IDIC

Dark-eyed Junco

No matter how hard I try to switch it off; I can't.  It grows everyday.  Elegant Trogon, Rusty Blackbird, Crissal Thrasher, Mountain Plover, Rufous-capped Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow, etc etc.  The list never ceases to amaze me.  The Elegant Trogon arrives in March to find a nest for his partner.  If she doesn't like the nest, he's in big trouble.  Mountain Plovers are in a field and will only be around for a short time before migrating out of our area.  The Rufous-capped Warblers come down the canyon(around 9:15 AM) and then head back up.  The Golden-crown hides within the White-crowned Sparrows near the second dry river bed.  And the Crissal Thrasher? My new nemesis is one shy bird!  Around 8:30 AM for this one:)  But I get distracted so easily with everything else that comes my way:)

Hepatic Tanager

I remember as a boy running into the country fields searching for butterflies, chasing Killdeer, and catching frogs.  As I grew up, I stopped playing outside like I had done as a kid. I never stopped loving the outdoors.  And I certainly never stopped exploring.  But I had forgotten what it was like to be the bird, butterfly, frog or animal.  I didn't lose interest; I just forgot.  My camera has always been a part of my treks.  I look back on those old pics and think, "Really?  I took those shots?!  They're terrible!"

Double-crested Cormorant

My blog began because of plants.  My garden.  My world.  I am trained in the way of plants.  They connected me back to the wildlife again.  As my garden grows and flourishes; so does my appetite for knowing more.  3 years I have blogged now.  It all began with my Oak trees dropping their leaves in spring(normal).  I had thought I'd lose them.  We purchased our place because of these trees.  There was also a side area that was empty, full of gravel and a dead Euc leaning against the building.  I then began my dream of creating a garden.  4 years later, the plants continue to grow bigger and bigger. It's still being worked and reworked but the area has become a magnet for wildlife.

No zoo on these trips.  Nothing but the real deal!  A Javelina drinking from a stream:)

A better camera.  Becoming a docent.  Selling my photography.  Documenting birds.  And meeting new people have changed me in ways that I cannot even begin to explain.  My Spanish ability has enhanced my new passions playing detective out in the wild. This summer I will be heading to Guatemala and other Central American countries for a month documenting birds, plants and culture.  I've been to most of these places before but what is new are the set of "eyes" I have developed. They are now trained for the slightest movement.  I have worked hard this past year and a half learning about birds around Arizona.

As I walk to the edge of the world, I will share with you these most precious moments.  I can't explain the quiet peace within my mind.....the one that erases all the negative matter around me.........I just know that I am on a most sacred quest.  There is a singular focus now.  It's running again in those fields chasing butterflies, looking into the eyes of the coyote and knowing.......it's about being in tune with my surroundings. In tune with my life. And whether I see an Elegant Trogon or not, doesn't matter. Well maybe it does:)  A little.  Okay maybe a lot:) But it seems that something else always presents itself.  The Double-crested Cormorant.  The Plumbeous Vireo.  The Coyote.

Singing with this Sparrow:)

On this 3rd year of revelations, I thank you all for following.  I am excited about this year.  We learn together.  We grow together as a family. But most of all, we sometimes forget the benefits of blogging....the writing, the photography, the learning, the names, the research, and most of all.....the virtual friendships that development.  We represent Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.  One life.  So many possibilities.  Life is indeed the adventure. And if you watch Star Trek, you already knew this:)

In my moments of solitude, I ponder what is yet to come.  I worry about this world.  But I also feel energized about the experiences on each outing.

In my mind.  On a plane.  A boat.  A bus. While riding a horse.  This is the song that plays within my head. When I gaze upon the beautiful animals, I want to protect them from all those who would have them harmed. Because witnessing a coyote, javelina, skunk, coati, or deer in the desert is a magical thing.  People will walk by them and I know they are there. Their secret is safe with me. We can't really see if we walk too quickly.  We can't really hear if we aren't listening. We live in a world full of wonder. PS.  I'll be getting to blogs starting this Wednesday. We are still on an epic hunt which I hope to report on soon.  I'm a bit behind and I'll be stopping by to catch up with everyone again:)

A Renaissance of Our Own

I love the book series, "A Game of Thrones".  I also love Tolkien....and Star Trek.....and BSG.....Assassin's Creed....Batman.....well you get the idea:)  I'm a nerd.  My father recently came to visit us in sunny Arizona and we took him to the very fun Renaissance Faire!

I love artsy photography and my Dad loves beer.  Well he is from Wisconsin:) And so it made for a perfect day!

During the day, we went to a variety of shows and it was so much fun hanging out with my Dad and getting lost in make believe.

Of course, I love them birds.  They had a great Birds of Prey show and I decided to get some wonderful shots of these beautiful creatures.  Peregrine Falcons are around Tucson often, but this Swainson's Hawk will be returning soon.  I have yet to see one of these gorgeous hawks in the wild!!!  I cannot wait:)

I saw this man craft his pottery.....

This man tell jokes......

My father have a good laugh with the priest telling dirty jokes.....

This young woman's natural beauty and wit.....

This Peregine Falcon's catlike curiousity.......

This woman's magical interpretation of peace and tranquility.....

This lady giving fashion advice for those needing some....

And while we were there, I forgot about time and had a great day with my Dad and Pat.

The Renaissance Faire happens every weekend until the end of March.  Buy your tickets at Fry's as they are cheaper.  Parking is free.  It's a fun road trip for the day with some beautiful landscape.  And our wildflower season has just begun......

The Great Horned Owl

 Hoo hoo!!!  Calling on the Great Horned Owls!!! It's time to check up on you all!

 Owls are tricky birds to locate.  However once you know where they like to nest, it's not hard to find these magnificent birds!

 I am happy to report that the 5 sites(that I know about) have returning pairs of Great Horned Owls again this year.  There are certainly more nests around Tucson as I hear people talk about their favorite neighborhood owls.

 Once I know where they hang out, I like to keep their locations secret:)

 Of course the moon and the owl go hand in hand.  On this day, Kathie would spot the owl on the Saguaro! Both birder/blogger/friend Cynthia and myself were ecstatic. Now we knew they were there because Kathie has been keeping her eyes on them.  I am currently watching on a daily basis two nests again....one at my work site and another at a favorite local patch of mine.

 However many tourists were in the area and we directed our cameras from the owl while they passed us by. They didn't stop and our subterfuge worked!  Usually, we get a "helpful" soul who ends up frightening the birds away. Or we get the question, "Whatcha lookin' at?" On a recent outing, I was trying to film a gnatcatcher while a burly man came by and blocked my shot asking loudly, "Looking for them hawks?!"  Did it look like my camera was pointed at the sky??!!!  The bird was on a bush!  If it had been a lifebird, he would have heard a few choice words:) Thankfully I got the shots needed.  So the moral of this story is.....direct your camera away from your subject while people are around.  And if possible, direct it at a plant or at someone near you.  When the danger has cleared, relocate your subject and film!

 Once they left, our cameras went back to the owl again:)

It's now nesting time for our owls here in Tucson and Southern Arizona.  I wonder "hoo" else is out there?:)

Trusting From Within

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Recently on a photo shoot for Altrusa(literacy group helping children get involved with reading), I found myself taking shots of random kindness.  I don't like people posing for the camera as I consider it "fake".  So with the zoom lens, I snapped shots from far away to get those heart warming moments without being noticed.

Altrusa wanted me to get shots of the kids having fun at the event. 

It transported me to another time.....my own childhood.  But it made me think. When and where had I switched over to "jaded"?  It wasn't my 20's.  But sometime in my early 30's, I lost sight of the adventure. Every day blurred into the other. One monotonous bore after another. Go to work.  Pay the bills.  Wake up and do it all over again. 

When I see this young lady smile, I see pure wonder and imagination.   However epic treks into the bird/wildlife world with a new camera made me engage that creative side again.  Plants and gardening were the gateway drugs into this world:)  And only recently do I feel like this little girl again.  I've got the whole world in my hands:)

Children trust and love unconditionally.  

Thanks to the tricky birds(like gnatcatchers), I am quick with my camera for those special moments.  Don't blink!  Or you'll miss it!  Parents always speak about those special moments with their children. It's the one that makes them cry because it touches the heart. It lasts for just a moment and makes teaching kids (or parenting them) worth it all. Then they go back to their savage ways and that pure magical moment quickly vanishes!  But it's that moment of perfection we all remember for life:)

Ladderback Woodpecker

Whether I'm out in nature or doing a photo shoot, I'm really learning a lot about myself and others.  It's very healing.  Of course, I do slip back to my old ways and a negative moment may surface, but I'm finding ways to stay positive and let the bad roll off my shoulders....and it's like every moment is perfection.

How do we build such a callous attitude towards others over our lifetime?   Maybe we were hurt.  Maybe we are afraid. Maybe this life is all too overwhelming and stressful......

Bronzed Cowbird

But maybe the parenting(or lack of) of the Bronzed Cowbird(above) has it right.  The female doesn't raise her own.  Instead she places her eggs into the nests of other bird species. Her babies will be raised by other parenting birds......and yet retain their own identity after all is said and done.  And that is how I look at my own life now. There is so much to learn and understand from people and critters about our natural world!  I'm like a kid in a candy store.  Granted, it can be a scary feeling because I want to see everything now!

Harris Hawk

First flight.  First sight.  Believing that we can do better each day.  Making that difference.  Everyday we wake up, there is a new challenge that awaits us. I am so appreciative for my friend and mentor Kathie for making each day a fun game. Instead of it being another day that is forgotten and blurred into the other, it has become one adventure after another.  She made me remember what I had forgotten.  Of course, I am also appreciative for our spouses.  They are supportive and understanding about this hobby of ours.  Sometimes they come with us and other times they stay home while we count birds in crazy places.  When I'm out in the field, all the stress vaporizes into thin air. There is a healing and wonderful feeling that comes from being out in nature.  I must trust that inner voice as it leads me down this path.  For the first time in my life, I don't have the answers.  Just this insatiable hunger to know more.   What will tomorrow bring?  I don't know, but stay tuned for more:)

Tumacacori

Table Manners!

Northern Flicker

We climbed through wind and snow to check on my friend's cabin up on Mt. Lemmon. I brought a secret stash of peanuts and pineapple(thanks to Kathie!) bits to call upon some old friends from last year.

Ski Valley

Getting there wasn't easy.  The desert was warm and breezy.  And yet 25 miles away, the frigid town of Summerhaven was covered with snow!  I had been losing ground with my bird count.  While my father was visiting, I had to take a backseat on the birding and it may have cost me the Rusty Blackbird.  But I still needed new bird species for this year.  I knew they were around my friend's cabin.  Just needed to call upon their appetites:)

And within 20 minutes of me calling out to them, the Steller's Jay came quickly.  I placed the bag of goodies on the wooden post and watched them fill up.  It was cold!!!

But the Northern Flicker heard me as well and popped up for a nut.....or two........good thing this Flicker had a bib;)

Steller's Jay

But I thought we were supposed to chew our food first!!! At least that's what my mother taught me:)  However, some birds, like the Jay, will stuff in as many nuts as they can fit into their mouths for later consumption.  Clever!

We had to walk through a blanket of snow to get to the cabin.  The roads had at least 9 inches of the white stuff.  And then there were the drifts! My feet took all day to thaw for this birding expedition!

But it was worth it:)  Later the Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers would join us around the feeders.

Acorn Woodpecker

The snow was gorgeous, but as you can see below, the cars were all lined up for skiing!  Of course this happens up in Ski Valley.  We drove up to this part to see if we could find a parking place for some hot chili.....but it was FULL!   So we headed back down to the village and ate there.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, all the birds were clearing off the food quickly.  One Jay turned into two, then three, then four, then five.....and SIX!  I can always rely on my Jays to call the crew in:)  Other birds will also follow these loud birds.  Before one knows it, there is a party going on!

And I welcomed that party as I was able to add 5 more birds onto my Pima county list.  None were lifebirds but they were all great birds to get on the list:)  Currently in the state of Arizona, I have found 185 species of the 314 birds reported!  More are on their way and things are going to heat up in March and April!

Our walk on Grosbeak road!  No Grosbeaks....yet:)

But on this day we froze:)  That's what I love about birding.  Each journey is strange and different. Personally, this was a fun day and I'm glad my friend had to check up on the cabin.

I would spot Steller's Jay, the White-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, Hairy Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker and Northern Flicker.  Plus I was able to get closeups of these birds at the feeders!

I practically had to put my feet into the furnace to revive their walking powers again.  We were numb from the cold!

It made for a very productive day in the photography and EBIRD department!  I love playing detective and I especially love all the fun that comes with the birds:) And my friend's cabin was fine:)  Until next time.....