On the Road Home

TR and Kathie 3-19-10

It is a sunny morning Friday when TR, Gus and I head over to the Oklahoma City Memorial. Gus has put up with me and all my birding, Now it is his turn to do something that he really wants to do. We have been here once before and found it so moving.  Now we are here once again. I think that I will still be able to count birds here, but the truth is, there aren’t many hanging around.  I hear a killdeer, I see a Northern mockingbird, and, finally, 3 house sparrows on my way out. That’s it.  While TR and I walk around surveying the landscape Gus is off by himself taking pictures.  His photo essay will publish on the 15th anniversary of the bombing later this month.

For now I must say good-bye to TR and Oklahoma where I counted 49 species of birds in various locations, including in TR’s yard!

With the car packed and the dog inside we turn our noses west and head for home.  Our route takes us across I-40 and the panhandle of Texas.  I am full of ideas about where to stop and count bird in Texas since we were driving so quickly through it on our way east.  I find a national grassland not far off the road and wiggle with anticipation in hopes of stopping for a good bird count on our way to Albuquerque where we plan to spent the night.  But as the saying goes, “The best laid plans of mice and men do often go awry,” well…

Route 209 New Mexico 3-20-10

The storm clouds gather, the winds pick up and the temperature drops. A check of the weather channel indicates snow storms ahead. We speed right past the grasslands with snow flurries starting to fly. At some point in this mad dash Gus and I change places. While Gus has done the majority of the driving on this expedition, I do give him a break when he lets me, and he lets me now.  But here is where life takes a little interesting turn on us.

Route 209 New Mexico 3-20-10

We stop to get gas and I want a cup of hot tea, but they don’t have any. So, we get in the car and head west with me driving and Gus dozing beside me.  However, I am craving tea like I have never craved tea before.  As the sky darkens and the snow flies I just want some tea! We cross the state line into New Mexico and I see the signs for Tucumcari ahead with several exits.  I notice that one exit says it has a McDonalds and I know McDonalds sells hot tea.  Though I know Gus wants to forge ahead, I vow to myself that I WILL stop and get a cup of tea, no matters what.  So, when the exit comes up I get off the freeway and drive the short distance into the McDonald's parking lot.  Well, right behind the McDonald's is a La Quinta Inn.  We have been staying at La Quinta’s because they are clean, affordable and pet friendly. After purchasing my tea with both snow and darkness falling, Gus decides to check into the La Quinta. Good thing we did.  We quickly discover that we have rented one of the last rooms of the night!  Not only that, but the highway ahead of us is closed down due to the snow!  If we had pressed on we would have been stuck on the highway all night long! I have never been so thankful for craving a cup of hot tea in my life!

 

Route 209 New Mexico 3-20-10

The next morning we sleep in and listen to weather reports.  None of it is good.  The highway between Tucumcari and Albuquerque is still closed with a foot of snow and more expected.  We have to decide before noontime, do we dare to try to get through, or should we rent our room for another night?  We are so close to home and we just want to get there.  We decide to leave. As Gus goes in to check out he meets a couple coming in.  In a short conversation with them Gus discovers that they just got through after spending 8 hours on the highway! When Gus says he will try to get through, they tell him to look outside.  From the hotel we can see the overpass on I-40.  It is a parking lot! Tractor trailers are packed like pigeons in a coop.  There is no room to budge, but we don’t want to lose another day of travel.  We consult our maps and decide to drive down the east side of New Mexico and then head west farther south. With the decision made Gus hands in our room keys and we head south.  As soon as we pass beneath the highway we feel a burden lift from us.  The road before us is wide open and clear. Though the temperature is only 19 degrees, the sun is shining on the high plains before us. We are travelling at 70 mph with not another car in sight.  We have the whole road to ourselves!

Route 209 New Mexico 3-20-10

I gaze out the windows at the road.  To my utter amazement little birds are flying up form the edges.  I soon discover that they are horned larks! Snow is drifted along the edges like fine powder driven by the wind.  It is so cold but so beautiful.  I cannot believe this flat high land.  It is laid out before us like a flaxen carpet sprinkled with silver. Overhead the soft blue sky dazzles me with puffy clouds ships sailing in a tranquil sea. What started out as a hindrance has proven to be one of the most peaceful and relaxing parts of our journey. We are so glad that we went this way!

In spite of the delays, we decide to stop at Bosque del apache NWR on our way home.  Though it is almost 5 PM by the time we get there, we spend the next 2 1/2 hours birding as we drive the loop road. 

Scenes from Bosque del Apache

Western bluebird

Roadrunner

Great Blue Heron Flashing (sunning)

Bosque del Apache NWR 3-20-10

Though the sandhill cranes are gone there were still plenty of birds to see.  I counted 41 species for the day, including some snow geese that were still hanging around.  Perhaps they too were delayed by the storm.

We leave the Bosque around 7:30 PM and head back down the road as darkness falls.  It is well after midnight when we finally arrive home, but oh how good it feels to sleep in our own bed!

Great Blue heron hiding behind the bank of the canal. 3-20-10

Birding from Sunrise to Sunset: Kino Springs and Beyond

 

Kino Springs Golf Course 3-5-10

My birding day had started with a sunrise drive to Patagonia where I met Jeff and Dawn Fine.  After six hours of birding at Patagonia Lake SP we decided to finish our birding day at Kino Springs. Kino Springs is a golf resort near Rio Rico, Arizona.  It is a birding hotspot that I have never been to, so when Jeff and Dawn said they knew where it was I asked if they would take me there. I had no idea what we would find, but I was very happy to try someplace new. Driving west on highway 82 we turn onto the road just after the bridge over the Santa Cruz River. It isn’t long before we are seeing birds. Sparrows pop up out of the grass, Say’s Phoebes flit through the sky. Mourning Doves hang on the wires and robins flutter in the trees. Jeff parks the car and goes into the club house to ask permission for us to bird.  It is readily granted and we are off. Dawn and I find Audubon's yellow-rumped warblers in the trees near the sewage treatment pond, then we walk over to another pond across the street from the country club. In spite of recent rain, this one is drying up, yet there is still enough water in it to attract the birds.  A pair of Gadwall and several green-winged teals fly or swim to the farthest edge away from us as we drew near the pond.

 

Great-blue Heron 3-5-10

While we are watching them a Great Blue Heron lands and starts hunting along the edge. A black phoebe flits near the water along with a Says’ phoebe and several Vermillion flycatchers. Most are brilliant red males but we find one female in the bunch. A Loggerhead shrike watches us from some nearby utility wires while across the pond some starlings feed on he ground with a few killdeer.

We can hear the calls of red-winged blackbirds trilling to the sky from across the pond.

A vesper sparrow hops up on a branch and takes a look at me.

Then Dawn spots these Lawrence’s Goldfinches in the willows along the bank.  I couldn’t quite believe her at first but after a closer look I discover she is right.  I have never seen more than one Lawrence’s goldfinch at once while Dawn says that whenever she has seen them they have always been in a flock. These are backlit by the setting sun and well hidden in the tree but finally I see the black foreheads and gray backs with a yellow wash on the wings and breast.

Crissal Thrasher 3-5-10 

We are busy looking at a flock of Brewer’s Sparrows in the hedgerow along the fence line when Dawn cries out excitedly, “Crissal thrasher, Crissal thrasher! I spin around with my bins and my camera while Jeff gets it focused in the scope.  I have never seen a Crissal Thrasher in the three years that I have lived here, so, while this is not the trogon, it is a *Life Bird for me and I am very excited. The Crissal sits atop what looks like a dead bush singing a tremulous song.  The notes float over the greening meadow below while Dawn and I stand mesmerized. I alternate between looks through the scope and taking pictures with the camera.  Still, even with the 70-300mm zoom we are quite far away, so Dawn and I start to creep slowly closer.  Step!  Snap!  Step!  Snap!  Until the bird decides that we have gotten too close.  It ceases its song abruptly and flies to the ground for cover.

We end the day in Rio Rico at the Rio Rico Pond where we see a dowitcher, several ducks, and tree swallows.  The swallows were everywhere today and they are headed north.  Migration has begun.  Get ready.

Our final bird of the day is a Great-horned owl we see on the side of the San Cayentano Mountains where I take Jeff and Dawn to see the lights of Rio Rico and Nogales.  It is twilight as we head down the mountainside and there on the same utility pole where I saw the owls mating last year sits this large bird.  We all get so excited that I think the bird heard us from inside the car for it flies off into the night as we roll down our windows for a better look.

It is a half-hour or more ride back to Patagonia and the RV where I  say good-bye to Jeff and Dawn Fine. On the ride there I chatted like a magpie from the back seat.  It’s something I do when I am really tired.  Jeff and Dawn were so kind. We hug good-bye and I get in my car wondering when or where I will see them again. I feel like we have been friends for a long time already.  I will never forget the birding adventures that we have had together. Now, I still have an hour’s ride home in the dark on the back roads of Arizona. And though I am alone, I am not lonely. I can hear the sound of the road beneath my tires and the songs of birds in my head.  I feel Orion guarding me in the starry sky above. As I approach the border patrol checkpoint on Highway 83 I chat with the young man who is the guard.  I suddenly realize how dark and lonely it must be out here in the night on this back road. He has to stay at his post, while I am heading home with a tired but contented smile on my face to a good husband and a warm bed and a HUGE checklist to compile!

And that’s…

My World Tuesday!

In the end we saw 72 species of birds on this day with 47 species at Patagonia Lake, 28 species at Kino springs, and 11 species in Rio Rico.

*Kathie’s Life Bird Number 371: Crissal Thrasher

Skywatch Friday: Blue Heron Ballet

Great Blue Heron in West Virginia 4-30-09 by Kathie Brown with Nikon D80

I recently returned from a trip to the New River Birding and Nature Festival in West Virgina. While there we saw this Great Blue Heron come flying overhead while we were on the High Country Birding trip. While most herons fly with their necks bent in an "S" curve, this bird was flying with its neck extended. As it circled lower a large fish could be seen sticking out of its throat. This series of photos was taken as the bird circled overhead. I suspect it was a juvenile by the brown streaking that can bee seen on its breast and belly. Perhaps it swallowed a bigger fish that it could handle. Perhaps it wanted to land at the nearby pond we were standing by and get a drink to wash it down. Scroll down to see the bird as it flies with it's neck bent, then extend it as it tries to fly and swallow. If you look closely, you can see the bulge in its neck and sometimes you can even see something (fish tail, fins, or bird tongue) sticking out of its mouth. When I looked at these photos at home, it reminded me of an aerial ballet. The above photo is number 8 in the sequence.

Look at those magnificent wings!

I've never seen a Great Blue Heron look like this before.

I thought this was an interesting an unusual posture.

Full extension. Note the hole in its wing.

Still trying to swallow.

Last photo before the heron disappeared over the tree line.



Happy Skywatch Friday!

I have more New River Birding Festival stories and photos to follow!