Big January 2010 Photo Essay

Great-horned Owl, Corona de Tucson 1-25-10

Big January 2010 Started off with a big problem for me when my computer crashed. Between computer problems, family visits, illness, my son's ankle surgery and babysitting for my grandson I squeezed in as many days of birding as I could. These photos are the compilation of some of the birds I saw this month. I hoped for a big finish, but the last 2 days of the month were very busy. On Saturday Gus and I drove to Phoenix to see a performance of Riverdance, a Christmas gift from my oldest son and his wife. It was a matinee performance and after the show we drove a short distance to the Rio Salado Project on the banks of the Salt River.

We saw ducks and coots in the demonstration wetlands near the parking lot and wandered the trail down to the river. Evidence of the recent flooding was everywhere with debris piled up on the banks and in the treetops. Still, the birds sang and we saw orange-crowned and yellow-rumped warblers, ducks and cormorants, towhees, hummingbirds and a kestrel. We watched the sunset as Gus took pictures and I watched birds through my bins. Though we saw a lot of birds, I didn't see anything new to add to my 2010 Big January List.

It wasn't until last night that Gus off-loaded his photos. He cropped and enlarged and enhanced them all. He made a little slide show to show me. As the pictures faded from one to another a photo of a little bird camera on the screen. A bird I did not see, but he did. A bird so wonderful, it made me start an ebird account for him, since I cannot count this bird because I didn't see it for myself. I saw this species for the very first time last spring in West Virginia at the New River Birding Festival. What was it doing here in the wintertime on the banks of the Salt River in Phoenix? But the pictures don't lie and I am sooooooo jealous! Gus photographed...the bird that got away! Do you want to see it? It's at the bottom of this post. For now, scroll down and enjoy the show. And remember, all photos click to enlarge. The rest of the story and the final tally are at the end.

Song sparrow 1-4-10 Sweetwater Wetlands

Black Phoebe 1-4-10 Sweetwater Wetlands

Sora 1-4-10 Sweetwater Wetlands

Great Blue Heron 1-4-10 Sweetwater Wetlands




Juvenile Black-crowned Night heron 1-4-10
Sweetwater wetlands




Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 1-4-10
Sweetwater Wetlands

White Vermillion flycatcher 1-4-10

Sweetwater Wetlands

Painted Redstart 1-13-10 Madera Canyon

Hermit thrush 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Mexican Jay 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Bridled titmouse 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

White-breasted nuthatch 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Dinosaur bird?

No. Wild turkey 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Yellow-eyed junco and Oregon Junco 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Acorn woodpecker 1-13-10

Madera Canyon

Loggerhead shrike 1-15-10

Whitewater Draw

Eastern Meadowlark 1-15-10

Whitewater Draw

Sandhill Cranes 1-15-10

Whitewater Draw

Snow Geese 1-15-10

Whitewater Draw

Cooper's hawk 1-23-10

Sycamore Canyon

Roadrunner and Lark Bunting in Sycamore Canyon 1-27-10

Northern Cardinal 1-28-10

Sycamore Canyon

Scaled Quail 1-29-10

Sycamore Canyon

Long-billed dowitchers 1-29-10 Rio Rico

Double-crested Cormorants 1-30-10

Rio Salado Project, Phoenix, AZ

(photo by Gusto!)

Black and White warbler 1-30-10

Rio Salado Project, Phoenix, AZ

Seen and Photographed by Gus only!

This is the one that got away!

I can't believe I missed this bird!

You know, I am always chiding Gus because he likes to photograph the big birds like herons, ducks and egrets. I am always telling him I need to see more of the little birds, that they are the ones I am interested in. Well, believe it or not, he tried to tell me about this one but I mistakenly thought he was looking at just another yellow-rumped warbler. I am the one who said, "we have already seen those, lets move on." I could have had this bird, but I didn't get to see it until I saw this photograph, so for me and my list, it doesn't count! However, Gus now has 17 species on his list.

So, on Sunday I was still stuck at 112 species and I had to watch my grandson again. No more bird watching for me. We drove to town, picked up Xavier, and stopped by the library to pick up my paintings from the art show. We drove towards home, stopping by the grocery store on the way. It was such a warm and sunny day and I so wanted to be outside, but we drove home with the car full of groceries and my sweet little boy in his carseat. On the way home I asked Gus to stop one last time at Sycamore Elementary School. I have stopped here numerous times over the course of the month looking for the Horned Larks I had seen and photographed here in December but everytime I stopped there were always people playing ball or children on the playground and no birds. The other times I stopped I saw sparrows, killdeer and cactus wrens, but no horned larks. This day the field was empty. I grabbed my bins and walked through the gate. I scanned the field to the sound of a cactus wren calling. At first I thought there was nothing, but then, in the far northeast corner a small flock of birds was feeding on the ground. I crept closer for a better look. For some reason they were all facing east with their backs to me. Turn and show me your faces! I thought to myself and then, one did, and I saw the yellow chest and the black feathered horns and I had them! I had species number 113-Horned larks!

That's it. That is my final species for the month. It was fun to play. Watching birds is fun anyday, and I really tried to remember that each bird is special. Each species is wonderful. For me, being outside is the best of all. Plus, I got to meet some new birders this time around. I would have to say that the White vermillion flycatcher and the scaled quail were the highlights of the month and for some reason, the quiet and gray day at Ried Park when I was pretty much alone with the ducks was a highlight, but then there was birding at Sweetwater, and whitewater draw, and that last day at Rio Salado with Gus, and...well, you get the idea, it was ALL good!

The Complete Big January 2010 Bird List

Snow Geese at Whitewater Draw 1-15-10

Alert: Robins and Rain in Sycamore Canyon!

American Robin in backyard mesquite tree 2-3-10

Over night a gentle rain fell. I stumbled to the kitchen and went to open the drapes but stopped. Was I dreaming? Was I really seeing this? I rubbed my eyes and grabbed my bins. I could see the orange breast, but perhaps it was a bluebird. We've been seeing lots of those this winter, though none in Sycamore Canyon. But no, this looked like a Robin. It is a robin! A robin in Sycamore Canyon! Wow! I have never seen one in Tucson, never mind Sycamore Canyon. That makes it species number 86 on the Sycamore Canyon Bird List which you can see by scrolling down the side bar. While robins are common in every other state I have lived in, for me, they are a rare bird here! I have only seen one one other time in this state, and that was November 6, 2007 in Madera Canyon.

I watched the pretty thing perched in my bare mesquite tree with gray skies and steady rain. I open the door a crack and thrust my lens out. Snap, snap! I hear it chirp! However, it doesn't sound cheerful, more like a question. The robin flies up higher in the tree and turns its back to me. I watch through the patio door and turn on the tea kettle and the light over the stove. Apparently the light frightens the bird and it flies away to the north. So, if you live in Tucson be on the lookout, a robin is headed your way!

For now, we have Robins and Rain here in Sycamore Canyon. I plan on spending the day blogging. It's time to get my Big January Wrap-up posted.

And that's....

My World, Tuesday!

A Short but Sweet Story

It was a cold winter’s day in New England 34 years ago. Bright sunlight bounced off new fallen snow. Ice crystals formed in the air. The young girl gathered her things from her new apartment and headed down to a class she was taking at a local Christian Counseling Center. The old Mansion served as a home for troubled youth. It sat perched high on a hill overlooking the mill town below. The deep waters of the Quinnebaug River flow dark and powerful past the old mill which formally provided employment for the residents of this small town. The tiny homes of the mill workers are dwarfed by the Mansion above, but nowadays the mill workers are gone; the mansion has become a sort of halfway house, with the mill still selling fabric to the locals.

It is in one of the rooms of this mansion that the Christian Counseling class takes place. The young girl of 19 takes a seat near a window. The room is crowded with those who want to learn to apply biblical principles to help those whose lives have been torn apart by drugs, alcohol and abuse. In 1977 this was new concept and halfway houses sprung up all over the place with little regulation and lots of hope. But this story is not about the halfway house or the counseling class. It is about the girl sitting in the sunlight, looking around the room at new faces and old. She is only 19 years old, in her second semester of community college, trying to find her place in the world.

As she looks across the room, she sees a young man about 4 ½ years older than her. She has known him for about a year and formally treated him like a big older brother. Now she looks at him in a new way as she sees him holding her friend’s daughter. He is laughing merrily, his blue eyes sparkling and for the first time a new thought crosses her brain. “Wouldn’t he make a good father?” The thought is so foreign to her and so sudden that she is sure an angel has whispered it into her ear, and perhaps one did, for later on that afternoon the young man calls her up and invites her out for coffee and pie that very night!

Now the girl is nervous and jittery. What should she do? What should she wear? How should she behave? What does this mean? Darkness falls early in New England at this time of year and with it the evening temperatures. The night feels like black crystal ice, the air is hard to breathe. A knock at the door and she is ready, she follows the man to the waiting car, a old station wagon owned by the Mansion he works at as a volunteer counselor and now, co-director. But what is this? There is another woman in the car! Her name is Kathie also and the young girl knows her. This Kathie is older than her and also works as a counselor at the Mansion. Could it be that the young girl has misinterpreted this as a date?

Cautiously she climbs into the car on the passenger side with the other woman in the middle and the young man driving. They drive the short distance to Burris’s Restaurant and walk briskly inside to escape the cold. The warmth of the establishment brushes her face. The young man leads the way to a booth where he sits with the other woman. The young girl sits across from them feeling puzzled and bewildered. Perhaps it wasn’t an angel whispering in her ear after all. As they order their coffee and pie, the young man starts to explain the situation.

Apparently as he drove north in the cold winter’s night he stopped at the local gas station to fill up with gasoline. Back in those days many gas stations also repaired cars. As he was filling the car with gas, he noticed his co-worker standing there shivering and waiting for repairs to be finished on her car. With temperatures falling below zero he couldn’t see having her wait in the cold, so good-hearted man that he was, he invited her along.

The tension in the room relaxed. She hadn’t misunderstood. Now the three friends talked and laughed as they drank their coffee and ate their pie. When they were finished and the bill was paid, they drove the other Kathie back to the garage where her car was ready and waiting for her. Then Gus drove me back to my apartment where we said good-bye at the door. Yes, this is the story of our first date on February 1, 1977.

In the course of the next three weeks, we went out on a few more dates. I turned 20 years old on February 22nd and on February 26th Gus asked me to marry him. We were married on June 4th of 1977 that same year on the grounds of that old mansion. Over 200 people attended. My birding mentor was there. Our wedding cake was 3 tiers high held up by angel pillars with morning glory vines cascading down the sides. And since my love of birds and nature goes back beyond this date in time, I chose a pair of white doves to sit on the top tier nestled in a bed of moring glory blossoms, instead of the traditional plastic bride and groom. 34 years ago today was the day it all started. Perhaps an angel really did whisper in my ear.

Happy Anniversary of our first date honey! I’m glad you asked me out.

Note: Big January wrap-up to follow!

Scaled Quail in Sycamore Canyon!

Scaled Quail 1-29-10 Sycamore Canyon

I've been watching birds whenever I can and wherever I can, so yesterday I headed into town with bins and camera to squeeze in some bird watching between errands. Gray skies threatened above me as I drive north on Houghton Road. By the time I reach Lakeside Park, the rain came down forcing me to leave my camera in the car as I search the park for something different. It is quiet here in the rain with only the birds and a few crazy fishermen braving the elements. Though I hope for the osprey or maybe some northern rough-winged swallows I am only seeing the usual suspects-American wigeons, mallards, coots, all kinds of blackbirds and a few western bluebirds. However, I am able to pick out a lone pair of Mexican ducks from all the regular mallards. Mexican ducks look like female mallards, but they are darker and smaller with dark tail feathers. Species number (Mexican mallards are no longer considered a seperate species I just dicovered!) for my Big January Count.

Hooded Meganser male 1-28-10 Reid Park

After lunch with a friend I head over to Reid Park to see what I can see. I park between the zoo and the ball fields and head for the pond. At the first pond the American wigeons dominate with over 100 in the water along with canvasbacks, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, coots, and pied-billed grebes. Pigeons swarm the pond edges hoping for a few crumbs from the bread that people brought to feed the ducks. In the nearby field a flock of western bluebirds gathers and in their midst a brilliant red flash appears-a male vermilion flycatcher! I work my way around to the southern pond located closest to 22nd Street. More wigeons and mallards and exotic domestic ducks and geese fill the pond, but then I see something different! A Hooded Merganser (109)!

Common Mergansers (female) 1-28-10 Reid Park

While watching the Hooded Mergansers I take up a location behind a palm tree and wait for the ducks to relax. A male Belted Kingfisher (110) gives its rattling call and flies to one of the overhanging trees. Then, 2 ducks circle the pond, dip and skim the water only to fly off again. Are they canvasbacks? the color is similar, but someting is differnt. I wait as they circle and skim again, once, twice, and then land. To my utter delight it is two female Common Mergansers (species 111)!

Great Egret 1-28-10 Reid Park, Tucson

All the while I am watching ducks this Great Egret calmly fishes nearby.

Hooded merganser pair 1-28-10

I am able to capture this photo of the Hooded Merganser pair. a lovely, artistic sculpture inthe water--beauty floating on rippled glass. I stand by the tree and just enjoy the sight. Though I love to count the birds and I like contributing the data to eBird, I never want to loose the pure joy of the birds. I stand and let the moment infuse my being. Gray skies, calm water, peaceful birds.

Scaled Quail in Sycamore Canyon 1-29-10

It is late at night when I arrive home. After all, I did have to do a bit of shopping. When I get there I find I have a message from the new people I met yesterday. about 45 minutes after I left the house Sheri called to tell me the scaled quail were back! But it is dark now and I am too late. I go to bed with visions of scaled quail on my brain. I want them so badly because when I enterd my bird count into eBird the other day I was surprised to learn that scaled quail are not an expected species here at this time of year. All night long I dream of scaled quail. I wake up in the night with the words pounding on my brain. I just have to see these birds! I won't be able to sleep. I want to add them to my Pima County list, my Sycamore Canyon list, and my Big January Count. I wake around 8 a.m. and busy myself with morning chores. Is it too early to call Sheri back? I fill the bird feeders, and feed the pets. I fill my time as the clock creeps towards 9 a.m. then, I give Keith and Sheri a call. The scaled quail are back! I jump in my car without eating breakfast and drive to their house with what feels like frogs jumping in my stomach.

Scaled Quail 1-29-10

When I get to their house I exit the car quietly. I grab my gear and gently tap on the door. I do not want to scare these birds off now. Sheri opens the door and leads me inside. I dump my stuff on a nearby hassock and put my bins to my eyes. Where are they? Where are they? All I see are Gambel's quail. Right there, Sheri says, but I don't see, because what I am seeing are the streaked sides and white lined wings from the back, but then..., oh then! I see! I see the scales. I see the birds. I am shaking I am so excited! I have my Scaled Quail! (species 112!)

Scaled and Gambel's Quail on seed block

I have only seen scaled quail twice before. The first time was on my very first trip to Whitewater Draw the first year I lived here. One sat on a branch in the early morning light before it or we moved on. Then, I saw one briefly moving trough the brush on a hillside in Rio Rico, but this, this is the first time I have seen them this close and this well. I only intended to stay for a few minutes, but by the time I left, I had been there 2 hours. I have found new friends in Kieth and Sheri. I look forward to further birding adventures with them. And for now...

Scaled Quail 1-29-10


...I have Scaled Quail!

Skywatch Friday: Snow and Flood

Snow on the Santa Ritas 1-23-10

(taken in Sycamore Canyon click to enlarge)

Snow in the mountains means floods in the valley...

...and churning brown water in the Santa Cruz river...

...at Ina Road flows peacefully away to the north.

All photos were taken last weekend on January 23 after the snow and rain of the night before. I went to Ina Road to hopefully spot some black-necked stilts but to no avail. This water was too swift and brown to attract them. However, I did discover that a new walkway has been installed here and I plan to go back and explore the trail. I only saw a few birds here this day and all were birds I had already seen elsewhere, so no additions to the Big January Count at this location. However, I did see a Lark Bunting in Sycamore Canyon yesterday, so that make species number 108 on my Big January Count!

Have a Happy Skywatch Friday everyone!

(I'm off to find some more birds!)

Drenched

Male Costa's Hummingbird in mesquite tree 1-22-10

Yesterday it rained buckets. The birds flooded my feeders and yard seeking shelter from the store and food for their bellies.

Soaked Quail 1-22-10

Drenched female Northern Cardinal 1-22-10


Lesser goldfinch seeking shelter from the storm 1-22-10

How many hungry Gila's can you count?

(click to enlarge)

With my feeders full of birds...

...and Snow on Mt. Fagan this morning 1-23-10

...it didn't take long for this Cooper's Hawk to show up for dinner!

1-23-10

All of these birds would qualify to be counted for the Great Backyard Bird Count if it were happening today. Get your binoculars ready, because it is coming soon! Click on the link or the button to learn more. There are special links and activities for children. This is how I became an active birder. Until I participated in the GBBC I use to just watch the birds that came into my yard or to my feeders. If I went someplace new, I was aware of the birds around me, but I never actively went out in search of birds. The GBBC changed all that for me when I first participated about 10 years ago. It's a great family activity and a fun way to learn about birds and birding. You do not have to be an expert! You just need to be willing to learn. Every bird list counts and it all helps the birds!