Return of the Wrenegades

It's that time of year again when the Wrenegades unite and try to find as many bird species as we can in one day!  All the money raised goes towards Tucson Audubon.

Northern Cardinal in my yard

While it's exhausting, we have such a great time together.  Months of preparation are set into motion.  

The Hooded Oriole has just returned back to Tucson! 

On May 1st, the team reunites.  And it's going to be epic!  This year I plan to use the live feature on Facebook to chronicle our journeys.  Should be quite fun:)

We begin with smiles at midnight and end with "zzzzz's" the next day

Captain Jennie MacFarland leads the team.  Tim Helentjaris carefully schedules the routes.  I am the team recorder.  Sara Pike and Matt Griffiths are the publicity gurus and first officers of our mission.  They keep us on track and on time!

Black Phoebe at a local patch

We begin in darkness and typically end in darkness:)  It's an intense journey into the mountains, grasslands and desert landscape around Southern Arizona as we race against time to find as many birds as we can.

Lesser Goldfinch feeds from local wildflowers near my home

There are several routes I enjoy very much which include, of course, the grasslands.  You never know what you will face.  Take for example last year.  We had a rabid skunk chase us off a trail while searching for some secretive birds.

Rabid Skunk territory! Be careful Tim!

At about 2 AM, we had a Flammulated Owl fly over our heads as one of the members had to use the bathroom.  As the person gets to the outhouse in the middle of the woods, our team member shouts out, I hear an OWL!  This little owl was right over their head:)  We all had a good laugh.

A Common Black Hawk returns to a nest I monitor every year.

There is nothing like falling asleep in a van waiting to hear the "gobble gobble" of Wild Turkeys as the sun rises.

Blue-winged Teal dot the waterfowl counts

As many of you know, I do a lot of travel around the country and world to find our birds.  I am proud to live in one of the "birdiest" places on this planet.  Much of our habitat is protected or will be protected thanks in part to Tucson Audubon's work with the public and researchers.  And it takes money to keep this operation going.  Arizona has great birding but it's better thanks to these folks!

I would never bird urban Tucson at night but when we join together, nothing stops the Wrenegade!

A Birdathon Big Day is an important way to share the excitement of being outdoors and watching birds while raising funds to support the programs that make this region a better place for us all to live(or visit!) and enjoy.

The crew finds their second wind

Since 1987, Birdathon has garnered support for birds and bird-friendly habitats, and for Tucson Audubon's work to conserve these unique natural resources and to educate our community on their importance. 

Anna's Hummingbird hangs out at a local park feeding from the wildflowers

If you would like to donate, just click on the link here and scroll a little ways down. We are the Wrenegades with Jennie Wren. It's safe and secure.  A login is not required after you go to the donate button.  Every little bit counts. Our journey begins on May 1st.

Yellow-eyed Junco

 Until next time friends.....

A World Away

Saguaro Lake

Sometimes life gets crazy.  It definitely can be challenging.  In this fast paced life, I find that nature can be very healing.

Double-crested Cormorant at Christopher Columbus Park in Tucson

Sometimes it's not so much the birds but the escape that they provide.  It isn't fiction. I do travel quite a bit.  It's what I do best. I used to hike the same trail at the same time every day....and it got boring.  Once I started birding, I realized that I could make my walks more interesting by following the birds.

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson

This past week had been a lot of fun as I trekked from our snow topped mountains to sod farms outside of Phoenix with friend Gordon Karre.  Our weather here has been wonderful.  Therefore, it's difficult to resist the urge to explore.

Pied-billed Grebe catching a snack at Agua Caliente Park

My first trek took me to Summerhaven up on Mt. Lemmon.  There was quite a bit of snow and ice up there as I hiked around my usual areas searching for the birds. 

Olive Warbler

 And surprise surprise! I lucked out by finding ONE Olive Warbler.

Agua Caliente Park

As I came down from the mountain, I decided to stop at the nearby Agua Caliente park.  And I'm glad I did!  I found their first of the year sightings of the highly sought after Northern Beardless Tyrannulets!  Pretty exciting stuff.

Yellow-eyed Junco on Summerhaven, Mt. Lemmon

Then it was off with Gordon to the Rousseau Sod Farms and Saguaro Lake in Maricopa County.  

Bald Eagle near the Salt River outside of Phoenix

A lot of the birds seen around these areas aren't as common in Tucson or around Pima county.  So many of them were first of the year birds for me. Or as birders write.....FOY.

Common Goldeneye on the Salt River

The canals around Phoenix and surrounding cities are full of really amazing ducks, geese, herons, hawks, etc. As we were looking across the agricultural fields, we'd have several birds fly up and pass over our heads.

Common Merganser near the Russo Sod Farm outside of Phoenix

Flycatchers are fun.  This bird below gets confused with the Dusky Flycatcher BUT if the birder pays attention, it can be a simple ID.  This Gray Flycatcher pumped its' tail downwards making the ID a snap.

Gray Flycatcher at Saguaro Lake

This is the first decent photo documentation that I've taken of this bird.  My first time I saw one, I used my Iphone to snap a pic. After that, I had seen them in many other locations, but the branches always got in the way of the bird! 

We counted many American Pipits at the Sod Farm.  Most of the them were feeding around the greens.

American Pipit at the Russo Sod Farm

Along the canals, we had beautiful views of an Osprey kiting.

Osprey near the canals of the Sod Farm

Beauty is everywhere and only a walk away.  And it's a great way to clear the mind after a crazy day at work!

Where will we go next week?  Stay tuned for more!

It's A Dry Heat

Yellow-eyed Junco collects nesting materials

June has arrived here in the Sonoran Desert. And it is hot hot hot!  Birders get up at 4:30 AM to start their day! They can bird "comfortably" for a few hours before being forced to return home. The retired birder gets up early and birds.  Then they take an afternoon nap:)  For me, I am trapped inside my house during the day because of all the projects/conferences/appointments going on.  However, I still try to bird up on the mountain for some cooler temps and even cooler birds when I get the chance.  

Just a couple weeks ago, we lost yet another hiker on a popular trail in Phoenix.  The cause?  Not enough water to stay hydrated.   He passed out and never woke up.  These sad stories are always difficult to hear. For us desert rats, they are important reminders to carry lots of water.  Of course, no one should be hiking in the deadly afternoon sun for so many reasons. So what's a birder/hiker to do? Go early. Let someone know where you're going. Or go with others. Bring lots of water or a camel pack.  Wear a hat and sunscreen. 

Painted Redstart

So I went hiking up on the cooler Mt. Lemmon because I despise the heat. I followed several trails near the UA space observatories. At one point, I sat down observing the birds calling around me. 

House Wren

In one location, I sat near a puddle of water in the woods.  Here warblers and thrushes came down for a drink.

Red-faced Warbler

As of late, I haven't been able to really do any serious birding because of various projects.  El Presidio needed a parking lot makeover.  And so I supervised the project and funding.  After it was done, it looked so beautiful that I didn't want to park on it at all:)

El Presidio gets a little TLC

 As a reward for surviving the late morning temps with the parking lot crew, I quickly took a break and drove to a local park to find a rare Canada Goose. These birds are common everywhere but Tucson:) 

So I quickly walked and sweat my way in 111 degree temps to find this one bird.  It took 15 minutes and then it was back in my car. 

Canada Goose at Columbus Park

When I become antsy, I sit down, edit photos and watch my feeders from the windows.  

American Robin

I've been playing around with a different photo program on an Apple computer to enhance the details of the pics better. 

Hermit Thrush has quite the appetite

But even that gets to be a little too stationary for me. 

On the quiet trail, I looked down upon the Tucson valley.  I could almost feel the heat from where I stood.  There was no escaping it.   One day later, we headed into the hotter city of Phoenix for Comicon. 

I love art!  This is an Effie impersonation utilizing a sweet butterfly design from the Hunger Games movie!  

 I had a difficult time staying inside buildings surrounded by thousands of people.  It was a little too much.  To ease my mind, I looked for things that were nature inspired. 

And I found lots of interesting things that included wildlife into their designs.  We had a great time, but I still needed to bird a little.  There have been sporadic reports over the years about two Mute Swans hanging out at a cemetery.  We escaped the massive crowds and braved the 114 degree temps.  People like to say that in our desert, we have a dry heat. Yeaaaaah:)  It's still hot and we still sweat....creating humidity:)  So we found the swans without any issues, but the bugs were terrible around the grassy areas. That outing lasted 20 minutes. 

Mute Swan

So what do most desert people do during our driest and hottest month in Arizona?  We take trips to cooler places like San Diego, Flagstaff, Pinetop, attend any convention or event that has lots of air conditioning etc etc. 

My brother Matt(in a Batman outfit he made from scratch!) with Deathstroke and Bane

Star Wars action!

Richard Dean Anderson from Macgyver and Stargate SG-1

A very special epic and COOL trip is about to happen this upcoming weekend. More to come from Las Aventuras next week. For now, stay in the shade and drink plenty of fluids.  And thanks for stopping by!

Check out other birds from around the world at Wild Bird Wednesday!

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Elf Owl

Last week I scouted high and low to help a friend search for some of his lifebirds.  Sometimes I have feelings about when something epic will happen.  And during this past weekend, we tested the word "epic" out. Gordon Karre came down from Phoenix and together we made a powerful team as we found some of the most special birds around Southern Arizona. 

Yellow-eyed Junco

Gordon took both Kathie and myself on a birding trek around Sunflower and Mt. Ord several weeks ago.  It was an intense day.  He gave us wonderful observation time on Common Black Hawks, Zone-tail Hawks and a Canyon Wren.  Plus I was able to get two more warblers on my Arizona and lifelist!!!  The pressure was on.  Could I do the same for him when he came down to visit?

Gray Squirrel

The answer was yes.  But he also found me several lifebirds in the process!  Together we achieved a fantastic amount of work in one and half days.  We both thought alike and we both have the birding bug.  Over the week, I researched reports and went to sites alone and with Kathie.  I miss my birding buddy. And I'm going to miss her more as she abandons me for the East Coast!!! What nerve that lady has!!!!:) However, I'm heading to Central America over the same time period so it's all good. So I was thankful that we both could do some light birding over the week together before we left off to different places.

Gordon loves lizards and they are pretty amazing creatures.  But I never really think of taking pics of them unless they call my attention.  Our trek to Madera Canyon and Willcox Lake would give him 8 new lifebirds!  And for myself, 4!  One of them was the most epic.  If I'm on the hunt for a particular bird, I will memorize their songs and calls.   They don't even have to make a lot of noise for me to track them down. 

Ornate Tree Lizard

Sparrows are interesting.  Gordon would teach me the call of the Botteri's Sparrow.  Some Sparrows are rather dull and difficult to ID.....just like the flycatchers.  BUT, if you know the calls they make, the ID becomes SUPER easy!  And thankfully, the Botteri's call is a very easy one to ID. I won't forget the ball dropping sound around the fences and grasslands.

Botteri's Sparrow

In the shadows, I saw a strange bird.  I wasn't familiar with this particular bunting, but I knew it was different. And like I do with any new and exciting bird, I began to swear.  I don't even realize I'm doing it until afterwards.  People, including my other half, make fun of me for doing it.  Whatever.  We saw a Varied Bunting!!!  Epic!

Varied Bunting

Blue lit up along the bark of a tree.  Another new lizard I have never seen before!  But something even more magical happened.  We walked a trail at the uppermost parking lot in Madera Canyon.  And epic was about to happen.....

Clark's Spiny Lizard

The unmistakable barking sounds of the Elegant Trogon in a group of trees could be heard nearby!!!  Finally, after many attempts, both Gordon and myself could add this bird to our lifelists.  It was the most satisfying moment of the weekend. The bird flew into Gordon's line of sight and together we watched the bird alone without hundreds of spectators.  After 10 or 15 minutes of observation, the bird quickly disappeared and wasn't seen again on the rest of the trail.  I watched it disappear!!!  I don't know how they do that!!!  A weight was lifted off my shoulders.  We found the Trogon!  After several minutes, many people were on the trail asking about the Trogon and this time, we could say we saw it and watched as the hopeful birder's shoulders slumped.  I felt their pain as it had happened to me so many times before.  Never again. 

Elegant Trogon

My life is now complete:)  I can now relax knowing that the Elf Owl and Elegant Trogon have photo documentation.  It also marks my 2nd graduation in the birding world.  Last year it was hummingbirds.  This year with the Elegant Trogon find, I believe I have reached a new level in birding.  It's now time to study the minute differences between Sandpipers, Sparrows, etc.  There are so many yet to find.  I had a great time birding with Gordon and look forward to many more adventures with him. And as the title to this post suggests, I am finally able to sleep better at night. 

I'm linking to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday.