Inside the Oven with a Moist Brownie
Northern Waterthrush
To say that it has been a difficult start to the school year would be an understatement. Often I am exhausted by week’s end and prefer to stay locked up inside our place in my pj's all day. It's hot and muggy out there, but it's also the most exciting time of year for birds and everything else. I was needing some quiet time to connect with the birds and figured I'd try my hand once again for that "perfect" Northern Waterthrush photo. Two were seen at Sweetwater around a pool of water created by our monsoon rains. It was a beautiful morning studying these lovely and secretive birds.
If it wasn't for birding, I'd be home more:) The trade off is that I bird alone so that I can regulate how long I want to be outside. Sometimes when you go with others, it can be an all day affair. During this time of year, I'm all about the morning out birding and keeping it close to home. The last thing I want to be doing is birding during the hot temps after 10-11 AM.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Right now migrating birds are passing through my very own garden and it's fun to be there and see them meander quietly through the vegetation.
The Broad-billed Hummingbirds are growing at a substantial rate and their bills are starting to peak out of their nest. It won't be long before they fledge.
One of the most exciting things to happen to me was have a Greater Roadrunner visit our yard! It's the first time in 15 years that this has happened. The Roadrunner takes my yard list to 80 birds in Midtown Tucson. And for number 80, that's a cool bird!
I have been in a sandpiper mood this month and all I want to do is watch peeps. That's perfect thinking since it's shorebird month here. I helped do my part by sharing my ebird checklist with World Shorebirds Day at the Green Valley WTP. I had fun watching a pair of Solitary Sandpipers do a territorial dance with each other. They are quite beautiful birds. It was really cool seeing how they displayed their tail feathers.
I am starting to appreciate peeps more. I used to hate ID'ing them but now they aren't as bad. I also have begun to notice habitat preferences in their preferred shallow water strolls. Solitary Sandpipers dip and bob along the rim of water areas while the Baird's Sandpipers prefer the muddier portions.
Life for a birder in Arizona gets interesting during the months of September and October and it's precisely because extreme rarities show up in our state. One such bird is the Yellow-crowned Night Heron. A second record bird for AZ was discovered by bird goddess Janine McCabe who often wanders like a gypsy to random locales and becomes part of the landscape. During her zen filled moment on a quiet lake up on reservation lands, she took a picture of what she thought was a Black-crowned Night Heron, which is the expected find. When she posted her pics from her camping trek, birders went crazy. The nerds came out of the woodwork. THAT'S NOT A BLACK-CROWNED! And I thought, NOOOOO. I have to get up early now! But I'd regret not going so we brought the team together to go chase this exceptional state bird. I've seen that bird twice this year in Florida and in Mexico. But not in Arizona...ever:)
It started with a super early morning. Gordon drove the 3 of us hopeful birders to Peridot to pick up our permits to enter reservation lands. While waiting, we saw a lot of stuffed dead things all over the walls and halls. I wasn't going to bring my camera at first but I had heard that there was a bear in the area of the night heron. I was so hopeful to get great photos of that would be AZ state mammal lifer, but alas......I'll have to wait.....again.
The cooler temps were great around Seneca Lake. We decided to hike around the area. It was full of amazing life....wildflowers, dragonflies, birds, frogs and so much more!
While invasive, the American Bullfrogs numbered in the hundreds if not thousands around this little pond area. This night heron is no dummy! There was plenty of food here for the bird.
I was okay walking around the lake until I realized my water had run out. It's easy to get sidetracked with the nature show. The last part of our hike was through a crazy thorny part of the lake. The path disappeared and turned into a flesh tearing catsclaw. We all came out with blood on our arms and legs looking like we had a fight with a Mountain Lion. I almost passed out because I was dehydrated. Thankfully, we were closer to the car, and if that bear had come out of hiding in a bad mood, I might have been toast.
Other than that, it was a perfect day out. Most importantly, friends were able to spend time together and look for a good bird.
We found the night heron and had really great views.
Exhausted but happy, we slowly birded our way back home. I wonder what my 500th bird will be for Arizona. The higher I climb towards that milestone; the more strange and exotic the birds get. And it's so interesting!
Unless something rare shows up again, I will put my pj's on and watch my feeders on the weekends until things cool down. A really special trek is coming up soon. Stay tuned for more.....
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