La Puerta Del Cielo
Slowly, I feel at peace letting go of my past and embracing what I've always known to be true. The decisions are not overnight, and my heart has always known where I was meant to be. Something has always led me to this space. It still frightens me. It's the unknown. At the young age of 13 in Arizona, ever since I heard those first strange words come out of our rafting guide's mouth, I was hooked. Spanish found me.
The years that followed afterwards were difficult. It especially became even more difficult as I fell in love with the Mexican people during my senior year homestay in Tlaxcala. Returning back home to Wisconsin, I felt lost for several years but I made that promise to myself that after I graduated from the university, I would move forward to a place where I could live in a world of 2 amazing cultures.
Eared Grebe
There has been a lot of sacrifice over the years to pursue that dream. While I was in Wisconsin, I tried to immerse myself as much as I could speaking Spanish. At the university, I met so many people who spoke the language and who had traveled the world. At times, I was very jealous of their experiences and their abilities to speak fluently. It put a fire in my belly to be better and explore the world like they had done. I wanted so badly to escape my Shire. Curiosity was and continues today to be my friend. Some call me teacher. Some call me a guide. But I just think of myself as someone who wants to help encourage others to learn more about the world. I'm a working guy who likes what he does. No fancy titles. Just....let's explore and see what's out there.
Common Loon
Along the way, our best plans are thwarted. Things happen. Sacrifices are made, but the dream was always still there. And along the way, I discovered my love of birding. That combined with the Spanish language lead me on the path I am today.
California Brown Pelican
Over the past couple years, I have often meditated on the direction of my life. While I don't believe in any one religion or god, I do feel a spiritual presence that guides me. It is a powerful thing. I listen to it and it guides me when it comes to the matters of the heart. My greatest fear is dying with an unremarkable life doing what everyone thinks they should be doing instead of following their heart.
Roeseate Spoonbills
Fast forward to 2026, after a year and a half of no travel, we went down to San Carlos, Mexico. Normally, San Carlos was just a fun side trek to my bigger ambitious travels. But after years of searching for that new bird, I have found peace watching birds that I've already seen. The exciting part has been exploring new hotspots in Mexico with Julio. I have always felt connected to the communities there.
Everyone speaks about the Mexicans crossing over to the US. But there are many of us, who have crossed over into Mexican society and reside there.
Black Skimmer
My students always ask me, "What's your favorite country?" Or. "What's your favorite bird?" Come on! They are all wonderful in their own way. But I only need to follow my heart and track where I travel to the most......which has been Mexico over and over again. And Guatemala. This is where I am my best. As for birds.....oof! My license plate says MANAKIN. To most people, they haven't a clue what that plate means. But to birders, they know that are pretty amazing beautiful little birds that have a lot of snap, crackle and pop!
Laughing Gulls
But all birds are pretty cool. There are some that are tedious to identify and I guess the myiarchus group is not my favorite as they all pretty much look alike....Nutting's Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, etc etc....They all look the same. But I still get excited hearing or seeing one in the wild.
After this year and a half of reflection and remodeling, I saw this trip to San Carlos in a different light. We woke up to the sounds of the ocean. We ate dinner at sunset. And the mornings were always spectacular because I was with someone who made me smile again. Love is a rare thing. There is give and there is take. But there is so much reward in sharing these things together. As we walked the beach, I found peace and happiness sharing my knowledge of birding with him. And it didn't matter that I had seen them hundreds of times. The observations are deeper now. It's not just that they are sitting or flying; it's about how they move and communicate with one another. The one thing I have learned is that birding is an exciting way to explore the world. But it can be a lonely one ticking birds off that list. On several ocassions, after birding alone, it felt empty. However, I learned a lot!!! It was pure study. But I wished that I had someone with me to explore so that we could do all those other fun things that couples do on vacation.
One of my favorite memories with my ex was going to Hawaii. It was a highlight of our adventures before covid and parting ways. Then afterwards, I traveled with friends or alone for some clarity of the mind. Everyone needs that time as well. I always tell my other half that I am a gypsy at heart and there will be one or two times a year when I'll be selfish and take that time to travel alone to read and explore local birds on my own. The difference this time around is that Julio wants to join me on these adventures. He brings balance to my avid addiction reminding me to enjoy some of the more human things in life.
When it comes to cultures, languages and birds, I can rattle off a lot of random facts. I smile because I know my ex will quote me word for word on every bird we've seen together. And she'll pass that on to her friends. Those car rides to chase birds for all those years must have been torture:) However, we had some fun meals and adventures that we'll continue to laugh about in our own ways down the road. You can't forget those experiences. One of the things that makes me laugh? The idea that one of her friends will say something random like, "This bird won't shut up outside my house." They take a pic and will show it to her and she'll rattle off what the bird is. Then her friend will ask, "How in the hell do you know that?" It's the gift that keeps on giving even after divorce.
Now, during these final years, I feel more relaxed. There is no more rushing. I see myself getting older sipping on coffee with pan dulce and Julio by my side on the ocean.
Western Willet
Birds connect us all. They surround us. At work, I notice the students like to sit at my outside classroom tables near my feeders and watch the birds while they are working. It's subtle, but it's a way to bring nature and the young together. For Julio, it's about seeing things he had never noticed before in his life and paying attention to those small details around us. For me, it's now sharing pozole together for lunch or having hot sopes at 10 pm on a cold Nogales night listening for owls.
Snowy Egret
Or watching Snowy Egrets in a mangrove near Guaymas at sunset.
the endemic Yellow-footed Gull
In my heart, I feel my American side slipping away to the Mexican one.
Caspian Tern
On my first major trek for the year, we return to Baja California to chase the Xantus's Hummingbird. It will be the first of many treks around Mexico discovering the many wonderful layers of habitats and Mexican birds.
Long-billed Curlew
As this school year winds down, I prepare for that trip and our birdathon coming up next week with the Wrenegades.
I keep adding random birds to my Mexican list like these American White Pelicans. Another bird I thought I had on my Mexican list but I guess not! We found these guys in the mangrove between San Carlos and Guaymas.
American White Pelicans
San Carlos offers some great birding along the ocean. It has one of the best and most accessible mangroves near the US border. It is also here you begin to find some of those fun tropical birds like Great Kiskadee. Or rare for Arizona but common near Hermosillo birds like the White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbills.
You can also find the Mangrove Yellow Warbler here, one of its most northern ranges on the Pacific side of Mexico.
However, it's easy to get sidetracked by the beautiful beaches and very social beach walkers. Prepare to love the dogs. They are all over with their owners.
As this year progresses, we will explore more of Mexico and hopefully add a few lifebirds in the process this year. If we don't, it's not the end of the world. It's all about the adventure of exploration. Until next time....
Comments
Post a Comment