The Chuparosa Challenge-There's No Place Like Home

The Male Ruby Throat

Greetings all,

This was the post I was most worried wouldn't happen on vacation.  Many of you have just one hummingbird in your area, but would you be surprised to discover that it's the one hummingbird that doesn't come to Arizona?  And so for me, this post was critical since it was a challenge for myself.  Plus I love the title.  Yes today it's all about the Ruby Throated Hummingbird and hummingbird feeders.  While the pics aren't my hummingbird best, they'll do for this challenge considering this post almost never happened:)

I'm going to write about the experience as it was a true challenge.  People everywhere LOVE hummingbirds.  People buy feeders and place them up in different areas.  And what I'm about to share is my own personal experience with hummingbirds and it probably might be different for several of you.  My mother and I got into a little discussion about hummingbird feeders.  She had a fancy million dollar feeder that hasn't attracted any hummingbirds......and part of it may have to do with the fact that she hasn't switched the juice out for several weeks. 

Everyone had feeders out, but not a one was touched. I was losing time over the course of a week or so and it really came to the last day of our trip.  I think I would have been majorly disappointed had this post not happened.  In a panic, I purchased the cheap feeder because that's the one they love.  I've purchased the fancy dancy ones and they simply don't come to them.  The minute I purchased the cheap ones, I had hummingbirds all over my yard with 2 families nesting in our trees back in Tucson. They have become a part of the garden there....their cheep cheep....VROOOM!!!   None of it happening in TR!

Female Ruby Throat

On our trip, I placed my personal feeder to where I thought they would show up. Again, everyone had feeders and reported seeing one a week ago, etc. etc.  But it wasn't regular. This was like constipation for me after several days of eating cheese curds! So what was going on??!!!  I went to areas with my personal feeder and placed it everywhere and left if for days. Nothing.  Even more difficult was the absence of their voices around me.

So on my last day of vacation, on a visit to my Grandma's house near the woods.....I heard the sounds of the Ruby Throated Hummer!!!   If I told you how long I  sat waiting for this hummer to show up on my off time from family, you may have laughed.  This was serious business.  So I get to my Grandma's house and I see that she has 3 plain ol' feeders hanging off her deck.  While chatting with her, I had my camera ready on deck for this hummer.  Finally!!!  After almost a week and half, both male and female Ruby come and feed!!!!  I was so happy.  Grandmother knows best.  We sat discussing plain vs fancy hummingbird feeders and we both agreed that the fancy ones don't work.  While sitting, the hummers regularly came to visit and it was really really exciting. 

I think I understand why people get excited about hummers.  That one visit makes everyone smile....and the chance of seeing one on a feeder is amazing.  I don't take our hummers for granted but they are always around me 24/7....on my hikes, at my home....everywhere.  And they are all different.  But when you have only one species in your area....and it's the one you're looking for.....it really exposes me to how everyone feels about their one variety of hummer in most parts of the States and Canada.....special.  Now why this particular hummer doesn't come to Arizona and all the rest do???  Well it's their migration pattern.  They are spotted everywhere along the Eastern side of the country.  Some are spotted in Arizona once and awhile, but most cling to the cooler environments.  If you look at their migration patterns, you'll see a definite line from where the Ruby Throats travel. Link here

Beware of fancy dancy hummer feeders.  It may be attractive to the human eye but doesn't always attract the hummer.  This one was difficult to fill as well.  Plus you have to use a red dye.  Too much work!  And it hasn't attracted hummers to my parent's garden.

On my hummingbird guide for Arizona, this hummer isn't even in the book!!  So it was super important to get this one time sighting for this year on film.  Granted they aren't like my other hummingbird shots up close because Grandma does come first:)  But I did succeed in the challenge.  And the moral of the story.....go with the cheaper feeders.  You'll have more traffic.  My Grandma approves this message:)

A young 81!  She was my age when she became a Grandma.  In fact, I gave her the title:)!! That's the first nephew making her Great Grandma. 

Wetlands

Wetlands are disappearing all over the world at an alarming speed.  Why?  Well I've seen it first hand and I can tell you that big corporations are taking over rivers and creating dams to regulate water etc.  We saw this last year in Panama.  It went on in Costa Rica.  Peru is using the water for electricity, etc etc etc.  Some places are doing a better job than others at maintaining and protecting wetland areas and I'd like to show you a few in my hometown.  The above pic is taken near the Manitowoc Zoo. 

This is the other wild zoo that is free of charge.  It was also the first time I could get some nice Great Blue Heron shots while this bird was in flight!  This area has been around for years and has attracted a lot of wonderful waterbirds.  There are more birds coming to Wisconsin than ever before as the winters warm up.  And they say Global Warming isn't real:)  What a treat to see these magnificent birds fly around the landscape!

There is a place in Two Rivers known as the Woodland Dunes.  I'll be taking you there in a few days to catch some amazing Tree Swallow fun.

Wetlands are home to all sorts of critters like ducks, insects, geese, deer, rodents.....and even a swan or two!!  The duck below reminds me of an older man's face who has experienced a rough life. The top of the ducks head looks like "hair" greased back.  This duck comes from the Central American and Mexican corridor but has now established itself in many parts of North America.  It can handle temps as low as 10 degrees F or –12°C

So keep your eyes open for all kinds of critters walking around!  You'll never know what you'll find:)

Muscovy Duck

And of course, what would a water area be without geese?

White Chinese Goose

There are other things beyond birds that hang out in the grasses and along the water areas.  We saw plenty of trout wiggling in the waters.  But there were deer!!!  What fun to capture one running!

If we don't protect these important areas, we threaten the wildlife that live in these places.  The cranes around the world are feeling the pinch right now.  As our world population increases so does the demand for water.

It was a beautiful day full of wonderful captures.  The highlights being the deer and Great Blue Heron, but it's all amazing. 

For more information on wetlands, click here.  More tomorrow.....

The Wisconsin Dells

Timeless.  Beautiful.  And full of surprises. Today we take a river trip on the Upper Dells.   Not only is this place gorgeous, it's full of memories from my childhood.   There are still "Yogi Bear" and "Woodsy Owl" places in America and this is one of them.  The format hasn't changed much over the years.  The Dells are the same as they were when my Grandparents and family brought me here over 30 years ago and they still delight people from around the world.

Barn Swallow

As a birder, the barn/cliff swallows were everywhere!  It was a tight trip with a firm schedule.  It was tricky because I wanted to capture all the swallows shooting in and out of the holes in the sandstone rock!  It was very cool, but I didn't have control over the time and could take only what was present at the moment.  The pic below is the best I could get on this tour.

Cliff Swallow

People always tease me and say vacation with me isn't vacation at all:)  That's not true at all.  I just believe that if you spend all this money to go somewhere and prep for several weeks to be out of your house, you should utilize your time wisely and not waste any of it.  I watch a lot of people in my circles sit and watch TV inside a building on their vacation.  I can do this in Tucson!  My parents joke with my other siblings...."Oh I'm sure your brother will keep you busy." And I do:)  Sitting around is fine but not for most of the day (unless you are sick).  So my other half lets me do the planning for certain vacation periods.   

It was a hot and humid day around the Dells but once on the boat, we had the nice cool breezes and shade from the forest and river.  Wisconsin Dells is expensive so plan ahead.  It's a great family environment as they have a lot of Water Parks for the kids.  Plus the shops are made for those who like to buy things.  And I think they sell fudge at every other store.  Not my scene but a lot of tourists seemed to like it.

There are miles and miles of cliffs like this one.  I searched high and low for bear or deer, but mostly it gave me time to unwind and have a nice conversation with Pat.   If you go this time of year, remember to bring sunscreen, a hat, and of course....water.  You'll get thirsty.

And of course people who LOVE geology will love all the rock formations along the way.  They have a lot of nicknames for several of the areas with strange rock sculptures like the "Pancake".   I didn't place that pic on here because I didn't want to ruin the surprise.  It's really neat to witness live.

Along the way, we stopped in shady glens.  We got off the boat and did some walking around the wall to wall cliff path.  They were a nice relief from the humidity.  Cool, breezy....and full of ferns!

I wish we had more time to spend in these areas.  Lovely spots to imagine a world of fairies and unicorns.... or contemplate our past, present and future goings.

A dog jumped across from one cliff to another and everyone ooo'd and ahhhh'd at this German Shephard.

My eyes spotted more than swallows.  I actually got some great Great Blue Heron shots on this vacation!  People laughed at me because they are such a common bird back in Wisconsin.  But when I said I was from the desert, they understood:)  However, they do live in Tucson:)  Just trickier to capture because they are so far away sometimes.

Great Blue Heron

There are two tours.  The Lower Dells and the Upper Dells.  Both are quite lovely.  They happen all day long.  This particular tour was 2 and half hours so give yourself some time in the morning or afternoon to check this gorgeous river out. Before I leave, I just wanted to apologize for the malware notice that popped up yesterday if you tried to view the cranes post.  It was unfortuneatly on another person's blog that showed up on my blogroll.  Unfortuneatly, I had to prevent the blog from reappearing on the side bar.  If you ever get a notice, please email me.  This is the 2nd blog that was attacked this month in the blogosphere(that I know of).  It's not the blogger's fault, but it happens within the links attached to their posts. I am working on several special posts scheduled for the end of this month and into August.  More tomorrow.....

The Disappearing Cranes

Grey Crowned Crane. Status. Endangered. Found in parts of South Africa, the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and other East African countries. Although the species remains common over much of its historic range, it faces widespread and increasing threats to its habitat, particularly in the species stronghold of east Africa due to drainage, livestock overgrazing, and heavy pesticide applications. Other threats include hunting and live-trapping.

And then there were cranes.  To be honest, I didn't know much about them except for the Sandhill Cranes which number in the thousands or millions.  Then a sobering reality check.  Most cranes are endangered or nearly extinct because of hunting, habitat loss in wetland areas, or poaching.  This then changed the nature of the visit from "Look at those pretty cranes" to "Listen up!"  But before I begin, I have to tell you, I love these shots today.  In fact, I'm excited to share them with you all.  The photography shoot made me smile.....maybe because the subjects and theme were so fascinating:)   Okay so let's begin with this enlightening tour led by our guide..... the beautiful Bridget.  Although you'll have to imagine her as I didn't take a pic:)  Let's get started with the following crane below.....the Whooping Crane of Wisconsin and North America.

The Whooping Crane. Endangered. This crane was found all over North America at one time.  Now it is coming back from near extinction.  Habitat loss, weather, poaching/hunting and some natural predation still affect this bird.

This bird was nearly hunted to extinction back in 1941.  It is only two cranes found in North America besides the Sandhill Crane.  The Sandhill populations are growing in size as they are adapting to different environments.  Now this Whooping crane story nearly had a tragic ending with only 22 birds left in 1941!   I was shocked and saddened by all of this.  It parallels many stories like that of the California Condor in the Grand Canyon.

I don't know how they did it, but this species of crane today exists because of some very dedicated people who believed that they could be saved.   And it hasn't been an easy road for this crane but it is a success story we don't often hear about on the news.  The Whooping Crane is still very much endangered but the population is on the rise again.  As of 2011, there are an estimated 437 birds in the wild and more than 165 in captivity. 

This pic was taken from Wiki

The above pic is not my own but I had to show you the effort and time it has taken to train these birds how to migrate back and forth since they didn't have parents to imprint.  Look closely at this pic and you'll notice the pilot is in white.  Humans MUST dress up in a Whooping Crane outfit and feed the chicks this way or they won't be able to survive out in the wild.  And last year it was a rough one.  Each crane chick costs around 100,000 dollars to help put back into the wild.  So when hurricanes and tornadoes hit the Florida coast, where a group of these birds migrate, it hit the researchers hard.  18 cranes were released into the wild.  The storms killed 17.  One survived briefly and then soon after died.

Eurasion Crane.  Status.  Stable and increasing.  Found in over 80 countries from Russia to China to India etc.

And then there is the poaching.  5 Whooping Cranes were killed because people think it's fun to kill animals. Check this case out. Wade Bennett, 18, of Cayuga, Indiana and an unnamed juvenile pled guilty to killing First Mom(first captured crane to have successfully bred in the wild). After killing the crane, the juvenile had posed holding up its body. Bennett and the juvenile were sentenced to a $1 fine, probation, and court fees of about $500, a penalty which was denounced by various conservation organizations as being too light. The prosecuting attorney has estimated that the cost of raising and introducing to the wild one Whooping Crane could be as much as $100,000. Source  Unbelievable.

In Wisconsin, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge has done a great job in helping out with this crane.  They are beginning to nest and migrate again and this is good news for this crane species.  The Asian and African continents have their own issues.  Farming is obviously important to all of us and the cranes love to eat seed.  Farmers don't like this and shoot the cranes.  Cranes have been on the losing side of this battle for years now, but again there is a solution and.....it's working!  But it takes time and education.  A natural occurring substance known as Anthraquinone is put over the seed which the cranes do not like.  Cranes detect AQ at very low levels and avoid it. So farmers around the US and the world are using this coating liquid/powder with success. 

But the bigger topic was Wetland loss.  Wetlands are the key to the success of many cranes.  Dam construction/water use has affected many of the cranes habitat.  The solution here is to preserve the habitat, but in many countries this is not regulated resulting in the continual decline of the crane.   I'll show you several areas around my hometown that have successfully preserved the wetland areas around our rivers and Lake Michigan.

And then there is poaching.  As you can see, several of these cranes are desired for their feathers.  Several have cultural taboos that protect them.  In one country, eating a crane is bad luck. Or killing a crane will result in bad karma.  And in some Asian countries, cranes are considered good luck. 

In Japan, for example, the Red-crowned crane is revered as a sign for monogamy in marriages.  Why?  Because this crane partners with only one other in its lifetime. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity. Now the story behind this particular crane is interesting. The Red-crowned crane is also very much endangered.  It migrates between China, Korea and Japan.  Japan is okay as they are revered.  And in Korea, this bird is surprisingly safe.  Why?  Because they migrate between the borders of South and North Korea.  It is said that this bird could be the symbol someday that unites the countries again.  In China, the bird is also revered but there is habitat loss with China's expanding economy and population.

The Blue Crane. Found in South Africa and Namibia.  This bird is vulnerable as the population is decreasing. Poisoning, habitat alteration, and power line collisions are all significant threats to Blue Cranes.

I'm really glad we ran into the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo.  Of course, they are located in different areas.....maybe one is in your area.  Here's the website that will lead you to lots more info.  For me, it was extremely educational and makes me appreciate the Sandhill cranes even more.  I wish I could share with you the sight of 40000 cranes descending all at once.  Perhaps one day the Whooping crane will number in the thousands again.

Black Crowned Crane.  Found in Africa.  Poaching threatens this species as does habitat loss.

If I haven't responded to your blogs, it's because I randomly escaped to Mt. Lemmon for the weekend.  With the onslaught of summer school and a bad case of being locked up inside from the heat, I needed to just up and leave. I need my hikes and photography....and it really hasn't happened since this Wisconsin trip:( More tomorrow.....

Capital Times

It had been years since my last visit.  Considered an oasis in the farmland, Madison is one of the most progressive cities in the world.  It's one of my favorite places to hang out and it's a city full of ideas and diversity.  Please also let me apologize about yesterdays post.  I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I thought I would give it the edge that the election day held.  It was electric.  I promise it will be beautiful garden views today:)

We began by parking near the capital building(don't hassle parking on the street, just find a parking garage) and took the free capital tour.  This was taken on top of the dome overlooking the city.

There were plenty of flowers around the area and I couldn't decide which ones were my favorite because there were so many!!!

Any awesome city requires live performances on the streets.  Madison had so many throughout the day and it all made me smile. 

Situated between two lakes, this city has a great place to sit and watch people and drink beer.  The student union is a popular place for everyone to gather.  In fact, I met up with former high school classmates(one visiting from France) and had a really nice get together.  If you both are reading this post, I just want to thank you for such a fun day.  

In fact with views like this, you can't go wrong.  We sat and drank beer while the college kids sunned themselves on the pier and did their mating rituals.  Now the lake is awesome but I'm not sure I'd swim in it......too many birds and their poo:(  But people swam and smiled....so it must have been okay. I'm not one for tanning but I understand why people do it here.  People would take their shirts off to sunbathe and the sunlight would glare off their skin and blind us!  Maybe they were vampires.  Also, many of them should have used sunblock because they sported a pretty bad red sunburn.

Too many flowers.  Too many people with amazing gardens.  Here is my father's favorite plant...the Clematis.  His wish?  That his grandchildren stop playing hide and go seek inside or around the plant!

One of my former classmates now manages a botanical/birding area along the lake known as the Lakeshore Nature Preserve and it was a wonderful surprise.  I'm a plant guy so it was so much fun chatting with her about invasive species and plants in general.  It's fun to geek out on plants.  She took us to a botanical garden nearby and here are several shots of plants that grew around the area. 

These Tiger Lilies really added a nice splash of orange in the gardens at the entrance!

Allium 'Lucy Ball'

And how about this hot number??!!  Purple gets me everytime.  These lavender balls added a piece of perfection in the garden.  This shot taken at sunset.

I wanted to show my English/European friends our American Robin.  I do like this bird but it's not dainty like your own Robins:)  Larger birds that equal American appetities I think:)  This bird is also the Wisconsin State Bird.  It is seen everywhere foraging for worms and bugs.

Catbird

There are Cowbirds.....and Catbirds!  This was a lifer for me and another cool find in the gardens.  Pretty common bird found around Wisconsin.

As the sun set, I felt a little sad.  The day was ending and so was our visit to Madison.  Good friends, good times.....and good memories.  I've done much travel in my lifetime and this place still remains one of my favorite top ten cities to visit....and just be.  It rates up there with San Antonio, Austin and yes yes...Tucson:)  I'd like to call it the San Francisco of Wisconsin but to be honest San Fran has a different feel.  I lived near there and enjoyed my time in the Bay Area. Beautiful yes, but the ambience is quite different.  Madison has a warm feeling to it and the city and people invite you to walk the streets and explore.  It's also home to the University of Wisconsin.  It's hard to compare to another city but the closest cities to this oasis in the farmland are Austin, Texas and Ann Arbor, Michigan.  I highly recommend a visit here for a day if you have one to spare.  And the best part?  Don't plan anything.....just go and explore. 

Sadly, we had to go back and head home.  Here is a parting glance of the Student Union at sunset.  Look at the pic closer and observe all the action going on.  Madison is a fantastic place to visit and I will always treasure the memories here.  My first trip was in 8th grade.  Then while in college, I'd get into a lot of trouble partying here.  Watch where you park:) They love to ticket!:)  More tomorrow....