Sycamore Canyon

Come Visit me at Kathie’s Birds!

2010-11-03T03:24:00.001-07:00

Follow this little Semi-palmated Plover over to my new blog

where you will read about my adventures in birding Plum Island in Massachusetts and other parts of New England and beyond, because, you see, I have moved away from Sycamore Canyon (at least for now).

Chapter 9 continued: Graham County and Lake Cochise

2010-10-18T03:34:00.000-07:00

Down, down, down we travel, down out of the mountains, down to the farmland of Safford where fields of crops flow away to mountain edges. Safford is a small but quaint town. Over all of it towers Mount Graham like some benevolent god, his craggy head lost today in the clouds of rain. Our time is growing short. We take a quick drive through Roper Lake State Park. I count 12 species here including a gorgeous male hooded oriole. This is a place I would definitely like to come back to if there were time.

Birds Seen At Roper lake SP:

Location: Roper Lake SP
Observation date: 8/1/10
Notes: We only had time for a quick drive into the park and out again. All species seen from car.
Number of species: 12
Mallard 12
Gambel's Quail 6
Turkey Vulture 3
White-winged Dove 2
Western Kingbird 1
raven sp. 2
Barn Swallow 2
Verdin 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Black-throated Sparrow 6
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Hooded Oriole 1
House Sparrow 3
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Other Birds seen in Various parts of Graham County:

Turkey Vulture
Rock pigeon
White-winged dove
Mourning dove
Eurasian collared-dove
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
Lark bunting
Great-tailed Grackle
House finch
House sparrow

All together I saw 19 species of birds in Graham county on this day.

In Wilcox we exit the highway to see what birds are hanging to at Lake Cochise near Twin Lakes Golf Course. It is a favorite birding area well known to people far and wide. On the road in I first find a killdeer wading in a puddle alongside the road…

…then I spot a Swainson’s Hawk resting on a utility pole. It is on Gus’ side of the car, so I hand him the D80 which has the 70-300mm lens on it and he snaps the shots off. The Swainson’s seems unconcerned by our presence.

Barn swallows 8-1-10

Western Kingbird 8-1-10

Lesser scaup? 8-1-10

At first we do not see any birds on the water other than what looks like a lone scaup resting on some rocks, but then,

as we start to travel the road that circles around the lake I find sandpipers and peeps. I am no good at shorebirds and all of these are in transition plumages.

Wilson’s Phalaropes 8-1-10

I snap shot after shot hoping to figure it all out when I get home.

I start to walk the dirt road while Gus is busy taking photographs.

Lake Cochise 8-1-10

Mountains and lake 8-1-10

Black-necked stilt in flight 8-1-10

In a distant pond I spot avocets and black-necked stilts. Then, as I am once again scanning the lake I see some birds with tiny heads spinning in the water across from me.

Now I am getting excited! I have only seen this species one time before at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. I am hoping these are what I think they are. I call excitedly to Gus, come and get me! We have to drive to the other side! I think I am seeing phalaropes!

Gus drives up and we round the bend to the other side. From this side we are closer and the setting sun is behind us giving me the best light. I see some other birders with cameras, bins and scopes. I am hoping they know more than I do about these birds so I walk over and introduce myself. I meet a woman named Linda Mack. She is from New Jersey and she has brought a birding tour here from there! She is able to enlighten me about the birds we are seeing. She tells me they are Wilson’s Phalaropes. She also had an Eared Grebe in her scope which she graciously lets me see. Then she tells me about the least and western sandpipers we are seeing. She also tells me there are Baird’s sandpipers in the mix. I have never seen a Baird’s so it would be a life bird for me but we keep talking and then some of her clients need her and I never get to see the Baird's. However, I have taken tons of photos. I can tell there are birds that are different from the others so I will upload my pictures and figure it all out later when I am home.

Gus and I drive away in the dusky light. We point our car west and follow the highway home for one last time. It has been a full day. Our hearts and minds and cameras are full of memories and photos. It will be hard to leave this place. There are so many places yet to explore but we have run out of time. I console myself with the fact that since I started this blog, almost all of those adventures are document here and I can read it for myself anytime. And perhaps someday when my kids are older and they start to wonder about their mother’s life, they will read this account also and know what their mother did in her “spare” time! Perhaps at least one of them will discover this passion for themselves.

Avocets 8-1-10

My World Tuesday

Location: Wilcox--Lake Cochise and Wilcox Golf Course
Observation date: 8/1/10
Notes: Met a woman named Linda Mack from New Jersey who was guiding a tour. She let me look through her scope. She was very nice and helpful.
Number of species: 12
Eared Grebe 1
Swainson's Hawk 1
Killdeer 6
Black-necked Stilt 4
American Avocet 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Western Sandpiper 8
Least Sandpiper 5
Wilson's Phalarope 40
Western Kingbird 2
Barn Swallow 6
Great-tailed Grackle 3
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

(all pictures enlarge with a click)

Blogger’s Note: This is a post I tried to publish before I left but I ran out of storage in Picasa Web Albums. I have now purchased more space and hope that this publishes when I press the button! If you are seeing this post then it worked!

Announcing my new blog: Kathie's Birds!

2010-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

What a trip it has been and there is still so much to do! I have now moved over to my new blog,

Kathie's Birds

Come visit me there and read about my further adventures in birding all across the USA!

Skywatch Friday: Windshield Sky

2010-08-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

Gus had fun with his camera under a Greenlee County Sky 8-1-10

Skywatch Friday

The Good-bye Chronicles: Chapter 10. Letting Go

2010-08-23T11:00:00.001-07:00

There is an old story I like to tell myself whenever we have to move again. I told it to myself when we left Utah to move down here. Now I remind myself of it once again. I do not remember where I first heard it but it goes like this.

A man lived in the jungle and wanted to catch a monkey for a pet. So, he put a peanut in the bottom of a narrow necked bottle and tied it to a stake. When the troop of monkeys came by in the afternoon one of the younger monkeys saw the bottle gleaming in the sunlight with the peanut in its depths. The monkey ambled over to the strange object, examined it, and reached inside the bottle. Its leathery hand clasped the peanut tightly excited about his treasure. But, as the monkey tried to extract the peanut form the bottle he could not do it. With its hand clutching the peanut tightly its fist was too large to remove from the bottle. Yet, if the monkey let go, it would not have its treasure. So, the monkey held on and screamed in frustration. The man heard the commotion and came running with a net and captured the monkey. For the rest of its days the monkey lived in confinement because he would not let go.

For me, I see this as a parable for my life. I cannot have the next thing if I do not let go of what I already have. I will be held captive by what is instead of gaining my freedom to reach for what could be. Mentally I had been going through this exercise for days on end interspersed with tears and sweet longing. I looked around my yard at all the plants I planted. I sat in my hot tub and looked at my mesquite tree. It barely reached above the top of the 6 foot wall when we moved here 3 ½ years ago, now it provides towering shade to the yard and shelter for the birds. I can’t help but think of it as “MY” mesquite tree and I wonder if the new owners of my house will love it and cherish it like I do. From a brief moment I feel selfish. I do not want to share my mesquite tree with anyone else! But of course, it does belong here and I must let it go.

So it is Thursday, August 5 that I wake in the morning with an intense feeling of sadness. I wander about the house and yard doing my morning chores of watering and feeding birds and pets. I wander aimlessly from room to room looking at each room, each vista with sadness. I ask myself, why do I feel this way? I am ready to go. I am ready for the next adventure, the next phase of my life. I do feel that this is the right thing to do, so why am I feeling so sad? Then it hits me. I want to go with Gus.

Our original plan was for Gus to leave first while I stay behind to deal with the house. Gus leaves this Saturday morning and I am staying for another 10 days to 2 weeks to get the house ready to show and to transition my son and his family in to live here until the house sells, IF it sells. The housing market here has suffered a severe blow and if we can sell our house at all it will be far below what we paid for it. It has become the most stressful part of this move. Anyway, I planned on flying back east towards the end of August so I could see my brother before he heads back to Florida for the winter and to help Gus search for our new home on the east coast. Then, I would fly back here at the beginning of October and stay until the movers come to pack up our stuff. Then Gus and I would drive across country with our pets and our other car and I would leave for good.

At first I liked this idea and I thought about all the birding I could do and all the adventures I could have while Gus was gone and I was free to do as I pleased. But this morning it finally occurred to me that I just want to go with him. We have always made these transitions together. We have had so many adventures with all the moves we have made. I no longer want to stay here and wait. I want to go now! So, I formulate new plan and spring it on Gus when he calls. What if, I say, instead of waiting for me to move out there in November I can get one of our sons to drive with me across the country with our car and out pets and I came now and stay there now and we both just fly back here when it’s time to pack up the house? Gus says, wow! I like that idea. And so we have a new plan.

The rest of the day I while I am cleaning house and doing laundry I am also planning. I pose the idea to two of my three sons to see which one might be able to go on this adventure with me. I am full of excitement now and as I look out the windows at the birds peacefully feeding I realize that I am finally ready to take down my bird feeders and say good-bye to the birds of Sycamore Canyon.

Update 8-23-10: I had another post to publish before this one with lots of bird photos and I wanted to add bird photos to this post but I keep getting a 403 error message saying “forbidden.” I think this means I have exceeded my limit to photos on Picasa Web Albums. I went to their site this morning but there is so much data to read through that I do not have time to figure all of this out right now. I am getting ready to drive across the country with my vehicle and my pets this week. My son, Chris, is flying in from Maine to make the drive with me. My son, G and his wife and my grandson Xavier are moving into our house to rent it until it sells. If it sells. We have not had one person come to look at the house yet. To add to the stress, my youngest son, Alex, left for the war in Afghanistan last week. I need to get an oil change done on the car today. So, I am posting this as my last post unless and until I can figure things out.

Skywatch Friday: Morenci Mine Scenic View

2010-08-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Morenci Mine 8-1-10 by Gusto! w/Nikon D90 18-200mm lens

Skywatch Friday

The Good-bye Chronicles: Chapter 9. Carpe Diem/Greenlee County

2010-08-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Black-throated sparrow in Greenlee county 8-1-10

Now, here is one of the hazards of my personality. As we blow past Wilcox and head north on route 191 I am starting to see so many birds along the roadway. I am so tempted to stop and when I discover that there are two state parks just south of Safford I want Gus to pull into them so we can count birds. But here is where he saves the day for he insists that we press on to Greenlee County first and then if we have time we can stop on our way back, so, on we go.

Route 191 takes a sharp turn east as we enter the town of Safford before turning north once again to Greenlee County. There are not a lot of towns on the map and this is the only road in this direction. Rolling hills covered in brush give way to distant mountains. I can still see ocotillo and prickly pear cactus scattered among the mountain grasses. The hills are getting steeper and closer together. We come to a junction of three highways. On eBird it is called Three Way. I see a rest area with signs for the Clifton Ranger Station. This looks like a promising place to count birds. As Gus turns the car around to head back to the spot I see my first birds in Greenlee County, a pair of mourning doves perched in a low tree.

The road winds up past the rest area to the ranger station, which is closed. We get out and each of us starts looking for the thing that excites us.

Gus is in pursuit of photos.

I am looking for birds.

He spots an abandoned drive-in theater below and snaps away. I hear birds but where are they? I walk slowly towards the sound and find a black-throated sparrow singing from the top of a bush.

In the distance I see turkey vultures, then a few more mourning doves fly by. That’s it. These are all the birds I see. We are here for half an hour, but this is all I see. As I am walking to the car finally a lone barn swallow flies by. I now have 4 species of birds counted in Greenlee County.

We could have turned back at this point but we press on. I want to count more birds and we both want to see what lies ahead. We follow route 191 north as it winds its way upwards. The road is getting ever steeper, the hills are closing in. We cross deep canyons on high bridges with names like Cougar Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon. I gaze far below me as we cross the low edged bridges. Suddenly we are climbing a steep hill and as we reach its crest and start down the small “town” of Clifton is revealed in the crevice of the earth.

Low gray houses like blocks sit on perched on the edges of steps or terraces carved into the mountainside. I realize that we are entering a mining town and these must be the company houses. Each one sits check to jowl with the other and under the currently cloudy skies all looks bleak and gloomy. How does anyone live like this? This place is so remote. It is hours from anywhere and crammed in this narrow canyon. Each house looks exactly like the other. There is no variety, no creativity. All is about function and making money.

The road levels out at the bottom of the town where the San Francisco River flows through the town. I do not know if it flows all the time but today it is brimming its banks. Railroad tracks cut though the town running parallel with the main street.

We find a little park tucked into the cleft of the mountain and pull in to park. The river flows by along the street and an iron railroad bridge crosses the river. Once again Gus is out taking photos while I count birds.

The river’s edge is lined thickly with willows and brush. I can hear a few birds but they are difficult to see in all the greenery. A white-winged dove flies into a branch overhead but takes off when it spots me. I think I can hear some kind of flycatcher but I do not see it and I am unsure of its call. I think I hear the “cheer, cheer, cheer” of a cardinal but I want to see it first to count it and it never appears. The sky overhead has grown black with thick clouds, a light shower is starting to fall.

Gus has crossed the bridge on the road to photograph the railroad bridge from the other side.

Suddenly the light shower turns into a downpour and I bolt for the car! Gus has no protection for his camera and I know he will not be able to get back here fast enough.

I can only hope he is seeking shelter near one of the abandoned buildings as I jump in and start the engine and head across the bridge as fast as I can. I see him hunched and walking swiftly towards an old building as I round the bend and beep my horn at him. I pull into the gravel parking lot nearby and he jumps into the car. He grabs some napkins to dry off his camera and then he holds it in front of the blowers.

From here we continue upwards to the town of Morenci. The sun has emerged once again as we park the car in this small town. This town must be older and newer. Homes are carved in to the cliffs. They are of varying styles and in various locations. We find a grocery store, a medical clinic, schools, gas stations and shopping centers. Little parks are tucked in everywhere and we even find a town pool. It feels a bit different here than in Clifton but looming over everything is the ever present copper mine. There are not a lot of birds here, but I find another black-throated sparrow. It seems they are everywhere along with mourning doves, white-winged doves and Eurasian collared doves. These species along with turkey vultures and barn swallows are all the species I find in Greenlee country except for a lone Cassin’s Kingbird. That is it. Oh, and a few house sparrows here at this corner where we have stopped.

Once again we get back in the car and head upwards. Now the road runs straight through the heart of the mine. It climbs numerous steep switchbacks through terraces of ochre, red, green and silver streaked earth. The colors of the rocks are amazing, but all is barren desolation around me. I see a turkey vulture searching the steep cliff sides and wonder what he could possible find to eat. This is certainly a place to die but you have to be able to live here first! We reach the crest of the mountain and we are both stuck by a stark contrast. On one side of the road the huge Coppermine drops into a multi- colored and multi-layered pit where trucks larger than a house haul chunks of rock away to be processed and dumped.

The mine is on the right side of us as we are heading north, but on our left is a spot with unspoiled landscape, rolling hills, mountain peaks, and rocky crags. It all tumbles away into a gorgeous vista.

I cannot help but think to myself, who saw all this beauty and said, let’s dig this up! I know I know, I am not a business man or a miner but really, is this worth it? How long will it take for this land to heal when and if they ever stop extracting these minerals? As if to emphasize the difference in our opinions and what we value we drove just a mile or two farther up the road where a sign is posted for a “Scenic view”.

We drive into the Scenic View parking lot where there is a Ramada for shade and gaze down into the depths of the mine. Behind us the unscathed landscape tumbles away to the horizon.

After leaving the Scenic View we drive a few miles more to the edge of the mine. It is now almost 3 p.m. and we realize we have to turn back. Out of curiosity I reset the car’s trip meter to see how many miles of road are within the boundaries of the mine. It takes us 20 minutes to cover the 12 miles of road from border to border. I have no idea just how wide this mine is, but it sure does take up a big chunk of the landscape.

Birds Seen In Greenlee County 8-1-10

Turkey Vulture
Eurasian Collared-dove
Mourning Dove
White-winged dove
Cassin’s Kingbird
Barn Swallow
Black-throated sparrow
House sparrow

The Good-bye Chronicles: Chapter 9. Carpe Diem/Texas Canyon

2010-08-15T01:48:00.000-07:00

Texas Canyon 8-1-10

It is Gus’ last weekend here with me. We have been taking care of last minute details for the past two days. The company Gus works for has every other Friday off so we spent Friday and Saturday doing errands. We bought him some new clothes, had his truck repaired, cleaned out his closet, got rid of old clothes and shoes. By Saturday night we were beat.

We both woke up early this Sunday morning around 6 a.m. It is a cool gray morning, cool enough to jump in the hot tub, so we get into our suits and climb in to the steaming water and let the bubbles roar! The hot tub is only a few steps out our bedroom door. We just bought it this year a couple of months ago. We were finally settling down and investing in our lives here. Two weeks after we bought it the lay-offs started. Now here we are enjoying every moment in it that we can. Having the hot tub has really made living here feel like we are on a permanent vacation.

We sit in the bubbling water and watch the birds watch us. They fly to the feeders to feed and land in the nearby trees that we planted. The hummingbirds fly over our heads to the feeders on the windows. We laugh at their antics as they battle each other for food. Two Costa’s hummingbirds face off in a beak to beak battle as they ascend in a frantic spiral which ends with one flying off and the other in hot pursuit. I love my life here! In the sky above the wash the purple martins fly and twitter joyously. I think they sound like one of the happiest birds around. It seems to me they revel in the feeling of the wind beneath their wings!

As we sit here in the hot tub watching birds I start to think of the few chores we still have left to do. Gus was going to hang a mirror for me and fix a leaky faucet. But this is our last free day together and I start to formulate a plan. I pose the idea to Gus. What if instead of fixing the sink and cleaning out the rest of your closet we just take off for the day? We can drive to Graham and Greenlee counties to see what we can see and go count birds. He thinks about it for about five seconds and then agrees. We both think it will be good to get away from all the moving stress, so we quickly shower, eat breakfast, pack up the car and head east on I-10.

Graham and Greenlee counties are two of the least birded counties in all of Arizona. In fact, only 5 people have submitted bird counts from Greenlee County. I counted birds one time in Graham County last year when we drove up there late one afternoon in the autumn just so I could say I had been there. I only counted birds in the town and at a couple of spots along the roadside. We didn’t have much time and darkness was falling as we drove out of town for the 2 hour ride home. On that visit I counted 8 species of birds. Now I am hoping to add to that total, plus add another whole county onto my list. I have never been to Greenlee County so I have no idea what to expect.

Greenlee County is on the eastern border of Arizona running vertically along the border with New Mexico. It is not an easy county to access from where I live. There are few roads into it and when I googled directions to get to a town called Alpine it actually suggested a route through Lordsburg, New Mexico and up through the Gila Mountains. It said it would take 4 hours! Well, we don’t have time for that today, but we can get into the southernmost tip of Greenlee county by traveling through Safford and so we head east through Cochise County.

Our first stop is at Texas Canyon, a rocky rest area along I-10. This is one of those places we have passed by every time we head east and we always say, “We need to stop there someday!” Well, today is the day. Who knows when another “someday” will come? We pull into the rest area and park.

Huge boulders are strewn around the landscape. They are piled into mountains on both sides of the road. They tower above us in the picnic area and we see other tourists climbing about and taking pictures.

I can hear a few birds as we open the car doors but to my disappointment I see that most of the rocks are fenced off. You can look but don’t touch. I gaze across the boulder strewn field through a tall chain link fence. It makes it difficult to take photographs but there are a few spots where one can aim over the fence and get a decent shot. Gus and I both have our cameras so we are both taking pictures, though I am more interested in birds. I hear some chatter from beyond the fence and spot a scrub jay in the brush.

Overhead a few barn swallows swoop and a few land on the roof antenna of the caretaker’s house. Along the parking lot I find some house sparrows and one western kingbird. Over the open desert turkey vultures ride thermals on great dark wings.

As I walk along the fence line I find a sign posted warning that this area contains poisonous snakes and insects. I am suddenly made conscious of my feet clad only in sandals, poor protection from this type of hazard. I now watch wear I place each step and head back to the car.

It was fun to stop here and see what I could see, but this is only Cochise County and Gus and I are both ready to continue our trek east to my real goal of counting birds in Graham and Greenlee counties, but I am glad that we finally stopped to see Texas Canyon! (See links and info below)

My World Tuesday

Birds seen:

Location: Texas Canyon Rest Area
Observation date: 8/1/10
Notes: Stopped here to look a rocks and count birds on our way to Graham and Greenlee counties.
Number of species: 9
Turkey Vulture 3
Gila Woodpecker 1
Western Kingbird 1
Western Scrub-Jay (Woodhouse's) 1
Barn Swallow 5
Northern Mockingbird 1
Canyon Towhee 1
House Finch 3
House Sparrow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Update: after Reading Gaelyn’s comment I went out and did some research and discovered that most of Texas Canyon is owned by either the Amerind Foundation or the Triangle T Guest Ranch. The Triangle T also has RV spaces for rent. You can find information about Texas Canyon by clicking on these links:

Skywatch Friday: Safford Sky

2010-08-12T22:20:00.001-07:00

Clouds and crops in Safford, AZ 8-1-10 by Gusto! w/Nikon D90

Before Gus left for Boston we had one last Hurrah and spent the day in Graham and Greenlee counties. I chose to go here because these are two of the least birded counties in all of Arizona. Armed with Cameras and binoculars, Gus took pictures with the D90 and the 18-200mm lens while I counted birds and took pictures with the D80 and the 70-300mm lens. Story and pictures to follow soon, including bird counts and lists.

Skywatch Friday

Sycamore Canyon Update

2010-08-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

Costa’s hummingbird 7-31-10 My backyard

It has been crazy busy around here the past 10 days getting ready for Gus to leave and getting the house ready for the realtor to take pictures and put the house on the market. I have more stories to tell and pictures to show. The house photos are done and I am working on new post to publish very soon.

Here in Sycamore Canyon the Monsoon has receded for now and we have blue skies with temperatures rising into he 100’s once again. Below are some shots I took on the last day of July when the Monsoon was in full swing.

Backyard terrace, our favorite place to sit and eat breakfast or watch the sunset.

View to the west as seen from the terrace 7-31-10

View to the south of Mt. Fagan as seen from the terrace 7-31-10

View of the garden with a hummingbird at rest 7-31-10

That’s MY World Tuesday!

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 8: It’s Never Too Late for Another Life Bird!

2010-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Western Screech Owl Life Bird #385

Pam’s Backyard View of the Catalina Mountains 7-23-10

Black-throated sparrow on Ocotillo 7-23-10

Juvenile Abert’s Towhee 7-23-10

My friend and IBA partner has invited me to come to her house near the Catalina Mountains to see the Western Screech Owl that hangs out in her eaves. I have never seen a Western Screech Owl, so I am eager to visit and see this bird for myself. But there is another reason for me to go. Pam will be leaving soon for a three month long trek around the western mountains. She will leave on August 1st and I will be gone before she returns. This is my last chance to see her before I go. I arrive at her house around 9 a.m. and she shows me where “Olivia,” as she has affectionately named her, hangs out. I peek quietly around the corner at the object of my desire and marvel at the soft gray beauty of her.

Pam and I spend the rest of the morning drinking ice water and chatting in the shade of her back patio. We talk about the future and our plans and where we have been and where we will go. It all seems so casual and normal to me and finally the hours have ticked away and it is time to say good-bye. Another friend has come to visit and Pam introduces us and then we walk to my car. I say a calm good-bye and get inside and close the door. Pam and friend turn their backs to walk into the house through the garage. All is well, but then it hits me like a load of limestone! I will not see her again!

Suddenly I am out the door and chasing Pam into the garage. “Pam! Pam!” I call out frantically. I run to her and hug her. I am crying now. “I will not see you again,” I say! “I am going to miss you!” Pam hugs me back as I cry on her shoulder. Now we have said a proper good-bye. I wipe my eyes and turn back to my car. Now I really know. Now it has really hit me. I am really moving and there are more good-byes to say.

This one is just the beginning.My World Tuesday

Birds Seen at Pam’s House today:

Location: Pam's backyard
Observation date: 7/23/10
Notes: Watched birds with Pam from her yard. Storm clouds over the Catalinas. Hot and humid. Got pictures of screech owl. My first time ever seeing one!
Number of species: 18
Gambel's Quail 2
Turkey Vulture 4
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
White-winged Dove 15
Mourning Dove 6
Western Screech-Owl 1 ****Lifer! It hangs out on the patio under the roof line on top of a brick ledge.
Costa's Hummingbird 2
Gila Woodpecker 1
Common Raven 1
Purple Martin (Desert) 2 Chasing Cooper's hawk
Verdin 1
Cactus Wren 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
Abert's Towhee 1
Black-throated Sparrow 2
House Finch 12
House Sparrow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

The Good-Bye Chronicles Chapter 7: Sweetwater Wetlands

2010-08-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpipers on eastern mudflats 7-22-10

It is two days after we have an answer when I meet Donna Simonettie at Sweetwater Wetlands. She has come to town for a concert and we agree to meet here to go birding. Sweetwater is a place I learned about when I first did my Important Bird Area Training almost 3 years ago now. It is one of my favorite places in the Tucson area to go birding and I always come away with a rather large list of birds. An oasis in the desert, Sweetwater attracts all kinds of birds from the typical desert favorites to the exotic tropical species. It is a manmade wetlands formed from treated wastewater. One never knows what they will find here.

Cliff Swallows on reeds 7-22-10

I meet Donna in the parking lot and we grab our gear and head for the trail. The air hangs heavy and humid and soon a light shower is falling. I head back to the car to grab a plastic bag to cover my camera with. I do not think the shower will last long, but any amount of water on my camera is not good. We head for the path once again and right off the bat we are seeing birds. Swallows fill the sky as we cross the bridge over the manmade creek. Purple matins are mixed in with the swallows and Donna informs me this is a life bird for her.

Desert Spiny Lizard on wall 7-22-10

I told Donna about our planned move when she first arrived, but now we are lost in the birds of this wetland. I keep telling her that there are not many birds here today. It seems so quiet. The birds are quiet, but they are here. With cameras at the ready and binoculars in hand, we scan the ponds, the trees and the reeds. We watch the sky for birds. Some sort of rodent scurries along the path and disappears into the reeds. Off to the east we scan the drainage ponds for birds. Here we find killdeer, sandpipers and black-necked stilts. There are more birds than we can positively identify for some small sandpipers are far across on the mudflats and neither of us has a spotting scope, so we do the best we can with our bins and cameras and wait to enlarge blurry pictures at home. Some birds we just have to let go, but we do get a good look at a solitary sandpiper that is close by as well as a spotted sandpiper and a couple of Leasts.

Who’s hiding here?

We catch the flight of a Harris Hawk overhead circling on dark wings with chestnut shoulders. We see the characteristic white tail coverts as the bird flies overhead. I know that a family of Harris Hawks nests nearby and this is a reliable place to see them. Then Donna spots a Kestrel and we add that species to our list. The brief rain shower stopped awhile ago and now the sun is out turning all the cool moisture to hot steam. I feel its affects and cling to the edge of the trail where I can stay in the shade of willows and cottonwoods. I see a shape like a stump up in a willow and train my binoculars on it. Is is a bird? I call Donna to have a look and we both wonder and hope that we are seeing a bittern, but it turns out to be a juvenile Green Heron trying to blend in with the branch. It keeps a wary eye on us as we pass by, then flies farther across the pond for refuge.

Common Moorhen 7-22-10

In the winter there are so many ducks here in these ponds but for today we are only seeing mallards with a few ruddy ducks, a pied-billed grebe and a couple of teals. There are usually more birds than this I say as we walk on.

Greater Earless Lizard 7-22-10

There are no lack of lizards, however, and we have seen several kinds, including desert spiny lizards, zebra tails, a greater earless lizard, and a possible tiger whiptail.

Ruddy Duck and Neotropic Cormorant 7-22-10

In the farthest ponds we find great egrets, more mallards, a few neotropic cormorants and some green-winged teals. We have been here for a couple of hours now and my list is getting longer. We have been seeing kingbirds and we are wondering, are any of these Tropical Kingbirds? We find a western kingbird at the far edge of the wetlands near the open desert and a large wash. Across the street we see the Rogers Road wastewater treatment plant and there on the fence is a Cassin’s Kingbird with its dark gray head and white throat. We follow the paths back into the interior of the ponds where we see 3 other kingbirds perched at various heights on a cottonwood tree.

Tropical Kingbird 7-22-10

They are all silent in the heat of the day but they are not shy and we are both able to snap away. Our photos reveal the typical notched tail, brighter yellow breast and the faint mask of the tropical kingbird. This is a life bird for Donna and we stand there enjoying the moment. I am remembering that I saw my first one here last year and this is only my second sighting of this species. Last year they we flying about chattering away. This calm bird is so different from the behavior I observed last year, but I am beginning to think these kingbirds have more sense than me! The sun has risen higher and with it the temperature and the humidity! I feel like I am melting! Donna and I make our way to the gazebo where we sit in the shade and talk and watch birds. I am starting to realize that I have filled several pages of my notebook. I wonder how many species we have seen after all. After telling Donna all morning long that there are not many birds here today we end up with a list of 48 species of birds! Not bad for 3 1/2 hours of birding!

We say good-bye at the parking lot, not knowing when or if we will see each other again. I first met Donna just a couple of months ago when we went birding together in Portal. Donna is like Dawn and Jeff Fine and I. We can bird all day long without getting tired, but today the heat and humidity have gotten to me. I am ready to get in my car and go home. I drive away from Sweetwater with so many sweet memories of birding here with friends and by myself. My heart if brimming with thankfulness for ever moving here and finding this magical place.

Who hatched from these eggs? We found them along one of the paths. They were soft and leathery, a sweet gift of nature that we both enjoyed seeing. If you have any idea, please tell me!

Location: Sweetwater Wetlands
Observation date: 7/22/10
Notes: Birding w/Donna Simonetti. Cloudy with a light sprinkle when we first arrived, then the sun came out and it got hot and humid. We walked the entire perimeter of the ponds.
Number of species: 49
Mallard 65
Green-winged Teal (American) 2 smaller than mallard; small,dark bill; mottled cinnamon brown; green wing bar
Ruddy Duck 8
Gambel's Quail 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Neotropic Cormorant 3
Great Egret 2
Green Heron 1 gray back, streaked neck
Turkey Vulture 1
Harris's Hawk 3
American Kestrel 1
Common Moorhen 6
American Coot 12
Killdeer 8
Black-necked Stilt 20
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Western Sandpiper 3
Least Sandpiper 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
White-winged Dove 30
Mourning Dove 7
Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
hummingbird sp. 1
Gila Woodpecker 6
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 3
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Tropical Kingbird 3 notched tail
Cassin's Kingbird 1 dark gray head and back, white cheek/throat square tail with pale tip. No white side tail feathers
Western Kingbird 1 pale yellow belly,white side tail feathers at farthest end of ponds near open desert and wash
Bell's Vireo 1
Purple Martin (Desert) 2
Barn Swallow 6
Cliff Swallow 14
Cactus Wren 2
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 6 heard all over and saw 1 singing from branch of tree over pond
Abert's Towhee 3
Song Sparrow 1
Western Tanager 2
Red-winged Blackbird 35
Great-tailed Grackle 30
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 6
Lesser Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Greater Roadrunner 1 (I saw this bird while I was waiting for Donna to arrive)

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 6. We Have an Answer

2010-07-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Skywatch Friday Sycamore Canyon Sunset 7-17-10

July 20, 2010

I awaken in the middle of the night hot and restless. The night is calling to me. Through the closed door I hear the soft dripping of recent rain from the downspouts. I slide my door open and step out onto the patio into air scented with the sweet ashy smell of creosote bush. It’s just before four a.m., but I hear birds twittering. Though it is almost pitch dark, I hear them singing somewhere, if they are birds at all. It sounds like the friendly chirping of purple martins, but do they fly at night? The lights of Tucson illuminate the undersides of the soft gray clouds above, but I do not see any bird silhouettes passing under them. Could it be toads or frogs? Could there be that many around here? Do they sound like birds? I realize that I have yet another desert mystery to solve.

I take the two steps up onto the terrace and gaze off to the north and west. The hum of air-conditioning units fills the air as one after another turns on. In the distance I hear what sounds like a loud motorcycle shifting through its gears, then it fades away. After another hot and steamy day here yesterday the rain cooled air caresses my skin softly. It lifts the night heat from me. I fold my arms across my chest. My nightgown flutters in the breeze. I stand here and think about what it will mean to leave this place. Today could be the day we know for sure. I stand here listening to the morning sounds, drinking in the scent and the feel of the night in this place. I want to preserve this memory. I may need it someday. Eventually I turn and head back inside. Chilled now, I crawl under the warm covers and Gus instinctively wraps his arm around me. Soon I drift off to sleep.

A bad dream awakens me 3 hours later. It’s one of those dreams where one of my children is in trouble and I can’t find them to help them. It’s one of those dreams where you feel all the emotions as if it were real as if it were happening. I resist waking up. I want to save my child. Finally consciousness frees me from my terror. I am here in my bedroom in Sycamore Canyon and everyone is safe.

Due to the rain of the previous night I do not have to water the flowers today. I filled all the bird feeders yesterday, so I am almost free. I visit Sherri in the morning, then return home to watch birds and blog away the day. It is afternoon when Gus calls me. He got an email with an offer from the company in Boston. Now I will know. Now it will be decided. Gus tells me that he will take the offer.

We are going to move.

The Good-bye Chronicles

Skywatch Friday

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 5: A Return to the Beginning

2010-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Saguaro National Park Rincon Mt. Unit 7-18-10

July 18, 2010

Sunday morning. It’s hot. It’s humid, but we decide to take a drive anyways. I want to drive through Saguaro National Park’s Rincon unit, for it is where it all began. When we first moved here 3 years ago I used to come here all the time. We were staying in the studio apartment then waiting to find someplace to live. One day while Gus was at work I drove over to Saguaro National Park and bought a National Parks pass. This allowed me to go in as often as I wanted to without paying each and every time.

Saguaro NP 7-18-10

Saguaro National Park is divided into two separate units. The Tucson Mountain Unit sits on the west side of town and it was the first part of the park we visited before we even moved down here. It was while we were visiting our kids for Thanksgiving in 2006 that Gus decided he wanted to live where he can wear shorts in the wintertime. We went home to Utah from that trip and Gus started applying for jobs. Within three months we were living here. The eastern portion of Saguaro National Park is actually the largest, but very few people make it into the back country. I must say that I never have. However, the park is still quite enjoyable from the 7 mile loop road and the few trails I have accessed from below. Now, as we drive through the gate this Sunday morning memories of those other visits come rushing back and as we drive I am well aware that this might be the last time I get to do this.

Saguaro and Ocotillo 7-18-10

We have both cameras with us, but I am using my binoculars and counting birds as we go. For once Gus is stopping without me having to ask him. He is taking pictures of everything. I can tell that he is well aware of the fact that it could be a very long time before we see any of this again. Whenever he stops to take pictures I count birds. Suddenly we are like tourists once again and every cactus seems amazing to us.

Saguaro Blossom 7-18-10

Prickly Pears 7-18-10

Cholla Cactus 7-18-10

Prickly pears 7-18-10

Prickly pear cactus 7-18-10

Flowering Pincushion Cactus 7-18-10

Though it is only around 9:30 a.m. the temperature has started to rise. Accompanied by the humidity, it’s quite uncomfortable out there. Thankfully we are in an air-conditioned car, though the sound of the motor running drowns out the birds. At our next stop I shut the car off and Gus wants to know why. I tell him I cannot hear the birds. He goes back to photographing a cactus and I listen and watch. White-winged doves are everywhere, but I have seen a few purple martins, a couple of flycatchers and some Gila woodpeckers. Turkey vultures circle above in the clear blue sky. Will they find anything that has died on this hot day? I suspect they will.

The road winds up through a cactus forest. The Rincon Mountains loom before us. We stop at a favorite overlook, then get back in the car and drive as the road bends back toward the city. Soon all of Tucson is spread before us. In the distance the Tucson Mountains punctuate the skyline. It’s almost noontime now and the heat makes it impossible to drive with windows open. We view the world from within this steel and glass air-conditioned cage. It is not quite how I would choose to experience the park, but I am not in favor of passing out from the heat and humidity.

Gus seems obsessed with dead and dying saguaros on this day. I wonder if he is making the connection between his subject matter and the end of our life here in Tucson. I certainly do.

Old man cactus with arms 7-18-10

After an hour and 40 minutes and 6.5 miles of driving I counted 18 species of birds on this day. The most numerous species were white-winged doves. I counted at least 40 of them. Our days here are probably limited. I am torn between wanting to visit old haunts to say good-bye and trying to see other places that I never got to. How will I choose what to do? Will I have time to do any of it? I will not have any answers until later on this week. How does one say good-bye to the land and the place they love?

Saguaro NP Rincon Mountains 7-18-10

(All of today’s photos were taken by Gusto! with the Nikon D90)

Birds Seen Today In Saguaro National Park Rincon Mt Unit

Location: Saguaro NP--Rincon Mt Unit
Observation date: 7/18/10
Notes: Drove through the park slowly with Gus. Stopped a few places along the way.
Number of species: 18
Gambel's Quail 4
Turkey Vulture 6
White-winged Dove 40
Mourning Dove 2
Gila Woodpecker 12
Gilded Flicker 4
Ash-throated Flycatcher 2
Brown-crested Flycatcher 3
Purple Martin (Desert) 2
Verdin 2
Cactus Wren 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 4
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2
Black-throated Sparrow 4
Pyrrhuloxia 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

The Good-bye Chronicles

Kathie’s Poet Tree

Sycamore Canyon Birds

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 4: Dawn

2010-07-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

July 14, 2010

5:00 a.m. I step out the door under a blanket of clouds. The scent of rain and creosote bush perfumes the air. I am surprised to hear a choir of Purple martins already singing the day awake. In the distance the lights of Tucson are strung along the horizon like illuminated rhinestones. The neighborhood is waking up and I watch as one car after another pulls out of their garage and heads down the street. Soon the sun will rise and this dim darkness will fade to a bright gray, but if the clouds do not break up I will not see the sun.

Sonoran Desert Toad 7-3-10 under the spigot

However, I am already feeling the effects of the steaminess from the pending Monsoon rain. This is the second time this week the clouds have gathered and we have been denied. We are still waiting for rain. The parched ground and our parched psyches all long for that sweet relief, but it has yet to come. The Sonoran Desert Toads are waiting to sing their wild mating songs. For a few weeks now they have been hanging out in my yard under the hose spigot and in my flower beds. At night they languish in the bird bath and soak up moisture, but this is not what they need to breed and reproduce. They need a downpour, an onslaught of rain, a flash flood to get their blood boiling and their reproductive glands inspired. But it has not happened, yet. Perhaps today will be the day.

I view each moment like this now as if it will be my last one here. I wonder if I will remember this intensity when I am in New England. Gus went for his job interview while my sister and my son were here. Now we are just waiting for an offer like the desert waits for rain. Will this be a new dawn for us? I bounce back and forth between emotions. I think of all the things I will get to do in New England, the places I will go. Then I think of all the things I have done here and the things I have yet to do, the places I have yet to go. How can I do it all? I want to.

As I have gotten older and we have traveled and moved around this country I realize more and more how much I love to travel. I want to see new places and experience new things. For me this desire is now amplified by my love of birds and birding. Since moving here to Sycamore Canyon, starting my blog, learning to eBird, and joining Tucson Audubon each trip I take, each place I go now has a new dimension added as I write and count the birds. Each place I visit is now accompanied by the list of birds I saw while I was there. Since moving here to Arizona I have seen 249 species of birds in this place, and I know there are so many more I have yet to see, but I am already looking forward to new birds in new places! I can only wonder if I will still feel this way when it is winter and there is a foot of snow on the ground!

Dawn in Sycamore Canyon 5-27-07

For this morning I have only one decision to make: Do I get dressed and go for a walk before it gets too hot, or do I stay inside and write while it is quiet and my creative juices are flowing? I think I’ll choose the Dawn.

Mt. Fagan Morning 5-24-07

The Good-bye Chronicles

My World Tuesday

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 3: Waiting

2010-07-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Desert Spiny Lizard 7-6-10 My Backyard

July 6, 2010

This day has started with golden sunshine streaming through my bedroom window as Gus heads off to work. Perhaps today we will know more. Perhaps today the waiting will end.

Pyrrhuloxia 7-5-10 My Yard

I get up and start my morning routine of feeding pets and counting birds. I smile as I see a fat collared lizard doing its warming push-ups on the block wall in the bright morning sun. I have plenty of things to do today while I wait. As usual, there are bird feeders to fill and plants to water. I watch a small rabbit nibble on the seed block. I count the birds out my windows. I look at each species differently now and realize that these will not be my backyard birds anymore if we move away. There are no Canyon Towhees in New England. I will not see Pyrrhuloxias or Cactus Wrens there. I do not take these birds for granted here, but I have relaxed with them and count on seeing them everyday. If one species does not show up I notice. I have become accustom to the rhythms of their life here in Sycamore Canyon. It has become my rhythm. Will I carry this song with me if we leave?

In the afternoon I visit my friend, Sherri. Her yard looks out over a larger green space than mine. The mesquite trees and Palo Verdes create a dense light green canopy over the desert. I can see a few birds here and there as they fly over the wash and across this ribbon of green. A male cardinal pops up to sing from a branch, its color a bright red spot in all that feathery green. The desert is full of doves, both mourning and white-winged. In the heat of the day they seek refuge in shade and do not move about so much. They, too, are waiting, but they wait for rain.

House finches 7-14-10 My yard

This day passes slowly. The heat drives me inside. There is no word today. All I can do is wait.

Chapter 3 of The Good-bye Chronicles

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 2: Ambivalence

2010-07-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

July 5, 2010

We’ve been in the house all day and I just need to get outside so I ask Gus to take me for a ride before the sun sets. We head south on the Sonoita Highway as the sun dips behind the Santa Rita Mountains. The rolling hills around me are casting deep shadows as we drive past the possible future site of the Rosemont Mine. I can’t help but wonder if I go away, will this still be this way when I come back? Right now the gentle slopes rise unblemished to the sky, but for how long?

We pass over the crest of the hill and drop down on the south side. On my right is Greaterville Road and the way through Box Canyon to Madera Canyon. I know that there is good birding in there, but we will not be going that way at this time of night. Instead we pass the Border Patrol Checkpoint and turn left into Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. By now the sun has slipped beneath the horizon and all that remains is the soft glow of dusk. I immediately spot a Red-tailed Hawk in an old oak tree. I think he was in that same tree when I first came here 3 year ago. A Mockingbird flies up and lands nearby, its white wing and tail patches flashing as it flies. It is in no danger from the Red-tail, which eats mostly mammals instead of birds.

The rolling grassland of Las Cienegas is spread before us. We drive slowly down the dirt road with windows open, all senses alert. The air is much cooler here and I feel its coolness wash over me, cleansing me from the 100 degree heat of the day. We watch as the car’s thermometer drops into the 80’s and finally into the 70’s before we leave. Now, as we drive down the road I hear the soft twitter of sparrows, a thin “zeet zeet” in the grass, and some raucous chatter I do not recognize, nor can I find in the long grasses and fading light. What are you? Where are you? I just want to know who you are!

Lillian’s Eastern Meadowlark 7-5-10

We only drive a little under 3 miles before we turn back for home. It has taken us an hour to do this and now twilight has descended around us. As we pause at the end of the road I can see Venus, Mars and Jupiter all lined up in the western sky. Their line is tilted upwards, as if pointing to the heavens. I feel my spirits lifted even as a sadness settles within my soul. This is such a great place to live. It is so beautiful here. The weather is great and the scenic beauty is outstanding. There are so many habitats, so many places to see. I have only lived here three years and I have barely scratched the surface.

When I was a teenager we always had spelling words to learn for a weekly spelling test in high school. One week the teacher gave us the word, “ambivalence.” I had never heard the word before but when I looked up the definition I was astonished. It became my word, my definition of how I feel much of the time. Ambivalence means to feel two strong conflicting emotions at the same time. This could be my middle name! It is how I am feeling right now. I do not want to leave this place, yet I am excited about new possibilities and new adventures. But how can I leave this beauty and this wild life? Has Arizona gotten into my soul and become my new love?

We stop at the Roadrunner Market in Corona de Tucson on our way home. It is pitch dark by now and Gus goes into the store while I step out and walk to the corner of the parking lot to watch Lesser Nighthawks whirl through the sky. They are hunting insects drawn to the bright street lights at the intersection. Their bat-like flight is erratic at best as they fly in and out of the darkness. I stand there silent and alone drinking it all in, trying desperately to preserve this memory in case I need it on some cold New England winter night to get me through.

Ambivalence.

This story begins in the previous post: Knowing

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 1: Knowing

2010-07-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

Sunset in Sycamore Canyon 7-17-10

July 5, 2010

I have known for 2 weeks that this was possible but so much has been going on. First my son arrived for his last visit before he goes to war in Afghanistan, then my sister arrived for her 50^th birthday. While she was here Gus went off for an interview in the Boston area for a new job. I thought we were going to make it here. We both thought we would retire here. We had made it past the three year mark by which we had usually moved. We thought our job was secure in spite of the downturn in the economy. We never thought this would happen. So, we bought a new refrigerator and installed a hot tub. Two weeks later the company my husband works for laid off 250 people. A few weeks after that the program he worked for downsized. He found himself adrift in an unstable situation. Thus his search was launched to find a new job. And so it was that while Alex was home and my sister was here that Gus was in Boston interviewing for a new job.

Gus returned the same night my son left. My sister left the next morning. Now here I am trying to memorize every moment, every bird, every sunset, every star-filled night. The Sonoran desert toad that pokes its head out in the evening makes me smile. Every hummingbird that comes to my feeder makes me wonder if there will be anyone to fill the feeders for them this fall when the fall migration starts and 5 to 6 species of hummingbirds stop by to feed on their way south.

Last year I had a hard time keeping 5 hummingbird feeders full for their voracious appetites. Who will feed the hummingbirds now? Or the bats?

September into October is the migration of the Lesser Long-nosed bats. The bats know my yard now. They know they can count on food at this location. Will there be anyone here this year to feed the bats? Will anyone else care if they have something to eat?

In an effort to make each moment count and in light of the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico I see how every bird count I do in this area matters. I cannot go to the gulf to count birds, though I would in a heartbeat if I could, but I can count birds here.

Female Hooded Oriole 6-28-10 My Backyard

Already the bird populations have changed since I moved in here. Just down the slope from my house the building boom has resumed and there have been over 200 houses added to the once open desert where nighthawks and western kingbirds hunted in summer and raptors soared in the winter. This year the birds are finding their hunting ground gone, replaced by homes set cheek to jowl on hot paved roads where rabbits and ground squirrels succumb to overzealous and inattentive drivers. Where I used to hear great-horned owls on a regular basis, I have not heard one in a very long time. The birds are either moving up or down the mountain into more remote hunting grounds, but if the proposed copper mine goes in, all of this could change even more. The bird counts I do now will document how it was, in case it does change. In case our own version of an Oil Spill happens here.

I was quite surprised when I researched my eBird records to discover that I have done relatively few bird counts in the greater Sycamore Canyon area. While I count birds almost every day from my own yard, my bird counts of various areas in Sycamore Canyon have not been consistent. Though I have lived here for over three years I was surprised to see that I had only submitted bird counts for the park area 23 times. In response to this knowledge I have been down to the park counting birds three times in the past week, and I plan on going more. I feel the urgency of collecting as much data as I can before I go. If I go.

Female Costa’s Hummingbird 7-19-10

For now we wait. We will know in about a week what Our Fate will be. And then, I will really start to say “Good-Bye.”

Skywatch Friday: Layers

2010-07-23T06:36:00.001-07:00

Santa Rita Mountains 7-22-10

Rainbow over Sycamore Canyon 7-22-10

With the monsoon in full swing I see storm clouds every day now and in the evening we have gorgeous sunsets. The billowy gray and white clouds brings out the layers in the sky and the mountains. I so love the way the desert looks at this time of year, and though I did not get any rain at my house yesterday I did get to enjoy this gorgeous rainbow in the evening.

Skywatch Friday!

Go visit!

My World: My Own Peaceable Kingdom

2010-07-20T12:44:00.001-07:00

Male Gambel’s Quail 7-13-10

On any given day I see so many creatures in and around my yard.

Female Gambel’s Quail 7-13-10

Desert cottontail 7-8-10

One day earlier this month I looked out the front window to see this bunny rabbit resting beneath my gold star (yellow bells) bush. I smiled even wider when I noticed a covey of juvenile Gambel’s quail lying beneath the same bush snuggled into the stones and the shade like little gray buns in an oven. Perched on the branches of this same bush and just over the bunny’s head was a juvenile pyrrhuloxia. In the upper branches of that same bush Lesser-goldfinches and Costa’s Hummingbirds were feeding or perching. That is when I realized I have my own little peaceable kingdom right here in my own yard. Throughout the rest of this month other birds and creatures have appeared. Often they are most comfortable in the company of other species.

Juvenile Brown-headed cowbird 7-5-10

Juvenile Pyrrhuloxia 7-5-10

Desert spiny Lizard 7-17-10

Male Costa’s hummingbird 7-19-10 hiding in honeysuckle vine

Female Costa’s Hummingbird 7-19-10 feeding

Male Brown-headed cowbird 7-13-10

Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird drinking from fountain with female House Finch 7-13-10

Black-headed Grosbeak 7-20-10

MY World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday: Finally it Rained!

2010-07-15T11:16:00.001-07:00

Thunderstorm in Sycamore Canyon 7-14-10 2:09 PM MST

Drenched Costa’s hummingbird 7-14-10

Skywatch Friday!

So…Who Ate The Rabbit?

2010-07-12T14:13:00.001-07:00

Desert cottontail carcass 7-9-10 (Read the beginning of this story here)

All day long the rabbit lay in the wash. On Saturday morning I went outside and it was still there. Saturday afternoon a kettle of turkey vultures circled overhead, but none came down to earth, and there the rabbit lay. Saturday night is was still there as I sat on the terrace and kept vigil while talking to my daughter. Sunday morning and there the carcass lay under a thick gray blanket of storm clouds. Gus and I went out for breakfast. We returned home under the same gray skies but no rain. The air hung thick and humid with no sweet relief from rain. Sunday night a red watermelon sun slipped from behind the shelf of gray clouds and slid below the western horizon. I walked out to the front yard once again and peered into the wash. The rabbit’s body lay where it fell and looked as if it were melting into the earth. Darkness fell with cloud banks warring and distant lightening illuminating the edges of the clouds, but still no rain.

In the shade of the mesquite tree 7-12-10

Now it is Monday morning. Sometime during the night the gray wool clouds slipped away leaving a hazy blue sky that looks like faded denim. It is 81 degrees as I step outside at 8:30 a.m. to eat my breakfast on the terrace in the dappled shade of the mesquite tree. A light wind is tossing the branches and teasing my hair. I sit here with my bins and scan the wash trying to see if the rabbit’s body is still there. I know exactly where to look. It is by two clumps of brittle bush with a stick that flipped up and fell across its body when it dropped, but from this angle I discover that a creosote bush is in my way and I cannot see.

Finches 7-12-10

I finish my breakfast with Costa’s hummingbirds zipping by my head, lesser goldfinches picking thistle seed from the feeder behind me and purple martins twittering and chirping as they fly overhead. Down in the wash I see at least four live desert cottontails running around and nibbling on the grasses. Gambel’s’ quail scurry about in various family groups, the parents calling and cooing to the young ones in constant communication. I see a lizard flip its tail up over its back and race up the riprap towards the top of the wash. I realize how lucky I am to live in such a place where wildlife is so prevalent. I do not need a zoo; I live in the midst of a wildlife park!

Down in the Wash 7-12-10

With breakfast over I start my chores in the backyard first filling feeders and birds baths and watering the plants. With that task done I finally head to the front yard to clean my bird fountain, fill those feeders, and water those plants. Now it is time to find out. Will the rabbit still be there?

Where the rabbit lay 7-12-10

I set the hose on the purslane and walk the few steps down the sidewalk to the best vantage point for seeing the rabbit. I locate the two brittle bushes and gaze at the fold of the earth. I look for the stick that lay across the rabbit’s body, but the rabbit is gone and the stick is about 4 to 5 feet away farther down the wash. Okay…so who ate the rabbit?

The stick 7-12-10

I take my bins and scan the nearby bushes and trees. I see no sign of hair or bones anywhere. This particular wash is really a manmade retention basin for storm runoff and as such it is fenced all around to keep people and pets out of it. Three years ago it was little more than dirt and stone with a few trees the developer put in as landscaping.

The corner of the wash where I threw the dead rabbit 7-12-10

Since then creosote bush has moved in, along with brittle bush, desert grasses, a few weeds and some wildflowers, but as yet there are no cacti growing. Still, it has filled in quite a bit.

The Closed Gate 7-12-10

I see the fence everywhere with the gate that is halfway across the wash closed and I conclude that it probably wasn’t a coyote who got the rabbit, so it must have been something with wings. If it was, it either came during the night or early this morning, and whatever it was must have carried it off, for there is no body or evidence of a body anywhere around. Nature has taken care of its own. Perhaps that dead rabbit is feeding a parent or some chicks. One creature dies so another can live. This is the reality of life in the desert.

My Backyard Flowerbed 7-12-10

I pull my hose back into the backyard and water my final flowerbed. The hose is running at almost full and I am flood irrigating this one bed which I have yet to run drip lines to. Suddenly I see a tiny wet mouse climbing the block wall desperately. It makes it to the top, its gray-brown coat soaked and dripping, its long tail dragging a wet stream behind it. I think that it is going to sit there in the sun and dry. It is so upset that it doesn’t seem to mind me being so close to it. I have my bins but not my camera with me. I step down off the low wall I am standing on and take the few steps inside to exchange bins for the camera but when I return in less than ten seconds the mouse if gone! I search for it everywhere but I cannot find it. This is also the way of the desert. Where creatures appear and disappear before you know it. Life is happening all around me all the time it seems. I get to see these little glimpses of nature and almost every day there is a new drama happening outside my window. I only have to open my eyes and observe it.

Curve-billed thrasher (Western) 7-12-10

For now, the curve-billed thrasher feed next to white-winged doves and cactus wrens.

White-winged dove 7-12-10

Mourning doves coo and chase and purple martins sail above. Pyrrhuloxias feed next to northern cardinals and house finches and above it all the turkey vultures glide on desert thermals waiting to do their job.

Juvenile Gambel’s Quail trying to get at seed 7-12-10

So, who is in and around the yard today?

Gambel’s Quail
Turkey vulture
Red-tailed hawk
Mourning dove
White-winged dove
Costa’s Hummingbirds
Gila woodpecker
Gilded flicker
Common raven
Chihuahuan raven
Purple martin
Verdin
Cactus Wren
Curve-billed thrasher
Canyon towhee
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
House finch
Lesser goldfinch
House sparrow
4 cottontails in the wash
1 lizard
1 drenched mouse

Oh, and Poetry is happening once again on Kathie’s Poet Tree

Turkey Vulture Drama outside my Den Window

2010-07-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Turkey vulture flying overhead 7-9-10 Nikon D80 70–300 mm lens

It is Friday morning, hot and sunny with a strong easterly wind. When I go outside to fill one of my bird feeders I spot a poor dead rabbit in the road. Perhaps it is one that eats my purslane and I should not be sad, but I am. I hate to see any creature killed by man’s vehicles. I am wondering how long it will take the vultures to find it as I go back in the house.

I am sitting inside the den writing and looking out the window when one shows up. I grab my camera and take this photo from inside the house through the den window and the fence, then I creep quietly out the front door and sneak down the side of the garage, across the front of it, and around Gus’ truck which I intend to use as a blind. I do not want to disturb the bird or spook it off its prize. I want it to clean it up from out of the road. However, before I can even get into position I see the vulture flying up right over my head. I thought I had spooked it as I start taking pictures. Then, as I whirl around and snap away I see a couple walking up the sidewalk right past where the bird had been. They ask me if it is a hawk but I tell them no, it is a turkey vulture, which is nature’s version of the clean-up crew.

The vulture circles several times then tries to land again but a car comes by and scares it off. It lifts off into an azure sky on wonderful and powerful dark wings.

I wonder how it must be to soar over rooftops and circle in the clouds.

I then decide to take matters into my own hands.

I walk over to the poor dead rabbit, pick it up by the end of its foot, and throw it over the fence into the wash! It must have been newly killed this morning for its body is still somewhat supple and the blood still looks red instead of black. Its death does not scare me or gross me out, I only feel sorry for its untimely death in such an unnatural manner. But this is natures way of providing for the others.

I call this giving it back to nature. I figure this way nature can take its course but if the vulture comes back it won’t be in danger from the cars and trucks anymore. And if it doesn’t, I would rather see it decay and become part of the earth again than to get run over and mashed by car after car. The carcass settles with a soft thud into the dry desert grasses. The dark eye stares blankly into this void. The rabbit’s soul is gone. A few minutes later I am not surprised when a raven lands on the carcass instead. I had seen them hovering around the area also.

I grab the camera once again and this time creep out the back door to see if I can snap a photo but the wary raven hears me and takes off like a shot!

So, I go back inside and wait. The turkey vulture comes back but he lands in the road where the dead rabbit had been. He stands there looking around and looking confused even though the rabbit is only 20 feet away from him over the fence in the wash. Then a jeep comes by and the vulture flies off. It does not return and neither does the raven.

Meanwhile, at my nearby bird feeders the rest of the birds feed as if nothing has happened at all.

I keep track of the rabbit in the wash all day long and though I remain inside so as not to disturb the birds the vulture and the raven never return. Just before sunset I check once again and its limp body still lies in the grass. One question remains: Will it still be there in the morning? You never know what happens in a desert night!

Today in Sycamore Canyon

2010-07-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

View from my front yard. Could these clouds be a promise of things to come? 7-9-10 @ 9:52 a.m. MST

Blue skies and a few puffy clouds greet me this morning. A hot wind is blowing strongly from the east, a good sign that there could be rain coming. My plan was to turn on the computer and start writing right away, but then I notice a couple of bird feeders are empty, and those flowers over there look like they could use a bit more water, and, oh look! juvenile Scott’s orioles in my yellow bells bushes in the front yard and you know I have to stop and watch them, and so, it is now 11 a.m. and I have not even eaten breakfast yet!

Yellow bells tecoma stans in my front yard 7-9-10

If you want to attract wildlife to your yard, these bushes are perfect. This morning when I went to open the front bedroom shutters I found 8 to 10 lesser goldfinches perched in the branches and gleaning some sort of tiny insect of the leaves, flowers and seed pods. Then I noticed a pair of juvenile Scott’s Orioles were in the bushes with them, along with a few house sparrows. I frequently find desert cottontails napping beneath these bushes or coveys of Gambel’s Quail. Hummingbirds are attracted to the tubular yellow flowers as well as orioles, and it is not unusual to find cardinals and pyrrhuloxoias seeking shelter in the branches either. This plant is deciduous, drought tolerant and it likes heat. However, it does need a regular watering.

With all the birds and wildlife I’ve attracted to my yard some of my plants have not fared so well. I wrote about the purslane that I fenced off in a previous post. Well, that one is starting to come back, but…

…now the larger plants are suffering and I fear I will have to fence them off also. I can’t help but think that as soon as the monsoon arrives and the rain waters the desert it will bloom so richly that my garden plants will finally be spared.

I am trying to enhance this bird feeding area on the north side of my house. This is the view I have when I look out the den window. The den is where I do all my blogging and writing. Plus, by encouraging the birds to feed over here, it keeps my backyard cleaner and it doesn't disturb the birds when we go outside. However, I still keep birdbaths, thistle seed feeders and nectar feeders in the backyard. I try to attract the more gentle birds there and keep the raucous guys over here. Since curve-billed thrashers often come to the feeders I prefer to attract them on this side as they will kill hummingbirds. By feeding the hummingbirds in the backyard they can feed in peace and relative safety.

Meanwhile, in the front and side yard my cacti are doing really well and this one in particular has sprouted some new growth. I do not know what this one is called, but it is my favorite. Gus, however, likes the bunny ears prickly pear cactus he planted.

The Bunny ears is up in far left corner of this photo, the poor struggling purslane are just beyond the golden barrel cactus. We planted 3 small saguaros which are doing really well, but we will be long gone before they ever get tall. Planting a saguaro is something you do for future generations and the life and health of the desert. It is like believing there will be a future and that it will be good. It is a spiny hope.

This morning’s clouds have started to thicken. Perhaps we really will have rain today!

Turkey Vulture flying over my head in Sycamore Canyon 7-9-10 @ 11:50 a.m. MST taken with the Nikon D90 18-200mm lens.

Meanwhile, a Turkey Vulture drama has been developing outside my den window. I have been popping up and down while writing this post to get pictures with both the D80 and the D90. It is not over yet but I will be posting that story next instead of what I intended to!

Skywatch Friday: Sunset

2010-07-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sunset as seen from my backyard in Sycamore Canyon 7-1-10

See more amazing skies at Skywatch Friday!

My 3 Men

2010-07-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Alex, G 3, and Gus. 7-1-10

This was the last night we would all be together. By morning Alex, Diane and Natalie would be gone and Mary Grace would be getting ready to get on a plane. We are missing one son and my daughter here, but I was thankful for those of us who could be together. I love this picture of my guys and I will look at it often when I think of my son off fighting in the war. For now I will remember their happiness and their smiles.

This is My Sister

2010-07-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

Kathie and Mary Grace 6-29-10

This is my sister, Mary Grace. She is 3 years younger than me and while I used to think she was a pest I now can’t spend enough time with her. Since she lives on the other side of the country, I rarely get to do that, so I was thrilled when her family decided to buy her a plane ticket to come see me for her 50th birthday. Yes, she is 50 and no, she doesn’t look it! We had a great time while she was here and she even got to meet her new niece, Natalie. Now she is gone, the holiday is over and life is getting somewhat back to normal. I have lots of photos and stories to tell. As always, there will be birds. I just off-loaded my photos today. Look for more stories starting tomorrow!

Mary Grace on Mt. Lemmon 6-30-10

Mary Grace at Agua Caliente park 6-30-10

Mary Grace and Natalie 7-1-10

Skywatch Friday: Desert Willow Blossoms

2010-06-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

Desert Willows are some of the only flowers still blossoming in this 100 plus degree heat while The Desert Waits for rain. Taken 6-3-10.

Skywatch Friday

Around the Yard in Sycamore Canyon

2010-06-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Male Cardinal 6-22-10

The quail block attracts more than just quail…

Mourning dove and White-winged dove 6-18-10

Antelope Ground Squirrel 6-22-10

Cardinal and House sparrow 6-22-10

Hungry Pyrrhuloxia 6-23-10

Here is one solution to my ant problem. I put a saucer of water beneath the feeder so that when the Gila Woodpeckers land on it and it drips, not only is the nectar diluted but the water is also so deep that the ants drown in it. So far it seems to be working. That’s a Costa’s hummingbird coming in for a drink in the photo.

My Pomegranate tree has grown like a big weed! It was full of blossoms and now it is bursting with the ripening fruit. The birds seem to love it as well. Soon all the desert will be bursting with ripening prickly pears. I think I may have to make jelly again this year!

A few wispy clouds float by over the top of Mount Fagan to tempt and tease us, but the dew temperature needs to rise and the wind needs to change directions before the Monsoon will bring us sweet relief.

Today in Sycamore Canyon

2010-06-23T13:46:00.001-07:00

Today in Sycamore Canyon the sun continues to blaze. At 1:30 PM MST it is 102F degrees. However, this Mourning Dove has figured out how to stay cool. But the need for water drives the birds to desperate measures.

My succulents have been stripped of their juicy leaves…

… the leaf debris is scattered on my patio.

Out front my newly planted purslane is being gobbled away.

At the tip of a slender stem a tender bud struggles to survive. When I first moved here I often wondered why all the plants have thorns and spines. I now know why: because if you don’t, you get eaten!

I should have done this long ago but today I am finally fighting back. I do not know if birds or beasts are eating my purslane but I am trying to save it. We shall see what happens.

Meanwhile, even the pyrrhuloxias are desperate for food. This young female is trying to break free some seed from the seed block. Food is scarce in the desert now. We are all waiting for rain.

Natalie

2010-06-21T23:19:00.001-07:00

Natalie 6-21-10

Gus, Diane, Alex, and Natalie 6-20-10

My son, Alex and his family arrived on Father’s Day to spend his last leave with us before he is shipped off to Afghanistan. This is our last time to see him and we are soaking up every minute we can. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, this is why.

Skywatch Friday: Roosevelt Bridge

2010-06-18T01:12:00.000-07:00

Thunderheads building behind the mountains as seen through wires of the Roosevelt Bridge in Arizona 6-6-10 Photo taken by Gus with the Nikon D90 and the 18-200mm lens.

Roosevelt Bridge 6-6-10 by Gus with the Nikon D90, 18-200mm lens.

We stopped by Inspiration Point near the Roosevelt Dam on our way home from our anniversary weekend in Payson, AZ. It was 108 degrees F and very windy when Gus took these pictures. Please click on the pictures to enlarge for the best view.

Skywatch Friday

The Desert Waits

2010-06-16T23:05:00.001-07:00

It is the hot time of the year now. Every morning I wake up and fill bird baths and water flowers. The brittle bush has dried. The grasses are drying. The afternoon sun blazes like a flaming sword. Ocotillo have dropped their leaves. The ground lies parched and the desert is waiting.

The mornings are the best time of the day while the air is still cool and the birds are still active. I find my feeders full most mornings and I delight in the antics of the birds. Parents are bringing chicks to the feeders. I have seen Gilded Flickers feeding chicks in my yard as well as curve-billed thrashers and Gambel’s Quail. There are the usual House Finches and House Sparrow chicks as well as Lesser Goldfinches. Recently the young Verdin have been arriving with their plain gray heads and wide mouths with a bit of the yellow gape of a juvenile still showing at the corners. Costa’s Hummingbirds are returning after being absent for almost 2 months during their breeding season. I had taken down all but 3 of my feeders but now I fight with the ants to keep them full for the hummingbirds. I can barely stand to see the hummingbirds come and hover near where a feeder used to be and have them finding nothing. I have taken pains to plant vegetation that would be attractive to hummingbirds and so have seen them feeding from the Whirling butterflies (guara), salvia and honeysuckle.

But in the afternoon, the birds pant from the heat. They seek refuge in the shade of my covered patio and eat the swollen green leaves of my potted succulents. I have one with the common name of “Bear paws” that I do not think will survive their hunger and thirst. House Finches can be ravenous eaters of greenery as I previously learned. The birds are waiting.

The toad I mentioned in a previous post was here again the next day and I was able to get its photograph. It is a young Sonoran Desert Toad but apparently it is camera shy for I had not seen it since I took this picture until tonight when I heard and then saw it hopping about in the flowerbed beneath the mesquite tree. As long as it eats crickets, it is welcome here! But the Sonoran Desert Toads have not started to sing their desert song yet. They need the Monsoon rain to bring on their frantic mating cries. This young toad in my yard is here because I water my plants and it is deceived into thinking the Monsoon has come, but the wise adults have not emerged in the rest of the desert. The Sonoran Desert Toads are waiting.

Though the afternoon grew hotter and hotter I barely noticed as I stayed inside and worked with the air conditioning running but as evening came on I went outside to watch for nighthawks skimming insects from the air, and though I watched for 20 minutes after sunset I only saw one bird. Now the night has fallen, a crescent moon hangs in a velvet sky, and a cool breeze wafts over the yard and plays around the corners of my house. Soon the Milky Way will rise and brighten this dark and cloudless night. The Monsoon officially started yesterday but there is no rain in sight. Until the dew point rises to 54 degrees for 3 days in a row and the wind changes directions and flows from the east we are in Monsoon Season in name only and like the rest of the desert, all I can do is wait.

I Will Sip Sweet Wine in the Desert

2010-06-14T19:57:00.001-07:00

Sycamore Canyon Sunset 6-14-10

It’s the end of another busy day in Sycamore Canyon. All day I have watched the birds in my yard feeding their young, feeding themselves, and drinking from the water fountain or birdbath. Water is very scarce at this time of year and it will often draw birds into the yard that seeds and suet do not. I saw an ash-throated flycatcher land on the block wall this afternoon but when it saw me it did not venture into the yard. I am still doing battle with ants but I think I have the bees outfoxed for now. The battle with the ants would be a bit easier of the Gila woodpeckers did not hang from the feeders and spill nectar on the ground or the table!

We have had a bit of a break from the heat here in Sycamore Canyon over the weekend and even today the air was comfortable in the shade. I love living here because I can be outdoors at almost any time of the year. The heat rarely drives me inside anymore since I can sit under my covered patio in the shade. I have amazing birds in my yard almost every day and now and then a few surprises to boot. The diversity of wildlife, plants and birds is absolutely amazing. Since moving here I have heard coyotes howl and Sonoran Desert toads sing. In the summer I watch nighthawks and purple martins flutter through the sky, in the winter I see raptors hunt my bird feeders and land within feet of my den window. In 30 seconds I can be out the front door and in the canyon walking amongst cacti, creosote bush, mesquite and Palo Verde. Red cliffs tower above me while deep sand and gravel crunches beneath my feet. I am lost and found in the desert. It is a place to love.

Mt. Fagan 6-14-10

Tonight I will sit on the patio and sip sweet wine as the sun sets in the west casting its rose-gold glow onto the slopes of Mt. Fagan. I am thinking about my life here and all that it means to me.

Sweet Wine in the Desert 6-14-10

Sweet Wine in the Desert

I will sip sweet wine in the desert

While the nighthawks fly through the sky

And black-throated sparrows sing their silvery song

as the sunlight slips from the sky

‘till purple dusk over takes me

And the stars twinkle into the night

I will sip the sweet wine of the desert

As I slip into this desert life.

~kathiesbirds (6-14-10)

Today in Sycamore Canyon

2010-06-10T16:26:00.001-07:00

Today in Sycamore Canyon the Costa's hummingbirds are back. I have been seeing males for the most part for the past couple of weeks, but today a female Costa's showed up. I love feeding hummingbirds but the feeders do present a challenge. Not only do bees tend to hover around them at certain times, but now I am busy fighting ants drawn to the sugary syrup. I used to have a different feeder here on the window under the covered patio over my patio table because hummingbirds like to feed in the shade and this arrangement keeps them dry when it rains. The other feeder I had was the inversion type where you flip it over to fill it and then invert the bottle for the birds to feed. The problem is that with the high temperatures we have been having lately the nectar is forced out of the bottle do to the increased pressure when the liquid inside expands, thus dripping all over my table and attracting ants. So, for now I am trying this type of feeder in this location which is a saucer feeder and tends to discourage ants and bees. However, the Gila woodpeckers may still hang from it to feed which will also cause it to drip and then I will have to think of something else!

Meanwhile, I still have the inversion type of feeders elsewhere in my yard. The ants have also found these and are climbing the shepherds hooks I have them on, as well as the glass window where my window feeder is held on by suction cups. In my war against the ants I have tried several things. First I broke down and sprayed a chemical spray after removing all feeders and plants from the area. I immediately felt guilty for this and washed it all away. While it killed the ants I could see, it didn’t stop them from coming back later in the day. Then I tried ant traps. It was all well and good until fresh nectar dripped on the table. The ants bypassed the bait and went straight for the sugar-water! What now? Well, I changed the feeder as stated above. I tired spraying the ants with my white vinegar solution I use to clean the windows with. It killed the ants but didn’t keep them from coming back. So, I am now trying this…

Vaseline and Vicks Vaporub on the pole…

and around the edges of the window. So far they will not cross this and they seem to hate the odor of the vaporub but will it also chase away the birds? I am watching and waiting. I have taken great precautions to make sure that none of this will end up on the wings of the birds which could be disastrous! I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

Meanwhile…

the finches are feeding…

… as well as this baby curve-billed thrasher being fed by its parent.

The Baby Gambel’s Quail are starting to arrive…

…but the parent birds have been digging nests in the cool soil beneath my bougainvillea and other garden plants. I don’t mind that they do this except it tears up the roots and kills the plants! I have resorted to placing large rocks beneath the plants just to protect them from the birds!

My bougainvillea in bloom today.

Female Gambel’s Quail digging herself a nest hole beneath the nearby grass and bougainvillea!

She’s just relaxing and cooling off and apparently eating in bed!

In the backyard the whirling butterflies (guara) are in bloom…

And while I was watering my garden I saw a toad disappear into this hole beneath the spigot! I planted Irish moss here to catch the drips of water from the hose. It seemed a good idea and so far it is growing but apparently a toad has decided it makes a perfect home. I tired to flush it out for a look by filling the hole with water. No luck…

…but when I came back later on in the afternoon I noticed the hole plugged up with debris. Seems the toad shut the door on me! One question: Since he lives in Irish Moss, does that make him an Irish toad?

Hot, sunny, and windy here in Sycamore Canyon today. It was 77 degree F when I first got up at 7:30 a.m. but has now risen to 102 degrees F. A few clouds are wafting overhead and the wind has picked up quite a bit. It is suppose to blow quite fiercely over the next few days and the temperature is suppose to drop into the high 80’s! That is almost unheard of for June and will be a relief after the triple digit temperatures we have been having as of late.

Today in Sycamore Canyon I am also thinking of fellow blogger, birder, and artist Debby Kaspari. Debby and her husband Mike had their home and studio destroyed last month in an F4 tornado in Oklahoma. Julie Zickefoose has written a fantastic article about it on her blog with links to where you can donate if you are interested. Please take a look and see if you would like to help. Debby and Mike escaped with only their lives and their cat. Click on the links below to read the amazing stories and see photos for yourself. Debby, I wish you all the best. May you start painting again soon for all of us and For the Birds!

The May 10 Tornado

Meet Debby Kaspari

Debby’s Blog: Drawing the Motmot

Postcard from Payson, AZ and Beyond

2010-06-09T20:23:00.001-07:00

Pine siskin at the Pine Trailhead near Pine, AZ 6-5-10

With temperatures heading into the rang of 105 degrees farenheight this weekend and the fact that is was our 33rd anniversary we decided to head for the hills and celebrate in Payson, AZ just below the Mogollon Rim. We had never been to Payson, which is in Gila County, and I had only counted birds in Gila County once last year when I barely drove into it after a trip to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Back then I only counted 15 species of birds. Now I was going to have the chance to up that total as well as escape the heat AND spend quality time with my sweetheart. So, on Saturday morning with our reservation made we jumped in the car and drove the 3 1/2 hours to Payson.

Kestrel in a Pine 6-5-20 at the Pine Trailhead

Once we left Phoenix the drive became scenic and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After checking into the hotel we immediately went out exploring and ended up 14 miles north of Payson at the Pine Trailhead just south of Pine, AZ. Here the trees towered over us and the birds flew around us.

A kettle of turkey vultures gathers overhead. I count at least 18 birds in the sky. Ash-throated flycatchers call from a clearing and a red-shafted northern flicker lands on the ground nearby. We spend about 35 minutes here just in the parking area and I count a total of 14 species of birds.

Back at our hotel I hear a bird calling and find a spotted towhee in the trees near the little bridge. The next morning it is there again along with white-breasted nuthatches and a Say’s Phoebe. While Gus sleeps in, I decided to drive down to Green Valley Park at the end of Historic Main Street to see what birds are out and about.

I drive past the Swiss Village which is across the street from the Payson Inn where we are staying and down the Beeline Highway to Main St.

After turning west I arrive at the park with its lush green lawns and three ponds. I park by the main pond and start counting birds.

There are people out fishing from the docks already and birds flitting about in the trees. Lesser goldfinches twitter and squeak, Great-tailed grackles whistle and call. A great blue heron is busy doing its own fishing in one of the smaller ponds across the street while barn swallows swoop above the blue waters. In the shade of this weeping willow I find two black phoebes hunting insects along the water’s edge. It is so peaceful here and so lush compared to the Sonoran desert where I now live.

I like the feel of the trees and the mountains. I liked the park with its fountains and green banks. People are emerging from their homes with their dogs. I swear everyone in this town has a dog. I don’t think I saw anyone walking or driving without a dog on a leash or in their car!

But I am here to see birds. When Gus and I stopped by here yesterday I saw mallards and they are still here today, but this time a small flock of Canada geese comes swimming towards me. It would be fanciful of me to imagine they are here to greet me, but the truth is, I think they are looking for a handout. Well, sorry to disappoint you birds, but you are on your own! I have been here for a half an hour and realize I need to get back to Gus and the hotel so we can eat breakfast and get on the road.

After a continental breakfast at the hotel we check out and head north once again to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. We tried to visit the night before but arrived just before it closed at 6 p.m. So, we are back today to see what we can see. The temperature is already rising at 10:30 a.m. and it feels so hot!

Tonto Natural Bridge is the largest travertine arch in the world. At 183 feet high and 150 feet wide at its widest point, it has an international reputation and draws over 100,000 visitors a year. We drive to the far end of the parking lot where you can get a very good view of the arch from above. The best view is from below however, but you have to hike down a half mile very steep trail. Gus decides to stay up top, but I take my chances and scramble down with bins, camera and water.

This is a view looking through the arch.

Though pines, cottonwoods and sycamores rise around me, this prickly pear on the cliff reminds me that I am still in the desert.

I look above me to the cliff edge where water spills in a glistening curtain to the creek below. Above me the sky is filled with White-throated swifts twittering and darting about. They are joined by a few cliff swallows as well and I am surprised when they suddenly break into a fight with cliff swallows diving at the backs of the swifts! Across the creek I hear a brown-crested flycatcher calling, waking up the forest with its raucous cries.

The fish in the creek are undisturbed by its calling. I watch fascinated from the bridge they swim in the cool depths of the water. I would like to linger here. I wish that Gus could have made it down here with me to see this for himself. Perhaps we will come back when it is cooler. I start the hike back up, stopping several times along the way to rest with sweat pouring form my body. My hair is damp and my skin is hot. My camera and bins grow heavier with each step. I drink the rest of my water just before I reach the top where I find Gus sitting at a picnic table waiting for me in the shade. We get in the car and blast the AC. From what the locals tell me, it is not normally this hot here.

We drive back to Payson stopping along the way for me to count birds by a creek while Gus naps in the car. After lunch at the Payson Airport’s Crosswinds Cafe where we have an awesome view of the Mogollon Rim we start on our way home. As we leave Payson I remark to Gus that this is a lot like being in New Hampshire only without the mosquitoes, black flies, humidity or snow! We decide to take the scenic route home instead of going back through Phoenix, so south of Payson we turn off AZ Highway 87 onto AZ highway 188 which takes us past Roosevelt Lake. The temperature, which was 94 in Payson at 2:00 PM, now rises to 104, then 106, then 108! I have been up since 6:30 a.m. and though I love to look out the windows wherever we travel anywhere, I soon drifted off to sleep. Suddenly Gus wakes me and stops the car in the middle of the road and I am glad he does. Before me the clear blue waters of Roosevelt Lake sparkle in the blazing sunlight…

…and just beyond the road at the edge of the reservoir in a collection of dead trees there are dozens and dozens of cormorants nesting along with a great-blue heron or two. The sight is simply amazing and I am wide awake now. We are both amazed by the brilliant blue water and in spite of the heat soon hop out to take pictures.

Roosevelt Lake is quite long and we drive mile after mile past the sparkling waters which look so cool and inviting to me. How I would love to get down there and swim! Ahead of us we see a blue arch rising and we soon realize we will be crossing this beautiful bridge.

We cross the bridge then take the turn to Inspiration Point where we have a great view of the dam and the bridge. From reading the informational sign I learn that this is the largest single span arch bridge in he world! In 1995 is was named one of the Top 12 Outstanding Bridges in America along with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. It is 108 degrees outside with wind blowing at a speed strong enough to keep a flag unfurled. Yet we are captured by this beauty and we vow to come back again soon, though hopefully when it is cooler!

North end of the bridge which we had just driven over 6-6-10.

Gus got some amazing photos and he said this was his favorite part of the trip. I will post his pictures in a separate post. This was definitely the long way home but so pretty. We had a great time! As for me, I bumped my Gila County Bird List from 15 species to 43! However, I was quite surprised that I did not see any warblers anywhere. I did hear some bird calls that I could not identify, but I never got my eyes on the birds.

Birds seen in Gila County in July 2009:

Mourning dove
Cactus Wren
House finch
Great-tailed grackle
Gambel’s quail
Eurasian-collared dove
Northern Cardinal
house sparrow
white-winged dove
turkey vulture
common raven
lesser goldfinch
Verdin
rock pigeon
red-tailed hawk

Birds seen in Gila County on this trip June 2010:

Say’s Phoebe
House sparrow
turkey vulture
House finch
common raven
spotted towhee
Eurasian-collared dove
American robin
barn swallow
western kingbird
mallard
rock pigeon
great-tailed grackle
great-blue heron
Cassin's kingbird
bullock’s oriole
acorn woodpecker
American crow
Pine siskin
lesser goldfinch
bridled titmouse
Violet-green swallow
American kestrel
Ash-throated flycatcher
White-breasted nuthatch
pygmy nuthatch
Northern flicker
mourning dove
Canada goose
Northern rough-winged swallow
Black phoebe
white throated swift
Cassin’s finch
Brown-crested flycatcher
Phainopepla
Cliff swallow
Double-crested cormorant

Catching Up

2010-06-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Since returning from Portal I have been out straight. I came back that Wednesday night and barely said hello to my husband before falling into bed only to awake at 4:30 and head out the door for our second IBA survey of Sabino Canyon this month. This time it was a Point Count Survey where we stop at 5 predetermined points along the way and count wherever species of birds we see within a 10 minute time frame. This gives the scientist different data than when we walk the transect. I got up a bit late and missed the first 2 point counts but was able to participate in the last 3.

After that is was Memorial Day weekend and I spent the weekend watching my grandson while his parents went off to enjoy their birthday celebrations together. Xavier and I had a great time playing with his pool and he is already showing an interest in the birds! His parents came back on Sunday and Gus and I spent most of Monday relaxing at home. We did take a walk Monday morning in Sycamore Canyon and as usual, I brought along my bins while Gus walked the dog. He and Blossom were soon far ahead of me and as I walked something suddenly fluttered up in front of me and landed spread-winged in the gravel alongside the road. It’s pattern was cryptic, looking much like old bark or dead leaves. As I drew cautiously nearer the thing raised its head and acted distressed, as if it had a broken wing.

I recognized the bird now as being a Lesser Nighthawk, but I had never seen one behave like this. The way it was fluttering I was concerned that it had been hit by a car and had broken a wing. As I ran through my mind who I could call to try to help the bird it suddenly flew up perfectly normal and landed a bit farther away beneath an ocotillo and glared at me. As I heard faint peeps in the desert behind me it suddenly occurred to me what was going on here. The nighthawk must have a nest on the ground nearby and, like a killdeer, was feigning injury to lure me away form the nest! I turned and scanned the desert behind me, not daring to step let I step on these well camouflaged babies. Alas, I was unsuccessful in finding the chicks but thrilled at what I had witnessed!

On Tuesday morning I awoke hoping to do some blogging but remembered that my grandson needed to come again this day. I hurried about my morning routine of opening the shutters and letting in the daylight. As I did I peaked out between the slats like I always do to see what birds are at the feeders before they fly off. Imagine my surprise when I saw this beautiful Blue Grosbeak perched atop the quail block! I could barley believe my eyes, for I have never seen this species in Sycamore Canyon before and I have never had such a good view of the male bird ever! I turned and grabbed my camera, which had the short lens on. I poked it gently between the slats and snapped off a couple of shots.

I can not believe the bird just sat there! I quickly change my lens to the 70-300mm zoom and try once again. All the time my heart is pounding and I am trying not to shake!

Blue Grosbeak, species 91 for Sycamore Canyon 6-1-10

I manage to get off a few more shots without opening the slats before the bird finally sees me and flies away. OH MY! What a way to start my day! You can see more pictures of the Blue Grosbeak at my Sycamore Canyon Birds blog. I cleaned house like a banshee all morning before Xavier arrived for the afternoon. When he took his nap I processed more photos and started my blog post but he woke up before I was finished and it was late Tuesday evening before I finally got it posted.

I took a walk in the desert yesterday morning feeling the need to see what birds are hanging about. I had not seen many Purple Martins so far this year and feared they had all moved away due to the numerous starlings I have witnessed here in the canyon. The starlings have already taken over another Saguaro cactus that used to be home to the martins down by the park and the pool. I hoped they had not taken over the other colony nesting sites I knew of in the Canyon. To my surprise and delighted the martins were there, chirruping and flittering about together in a friendly communal air-borne dance. I found a community of at least 9 birds in one location, and another colony of 5 in a different saguaro. This made me feel much better. They are not here for very long each year and I so enjoy their antics!

This weekend Gus and I are celebrating our 33rd anniversary which happened on June 4th. It has been a long time since we have gone anywhere special together to celebrate but I got a crazy idea about possibly going to the Grand Canyon since I have never been there even though we have lived here for 3 years. Well, we soon scratched that in favor of something closer. Inspired by my trip to Portal and Rustler Park, I found myself craving the mountains and towering pine trees. And, with temperatures climbing into the 100’s and beyond this weekend, I want to go someplace cool. So, after a bit of internet research we made reservations for Payson, AZ up on the Mogollon Rim. Who knows what we will see or do. Tonto Natural Bridge is nearby and the Annual Sawdust Loggers Festival is taking place there this weekend. I am sure we will have stories to tell and pictures to share. Now that Gus and I both have our own cameras we can each photograph whatever interests us. No more passing the camera back and forth or me asking Gus to find and photograph the rare bird I am seeing which flies away as soon as I try to point it out to him!

Have a fun weekend. I will be back soon!

Birding Portal: Day 2

2010-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

View from Rustler Park in the Chiricahua Mountains 5-26-10

Donna and I are up by 6 a.m. and ready to take on another day of birding. We eat a quick breakfast outside on the patio with binoculars and cameras close by. As always, I have my pad and pen ready to list any bird species we see. We can hear the bird calls and birds song around us and soon see a bright bird land in the overhanging tree.

It is a gorgeous male Hooded Oriole and Bill briefly joins us as we all snap away. However, some personal issues have him distracted and he tells us to go on without him for the morning.

I am delighted when this female blue-throated hummingbird lands at a nearby feeder and I get a close-up view of this species. Soon Donna and I are packing our stuff up as we decide to head down the 1/4 mile Main Street to see what we can see. And it isn’t long until we are seeing lots of birds.

From Cardinals and Pine siskins at the store feeders, to Black-headed grosbeaks along the way, the birds are calling us with their beauty and their songs. I hear a familiar song and gaze through the branches of a tree. I know this song, I tell myself, and then it hits me: Bell’s vireo! Of course. We see and hear it all the time in Sabino Canyon. It is my first sighting for Cochise County but for Donna it is a Life bird! We find a pair working over a cedar tree but getting photographs in all those twigs and branches with the contrast of light and shadow can prove to be quite tricky. This is an amusing little bird and we are both so glad to see it. We spend just under 2 hours birding Main Street and end up with 28 species of birds. Our return to the lodge reveals that Bill’s car is gone. Thinking he just want to bird alone Donna and I pack up the car and head for Rustler Park high in the Chiricahua Mountains.

As we drive ever higher we keep our eyes and ears open for birds. We see a pair of western tanagers, a black-headed grosbeak, and a western wood pewee. We pullover by the beckoning creek where we see more wood pewees, a robin, 3 Mexican jays, 2 bridled titmice, 1 western tanager, an Acorn woodpecker, another black-headed grosbeak and a red-tailed hawk. We are tempted to linger in this idyllic spot but Rustler Park is calling us and up we go. When we near a spot know as the Onion Saddle we are driving along a the edge of a steep cliff. Ponderosa Pine and Engelmann Spruce dot the landscape and poke up like green candle from the cliff edge. I can see evidence of a past fire and on a dead sang I spot a bird. Donna stops the car and backs up so I can get my bins on the black and white woodpecker climbing the dead trunk. It is a female Hairy woodpecker, a species I am well familiar with from Utah, Colorado and New England but not one I see very often where I live near Tucson and certainly not a species seen in the Sonoran Desert. The woodpecker soon spots us and flies off. We linger a moment to gaze off in the hazy distance as fold after fold of land gives way to the flat desert beyond. The temperature is rising and even up here at this higher elevation we can feel the blazing of the sun.

Yet as we continue our now alpine journey we are quickly reminded of how cool it still is as we fine a patch of snow tucked under a shady bank along the road.

We pull over shortly after the snow at the junction for Rustler Park. Donna tells me that the Olive Warbler has been seen in this location but though we linger and look for 10 minutes or so, all we see are a soaring flock of turkey vultures and delicate clumps of blue lupine, so we hop in the car and press on.

Driving into Rustler Park reminds me somewhat of going to camp in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, though we are actually much higher. Rustler Park sits at 8,500 feet in elevation and instead of Eastern White Pine we are surrounded by Ponderosa Pine and Engelmann Spruce. We are here to see if we can find a Mexican Chickadee and Red-faced warblers. We are so tempted to just stop and jump out and bird, but we drive past the entrance and the spring, past the campground and meadow to the Forest service cabins used by Fire fighters when needed. We park here and we are barely out of the car when we find this Cordilleran flycatcher hanging around the horse corrals just as we read it would be. Now that I see this bird, I realize how wrong I was about identifying a flycatcher I had seen in Sycamore Canyon wash a few weeks ago. I had initially called it as a western wood pewee, then changed my mind and decided it was a cordilleran. Now that I see the cordilleran in real life I see that there can be no mistake. The cordilleran is washed all over with an olive yellow color and is nothing like the western wood pewee. I know that I was thrown off by what looked like yellow on the belly of the previous flycatcher but I now think that was reflected light from the morning sun and the blossoms of the Palo Verde tree it was perched in. These flycatchers really have me stumped and it is my plan to take a class with the Tucson Audubon to learn more about identifying them. They can be so tricky for even the most experienced birders and even some experts cannot tell them apart in the field except by their voices.

The Ponderosa Pines tower over like flexible green spires. I can hear the wind gathering in the treetops and rushing towards us like a flash flood and though it moves the towering limbs it seems to stay high above us and barely ruffles our hair. Golden sunlight streams down in beams between the branches and dapples the ground around us. We walk on a pine needle carpet as we head towards the meadow to see what we can see. We follow a little path across the meadow. Robins hop about in the shadows of trees and we spot one gathering nesting material in her beak. The whinny of a Northern flickers filters through the trees and high in a pine we spot a pair of ravens in their nest. The path though the meadow gives way to forest once again and we stop to view some yellow-eyed juncos. While we are looking at them we see motion further up the tree and hear the call we have been waiting for: Mexican Chickadee! Having grown up with the black-capped chickadee in New England I am familiar with its song and I wondered how this bird would sound. Though its call is much harsher and more buzzy, I can still here the familiar refrain, “chick-a-dee-dee-dee!” We soon discover there is a pair in the tree, but they are high above us and small and lost in the branches, twigs, and needles of the pine. Neither one of us is able to capture a good shot. Still, this is a Life Bird for both of us and we are thrilled. It was our target bird, so now we relax into the rest of the day.

Farther along the trail we cross into the campground area and see some motion high above us. A pair of pygmy nuthatches is moving through the pine needles feeding. They are so tiny and the needles so long and large that the little bird is dwarfed by them. If you look closely at the picture above you can just barely see the body of the little bird to the right of the stem. Yes, every picture I took of a pygmy nuthatch on this day looks just like this!

The morning passes quickly by as we wander about looking for birds. We find many more yellow-eyed juncos but the red-faced warbler continues to elude us, as well as the Olive warbler. I can sense the time is getting late as the sun is directly overhead. A glance at the time reveals what I already know, it is noontime and I have to go. It will take us a good 45 minutes to get down the mountains and I told Gus I would be on the road by 1p.m. I now doubt that will happen, but that’s okay. He knows my trouble with time concepts and he is very patient with me.

We pack up our stuff and drive to the picnic area to eat a quick lunch, then Donna wanders off to do some more birding while I sit at the table assembling my bird lists. Soon it is time to hop in the car and we drive to the burn area right outside the gate. Donna wants to get some photos of the sweeping vistas. I keep looking for birds.

It is while we are here that I suddenly notice the gathering smoke in the distance. At first we are unsure if it really is a forest fire but then we seen the tankers flying.

As I start to think about it I realize that this looks like it is very close to the direction we came from. Growing alarmed now I insist that we get in the car and head down he mountain. I do NOT want to be caught on the mountain overnight in a forest fire. My car and all my stuff is down in Portal. The only other way off this mountain is to go over the top and down into Wilcox and back around, a trip that would take us well over 2 to 3 hours at best! So down the mountain we go, stopping once to take more pictures of the fire. On this day the fire was only 300 acres but by the next day it had grown to 600 acres and I learned it was called the Horseshoe Fire (click on the link for the latest update). Last report was that it had grown to over 1600 acres and was threatening some structures south of Portal. Fire Fighters still don’t have it contained. When Donna and I arrived at the Portal Store we checked on the status of the fire but so far the store owners had not been able to get any news. We did learn that Bill had checked out earlier and gone home. Though Portal and the canyon were filled with smoke, Donna insisted on staying to do more birding. She is out of the parking lot before I am and heading back into the smoky canyon. She is one dedicated birder! I turn my car to the east and drive out of Portal towards New Mexico.

However, I have to stop when I see this Swainson’s hawk soaring above the Portal Road. Since I have not crossed the Stateline Rd yet, I am still in Arizona, so this will go on my Cochise County list.

At the end of Portal Road I pause debating with myself if I should take the 2 mile detour into Rodeo to get a count in New Mexico. Heck, it’s only 2 miles I decide and head south. I stop along the Main Street near a Historical Marker and count birds. To the west I see the smoke billowing above the Chiricahuas, a reminder of the beauty and the danger in all of nature.

In the 5 minutes I spend on Main St in Rodeo I count 10 species of birds, but now it is time to head on down the road, so I get back in the car, turn on my book on CD and do a U-turn. With my vehicle pointed north now I begin the 30 minute drive through barren desert and back to the highway where I will finally have cell phone service. I am lost in my story of Bally-buckle Bo in Ireland and so I do not notice my odometer has gone up beyond the posted speed limit. I barely notice the sheriff’s car coming towards me until it slows down, turns around, and I see the flashers go on. Oh No! I have never been pulled over for speeding before in my life! I pull off the road in a safe location, shut off my story and wait for the officer. I do not cry or tremble, which is what I always thought I would do. I wait patiently to take whatever punishment I deserve.

The officer is actually very polite and patient with me as I search through the glove box for my insurance card. I finally find a current one after first finding 2 others that are obsolete. He takes my info and return with just a warning. I am so thankful and I promise him I will pay better attention as I drive the rest of the way to the highway.

But my birding day is not done. I stop in Wilcox for gas and food and take my meal to a nearby park where I sit at a picnic table and count birds once again while I eat. Then it’s back on the highway and another hour and a half drive into the sunset until I am home.

Happy 33rd Anniversary today to my Sweet Husband, Gus!

Portal Main St. Bird List

Location: Portal
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Portal Peak Lodge to the end of the Main St. We saw other flycatchers that we could not identify.
Number of species: 26
Gambel's Quail 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Band-tailed Pigeon 7
White-winged Dove 12
Mourning Dove 5
Broad-billed Hummingbird 2
Blue-throated Hummingbird 3
Acorn Woodpecker 10
Western Wood-Pewee 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 2
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo 2
Bridled Titmouse 1
Cactus Wren 3
Bewick's Wren 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 2
Canyon Towhee 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Black-headed Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Hooded Oriole 3
House Finch 6
Pine Siskin 8
Lesser Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Rustler Park Bird Lists

Location: Rustler Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: W/Donna Simonetti. What an awesome place! Love it! So peaceful!
Number of species: 13
Wild Turkey 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 3
Cordilleran Flycatcher 1
Steller's Jay 3
Common Raven 4
raven sp. 8
Mexican Chickadee 3 Saw and heard voice. 2 in one pine together near meadow, then one seen and heard later by itself. *****Lifer for both of us!
Pygmy Nuthatch 3
House Wren 2
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 12
Yellow-eyed Junco 12

Location: Rustler Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: We stopped at the burn area to take photos of the view and saw these birds at the same time. We also saw the flames of a wildfire off in a distance and decided to get down the mountian fast! W/Donna Simonetti
Number of species: 3
Steller's Jay 1
Common Raven 1
Pygmy Nuthatch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Rodeo, NM Bird List

Location: Rodeo
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Took a quick detour to Rodeo so I could count birds and see the fire from this perspective. Stopped on Main street near the Historical Marker.
Number of species: 10
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
White-winged Dove 2
Barn Swallow 1
Cactus Wren 1
Phainopepla 2
Summer Tanager 1
Great-tailed Grackle 9
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Wilcox, AZ Bird List

Location: Keller Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Stopped here to eat on my way home. Watched birds from my picnic table.
Number of species: 8
Rock Pigeon 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 4
White-winged Dove 1
Western Kingbird 1
Barn Swallow 4
Great-tailed Grackle 9
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 5
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Birding Portal

2010-06-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

Blue-throated Hummingbird 5-25-10 SW Research Station

I am leaving the Sonoran Desert and driving east to Portal, Arizona on Tuesday, May 25^th. The sun is glaring in my face as I drive the sun-bleached asphalt through Benson, Wilcox and into New Mexico. It is taking me longer to get there than I thought it would. I am meeting Donna Simonetti and Bosque Bill at the Portal store for a day or two of birding. While I have been through Portal one time before with Gus, I have never actually birded there. I have also never met Bosque Bill or Donna Simonetti but feel comfortable meeting them since they were part of the Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp Expedition that Dawn Fine organized while she was here in southeast Arizona. I was supposed to be part of that adventure, but it took place at the same time Gus and I headed to Kentucky to see our new granddaughter and so I missed out. It was Donna who invited me along and I decided to take my chances.

I get off the highway in Road Forks New Mexico and point my car south. The road curves off towards the mountains before straightening out and heading towards Rodeo. Above me the clear blue sky beckons and urges me on. It isn’t long before I lose all cell phone reception. I am alone and on my own.

The Portal road turns west about 2 miles north of Rodeo. I drive the few miles to the Portal Peak Lodge and find Donna and Bill waiting for me in front of the Portal Store. Donna and Bill are ready to be off since I am at least an hour late. We quickly move my gear and my cooler into Donna’s vehicle, then I hop in and we start to get acquainted on the drive to South Fork.

Donna drives west into Cave Creek Canyon past rocky spires and huge cliffs. The wide open desert quickly gives way to shady forest as we head up the road. A few miles later and we are taking the turn to South Fork which Donna says is the best place to see the Trogon. The Trogon is a bird that has eluded me ever since I moved to SE Arizona. Though I have searched for it in Patagonia and Madera Canyon, I have yet to see it and add it to my Life List. So, she parks the car and we all jump out with cameras and binoculars looking for all the world like a National Geographic Expedition!

The trail before us is shady and cool climbing through sycamore and pines along a bubbling creek. At first it is quiet save for our footfalls but then we hear it, the call of the trogon! Within seconds it actually flies in before us and perches high on a limb with twigs in its face. All I can see are its back and belly as I try to photograph this bird that has eluded me for so long. As we all snap away the bird gets restless and flies off down the canyon. Well, at least I got to see it, I think and then the female flies in and lands on a branch where I have a better view but poor lighting. She is even more skittish than the male and I only get off 2 blurry shots before she is gone. Lifer number 1 of the day!

So up the trail we wander, our pace casual, our necks and ears straining for sight and sound of birds. We see them in little groups, a tanager here, a nuthatch there, a brown creeper climbing the bark of a tree. Brown Creeper South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon 5-25-10

At the creek we find a thrush and start snapping away, for a Swainson’s Thrush was supposedly seen here yesterday. It is much rarer than the usual Hermit thrush.

Hermit Thrush 5-25-10

I am not well aquatinted with Swainson’s thrush and so don’t even know how to distinguish one from the other, so I snap and snap and snap hoping to figure it all out later.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10

There are flycatchers everywhere and we try to sort them out. I believe we are seeing Western Wood Pewees, one after the other, but we keep hoping for something else.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10

High in the tree tops I catch a brief glimpse of a small bird with a yellow throat and black streaking on its sides. I believe I am seeing my first Grace’s warbler, but it too moves off before I can get a shot off. Lifer No. 2! This birding in the trees is tricky stuff! I have been spoiled by my open desert birds. But Oh, how beautiful it all is! for me I am transported to the forests of New England and I feel like a child again with sun sparkles dancing around me and the soft carpet of leaves and pine needles beneath my feet. I feel like a bird in her nest. I feel peaceful and safe.

Tananger nest in a Sycamore Tree along the creek 5-25-10

Hepatic Tanager 5-25-10

We wander farther up and cross the creek once more but it is getting quieter and quieter and so we decide to turn around and head back down to see what else we can see. By now it is after noontime and Bill and I are getting hungry. Donna is ready to just move on but we convince her to take a brief break and let us eat.

Painted Redstart 5-25-10

It is a good thing we do for the Painted Redstarts fly into the picnic area and we all get a good view. Of course, the raucous Mexican Jays greet us right away and follow us about hoping for handouts, but I do not oblige them. Suddenly we hear the trogon once again and Donna and I drop everything and follow the sound of its voice. It is Donna who finally spots it on a limb and this time I get a better view and a better shot. We both take quite a few pictures before the bird flies off and we decide to move on.

Elegant Trogon 5-25-10 South Fork Cave Creek Canyon

From there Donna takes us to the Southwest Research station. Bill is not feeling well, so he sits in the shade near the hummingbird feeders while Donna and I wander around. Before we leave the feeder area, however, we sit or stand and wait for the Blue-throated hummingbird to arrive. It soon does and once again I snap several photos, most of them as seen from below as the bird preens on its perch in a poplar tree. Lifer no. 3!

Blue-throated Hummingbird 5-25-10

Donna takes me for a stroll through the meadow and along the creek hunting for the buff-breasted flycatcher she saw here yesterday but though we look and look all we find are a lone robin and yet another western wood pewee.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10

As we head back towards the car where Bill is waiting in front of the gift shop I have to laugh at this sign that is posted on the wall of the store. Is drinking really a problem up here?

Then, it is off up the road to the Herb Martyr Campground where all we see are warbling vireos and yellow columbine growing next to the creek. By now it is almost evening. We decide to head to Portal and to Dave Jasper’s house and bird feeders in the Big Thicket area. While we see a few birds here apparently there are not as many as there were this morning. On our way there, however, we stop in the middle of the road to photograph a Zone-tailed hawk flying with a flock of Turkey Vultures.

Zone-tailed hawk 5-25-10

After dinner at the Portal Store Bill decides to retire early but Donna and I grab our bins and cameras and head down Portal Main Street for a big surprise. We walk past the small library and post office to a playground area where we turn to look high in a sycamore tree. A small crowd has gathered with us in the gloaming and we are all staring at a small dark hole in a limb. What could we be waiting for at this time of night?

Soon the bird peeks out the hole, and then she starts to call to her mate. It is a soft and odd sound that I can’t quite describe but she calls again and again, then retreats.

Elf Owl 5-25-10 Main Street, Portal, AZ

Finally, without warning, the little Elf Owl comes to the edge of the hole and takes flight, disappearing into the gray-blue darkness while Great-horned Owls call behind and before us. How amazing it is to see and hear the largest owl in the United States in the same vicinity as the smallest owl. The Elf Owl is a *Life Bird for me and the 4^th one of the day.

Donna graciously offered to let me stay in her room with her, so we head back to the Portal Peak Lodge where bats hunt bugs around the outdoor lights and Donna and I pour over our day’s photos with questions flying around the room, “ Was that a Swainson’s thrush?” “What was that flycatcher?” “What bird is this?” as Donna shows me a photo of a female varied bunting she took yesterday. It is hard to go to sleep with so much birding to do, but finally we give in because tomorrow we are getting up with the birds!

White-tailed Deer seen along the roadside in Cave Creek Canyon

My World Tuesday

Birds seen in Portal and Cave Creek Canyon today:

Gambel’s Quail
zone-tailed hawk
Turkey vulture
Mourning dove
White-winged dove
Blue-throated hummingbird*
Great-horned Owl
Elf Owl*
Acorn woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Say’s Phoebe
Western Wood pewee
Cassin’s Kingbird
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Plumbeous vireo
Warbling Vireo
Verdin
Mexican jay
White-breasted nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Cactus Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Curve-billed thrasher
American Robin
Hermit thrush
Elegant Trogon*
Painted Redstart
Black-throated gray warbler
Grace’s Warbler*
Black-throated sparrow
Hepatic Tanager
Western Tanager
Black-headed grosbeak
Northern Cardinal
Scott’s Oriole
Brown-headed Cowbird
Lesser goldfinch
House finch

*Life Bird: first time seeing this species in my life!

Horseshoe Fire Update

2010-05-28T10:35:00.001-07:00

The Arizona Daily Star is now reporting the Horseshoe Fire in the Chiricahuas has grown to 900 acres. If you plan on birding in the Portal or Cave Creek Canyon area you might want to call ahead and check on conditions. According to the AZ Daily star, “The fire has prompted authorities to close Cave Creek Road at the forest boundary near Portal to Turkey Creek Road.”

As for here in Sycamore Canyon the sun is shining brightly and the temperature is currently 84F/29C. We should hit our first 100F today.

At the feeders and in and around my yard today I have already seen Turkey vultures, Gambel’s Quail, Mourning doves, white-winged doves, rock pigeons, Costa's hummingbird, Gila woodpecker, gilded flickers, Ash-throated flycatcher, Cactus Wren, curve-billed thrashers, Northern Cardinal, canyon towhee, brown-headed cowbird, house finches, lesser goldfinches and house sparrows!

I’ve watered my new cactus garden, trimmed and pruned trees, flowers and bushes, filled bird feeders and bird baths, and fed the pets. Now I’m off to do housework before my grandson arrives for the weekend around noontime. I know, I know, you are all waiting for pictures and details from the birding trip to Portal. I am working on it! I hope to get it posted sometime today or early tomorrow morning! Until then, have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

Fire in the Chiricahuas!

2010-05-27T17:09:00.001-07:00

Smoke rolling over the Chiricahua Mountains from the Horseshoe Fire 5-26-10

These are the scenes Donna and I saw as we left Rustler Park in the Coronado National forest Wednesday afternoon. We spent a blissful morning in the mountains at 8500’ in elevation searching for Mexican chickadees, Red-faced and Olive Warblers and others. We got the Mexican chickadee, a Life Bird for us both, but were totally unaware that a forest fire had broken out southeast of us. As we headed down the mountain so I could go home, we stopped to take photos of some of the beautiful scenery. Suddenly we noticed the smoke off in the distance. The smoke plume started to build and build until it filled most of the sky. From my perspective it looked like the fire was moving towards or even into Cave Creek Canyon and Portal. As I did not want to spent the night on the mountain or have to drive across the mountain to Wilcox and back around, I urged Donna, who was driving, to head down the mountain as fast as we could. While it was only 15 miles to Portal, it took us 45 minutes to drive down the steep, winding dirt road. Of course, we did stop one more time to get photos. Who could resist! All of the following pictures were taken at a hairpin turn on the road down from Rustler Park, except for the last shot which was taken from the small town of Rodeo in New Mexico.

The above shots are taken from the side of the Chiricahua mountains looking SE to Cave creek Canyon. When we got to the canyon it was full of smoke. I heard on the news that the fire was 300 acres in size as of 10 PM last night. I left to drive home, but Donna was spending another night in Portal. She is one determined birder and after saying our good-byes she was off again to do more birding despite the smoke. She was out of the parking lot before I was! I do not know how she is since there is absolutely no cell phone reception in Portal. If you are going birding there this weekend, you might want to check ahead!

On my way home I took a 2 mile detour to the town of Rodeo, NM to see the fire from that perspective (and to count birds)! This is a view of the fire from the main street of Rodeo looking west into Arizona.

I made it home about 7 p.m. last night, unpacked, took a soak in our new hot tub and went to bed. I was up by 4:45 a.m. to join my team of volunteers to do our Important Bird Area Survey of Sabino Canyon. I’ve taken a nap and off-loaded my photos. I hope to have the rest of the story and the birding stats posted soon!

Happy Skywatch Friday Everyone!

On the Road to Portal

2010-05-24T23:21:00.001-07:00

Roadrunner on my block wall 5-15-10

I took this picture of a Roadrunner as it ran along my garden wall on May 15. The shot was taken through my kitchen window on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We’ve been having lots of sunshine here lately with temperatures ranging from highs in the 90’s down to today’s high in the 70’s. I woke up freezing this morning and jumped in my new hot tub first thing just to warm up! It’s suppose to be cool again tonight and tomorrow and then the 90’s return. We still haven’t hit 100 degrees yet this year, but I know it is coming!

I feel a bit like this Roadrunner lately. It seems like I am always on the go. By the time most of you will be reading this I will be on my way to Portal, AZ and Cave Creek Canyon where I will meet Donna Simonetti and Bosque Bill for 36 hours of high speed birding. If all goes well I’ll come home with new friendships, 8-10 lifers and tons of great pictures and, of course, more birding stories. I’ll keep you all posted via this blog or my Facebook page! Until then, have a great day watching birds, ‘cause Birds are Everywhere!

For those of you interested in statistics, my Life List for Cochise County, AZ is currently at 110 species. It was only 82 at the start of this year. My Year List for Cochise county is 77 species. I have only birded in Cochise County twice so far this year. I will update these statistics when I return! Portal and Cave Creek Canyon are both in Cochise County.

Sycamore Canyon Sky

2010-05-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

Sycamore Canyon Sky 1-21-10

With views like this it isn’t hard to love living here!

Skywatch Friday!

Poetry is happening on

Kathie’s Poet Tree

Chasing Birds With Matt Morrow

2010-05-18T20:51:00.001-07:00

The day after Kathryn left I was out the door by 8 a.m to meet Matt Morrow in Madera Canyon. Matt had flown in from Alabama for little more that 48 hours to see as many species of birds as possible while he was here. I met Matt while I was in Alabama in March and he had taken me around to see the local birds there. I picked up three life birds then, now were were going to see how many we could get for Matt here.

Matt had spent the night at the Madera Kubo and I met him there at the cabin. He had already been up the mountain trails and captured a few *Life Birds on his own. As I waited for him to collect his gear I watched as a Flame-colored Tanager came to the feeder outside the Kubo. This was a *Life Bird for me also. What a way to start a birding day! A hummingbird feeder hung from the roofline of Matt’s cabin where he was a able to see Broad-billed and Magnificent hummingbirds. Then we headed down the canyon to the Madera Picnic Area and the Proctor tail where he picked up Acorn Woodpeckers and a Says’ Phoebe.

Along the Proctor Trail we followed this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher hoping against hope it was the black-capped. but with such a prominent eye-ring and lack of the black cap we concluded that it was the blue-gray instead.

We soon discovered we had found a nesting pair and watched as they built their nest together in the crotch of a small tree. Though we kept our distance they really didn’t seem to mind us being there and they sang as they worked on collecting bits of moss and bark and twigs.

Birds Seen in Madera Canyon with Matt on 4-14-10

Magnificent Hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Broad-tailed hummingbird
Hepatic Tanager
Flame-colored tanager
Wild turkey
Turkey Vulture
Acorn woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Mexican jay
Townsend’s Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco (gray-headed)
Yellow-eyed Junco
Pine siskin
Lesser goldfinch
Common raven
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Say’s Phoebe
Ash-throated flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Warbling vireo
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
Green-tailed towhee
Canyon towhee
Chipping sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Willow flycatcher
Spotted towhee

Then, on our way out of the canyon we stopped along Whitehouse Canyon road so Matt could see:

Phainopepla
Cactus Wren
Curve-billed thrasher
Rufous-winged sparrow

All of these were life birds for him.

We ate our lunch at Parque Los Arroyos in Sahuarita and of course, we watched birds while we ate. This quaint little park is located in a neighborhood behind Walmart and is a hidden treasure. These are the bird species seen in 1 hour there:

Turkey vulture
Cooper’s hawk
Swainson’s hawk
White-winged dove
Mourning dove
Eurasian-collared dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Gila woodpecker
Verdin
Cactus Wren
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Curve-billed thrasher
Phainopepla
Chihuahuan Raven
European Starling
Lesser goldfinch
House sparrow

From Sahuarita we high-tailed it up to Sweetwater wetlands where we spent just a little over an hour counting birds and saw 36 species, including this Black Phoebe. However, so far the Vermillion flycatcher had eluded us, so, it was off to some parks I know of in town where the Vermillion Flycatcher hangs out.

We tried Himmel Park first, which is where I saw my first Vermillion Flycatcher, but no luck today. As we headed to Reid Park I kept thinking about where we could go next if there were no Vermillions there. I drove to the Northwest corner of the park which is usually a guarantee to see them and sure enough, I had barely parked the car when one flew up to the chain link fence surroundings ball field! this was a female however, and I so wanted Matt to see that brilliant red male. It wasn’t long before one showed up, and then another. In all we saw 4 vermillion flycatchers there as well as a Cooper’s Hawk up in the pine trees. But one of the most amazing things we observed was the mating flight of a hummingbird species. While we were watching the Vermillion Flycatcher catch insects on the ball field I heard the hum of wings nearby. I looked and saw a female hummingbird sitting in one of the diamond shaped openings of the chain link fence. Her back was to us, so I am not sure what species she was, and on the other side of the fence was a male hummingbird shuttling back and forth in front of her. He did this a few times and then went into his dive display. It was all so fast and blurry and he was on the other side of the chain link fence but we were less than 10 feet away and it was AMAZING! Matt and I both stood there with our mouths agape, awed by what we were seeing. We were only there 10 minutes but in some ways it was the best 10 minutes of the day!

By now the shadows were getting long and we headed back to Sycamore Canyon. On the way there I stopped at a place I know of to show Matt the great-horned owl chicks in their nest. Last year there were 4 chicks. this year there ear only 3. since owls are Matt’s favorite birds, this was a real treat for him.

The one bird still remaining on Matt’s list was the Gilded Flicker. In all the places we had be to today we had not seen one. They live here in Sycamore Canyon and I see several of them every day, but it was getting late for them to show up at my feeders. Still, I drove past the turn for my neighborhood to the top of Sycamore Leaf Drive where I know they like to hang out. I was driving slowly and just as I was saying to Matt, “This is where the gilded flickers usually hang out,” as if on cue, one flew right in front of the windshield! I quickly pulled over so Matt could jump out for a better look, then, after he got back in the car and I was turning around we saw 2 more on a nearby saguaro.

As Gus and I fixed supper, Matt sat in a chair on my back patio and played my classical guitar for me. You see, Matt is not just a birder, he is also a musician and a fine human being as well. Gus took this photo of us before Matt left and as you can see, we both look exhausted but you can also see, we are both smiling!

*Life bird: A bird species a birder has seen for the very first time.

Matt got 39 Life Birds while in Arizona.

I got 1 Life Bird on this day!

Total species of Bird seen today: 76!

Disaster In the Gulf

2010-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

I feel the Earth trembling

as Black Death gushes from her own breast

ripped open by manmade greed

and ignorance

always thinking he can conquer

and quell,

and outsmart

the natural order of things,

always choosing dollars

over tranquility.

And Mother Earth trembles

as her rich blood flows

into her briny ocean

where it does not belong,

Blood that has become poison

with chemicals and chemicals added

to dispense the unstaunched flow

and ocean and wetlands tremble,

and fish and wildlife tremble,

and all of the people tremble

at this dark unknown.

Who will save us from disaster?

Can we really save ourselves?

There are not enough dollars in the sea

or centuries in our lifetime

to undo This Great Harm.

~Kathie Adams Brown (May 16, 2010)

One Single Impression Prompt 116: Trembling

As the oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico these are just some of the bird species at risk from "This Great Harm."

Birding from Dawn ‘till Done, Kathryn’s last Day in Sycamore Canyon

2010-05-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Can a day start out any better than with a red-tailed hawk soaring in a bright blue sky?

Skywatch Friday!

Since Kathryn's plane did not leave until late afternoon we spent our last morning going for a hike in Sycamore Canyon. in 30 seconds we were in the Big Wash or the main Canyon and seeing birds. An unfamiliar song led me to this familiar bird, a canyon towhee.

Farther up the canyon we were startled when a red-tailed hawk flew screaming out of this nest high over our heads in a saguaro. We had not seen the nest nor taken notice of the cactus until the bird flew out. since we did not want to disturb the bird or the nestlings we hurried away from that location.

Meanwhile mama (or papa) bird continued to scream at us from across the canyon in a mesquite tree on the opposite rim.

We were seeing so many birds in the sycamore Canyon, a reminder to me that I need to come out here more often! while I am chasing birds all over SE Arizona, once again I am discovering that there is a treasure trove right in my own backyard! We found this little bird and I took several photos of it. I’ve studied and studied it and finally come to the conclusion…

…that it is a Western (Pacific/Cordilleran) Flycatcher due to the lack dusky smudges on its undertail coverts, the short primary projection, the slight crest and the eye ring pointed at the back. If you have a different opinion please tell me and tell me why!

However, the male Phainopepla presents no such problem in identification with his silky black crest and red eyes.

We saw so many birds out in the wash and the whole time I kept saying to Kathryn that I was so surprised we had not seen a black-headed grosbeak out there. We barely got back home and I was dressing after taking a shower when Kathryn called out to me that there was a black-headed grosbeak in the acacia tree in the front yard!

While I saw it there I was unable to get its picture, but then the bird obliged me by flying to the backyard and landing in the mesquite tree which made photographing it a bit easier as I could gently slide the sliding glass door open and poke out my lens.

What a great way to end her birding trip. To top it all off, as we left for the airport we saw a Swainson's Hawk soaring at the bottom of the road in my neighborhood, her final species for this trip and a new addition to her AZ Life list! Sycamore Canyon is a great place to live!

Location: Sycamore Canyon Wash
Observation date: 4/13/10
Notes: Birding with Kathryn.
Number of species: 28
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 3 one hawk on nest in saguaro.
White-winged Dove 5
Mourning Dove 22
Greater Roadrunner 1
Costa's Hummingbird 2
hummingbird sp. 1
Gila Woodpecker 6
Gilded Flicker 4
Gray Flycatcher 1
Cordilleran/Pacific Slope flycatcher 1
Bell's Vireo 3
Gray Vireo 1
Common Raven 2
Verdin 7
Cactus Wren 6
House Wren 1
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 6
Phainopepla 6
Lucy's Warbler 2 pair building a nest.
Green-tailed Towhee 1
Canyon Towhee 1
Rufous-winged Sparrow 1
Pyrrhuloxia 2
House Finch 10
Lesser Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Location: 17 S. Vermillion Sunset Dr.
Observation date: 4/13/10
Notes: Birding with Kathryn. Her last day here.
Number of species: 17
Gambel's Quail 6
White-winged Dove 2
Mourning Dove 15
Gila Woodpecker 8
Gilded Flicker 3
Say's Phoebe 2
Chihuahuan Raven 1
Cactus Wren 3
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 6
European Starling 3
Rufous-winged Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Black-headed Grosbeak 1
House Finch 9
Lesser Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 9
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Birding from Dawn ‘till Dusk Day 6: Mt. Lemmon

2010-05-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

On April 12 my friend Kathryn and I took a drive up the Catalina Highway to Mt.. Lemmon. When Kathryn visited me two years ago we went birding in several places. This time we went to all new places for her. Mt. Lemmon is a totally different experience from Patagonia or Saguaro National Park. As we headed up the highway we stopped at several overlooks along the way. At one of our first stops I looked back over the Tucson Valley to see Houghton Rd running like a straight line through the desert. Houghton Rd runs from the Catalinas at its north end to the Santa Ritas at its extreme south end. It is the ribbon that connects these two mountain ranges that are part of the ring of mountains that surround Tucson like the rim of a bowl.

At the Babad Do’ag parking place I learned that Mt. Lemmon is known as the “Frog Mountain” to the native peoples. I think that name is much more colorful than Mt. Lemmon, and who knew that the name “Tucson” means “at the foot of the black hill.” In researching this information I also learned that during WWII a Japanese internment camp was located at the base of Mt. Lemmon. Know by the ironic name of “Catalina Honor Camp” the detainees were forced to work on the construction of the highway. One of these “internees’ was a Japanese–American by the name of Gordon Hirabayashi. In 1942 Hirabayashi openly defied curfew and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. With the backing of the ACLU he fought his conviction all the way to the supreme court. When he lost he was sent to the Honor Camp. Years later his conviction was overturned and in 1999 the Catalina Honor Camp was renamed the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area. I have driven by this place so many time and always wondered about the funny name. Now it doesn’t seem so funny any more. Now I want to go back there and visit this area named after such a courageous person.

Farther up the roadway we stopped to see the cascades of Seven Falls. At windy point we marveled at the rock formations and gazed below at the ribbon of asphalt we had just driven up! Though we were always on the lookout for birds, the high winds kept many of them down. At this location we did see a common raven and 2 white-throated swifts. The swifts were life birds for Kathryn.

When you drive the Catalina highway it is as if you are driving from Mexico to Canada in 27 miles, for the road starts out in the Sonoran desert at 3000’ in elevation and ends at 9100’ ft. in forests of Aspen and fir. Because of this there are many and varied habitats with the accompanying bird populations. We started out seeing Turkey Vultures and Western Kingbirds and ended in Summerhaven for lunch where we saw Yellow-eyed juncos and Stellar’s jays!

We also saw Acorn Woodpeckers and this is really the only bird photo I got. The Stellar’s jays were high in the pines and deep in shadow where their cobalt blue and black plumage makes them virtually disappear in the foliage. Still, it was a great day and we had such a good time, which included a stop at the Palisade Visitor’s Center where Kathryn got her first look at a Magnificent Hummingbird!

Birds seen along the Catalina Highway:

Turkey vulture
Common Raven
Western Kingbird
American kestrel
White-throated Swift
Cooper’s Hawk
Magnificent Hummingbird
White-breasted nuthatch
Yellow-eyed junco
Acorn woodpecker
Stellar’s Jay (my first AZ sighting!)
Lesser goldfinch

And that’s…

My World Tuesday!

Home Again

2010-05-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

My new cactus garden 5-10-10

Home Again. What a nice sound. I have been so busy the last two months. Eventually it all caught up with me and I was overwhelmed. The pace has slowed but it still hasn’t stopped. I’ve been birding with friends, then I went to Maricopa to take care of my adopted grandchildren for a few days. I returned home in time to take Gus to the airport for his first trip home to Maine in two years! Before I left for Maricopa we started to landscape our side yard as a cactus garden. What fun we had selecting cacti and succulents to plant. We knew some of the plants we wanted but discovered others as we went along.

I have yet to even learn all the names of the cacti but I really like this little one. Though small and hairy looking it displays a lovely flower. Once established, these cacti will need little to no water which is very important here in the desert.

With Gus gone to Maine, I spent the next few days cleaning house like crazy because on Saturday, May 8th I had a women’s club meeting here at my house. Not only was I hosting the meeting, I also gave a bird presentation to the club. I took the PowerPoint presentation I had used for the middle school program I did a few months ago and adapted it for this one. Gus helped me hook up my laptop to our TV so I could show the slide show there. Everything went very well and I was pleased. On Saturday afternoon I finally got a break and took a nap. I spent Mother’s day watching my grandson Xavier while his daddy worked and his mom studied for her college final exams.

This morning I was out the door and ready for a walk. Though I have seen birds in my yard as usual, I wanted to see what is in the neighborhood. So, up the road I travel into the new Sombra neighborhood. It is a one mile hike from the gate to the cul de sac at the top. At first I wasn’t seeing much but as I travel higher and higher up the side of the mountain I am starting to see more birds.

Right now the desert is blooming. So far we have had a very cool spring and I am quite comfortable in my sleeveless shirt and capri’s. With our recent spring rains the desert has come to life in shades of lime, sage, yellow and orange. The ocotillos reach high towards the sky waving their orange plumes to the heavens. A red-tailed hawk soars above me. Cactus wrens and gilded flickers call from the desert. I hear a curve-billed thrasher sing and then I catch the motion of a tiny yellow bird low in a creosote bush. I am surprised to see a female Wilson’s Warbler gleaning insects from the leaves and I almost doubt my eyes to see this species here in the desert so far from water, but then her mate flies in with his jaunty black cap and the identity is confirmed.

All around me I see flowers blooming, many which I do not yet know the names of. My frustration in not knowing their names only drives me to want to learn more about this exotic place I live in. I catch the flash of black and yellow in the twigs of a mesquite tree. I see black streaks on white flanks and realize I am seeing yet another warbler. The yellow throat and yellow rump confirm the Audubon's variety of a yellow-rumped warbler. Then, on the opposite side of the road I see another. This has turned out to be a very productive walk with 22 species seen in this one mile stretch of road. It has taken me an hour to cover it with all the stops I made to observe the birds, but I am so glad I came. Now it is time to head home again and water that cactus newly planted garden!

I love this new succulent flower I discovered called purslane. The magenta colored poppy shaped flowers rise above the rosette of thick leaves below. I initially bought one plant but liked it so much that I went back for 2 more! More pictures to follow as we continue to work on this area, but already I can tell that the birds are loving it! I hope to catch up with all of you soon and finish the rest of my “Birding From Dawn to Dusk” posts! Right now its time to cook dinner before Gus returns tonight from the airport!

Birds seen on my walk this morning:

Location: Sycamore Canyon-Sombra
Observation date: 5/10/10
Notes: Took a walk to the top of the Sombra neighborhood where the pavement ends. At fisrt I wasn't seeing much but the farther I went up the more birds I saw. Was quite surprised to see the warblers!
Number of species: 24
Gambel's Quail 5
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 2 one soaring, one perched on a saguaro
White-winged Dove 16
Mourning Dove 2
Gila Woodpecker 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Gilded Flicker 4
Say's Phoebe 1
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Western Kingbird 1
Common Raven 1
Verdin 2
Cactus Wren 6
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 5
Phainopepla 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Wilson's Warbler 2 foraging together in a low bush
Canyon Towhee 2
Black-throated Sparrow 4
Pyrrhuloxia 1
House Finch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

End of Month eBird Stats

2010-04-30T20:26:00.001-07:00

The "Birding from Dawn to Dusk posts will have to take a break as I am over in Maricopa for a few days staying with a friend. In my spare time I am watching birds and while I have access to a computer I do not have a way to upload photos. Once again a picture-less post. However, since this is the last day of the month I decided to update all my eBird stats. So many things have changed since the end of Big January. I have now been across 8 states and numerous counties. Migration is in full swing and species are returning to Sycamore Canyon and all of Arizona. So, here are my latest statistics as of April 30, 2010

LIfe List: 378

Year List: 208

Month List: 121

Total checklists: 1936

Year checklists: 413

Month checklists: 74

AZ Life List: 249

AZ Year: 169

AZ Counties

Pima Life: 225

Pima Year: 141

Pima Month: 99

Santa Cruz Life: 158

Santa Cruz Year: 106

Santa Cruz Month: 34

Cochise Life: 110

Cochise year: 77

Cochise Month: 39

Pinal Life: 91

Pinal year: 29

Pinal Month: 29

Maricopoa Life: 53

Maricopa Year: 23

Gila Life: 15

Graham Life: 8

Yavapai Life: 3

Coconino Life: 3

Utah Life List: 147

West Virginia Life List 106

Connecticut Life: 91

Maine Life List: 85

Florida Life List: 65

New Mexico Life List: 59

New Mexico Year List: 50

Oklahoma Life List: 53

Oklahoma Year List 49

Alabama Life List: 47

Ohio Life List: 44

Washington Life List: 38

Colorado Life List: 34

New York Life List: 30

Kentucky Life List: 29

Wyoming Life List 20

Tennessee Life List: 20

Arkansas Life List: 19

Massachusetts Life List: 18

Mississippi Life List: 12

Idaho: 10

Texas: 9

New Hampshire : 8

North Dakota: 6

Rhode Island 2

New Brunswick, Canada: 2

South Dakota: 1

These are my stats so far. Where the Life List and Year List data are the same I have entered only one statistic. New States with new bird counts this year are in italics. Have fun birding. All of this data is not only fun for me to see but it helps eBird track birding populations. For people who have been counting birds along the gulf coast their data will help to prove the impact this huge oil spill will have on birding populations. These are bird list that will help the birds, so get out there and count when you can and please help preserve habitat for the birds!

Birding From Dawn ‘till Dusk Day 5 Ramsey Canyon

2010-04-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

With only a short break for lunch we were soon on the trail up Ramsey Canyon. Ramsey Canyon is own and operated by the nature conservancy. The $5.00 you pay to get in is well worth the experience. A perennial stream flows down the mountain side, a refreshing sight and sound here in the desert.

The creek is bordered by Sycamore trees. I love the speckled bark and the sculptural shape.

This female broad-tailed hummingbird fluttered about in the limbs along the trail.

Like long green tresses the leaves of this tree fluttered in the breeze making me believe in wood nymphs and sylphs.

We stayed as long as we could, but soon the gates would be locked and we had to leave. As we exited to the parking lot this Cooper’s hawk stood guard in the sycamore overhanging the creek, a watcher in the woods and king of all he surveyed.

We did not see many birds here but we saw some important ones, including a Magnificent Hummingbird, another Lifer for Kathryn. The sun was setting as we drove up the road into Sycamore Canyon, tired but content with a long day of birding and comfortable companionship.

Birds Seen at Ramsey Canyon:

Location: Ramsey Canyon Preserve
Observation date: 4/11/10
Notes: w/Kathryn - walked to first overlook view.
Number of species: 7
Cooper's Hawk 1
White-winged Dove 1
Magnificent Hummingbird 1
Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
Acorn Woodpecker 1
Mexican Jay 6
Pine Siskin 12

Kathryn also saw 3 pygmy nuthatches in the parking lot when we first arrived. I was too busy getting stuff out of the car and I didn’t look. Stupid me! another Lifer for Kathryn! I have seen them on MT Lemmon near Tucson, but that’s the only place.