Blossom Update

Blossom 8-13-09

Blossom is getting around and starting to act more like herself. Initially she was afraid to go outside, but now she even wants to go for walks again. She has started to bark whenever someone comes to the front door and she is greeting Gus when he comes home from work by jumping up on her hind legs and digging at his pants. She is wagging her tail in greeting, which is good, but she still can’t hold it over her back and wave it like a flag like she used to. Every day it goes higher though, and we still have hope. She has now had 3 class IV laser treatments which the doctor recommended to promote healing. It seems to be doing her some good and she now relaxes and lays down for her treatment. She has 3 more to go. Next Friday we will have a recheck with the vet and hopefully he will give her the all clear. I just want everyone to know that the owners of the other dog have taken full responsibility and have paid all of Blossom’s bills. We have no malice towards them. They did not want this to happen any more than we did. As for Gus, he is sore and tired but healing up just fine. I think that he will be okay, though he still hasn’t seen a doctor. Right now he is just happy to see Blossom acting more like herself.

Blossom 8-13-09

My World: Hummingbird Season

Costa's hummingbird immature male 8-10-09

In My World it is the season of hummingbirds. While the rest of the country enjoys hummingbirds in the heat of the summer, for me they arrive in August and stay all winter long.

Male Costa's 8-9-09

Though I have seen a few Costa’s females during June and July, it is only recently that the males started to show up again.

Black-chinned male 8-10-09

Then, on Saturday I saw my first black-chinned male of the season. By Sunday the flood gates had opened and theses tiny feathered jewels are here in force. I now have two rufous hummingbirds battling for my feeders along with at least 2 black-chins and numerous Costa’s hummingbirds. I have already seen some Anna’s and soon the broad-billed hummingbirds will arrive. My back yard has become a war zone with these feathered weapons flying about. They use their tiny beaks like swords or lances and dive at each other to defend whichever feeder they have claimed as their own.

Fiery rufous 8-10-09

Of all the hummingbirds in the yard the rufous hummingbirds are the most fiery. If they are at a feeder and an intruder tries to feed, they hover in the air, orange tail feathers spread and buzz and chirp and dive until they drive the intruder away.

Rufous Hummingbird 8-10-09

Unafraid, the hummingbirds will whizz past my head like a shot, and I will flinch before they will. It makes it hard to get anything done, for they are so fascinating to watch. I tried not to love them just because everyone else does. I am a bit of an oppositional child in this way, but I could not resist. They have won me over and I am in love with them.

Rufous immature 8-10-09

I will only have this wide variety of species for a short time. Soon most of them will migrate even farther south, and I will be left with mostly Costa’s and Anna’s hummingbirds. The Costa’s will establish their breeding territories and by January and February they will be nesting once again.

Feeding in harmony 8-10-09

I can easily see how native tribes lived so in tune with the earth that they named the seasons according to what was happening at the moment. For me, the season of the purple martins is about to end, as I know they will soon be migrating south. Now the season of the hummingbirds has arrived and after that, it will be the season of the raptors and waterfowl as those species return from the north. I know I still have so much to learn about my desert home, but as the days pass and I tune in to this wonderful world around me I begin to feel the beating heart of this earth and hear the breath of the land. I begin to know and understand the moods of this land I live on, this earth that I am a part of, this place that gives me Life.

And that's...

MY WORLD Tuesday

Announcement: Empire-Fagan Committee to Meet

Scenic Highway 83 through Davidson Canyon looking North to Mt. Fagan. 8-3-08

The next meeting of the Empire-Fagan Coalition is Sunday, August 9th at 1:00 pm, at the Corona de Tucson Fire House. 99 Talahassee St., Corona de Tucson

Attack of the Gray Ghost

It is a pleasant evening for a walk as Gus and I step out the front door with our little dog, Blossom. A few clouds have rolled in and the wind has picked up, dropping the temperature from 106 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. We walk casually up our street towards the new neighborhood that is going in. I want to see the new house they are building that I first noticed when I took a walk in the wash last week. As we draw near the neighborhood I notice the gate is closed. A couple around our age and a little girl are coming towards us with two large dogs. They must skirt the gate to get back out to where we are. We check to see if their dogs are on a leash, because poor little Blossom has been attacked by larger dogs before. All is well and we keep on walking, but we keep our distance. As they pass the stone monuments that support the metal gate I am looking off into the desert for birds, but Gus is focused on them. Suddenly I turn and see a gray ghost coming straight towards us dragging his leash, head low and silent.

Gus tries to grab Blossom but she panics and bolts to the end of her leash. Gus slips as he grabs for her and lands on his butt. I interject my body between Gus, who now has Blossom, and this large 85 pound dog. I have no weapon to use of any kind. I tell the dog “NO” loud and firm and it crouches slightly and looks at me out of the corner of its eye, then it darts around me and clamps onto Blossom’s rump with a vice-like grip. I turn to see the dark muzzle wrapped around Blossom’s butt. All the upper teeth are exposed as they dig into her flesh. Gus is holding onto Blossom for all he is worth. If Gus lets go I am sure the dog will run away with Blossom in his jaws, shaking her until she is dead. The owner comes running and grabs his dog by the rump and sits down. Me? I am screaming for all I am worth. I am screaming like I have never screamed before in my life!

Meanwhile, Gus has his right arm wrapped around Blossom keeping her from being carried off by the much larger dog. At only 15 pounds, the other dog grossly outweighs her. Gus is punching the dog with all his might with his left hand, the hand that he just had surgery on. He is punching and punching and punching. Blow after blow falls unheeded on the gray monster. Still the dog grips tight. My mind is racing wilding now. When will this nightmare end? Why won’t someone come to help us? Why won’t this dog let go. I am afraid that Blossom is dying as her eyes bulge out of her head. I am afraid Gus is going to die in his attempts to rescue her. And all I can do is stand there and scream.

Suddenly Gus switches from pounding on the dog’s ribs to punching it in the face. The new attack works and the dog finally releases Blossom. The male owner of the dog scurries to his feet and takes his dogs home. The little girl goes with him and we are left with the woman owner. She immediately volunteers to pay the vet bill for our dog. Amazingly, Blossom appears to be unscathed in that we can see no blood and she is walking. The woman gives us her phone number and address and we walk home shaking and near tears. Already Gus’s hand is starting to swell. It isn’t until we are home that we discover the full extent of his injuries. As he washes his hands he wisely removes his wedding ring. His hand is bleeding and swelling and turning black and blue. Both his elbows are scraped, as are both his knees. Meanwhile Blossom is hiding under the bed.

We try to coax her out with food but she is not interested. Gus just wants her to act normal again, but she cannot. She is not normal. I decide to give her a bath to wash off the fecal matter from when the dog first attacked her and she evacuated her bowels. But it hurts her too much and I quickly give that up as a bad idea. It takes us all quite awhile to unwind and go to bed. It is after 1:00 a.m. when we finally fall asleep. Gus sleeps through the night, but I can hear Blossom's pitiful whimpers from underneath the bed. I get up at 3:30 to try to comfort her but she crawls back up onto her pillow. I fall asleep and dream of mutant humans with partial metallic faces and silverware growing out of their upper jaw pointing straight out. At 5:30 Blossom starts whimpering again and scratching on the bed. It is her way of communicating with us. I think she wants to go out. Gus and I both get up and I have to drag her from beneath the bed. We carry her outside to the garden and set her down. It is now that we discover that she can’t raise her tail to relieve herself. I come inside and find the vet’s phone number and soon discover his office does not open until 8:30. It is a long wait. It becomes an even longer wait when I find out the doctor is in surgery all morning and the soonest he can see Blossom is 2:30 PM. Later on I get a call that someone has cancelled and we bring her in at 1:00. After x-rays and an exam, we have our verdict.

Apparently the dog did puncture Blossom’s muscles as I can see the teeth marks on the x-rays. In an area above her colon a golf-sized pocket of blood and interstitial fluid has collected. But worst of all is that 3 vertebra in her tail are broken and 1 is fractured. These are not the vertebrae that hang down off her butt, but rather they are the vertebrae that connect the tail to the pelvis area. One of the dog’s teeth pierced in this area right near the artery that supplies blood to the tail. If that artery is severed, her tail will die. If it dies, she will need surgery to remove it and any dead tissue surrounding it in her lower back.

For now the doc has given her a shot of doggie morphine along with steroids for the inflammation and an antibiotic. He also gave her a rabies shot, which she was due for. Then he sent me home with more drugs for the dog and a hefty bill which we will be taking to the other dog’s owner this evening. Yes, we did call the police and animal control and we are waiting to hear from them still.

Meanwhile, all we can do is wait and see if the tail will live or die. It’s going to be a long two weeks.

Update 8-7-09: This incident happened on Monday, August 3. Animal control was called and they are involved in the situation. The owners of the other dog felt just awful and they have stepped up to pay Blossom’s vet bills. Today Blossom went back to the vet for a recheck and some laser therapy. She is eating well and starting to act more like herself, but her fever is still up and she still can’t raise her tail over her back. However, she did attempt to wag it for the first time today. The vet says her tail still feels soft, so that is a good sign. We go back for more laser treatments next week.

Skywatch Friday: Zone-tailed Hawk

Zone-tailed Hawk 8-1-09 Sahuarita, AZ

Zone-tailed hawks can fool you and their prey by their similarity to turkey vultures. A hawk of the desert southwest, they nest in trees along rivers and canyons but hunt widely over open areas. With a wingspan of 51" this hawk soars with its wings in an open shallow V, just like turkey vultures and is often seen with them. A closer look will reveal the barred wings, feathered head, and the contrast of the yellow beak and feet against the black body. Notice also the white bands in the long tail.

Compare the silhouettes and coloring of these 2 birds. Both were seen just last weekend in Sahuarita and were hunting in the sky at the same time. The one on the left is a zone-tailed hawk. The one on the right is a turkey vulture.

Zone-tailed hawk 8-1-09

Look at these beautiful dark wings and the dark T shape of the body. The turkey vulture below shows the same T shape with translucent flight feathers, but the Zone-tailed hawks feathers are barred, not solid.

Turkey Vulture in Sycamore Canyon 4-10-07

Notice how much longer and and straighter the turkey vulture's wings are. With a wingspan of 67" its "fingers" are of almost equal length, forming a square tip, while the zone-tailed hawk 's fingers are graduated in length, forming a gentle curve. Also, the zone-tailed hawk has 5 fingers while the turkey vulture has 6. I saw my first zone-tailed hawk on July 2 right here in Sycamore Canyon, the day after I returned form Connecticut. It came flying toward my den window and at first I thought it was a turkey vulture, but then it seem to be flying differently. Then I though it might be a raven, but it seemed much larger. as the bird drew closer with deep scoops of its wings I was able to see the white bands in the tail and the feathered head. As my mouth dropped open in astonishment it flew directly at the window and over the house. It was so close I was able to see it with my bare eyes. Knocking myself out of my stupor, I dashed into the living room to grab my camera. I had to hurry and change the lens to the 70-300 mm zoom, since the camera was still packed up from my trip. By the time I got outside with camera and bins, the bird was much higher in the sky. Though I was able to capture some photos the image had to be cropped and enlarged so much that it was not worth posting, though I could still see the barred wings and the white bands in the tail. It was enough to confirm my ID. That makes bird number 78 for Sycamore Canyon!

Please Visit

Skywatch Friday

for more amazing skies from around the world!

Thanks Klaus, Sandy, Louise, Ivar, Wren and Fishing Guy!

My World: Parque Los Arroyos

Parque Los Arroyos in Sahuarita 8-1-09

Parque Los Arroyos is a 7 acre park located in the town of Sahuarita, Arizona. It has a shaded picnic area and playground as well as 2 acres of turf. Typical desert scrub surrounds the park with paved and winding trails. All are handicapped accessible. I recently discovered this park on one of my trips to Sahuarita.

I finally followed the signs to the park.


On Saturday some of the trails were covered with water.


But that didn't stop me from exploring, or finding this butterfly.



I followed the trail around the park watching and listening for birds.

I found this desert cottontail resting in the shade...

...while this Cactus wren scolded me from a nearby tree.

It was only one of a family of Five!

Cactus Wrens are the Arizona State Bird.

Farther down the trail I found two zebra-tailed lizards fighting. They tumbled about in a violent grasp, then broke apart. I can only guess the victor is the one showing off his butt...

...while the challenger blushes red with rage!

Zone-tailed hawk 8-1-09

I identified 17 species of birds at Paque Los Arroyos on Saturday. Combined with the birds I saw the last time I was hear it brings my total for this location to 25 species of birds. My best surprise was a zone-tailed hawk that flew overhead just as I was getting ready to leave. You can bet I stayed a bit longer and took quite a few more shots. Come back for Skywatch Friday this week to see and learn more about Zone-tailed Hawks.

Meanwhile, this little round-tailed ground squirrel dived for its burrow beneath a barrel cactus.

Los Arroyos Park also has a drinking fountain and flush toilets with sinks to wash your hands. To get to Parque Los Arroyos take the Duval Mine exit off I-10 and head east past the shopping centers. Just past the Wal-mart the road become Old Nogales Highway. At the traffic light turn north on S. Calle Valle Verde. Take your first left on W. Calle Arroyo Norte. This road is well marked with signs to the park. About 1 mile up take a right on S. Avienda Arroyo Seco. The park is straight ahead. Have fun birding!

...and that's MY WORLD Tuesday!

Birds seen on this visit to Paque Los Arroyos:

Location: Sahuarita--Parque Los Arroyos

Observation date: 8/1/09

Notes: Also saw 2 hummingbird species, one rusty-capped sparrow, plain breast underneath a creosote bush but never got to see it's face. there is water in the arroyo this morning. Mammal's seen: 1 desert cotton tail, 3 round-tailed ground squirrels. Reptiles: 3 whip-tail and 1 collared lizard.

Number of species: 17

Gambel's Quail 11
Turkey Vulture 3
Zone-tailed Hawk 1
White-winged Dove 15
Mourning Dove 11
Gila Woodpecker 3
Gilded Flicker 2
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Barn Swallow 1
Verdin 7
Cactus Wren 7
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 3
Lark Sparrow 3
Black-throated Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
House Finch 5

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

Gossamer Tapestry Comes to Town

Doug Taron and Kathiesbirds 7-31-09

Doug Taron from Gossamer Tapestry is back in town for the annual insect conference down in Rio Rico. Once again he was able to make time to come and visit me here in Sycamore Canyon. This year we didn't do any black lighting but simply stayed home, relaxed, and chatted. While Gus prepared our famous homemade pizza, I cooked up a couple of pies for dessert. The pizza came out perfect, as did the pies. While Gus and I were grocery shopping earlier in the day I got inspired to make a lemon meringue pie. Then, I thought of banana cream. I couldn't decide which one I wanted more and neither could Gus, so, I made them both. It turns out Doug likes lemon meringue the best. It tasted even better sitting outside on the raised patio looking at the stars and the lights of Tucson while sipping hot tea. I turned on all my outside lights to see if any interesting insects would come in for Doug, but the bugs were a no-show. All we got were a couple of small moths, a few mesquite bugs and those darned brown crickets.

Leftover pie 8-1-09

So, guess what we had for lunch on Saturday? Pie anyone?

Having my blog has let me meet friends I would never have run into. We had such a good time. Since Doug is from the Boston area originally he is a Red Sox Fan, which gives him and Gus something to talk about. Me? I am interested in everything. The conversation never lagged. We ran out of time before we ran out of topics. I would have missed out on these photos if Doug hadn't suggested it. I was so lost in our visit I forgot to take pictures! So, the photo above is of just before he left. I photographed the pies the next morning. I sure hope we can do this again next year.

On his drive back to Rio Rico Doug stopped at some Magic Gas Stations. Be sure to read his post to see what I mean.