeing a Rufous Hummingbird in July is like watching the first fall migration of Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin.  It reminds me that seasons do change and life continues in its cycle.  The monsoon storms grew over the mountains while we were there. The firefly show blinked all around us. And even on me! Yet another sign that the "seasons" have changed in our beautiful Sonoran desert. 

Broad-billed Hummingbirds sparkled in the brief moments of morning sunlight. 

the brilliant gem known as the Broad-billed Hummingbird

As a rule, we did most of our surveys in the morning when critters were SUPER active. And it was cooler.  In the afternoon, I hung out with Kathy and Mary Ann on the patio away from the intense sun and muggy conditions.  It was a special weekend as we were experimenting with a catered event provided by Carlos' sons.  They did an amazing job. And made our work easier.  Kathy, who normally did all of our food prep in the past, got so bored that she went for a hike!  

a mummified Pallid Bat

The usual birds were present.  We also discovered a grim scene inside one of the rooms.  Mummified Pallid Bats were found all around the fireplace.  I plugged my nose as Jim picked up these poor mammals.  Apparently, there was no escaping back up the chimney where they came.  

the western subspecies of the Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chats were chatty.  Thick-billed Kingbirds were cheer-eeping. Sinaloan Wrens were rattling POPS! And the mournful cries of the Gray Hawk could be heard up and down the canyon. 

Thick-billed Kingbirds

I was dying from heat exhaustion. At one point, I almost passed out because I went outside of the safe zone and ran out of water. So I hustled it back to headquarters before anything bad happened. One evening in my tent, it was unbearable. I couldn't sleep at all!  I have enjoyed sleep in my a/c  run home whenever I can. For the first summer in a long while, I have traveled most of it outside of Arizona. Some of the nights were challenging in the various places. After several weeks back from this adventure, I have fond memories of our trip.  If you had asked me during this particular weekend how I felt, I might have said something else:) 

Carne Asada never tasted better

For it was on this survey that some incredible things happened.  For one, we discovered several more species for the ranch.  During a morning coffee, watching the hummingbirds, I noticed a green bunting under the feeder.  A female Painted Bunting!!!  Later Jim and I were trying to relocate a Northern Jacana that I had seen earlier in the wetlands.  I thought this bird would be rare but it turned out the Willow Flycatcher was even rarer! FITZ-BEW!  Jim was shocked.  I thought it was unusual but nothing like the Northern Jacana.  And it didn't end.  Later we found Flame-colored Tanagers along the riparian corridor!  Talk about amazing!  July is the best time to visit Aribabi and it's the reason I go every year to do my counts at the ranch.  

I call a Gray Hawk over to my location by making a mournful whistle

Every year, Jim finds some nasty bug hiding in the couch or somewhere nearby that I'd rather never know about. This trek was no different.  On this little adventure, a Windscorpion, apparently not poisonous, was under the cushion of a couch.  Gross! How is that thing not deadly?  Look at those pinchers for a mouth!

nasty alien bug from a group known as Windscorpions, not poisonous

On Saturday night, we celebrated our last finds together with a nice bottle of wine and an excellent Mexican dinner.   

For every in depth research project, there should be a fun birding expedition after wards.  Everything in my life continues to change.  Every experience away from what I know, changes me.  Nothing is black or white anymore. Over the next several weeks, we'll explore the island of Maui. 28 new bird species were added to the list towards the 1,000 bird marker I've set for this year, but what I saw, or didn't see, changed me in ways that I hope I will be able to write down properly.

Leila Empress

As I did my research for Hawaii, I made notes without any feeling. Reading about something is completely different than experiencing it. Needless to say, the experiences with birds between Trinidad and Maui were night and day and it changed me.

For the El Aribabi Report, click here. Next week we explore the beautiful world of Hawaii.  For now, I'll leave with a Sunday Morning moment I had during my survey along the Cocospera Riparian corridor. I wanted to sleep in this spot.  It was so relaxing. 

Wrenegade Madness

Summer Tanager

It started around 5 PM on a Saturday night. The Tucson Audubon's Birdathon began.  Our members Matt, Jennie, Sara, Tim and Corey all gathered for the most exhausting trek ever.  We began our journey into Wilcox at Lake Cochise. 

The winds of change came upon us as a storm blew through Southern Arizona.  But we were prepared. 

Hermit Thrush

At the top of Mt. Lemmon, we nearly froze to death as dense fog brought the kind of cold rarely experienced by desert birders.  A wet chill tried to dampen our spirits, but we weren't having any of it. 

And down the mountains we went into the grasslands of Sonoita. 

White-winged Doves, Inca Dove and Lark Sparrow

There it was warm.  So we hid in the shadows with this Rufous-crowned Sparrow counting birds outside of Patagonia. 

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

We looked up. And down.  And all around. And would you believe it if I told you we found lots of birds?:)  Thanks to fundraising events like these, we'll hopefully continue to protect our birds for generations to come. 

During a reprieve, we settled down at some feeders and watched....more birds. 

Yellow-breasted Chat

Before we knew it, Sunday had come and gone.  Our once a year birding event would come to an end. And every year, we ask ourselves, "Why do we do this crazy thing?"

But we remember quickly that it's all about protecting our planet's birds and the habitats they use.  We raised money.  We had a lot of fun.  And we found 174 birds in one day!  THAT is a good day indeed!

The Wrenegades

As the marathon came to a close, we said our good-bye's quickly so that we could get into our comfy beds and sleep forever.  The Wrenegades will return another day. 

Barn Owl

Until next time.......