Outnumbered

Waterfowl above the thousands of Sandhill Cranes

I wasn't necessarily looking for new birds on this day.  I just needed to see the awesome power of birds together.  And I had hoped that the cranes had come back as did many other birders.  I drove down the isolated highway and heard them.  I smiled a big smile and cried out, "YES!"  They're back!

This is quite the drive from Tucson and the place is near Tombstone Arizona.  I had arrived to find thousands of them flying over the cornfields of several farmers.

They'll be with us for the next several months until it warms up again in the North.  I was surprised to find that the water wasn't as full as I had hoped, but the Usual Suspects were all there.  The Northern Harrier, Phoebes, Sparrows, etc.

The cranes do have a routine they follow but some days it changes.  I arrived here around 1 PM and they were all beginning to land.  Most people(including non birders) just come to see the crazy number of Sandhill Cranes gather.  But I was on the lookout for as many species as I could find around the area.

But I did dedicate some time to the cranes.  It is quite magical and won't disappoint.  Just the break I needed from work.

They are loud and can be heard in the skies above as well as around the Whitewater Draw.

I was still shocked by the mosquitoes.  They were still bad here and I did get bit up.  The trip was worthwhile as I discovered a new a bird species to add to my lifelist.  I'll present them in the next day.

This post is dedicated to the art of the Sandhill Crane.  I'm glad they're back.

So if you live in Arizona or are thinking about visiting our state, check this place out.  You won't be disappointed.

Birds of a Feather

The Northern Harrier

So as a beginner in birding, I'm realizing that there are various levels of birding.  Some go to see any birds(that's me) while others go to check birds off their lists.  And some go for the challenge of finding rarities out in the wild.  I'm not the last two types of birder....yet.  The best comparison that I can come up with is from my French series.  When you go to Paris, you go see the Eiffel Tower.  When you go to the Whitewater Draw, you go for the Sand Cranes. I'm here to say that I'd like to be the birder who looks for the hard to find birds once I get over the ones that "steal" the show:)  And I know that once I get my "Eiffel Tower" experience out of the way in the birding field, I'll be a better birder.  But for now, it's the waterfowl, sand cranes, scarlet macaws, hawks, cardinals, and the owls!  But there is so much more out there just waiting to be seen:)

Loggerhead Shrike

For example, did you know this Loggerhead Shrike above is a brutal killer? Known in many parts as the "Butcher Bird," it impales its prey on thorns or barbed wire before eating it, because it does not have the talons of the larger birds of prey.  How cool is that?  But the Sand Cranes steal all the thunder away from these interesting birds:)  But I noticed!

The ducks fought back during my Whitewater Draw visit and they flew around the air just to say, "We are here!!!"  And the air became thick with birds, waterfowl, songbirds and cranes alike as they flew around in a massive cloud of wings.  When all that action is going on, it makes it difficult to focus on the smaller details hiding in the reeds.  I know my advanced birder friends politely smile at me and look at my birding as naive.  But I'll get there.  As I expand the garden, I'll be attracting various birds to the area......and it's important to know what's out there.  For now, I'm just enjoying the ride and look forward to the day where I'll actually carry a birding book and go with a mission to find the unattainable rare brown bird:)  However no matter the depths of our birding interest, I think "Birds of a feather stick together." sums all of us best.

The Soropta Canal

In the beginning, I didn't think that this Soropta Canal would be of any importance nor would this write, but it turned out to be something very interesting. Neglected and ignored, this manmade canal has been taken over by water hyacinth and dead trees. On our way to the turtle program in the Humedales de San San Pond Sak and Caribbean shores(a wetland area of 160 km), we had to ride on this overgrown route to get to our destination. 

This Canal was initially known as the Snyder Canal and used as a shortcut by Snyder Banana Co. to get their product ready for export on the Caribbean shores. It cut through, then, an area of rain forest between the banana town of Changuinola and Bocas Del Toro. The Canal was completed in 1903 but was later abandoned by the construction of a railroad. However, by that time, the damage was already done.  This Canal allowed for people to move into the area and cut down the exposed rain forest.  Today it is a nature haven overgrown with hyacinth!  Some people still live on both sides at the entrance of the Canal in wood made homes.  

the water hyacinth

The funny part to all of this is that the Canal is in TERRIBLE shape for humans but WONDERFUL for so many birds and mammals.  There are river otters, which I did see, and manatees, which I didn't see.  There was waterfowl everywhere because the water hyacinth has taken over the entire waterway allowing birds to walk on this emerald green carpet of vegetation.  Boaters waste loads of gas zooming down this neglected area avoiding massive amounts of dead trees that have fallen into the Canal but then later getting stuck in extremely thick patches of hyacinth. During some parts, I wondered if we were ever going to get out!  However, I used the opportunity for photography to keep my mind busy.  Thinking about even entering that dark water freaked me out....

Some places, like the above pic, had open waterways, but there were many places where the vegetation connected both sides of the Canal. I saw plenty of Jacanas and other kinds of birds. This place is also commonly known as the Changuinola Canal as it connects to the town. At one point, we were stuck for a good 40 minutes using paddles to push ourselves out as we tried to reach the pier near Changuinola. It wasn't looking good for awhile, but it was beautiful....from the boat. 

Some parts of the Canal still have rustic homes on it.  I'm not sure how they get around as they are surrounded by ocean, beach and Canal.  Here a strange image of a horse stands in what seems like water. If you keep your eyes open, you'll find freshwater turtles and caimans sunning themselves on logs if you are going slowly down the Canal.  However if you blast through some of the area, you'll see a plunk here and there.  Like most places in a forest or natural area, early morning or late afternoon are your best viewing chances for animals like the manatees. However if you are on this Canal during the late afternoon, how in the world did you get there? And good luck arriving to your destination before dark.  I shudder to think of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere.

The first part of the Canal is open and clear of vegetation.  As you boat awhile into the interior, it will start to close in around you.  Eventually it gives way to forest and pure wetland. No homes will be spotted at all until you reach a little village outside of Changuinola.  The village park was covered with dark trees full of bromeliads and it was rather creepy.  We arrived at the pier counting our blessings. The local people in the park looked at us as if we were hostile aliens. My instinct told me that if we hadn't been there with the ANAM crew, we would have had things stolen from us.  We left our turtle project and the Changuinola area with pleasure. It was a learning experience and the place definitely had a different vibe than the Bocas Del Toro area. The Chiquita Banana company still operates in this town.  They've taken over everything...and talk about a timewarp!!!  Old signs were clinging to falling apart buildings from the early 1900's.  Let me put it this way.  This town would not exist if it weren't for Chiquita and bananas.  It's stuck between the pristine forests of the Costa Rican border and the protected wetlands of the Canal.....in between, it's nothing but bananas.  The Soropta Canal was cool, and I'm glad we escaped the web of vegetation and evil sand flies. Birders, this is a TRUE bird haven and I highly recommend!  I wasn't a birder at the time but it was impressive!  Until tomorrow....