Inside The Eye Of My Hurricane

 

I'm still here.  I'm still alive.  Just took a break from Las Aventuras for awhile. 

There's a sharper edge.  A sense of direction.  A sense of hope.  It's the final release of dead weight mentally and physically.  

My tolerance is very limited.  In some ways, I feel like a roadrunner.  Like the roadrunner, one moment I'm happy and content to look around the area. The next, I'm a deadly assassin. These are my emotions. After the election, I thought they'd go away.  They only intensified after the insurrection and that's when I snapped. Between covid and stupidity, I was done with them all. 

Hope is on the horizon and it gets better every day.  For now I keep myself physically and mentally busy with planning, projects, surveys and work. 

Over the past several months, I have been out guiding people helping them find their birds.  Sometimes I enjoy the quiet hike.  When covid lifted ever so slightly, everything came back and blew the lid off the cover.  I wasn't prepared for that scene.  Everything that was cancelled last year was back on again. And then some.  

Every month is booked with something crazy.  Fun.  But crazy.  I won't go into details.  Things will eventually calm down towards the end of the year, but for now, I am in the middle of a hurricane waiting for the winds to pick me up and throw me out into the larger world. 

Life is complicated. These last 4 years in the US have taken a toll on my health and on several relationships.  I didn't feel like writing for many months.  I was going through some sort of stupid depression. 

In a trek to Texas back in February, we went to find several birds along the border. We added several new lifers like the Crimson-collared Grosbeak at Resaca De La Palma State Park, the Long-billed Thrasher, Audubon's Oriole and White-tailed Hawk. 

It was fun revisiting other species as well like the above Common Pauraque and below, the Green Jay.

We even had a fun adventure in Brownsville searching for a rare Golden-crowned Warbler(below) inside a zoo.  What a trek!  

It was fun to get out of town with a friend searching for new birds.  We both were vaccinated but it didn't feel safe to fly.  So I drove the USS Betty White.  

We stayed in McAllen and visited places like Estero Llano, the Brownsville Zoo, South Padre Island and Bentsen State Park. 

Our searches happened after the big freeze in Texas.  Normally the tropically humid and lush Estero Llano was cold and barren as seen in the picture below. 

This was a small taste of what is yet to come. The adventures are big and the world life list will hopefully grow again as I travel the world on several big bird missions for this year. I got a lot of emails from you all wondering where I was.  I'm here, just took a break. Thank you for following Las Aventuras and caring!

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......

Las Aventuras: Bookends

One of my favorite moments from this year in the grasslands as Pronghorn come to get a sip

As a person who has blogged for about 8 years, I have seen myself transform into many things.  Over the years so much has happened.  There has been so much change. I began as an amateur gardener and photographer.  I am none of those things anymore. I miss that carefree me, but I love that I am more certain of the work I do now. With certainty comes calculation and focused study. 

a very cold Red Fox in Maine

As I have begun branching out into the world birding arena, I have experienced frustration, joy, excitement, fear and anxiety.  This was the year I'd learn to leave my comfort zone, challenge my fears and face the changes that are happening around this world. 

watching youth get excited about birds in the Caroni Wetlands of Trinidad was a hopeful moment

For me, Trinidad was a wonderful exploration into a world of beauty and the unknown. This was a culture I was unfamiliar with and it was out of my comfort zone. Just when I thought I was free of all the child learned fears I had been taught; I discovered they were still there inside.  And when unleashed, I found myself out-of-control in the middle of a rain forest panicking.  It turns out that I was my own worst enemy.  Everything had been fine really, but I had unwittingly caused my own torture.  Afterwards I was embarrassed by my outburst. Thankfully, a kind man told me to take a deep breath and that it would be ok. While people spoke English on the island, I didn't speak their English and it took time to understand. I've traveled and lived all over the world and this was a first for me. 

the guide means well but this capuchin was not having it.  He was throwing branches at us to let us know to stay away. This wasn't the first encounter I've had with this species.  Once I had a mango thrown at my head on Coiba Island!

But not all things were a fiction of my mind. Over the years, my experience anywhere has told me to be cautious. I experienced a drive-by-shooting and heard daily stories of people having their throats slit at random which included my host's cousin while I was there. To make things worse, I was near a church where the daily funerals happened.  Was this really what it was like for a Trinidadian every day? Like everyone else, I learned to lock myself indoors at night and tread lightly during the day alone with my hidden camera gear. A dog barking at night scared me but a dog on the property made me feel safer. With 3 dead bolts on my door, I knew not to answer my door after sunset. Most of all, I learned what frustrated locals were suffering at home on a daily basis. Crime, like drug trafficking, happened anytime and everywhere. It was exhausting to be vigilant at all moments.  Thankfully, Asa Wright brought me comfort while I was there.  I could bird freely without worries. But outside of the property lines, it was a whole different world.  

My amazing room at the Asa Wright Center.  I loved it!

The Asa Wright Center was magical and safe. Locals and tourists joined together here and had dinners. It is a very special place. I met some incredible people who made my experience on the island amazing. And I am thankful for their friendships. 

The Scarlet Ibis were one of the many Trinidadian Highlights

Even after everything I have written, Trinidad was one of my favorite trips this year.  It was here that I learned how to cook again in the kitchen.  It had always been there, but I had gotten lazy in the US. Being on a budget forced me to cook and it brought me joy. 

Fresh produce markets inspire and I become inspired back home and find my own way of getting fresh produce.

When I rented my apartment outside of the Asa Wright Center, I went shopping daily for fresh vegetables. Now because of Trinidad, I eat fresh food every week and am naturally losing weight because of a healthier diet. 

The amazing Oilbirds of Asa Wright!

After a near month in Trinidad, Micheal and I headed over to Maui for a relaxing vacation. And while Hawaii was also magical, I came face-to-face with humanity's need to destroy and replace. It was incredibly beautiful and sad at the same time.  I felt hopelessness on a couple of these islands as the endemic birds face the uphill battle of global warming and mosquito infection/malaria.  So when I found my endemic lifers, I didn't feel joy. I felt this huge empty sadness and anger.  

the 'Apapane is one good looking Hawaiian endemic!

Leaving my Tucson world of birds was a good thing. Developing global views of the birding world outside my comfort zone gives me a deeper understanding of this planet. Every step I make outside of my comfort zone brings me one step closer to enlightenment. For all the good that this world does, it's also outweighed by more habitat destruction and population growth.  And that weighs heavily on me. That carefree birder I knew only a few years back is gone.  I'm not quite jaded yet but I am not as naive as I once was. 

a security detail goes ahead of me as we count birds like Red Warblers in this private sector of Malinche

On a special trek, I had a security detail come with me to bird an off limits area of the Malinche volcano in Puebla. It was such an honor to be able to bird this area and also add invaluable ebird information to this private forested sector of the volcano.  A special thank you to my host sister for arranging this incredible day of "work". 

I do research in the local gardens around Tlaxcala and find a migrating Nashville Warbler

The drug wars are on the rise again.  The issues in Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad and other areas are real. The US is the major reason for this bloody war south of our border.  Travel in these areas can be tricky.  I really wanted to see an amazing sparrow found outside of Mexico City.  The bird is endangered and found in a very sketchy area. For the first time since becoming a birder, I hired a guide to help me access this area safely.  We were right on the border of a drug route and it required the "safety in numbers" rule. It was an amazing day out but it made me upset.  This isn't the Mexico I grew up to love. Tlaxcala, one of the safest states in the country, has now experienced some crime.  My friend and sister told me that Tlaxcala used to be safe.  I remembered those times fondly.  At a dinner, she warned me to be careful with my equipment.  "Guero, things are not the same.  People are now getting robbed in daylight. Be careful." But while I was there, I was the giant with all smiles because I genuinely feel my happiest there. If there were no borders, I'd own a home in this beautiful little village.  I love the people.  I love the culture.  And I feel at home. I could take people on bird walks here and they'd have fun.  For the most part, it's really a safe state to explore!

Happy and fresh produce with Delfina!  She makes my favorite cream of pea soup!

However, when someone says to me that bird watching is fun, I get a little irritated. Yes it can be fun, but it's called birding and it requires a lot of strategic savvy.  And quite a bit of it is NOT easy. I've spent hours upon hours researching all these places organizing the work.  

We discover the southern most range of Evening Grosbeaks in central Mexico and it blows my mind away!

And if there is one connection to everything else about this blog post, it's that Tucson has witnessed a rise in crime. It's not just happening everywhere else. It's also happening in our backyards! My neighborhood has seen an uptick in homeless people and theft. Why?  Drugs, like meth, are out-of-control. It has forced my hand to upgrade security measures on our place in midtown Tucson.  So I budgeted in $$ for a better car and a new secured patio which then cut into this year's birding budget.  All of it is good. But one has to go with the ebb and flow of things.  There are no short cuts in this life. Safety and security are important things.  From plenty of past experience with our crazy criminal neighbor and theft in the neighborhood, I can tell you that the police are not reliable in this city.  So we have to fend for ourselves most of the time.

Black-legged Kittiwake in Glendale, AZ!!!  Worthy of a state chase!

Stepping aside from the human condition, I'll now show you some of the rewards and highlights from these incredible treks and why I would go lengths to see these birds. I began my year with my lifer Black-legged Kittiwake in Maine with friend Kathie Brown. It was cold outside and simple.  I knew that it would be the most relaxing and stress free bird outing of the year.  I felt a calm before the storm, even though we were birding from within the historical cyclone bomb of Maine! The blizzard was the most peaceful thing I had felt this year because for one glorious moment, I forgot about the orange clown who is ruining my country, the attacks on public school teachers and the undoing of environmental protections. While I traveled throughout this year, I went on a major teacher strike to save our public schools,did some guiding to make up for the loss of my work paychecks, sold some of my photography and had several articles published in magazines. The birding kept me sane!  We did some amazing fund raising for Tucson Audubon.  And at the end, I added a rare Black-legged Kittiwake to my Arizona state list.  It was a fitting way to end my 2018 birding year. 

Here's the thing.  Birding in Arizona is pretty epic.  If you're a birder looking for a great place to live, I highly recommend this state.  I mean LOOK^^^at these crazy birds!  A little Mexico, east coast and California coastal stuff going on here!  Plus a first record of a Ringed Kingfisher!!  I took some of these pics, like the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Short-eared Owl and Slate-throated Redstart, in other areas because they were difficult to get pics of......the Ferrug, I didn't want to disturb because they are skittish. 

In Arizona, I added 18 new bird species to my state list.  In Pima county, I added 11 new birds. And for my life list, I added 120 new life birds. 

This is just some of them!

This post is dedicated to Barb Padgett and Bernie Brouchoud who passed away this year.  Barb was a supporter of Tucson Audubon and the Magee Marsh.  This year, Kathie and I plan to honor her by visiting her bench in Ohio. Barb was always there for me and donated money to my fundraising events.  Plus she was a fellow Trekkie.  I mean a really really good Star Trek fan!  We shared in lots of discussions. My only wish is to find her a Yellow-headed Blackbird for her memorial.  She never saw one and joked that I made them up. I'm sorry Barb that we never met in person but I am thankful for our fun discussions.

And Bernie was a guy I knew growing up.  He was vital in the creation of Woodland Dunes.  I knew I was on nature's side when I heard a council member, who I knew well, speak of building lots of factories in Bernie's established Woodland Dunes.  I didn't agree with the guy then and kept my mouth shut because I supposedly didn't know anything. I was a stupid kid. Secretly, I hoped Bernie would win and protect this land that I used as my playground.  I knew the forests well around that area. We had forts. We knew where the deer hid. Monarchs and snails and birds loved this little woods. Then one day, my playground forest and her little winding creek were wiped out and buried for "progress". I was stunned by the emptiness.  It was GONE! Bernie's land was next to "mine" and in jeopardy but thankfully Bernie won. And those factories?  Yeah, most of them are empty buildings now because the jobs went elsewhere. We wiped out a creek and a woods for nothing.  But for all the fights, Bernie won against the establishment and today Woodland Dunes is one of our finest landmarks. Thank you Bernie and Barb for your contributions to the important preservation of this planet. 

I'll always cherish this moment.  I helped Bernie get his last North American warbler, the Hermit Warbler  I was able to properly say good-bye to him.  It was a very special day for both dad and his son.  And it meant the world to me. It seems like just yesterday that he was here. Time flies by so quickly. Bernie taught me so many things as a kid AND adult about birds.  I won't forget his lessons. 

What can I say about 2018? The more I experience with the birds; the more I know.  Birds bring people together.  Birds make us see things that are happening around us.  Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Sometimes I feel like I'm becoming a bird.  I want to be outdoors all the time and not caged up inside a room. In November, I had a hard time piecing together a general outline for birding next year. Today, I am happy to say that I have several projects lined up for 2019 that will take me into the summer.  I had to juggle a tighter budget for this next year which made things a challenge. However, it's going to be an exciting ride!

I'm wishing you all a wonderful new year! I think January will mark a new milestone for this blog as we hit a million views.  Thank you for following and being a part of the weekly adventures! 

A Taco Salad and a Ringed Kingfisher

I watched a herd of Pronghorn with Indigo at the Empire Ranch in the Cienegas Grasslands

Over the past 2 weekends, I've had the pleasure of birding with some great people searching for some excellent state birds.  And mammals. 

Scott scopes Lake Pleasant

Scott was free to bird one weekend and so we took off to find the rare Iceland Gull at Lake Pleasant near Phoenix.  It was a juvenile gull first discovered by the talented Melanie Herring.  

We find Usha and Janine already on the gull

Birders from all over the state went to go find this bird.  Last year, the Thayer's Gull was lumped back into the Iceland Gull species.  This was the trickier Thayer's subspecies.  It looks similar to a juvenile Herring Gull but has softer, more muted tones.  Even in the adult form, this subspecies can be tricky to ID. 

We get to the shore and start planning the rest of our afternoon after the gull find

This was a great opportunity for the two of us to study this bird up close.   

This subspecies of Thayer's now goes officially by the name, Iceland Gull

And like any gull, the Iceland's was no different.  Where there was food; there was the opportunity to eat. I captured this adorable scene along the lakeshore.  What an absolute thrill to see this bird in the state!  Gulls are amazing.  In North America, we are very lucky to have so many interesting gull species. 

This little girls lectures the gull on sharing something of which gull nor geese are known to do. 

While this wasn't a life bird, as they are found in Wisconsin during the winter, it was an Arizona first for both of us. It has been some time since one has been seen here. So I celebrated with a taco salad at lunch:)

I wish all birds were as cooperative as this gull.  This past weekend, Magill asked me if I would go down with her to find the first state record of a Ringed Kingfisher.  Honestly I groaned a bit.  I had gone several weeks earlier and had a VERY brief sighting and I'll be honest, it sucked.  So I gave hope a chance. When we bird together, we always get our bird. It just took patience and some skill. 

Along the way, we stopped and looked at water birds. The trek to Safford is a long one from Tucson.  In my head, I worked out a plan.  I helped Magill find all the places I had previously investigated on my first attempt.  We were meticulous.  The person reporting the bird threw the rare kingfisher on a general marker without telling anyone where the bird was. And that's ok. This wasn't our first rodeo. We spent the morning canvassing map points around the various ponds careful not to trespass onto anyone's property. 

A Long-billed Dowitcher struts around this other onlooking bird.  The bird appears to be saying, "What's up?"

The park ranger played coy with us because she was concerned about the safety of the bird.  And the birders.  Apparently, Safford is run by savage gun owners.  We did not see any bad behavior by the locals at all. They were very friendly with us. But maybe that was just with us and our Wisconsin charm. We had fun playing detective. I mean, we were also the same team who investigated the Tundra Swan mystery with several golfer ladies in their carts.   

a drake Green-winged Teal

I remembered the lovely weekend birding for the Iceland Gull with Scott.  Nice habitat, easy bird and great company. Why couldn't this bird hang out in nicer conditions for us?! I wouldn't say that the habitat is exciting nor is it my favorite place to bird in the state. But I was thankful for the great company as we did quite a bit of laughing. We stopped in this restaurant that smelled like a church. So I ordered cheese curds to cover the smell. Then the moment of truth happened after eating our taco salads.  Before lunch, I was getting to that grouchy birder phase, not quite giving up but not wanting to bird until I had some food in my stomach.  We both decided to hit the pause button and grab a bite to eat. The taco salads hit the spot.  A quick scene replay. 
Magill, "Does this taco salad have romaine lettuce?" (Romaine lettuce is getting recalled right now in the US and has been taken out of many of the restaurants)
The Waitress, "Huh? It's just lettuce!"
So we took our chances:)

scenic Lake Pleasant on a cold morning

During our meal, we played the roles of psychologist, scientist and of course, birder.  Then we went after our bird narrowing the list of possibilities down to 2 hotspots.  

Wilson's Snipe chill in the mud clumps

And VOILA!  We found this tricky devil perched quietly in the shadows. We legally observed the bird from the public road.  When it came time to ebird this information, we had a serious conversation about publicly sharing the hotspot. We hid the spot for a couple hours to have our talk.  Eventually we came to the conclusion that we'd share the spot for other birders who have been wanting to see this bird as birders have shared with us their special birds. 

a distant photo of the Ringed Kingfisher

Because it's a first state record, a lot of birders have been wanting to see this kingfisher. The problem is that humans are nuts. I don't know what is true or not, but I trust several of my friends who saw birders illegally trespass! We knew the rules before looking for this bird. Anyhow, there was drama the next day.  So part of me wishes that we had hid the checklist.  I do it with owls and other endangered birds.  Some birders didn't know the whole situation but had their 2 cents to add.  We saw the bird, never trespassed and waved and said hello to the neighbors sporting this pretty pond.  No issues. We did our documentation and left the bird to hunt alone. 

Celebrating the day is just something people should do more often.  I discover my lifer Scarlet Macaws in 1996. 

Years ago, when life was simpler and my camera was film, we'd share our experiences over a meal while on the road.  The pic was taken 22 years ago, in southern Costa Rica after a day of chasing Scarlet Macaws. There's nothing quite like a meal to celebrate a moment. It has been an amazing past two weekends here in Arizona.  I think I had the best car ride home with Scott listening to Spanish music while the sun was setting over the ag fields.  Or was it catching up with Magill and her Maine adventures?  Maybe it was watching Indigo get excited about his first Black-tailed Prairie Dogs in the field? This is what nature is all about; bringing people together.  And we need to protect it.  Until next time.....