The Sacred Sunflower

Male Summer Tanager

Sometimes my heart is heavy. So many dark times.  Things most people laugh at and shrug off as "not important" are issues that weigh deeply inside.  Water tables disappearing.  Disappearing rhinos.  Disappearing habitat.  I'm having a deep thought day so be ready:)

I drive to work in the morning and look at the sky.  My work will soon be over for the year.  More and more it feels like I'm being pulled in a different direction.  Of course, it could be the end of the year school stress:)  On my way home from school yesterday, I listened to NPR as they played an audio of a rhino getting shot and killed by a man in a helicopter.  It was videotaped by the pilot.  Each day, it is estimated that two rhinos are killed so that their horns can be sold somewhere in Asia.

And then I come back to my own state.  Arizona.   I witness the miracles of the Common Black Hawk nesting.  It makes me smile.  We are careful to not disturb. And we watch in awe at the miracles of two nesting Black Hawks.

Common Black Hawks

I could have watched them for a long time.  My first Arizona sighting was this year as they all migrated up the riparian areas.  But now the San Pedro near Sierra Vista will be drained.  A proposed copper mine will destroy their habitat around the Empire Gulch.  How can all this happen?

This weekend we went to Agua Caliente Park.  The springs continue to shrink at a rapid pace.  The water will not be there by July.  They don't know what's going on, but they believe that illegal water taps for wells have gone in around area.  Compound that with the new construction and we will have lost Agua Caliente park.  Researchers are trying to find the answers.  It's all a bit alarming!  At one time, this park was an important stopping ground for many water birds.

We continued down this one singular road.  As we did, birds, snakes and lizards moved around us.  It was one of the most peaceful roads I've been on while birding.  No bikes.  No dogs.  No loud people.  Just us.  I had my water pack on me and boy did I drink up.  How long will this area be safe from development?  How long do these birds have before their water source is used up?  How do we protect our Saguaros from becoming tagged by spray paint?  Or the rare Stilt Sandpiper we witnessed getting chased by dogs off their leashes at a park?  One of the birds has an injured wing now and was thankfully rescued. Pesticides are used on crops that kill our bees. Sometimes I wish there was a superhero vigilante out there who fought the taggers, the illegal poachers and people wanting to capitalize on our most precious resources.  We have police and the military to protect our rights.  Now we might say that we have National Parks and Park Rangers to look over these things but are they funded properly?  Just yesterday, someone went into Saguaro National Park and tagged several of these majestic cacti.  And even with Park Rangers in places like those magnificent South African reserves, there are poachers coming in and taking out the rhinos.  Soon all rhinos will go extinct in the wild. At one park in South Africa, they are already considered extinct.

Yellow Warbler

We rested for a short bit of time in the heat around the Sunflower area.  As we did a pair of Zone-tailed Hawks flew out of the tree screaming at us.  It was blood curdling and they swooped only several feet above our heads.

Zone-tailed Hawk

This shot was just a few feet above my head.  You can see that she's not joking around! I remember the movie Avatar.  I remember feeling super thrilled at the idea of "Mother Nature" rising up against her destruction by the greedy human people.  Ewa took control and made everything right.  I have a feeling that Mother Nature has a few things up her sleeves for all of us. 

It's all overwhelming.  I do what I can.  I try where I can, but it doesn't seem to be enough.  If there ever was a calling to make a difference in this lifetime, it was this morning.   I turned the radio off.  I turned off all the negative whining and put in music to relax my mind.  I wrote a letter to our Mayor and council members about the copper mine.  Many of them agree.  While Pima county voted "no" on the mine, the State overrode their decision. Now we sit and wait for the permits!  How can water quality pass this?  The endangered Jaguar, endemic birds.......will the Elegant Trogon leave this mountain area once and for all?  

How do we protect something so sacred?  How do we help others see the value in guarding it all?  I know I write about this every now and again. I am neither optimist nor pessimist in these matters.  I would just love it all fixed or resolved.  So for today, I've come to the conclusion that it is what it is.  My mind got lost in the clouds.  I took a breath and stepped out of my car and went into work.  I will continue my documentation and this blog in hopes that maybe, just maybe, there are people out there beyond our blogger community who will read these words and perhaps want to make a difference.  There really is so much to see and do.  It would be nice to know that these things will be around for future generations to enjoy.  What's on your mind? 

Willow Flycatcher

Mt. Ord

Mt. Ord

I've been trying to keep up with my birding, but it has been difficult.  Simply put, I can't.  Birds have been coming in left and right while I'm in the middle of a teaching lesson:) There are so many birds that I have to focus myself at times because it's overwhelming. What do I want?  Flycatchers? Warblers? Where should I go? Too many decisions!!! On a wonderful outing with Gordon Karre, Mark Ochs and Kathie Brown, we fled into the beautiful countryside of the Tonto National Forest. It was the perfect place to not have to make those decisions:)

Hutton's Vireo feasting on a tent caterpillar

It started off as a cold morning and then worked itself up into a hot afternoon.  We went from desert landscape into pine forest mountain tops.  It was a fantastic day full of cool finds and observations.

Hutton's Vireo

It was my first time meeting Gordon and Mark.  I love meeting birders.  I especially love watching the way they bird.  Gordon is very much like I am in that we search for target birds and try to get better shots and observations of birds we have already seen.  Kathie birds with a gentle heart and takes her time counting them all.  And Mark!  Why his style was the most interesting of us all!

Kathie saying hello!

He spoke in a dialect I recognized....Wisconsin!!!  Even though I lived in the Great Lakes region all of my childhood, I never learned to bird there. Something I hope to remedy in the future.  But I was constantly surrounded by people who loved the Green Bay Packers. Now I was never into football, but I was fascinated by Mark's strength and vigor towards birding.  He birded like he might play football. All I needed was some guacamole and chips to watch him bird. That sounds weird so forget that last sentence. Not once did he stop and not once did he miss out on a bird song.  A bird would sing and he would ID!  Incredible!  And all the while, he spoke in a loudish voice telling midwestern jokes using slang which can many times be lost on the rest of the world. I tried to spend time with all three while still snapping shots of elusive warblers and other small birds.

Grace's Warbler

And there were so many great birds.  But the heat!!!  Ugh!  We are reaching that time of year when I bird early morning until about 11 AM.  Then I go home and take a nap and if I get all my chores done, make for an evening birding somewhere close to home.  It would get hot.  I had my water pack on because I sweat way too much.  It's in my DNA. But even with all the water in the world, the body can only take so much heat.  I could see that Kathie was getting tired.  The protector in me watched over her.  I could see Mark far ahead.  The chaser in me kept tabs on Kathie and moved quickly to snap a shot of a Virginia's warbler.

Violet-green Swallow

There were truly so many incredible birds in this location, but I began to feel a bit...um....bloated.  It was not a good feeling.  We went up in elevation, walked in the heat, and had some food.  Not a good combo and for awhile, I kept my distance as air bubbles exploded inside my stomach.  It felt terrible.  Little did I know that Kathie was having the same issues:) Altitude sickness. We laughed about it on the way home.  And it's not like we haven't done these major hikes before but for some reason on this day, we didn't feel so good.  Gordon also reminded us that we did  get up at 3 in the morning.  And was it worth it?  Oh my gods, you bet!!! I wouldn't trade that experience for anything else in the world.  It was invaluable!

Up to Mt.Ord

It was great to get into a new area and count birds.  It was also interesting to note various bird species mixed in together that normally wouldn't intermingle together around Tucson.   It was a little jarring to find normally difficult birds in Pima county all around Maricopa county.   Very strange indeed.

Virginia's Warbler

Gordon called our day a "3 Tanager Day".  For here, we spotted the Summer, Western and Hepatic tanagers in great numbers.

Western Tanager, male

Also in great numbers were the Scott's Orioles and Black-chinned Sparrows.

Scott's Oriole

The road up Mt. Ord is a very rocky one so be warned:)  This day was super dusty and the photos were some of the most difficult to snap.  By the end of the day, I had over 1000 pictures and about 20 of them were worthy of posting.

Black-chinned Sparrow

A special thank you to Gordon for a lovely day.  It was a blast and hopefully I can return the favor and get you some lifebirds in the near future.  I am linking up with Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday. Stay tuned for more....

Pewee's Playhouse

Yellow-eyed Junco(just how many bands can these birds hold?!)

Not all birds are the same. "Oh that's a Yellow-eyed Junco! You can always tell by their song." 
Whoa whoa whoa! Back up! That statement is like saying all white people look the same. Who's more vanilla?  Well, I'm originally from Wisconsin so I'd say I'm more cheese than vanilla.  And now that I'm living in the desert, I'd say I'm more fried.  So in a sense, I guess I'm a fried cheese curd:) Sounds good to me. While certain cultures and people share commonalities, there is not one person alike.  The same goes with the bird world, etc.  My eyes aren't so great.  But my ears can zone and tune into bird calls.

Cooper's Hawk

I have recordings on my cell phone and at home that allow me to listen to bird calls.  The more practice I have; the stronger I become out in the field.  I usually go to a place with a target bird in mind.  When I have a new bird, I memorize the features of the bird and also record the songs in my brain.  On this day, up in Rose Canyon on Mt. Lemmon, I would track the Greater Pewee.....a Mexican visitor.

We'd climb the dam and find all kinds of wonderful birds. Some were nesting like the Cooper's Hawk.

Many people were fishing as we climbed the hills trying to locate the unmistakable song of the Greater Pewee.

Hairy Woodpecker

Amazing views. Incredible finds.  Below is a shot of the tent caterpillar and favorite snack of the Vireo family:)

Tent Caterpillar

Of course, House Wrens don't mind a bite or two.  Heck I don't even think they bite.  It's chomp, chomp, and gulp!

House Wren

 We were exhausted and sat on the bench watching this Cliff Chipmunk run around the grass.  And then the song!  The one I had been waiting for.....but not exactly the one I had in my head.  The voice was similar but different.  I climbed the big mountain hill at the top as the Greater Pewee called out.

Cliff Chipmunk

As I reached the top, I stopped to get the ID shot and just sat listening to the song.  I marvelled at it all.  It's interesting because people tend to clump animals, birds etc all together. And we do it with people as well:)  It just shows that not all Greater Pewees are the same......just like people. This year we have found different vocalizations not only within the Pewee populations but also with our Mountain Chickadees.  During our road trips, Pat and I have memorized their particular songs and put words with their melodies.  This bird has a beautiful song followed by an annoying, da daaa, da daaa!  And without further ado, I present to you all the very special and unique Greater Pewee.  

Greater Pewee

When Dreamer's Dream

I lose myself each time I see a pillow made of purple fluff.  And each time I slowly morph into that college freedom fighter.  The one that sits in the tree to save it from being cut down.

The sky is limitless.  The Earth is not.  We continue to grow and expand where we should not.

I stand on top of a forest in the middle of the desert with awe and wonder. One side forest; another part mined not so far away.  How long does something like this take to grow and become?  And how long did it take for us to destroy?

                                                A bright flash of color stops me in my tracks.

The big things.  The little things.  They all matter.  One connected to the other. Each time I go out into the field, something new reveals itself to me.  And it makes me dream about what more is out there. These are things worth protecting for future generations.  So that little dreamers may dream someday. So that bees can flutter from flower to flower.  Or lizards perch upon their rocks. So that we preserve what little is left of this shrinking world.

Guardian

When humans invade nature by constructing buildings, playgrounds, etc, we inevitably change the habitat for the wildlife living in the area.  On a previous post, I wrote about my surveys at my work site.  Over the past years, we've had a pair of Great Horned Owls nest on our building.  We'd watch them as they nested inside a very high ledge. The owlets would fall to their deaths as they began to try and branch out.  Last year, we had a licensed rehabilitation center take them away, but for me, it was a terrible idea.  Yes we "saved" them, but at what price?  So this year we tried something different.  I recommended we keep the owlets on campus and have them placed in our Ironwood trees so that they could develop in their natural environment.  Several of the teachers had friends who did owl rescue and came to relocate the owls from the dangerously high ledge into the more secure Ironwood trees below.  The team  had the nest located near a teacher's window so that they could keep an eye on the 3 owlets.  The Principal of the school was open to this idea and spoke to the 2000 students over the intercom about helping these owlets out.  Today, 2 of the 3 owlets are out and about hanging out in the trees.....naturally!UPDATE.  All 3 owlets have successfully left the nest as of this AM!(10/5/13)  Mom and Dad are with them, but Mom has been occupied with the 3rd owlet who is much weaker than the rest.  This is normal with nesting Great Horned Owls.  Usually one or two of the strongest will survive the nest.  A laundry basket was placed into the tree and the parent owls quickly watched over their owlets. We are happy to report today that the intervention helped!  Students are excited and respectful of the owls (and also learning a lot about them!)  Owls learn to develop their eyes and legs first before learning how to fly.  

While on my survey, I noticed a pair of Pyrrhuloxias feeding near our wash.  It was a real thrill to see in person.  I heard lots of noises and found the babies quickly.

One of the jobs of our school is to watch over the wash and protect it.  Most people walk past the area and don't pay attention to all the activity happening inside and along the wash.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing another count as I walk the grounds.  There is always so much to see and it's exciting to watch Mother Nature adapt to public areas. 

I find a private place and do my reports.  I take one hour to walk the one mile perimeter of our school and count our birds.  In the process, students are educated as are other instructors on campus.  Awareness and education are key components.  If we are going to try and keep this planet a better place, we need to be aware of our actions.  And it's exciting to watch people get excited about a little bird. 

I am thankful for a wonderful administration and great group of teachers who want to make that difference.  Here my love of birds and Spanish are blending in perfectly. 

This constant evolution of age makes me smile.  I am more than one label and it's great to watch all of it come together as one.  And who doesn't love owls??:)  Maybe these owls will spark an interest for our younger generations.......

El Presidio Friends



Northern Cardinal

 I began planting the plants.  And then I began feeding the birds.  I discovered all the tricks to get them to our home. Water. Seed. Fruit. Nuts. Nectar. Feeders.  It's the secret to attracting incredible birds.


An angry Northern Mockingbird

 Our yard in Midtown Tucson has come alive over the past year as regular birds visit while new ones stop by.

Yellow Warbler

I woke up early one morning and heard the unmistakable call of the Yellow Warbler in our Mesquite tree.  I hadn't thought it possible and yet, there he was!  Magnificent!

I've placed dead wood branches behind the fence where I believe several Northern Cardinals are nesting!

Curve-billed Thrasher

At the dawn and dusk of El Presidio, the Curve-billed Thrasher jets around quickly on the edges of the garden.

Verdin

A Verdin stops by for a quick sip from the hummingbird feeder.

The female Anna's Hummingbird counters the feeder opposite to that of the Verdin.

White-winged Dove-they make a mess!!!

As the Mourning Dove population decreases, the White-wing Dove populations increase.

Great-tailed Grackle

Great-tail grackles fly into our old Live Oaks.

                                       Hummingbirds nest. And watch guard over their babies.

Female Anna's Hummingbird nesting in our Live Oaks

My parents give me a snowman sunflower feeder to attract the Northern Cardinal.  When one comes, I jump for joy.  When they stay to nest, I'm honored.

House sparrows cover tree branches like a cloud of hershey kisses.

 House finches sound off one by one as they wait for me in the morning to fill their feeders. Sometimes dropping down impatiently to grab that first morning seed.

 A Northern Mockingbird takes a quick sip from the nasty bird bathe.  Instead of leaving like he did in years past, he stays with a partner and irritates the visiting Red-tail Hawks.

 Mourning doves bend branches and look inside my house.

I become frustrated that everyone has Lesser Goldfinches in their yards.....but me.  I buy a thistle feeder and two days later, Lesser Goldfinches enter El Presidio grounds for the first time.

This year a Common Raven flew over our house.  It was early morning and made me smile.  Yet another bird!

Each day is a new one.  I live in a nasty neighborhood that has nothing around it.  When I made an oasis, the birds began to make our place home.  Our running water fountain is a quick drink for many of our birds. Hummingbirds zip up and down catching bugs.

And when there aren't any birds around?  We know Mr. Cooper is in the hood!  It just proves that any place can become a refuge.  Create it and they will come!

For more fun, check Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday featuring birds from all over the world.  More to come.....