Neither Here Nor There

The stories we share during our adventures in the field are always some of the best times while out birding. 

                                                          Great Egret eating a goldfish

Often the stories are interrupted by fun finds,  

                                                                 Marsh Wren

Or stories about the birds we hope to find. 

I love these winter months so much.  The days fly by quickly, and the sweeping winter storms can stick inside my mind weeks after they happen. 

                                                             White-crowned Sparrow

Windy.  Rainy.  Cold. Perfection. I try not to think about the summer months ahead.  But that's weird as well because I look forward to observing the spring and summer birds again minus the heat. 

                           The last people to see the White-winged Scoters before they flew off

During these winter months, crazy ocean birds can show up.  When word of a male and female White-winged Scoter hit the birder airwaves, I hopped into my car to view these stunning birds.  

                                                                   male White-winged Scoter

I've seen White-winged Scoters before, but never this close for detail.  The male has this scary appearance. He's absolutely beautiful.  But he reminds me of Venom from Spiderman.

Well maybe not quite, but I gotta say, the male White-winged Scoter is a stunner up close.  The white eye line is amazing.  This pair, thankfully, stayed around for one week.  We were the last people to see them before they flew off for good. 

On the grasslands, we watch the incredible longspur and sparrow show. I can never get enough of this place. 

After being in California watching the Brown Pelicans, we were treated to beautiful American White Pelicans visiting a local pond in Phoenix. 

                                                               American White Pelicans

They have no fear as they come in for a landing near us. 

We scour the desert to study the rare Bendire's Thrashers. 

They are often difficult to find in Pima County but up in the Phoenix area around Buckeye and Apache Junction, they are in good numbers. 

                                                                       Bendire's Thrasher

We watch and admire the invasive Rosy-faced Lovebirds in Phoenix.  They are not native to Central Phoenix but they have made Phoenix and surrounding cities their permanent home. The population of these lovebirds continues to grow as they now number in the hundreds of thousands. 

                                                                   Rosy-faced Lovebird

During birder breaks, we try some wonderful breakfast places.  I have a stuffed poblano from Buendía in Tucson with some friends.  My gods is it good. 

There are so many beautiful birds and not enough time to see them all.  We spy a male Williamson's Sapsucker. 

                                                            male Williamson's Sapsucker

We see a gorgeous Painted Redstart dancing around the hummingbird feeders avoiding a very territorial male Rivoli's Hummingbird. 

                                                                           Painted Redstart

I laugh at the image below.  The Painted Redstart is comical.  We are a gentle presence as he works around the feeder, sometimes landing on my table while I'm having coffee. 

I never tire of seeing a Townsend's Warbler.  I get excited about observing more migrating warblers in the upcoming weeks. 

                                                                  Townsend's Warbler

A female Hepatic Tanager stuns the crowd with her brilliant orange-red male counterpart.  However, she also steals the show with her bright yellow lemon colors. 

                                                                   female Hepatic Tanager

A male Rivoli's Hummingbird makes a birder gasp as this large hummer shines above the rest.

                                                                 Rivoli's Hummingbird

Are turkeys ugly?  It's hard to say now because I find bizarre looking birds very interesting. 

                                                                 Gould's Wild Turkey

Some days, birding is like a buffet of color for the eyes. Something awakens inside of me and excites for the upcoming months of birding. 

                                                                           Mexican Jay

My local birds remind me to stay on top of my game so that when it's time to find new birds, my eyes will be sharp and ready to see them. 

                                                                male Vermilion Flycatcher

While January is over, the adventures have only just begun!