The Chase Becomes the Story: Part2

Getting to 500 state birds takes patience, consistency, curiosity and a "hunger" to see more. To know more. Getting over 400 new birds is doable over several years. I'd say for a general birder in Arizona, over 300 will happen with time and very little chase. 400 requires chases. But remember, these last 100 birds took me over 10 years to reach!  We're still hanging out in the year 2016 for these next birds and end in May of 2017. 

In 2016, a new president would divide the country. It would be the last time that I'd get to visit with my Grandma. It would be the first time I began leading groups of people to find birds. Somehow, I found the time to officially get married. We'd take epic trips around the country and world.  I'd meet my friends Homer and Khanh for the first times. I'd travel often with Gordon, Jon and Magill to find super rare birds in the state. I'd continue to learn more about Arizona habitat and I'd add several more of those rare eastern warblers to the Arizona list. It would also be a year that we began to see the miles long ribbon of Yellow-headed Blackbirds decrease in number from the thousands upon thousands of birds along the interstate. As cotton fields disappeared from suburban sprawl in Marana due to drought and decreased water rights for farmers in the area, so did the blackbirds. This was both good and bad.  It was something quite magical to be surrounded by tens of thousands of Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the morning as I headed out to chase a bird. Today, there are just remnant flocks that are again threatened by a new AI center. It would be the proverbial nail in the coffin if this data center is built for these birds. It will also be the end of the farmers in that area. They are also disappearing. 

Our team, the Wrenegades, formed and began raising money for the Tucson Bird Alliance(formerly Tucson Audubon).  This would be one of the last years we'd stand in the glory of the ancient cottonwood trees of the Empire Gulch before it was burned down by an idiot border patrol agent shooting at a box for a gender reveal party. It was a boy. And with his inadvertent spark in the dry grasslands, he destroyed homes and a lot of habitat in the Sonoita area for nesting hawks.  Today, he is paying his fines.  But at what cost to the community and to the wildlife? As a birder watching these tragic and historic events unfold, it's impossible to not feel a deep sadness and anger towards the ignorance of humanity. There's a helplessness that comes from observing it all.

I think for me, 2016 was the first year of adult change as I began to find my true voice and listen to it. For the first time in my life, I was free to explore and follow my dreams as I photographed the world just like other people did from my childhood magazines of National Geographic, Ranger Rick and Arizona Highways. Except that now I was the photographer capturing moments in this amazing world. 

I was still establishing my reputation in the birding community. I had already established myself as the community's Spanish teacher.  I was known.  But the birding community was still learning about my "gypsy" way on how I approached my birds.  In fact, I was still learning about who I was as a birder.  

My first bird on the list is an introduced bird from South America.  It's the Monk Parakeet.  For years, I debated whether or not to add this bird to my list.  That changed when I found ground zero and evidence that the parakeets were indeed breeding freely in Arizona.  And not just one or two birds but hundreds if not thousands. When I first began birding, the disappearance and mystery of the Monk Parakeets(known as Quakers in the pet trade) that bred in Casa Grande gnawed at me.  I am truly a detective at heart and I was determined to figure out what happened with this introduced species.  Over the years, we'd see a parakeet or two show up in Phoenix but where the hell where they coming from? There was always a pair. And they were breeding in the palms. So they could breed in the Phoenix area. But they had to be expanding their territory from somewhere nearby. My friends, like Gordon and Kurt, would give me updates on where they were observing other parakeets. Birders would question whether or not to add them to their state list.  I was one of them.  I needed more information.

I grew up with Monk Parakeets and know these birds very well.  The pair that had been showing in Gilbert seemed to be a pair moving from a central source.  I went back to Casa Grande to do my research.  I interviewed neighbors.  It was confirmed that the colony of parakeets was "eradicated" from the park by an extermination company.  Birds not native to the state are considered "not protected".  That still didn't answer my question about where they were coming from.  These were more than just escapees.  This took years to figure out and many trips to surrounding areas. There was also a police stop in Casa Grande while I was in the park! Finally one year, with my friend Magill, we took a map and located all the random sightings on ebird. We then proceeded to go to ground zero in the center of the informal circle of the sightings. BAM!!! As we entered ground zero, several huge flocks of Monk Parakeets flew over our car. It reminded me of gulls on the beach. The answer after all the years of searching? Queen Creek and a Mormon farming community.  There we found MANY nesting and feeding birds. The mystery was solved after 8 years of exploration.  I felt confident at that time, including now, to add the Monk Parakeet to my Arizona list. I was asked by the Arizona Birding Committee to put together a study on the birds to officially add them to the Arizona state list.  The person at the time told me it would be a several year study and if accepted, I would earn the prestige of my colleagues. It was an honor to be asked, but I didn't have the time like other birders did.  I was a full time Spanish teacher. I didn't need prestige to be a great birder.  I just wanted to do great work. I turned down the offer and remained a gypsy birder and was just happy knowing that I solved the mystery of the Casa Grande Monk Parakeets. It also answered the kind of birder I chose to be. I didn't want to be stuck doing paperwork. I wanted to explore and learn. Prestige gets you locked into lectures and more paperwork. It was an earned state bird at 411. Today my research of the Monk Parakeet continues in Sonora, Mexico where I have encountered small populations of these birds in Nogales and a VERY established population in Hermosillo. 

The next bird was the Winter Wren.  I drove with Magill to an overgrown trailer park known as Hassayampa.  It has since turned into the Hassayampa River Preserve.  We saw this amazing Gray Fox and it was beautiful.  Hassayampa is also known for its rare breeding Red-shouldered Hawks. I learned that finding Winter Wrens was a pain in the rear.  They are super skulky and very vocal.  Winter Wrens are rare but expected in Arizona.  I have seen many since my first sighting in 2016. The chase was fascinating but I remember it being super frustrating to try and see birds in this location.  It was the last time I ever went back there. However, it's a great place for rare birds to show up. 

So as you can see, these aren't super rare birds for the list.  400 plus birds still include quite a few regulars.  But back in 2016, there weren't as many birders out there reporting and these rare birds are now more regular due to global warming and some waterways opening.  In fact, the next two birds were very rare back in 2016.  Today, with some reasonable knowledge, one can find these birds breeding in their regular, yet limited, habitat range in southeastern Arizona. 

The Green Kingfisher was my next add.  I remember it was such a fun day out with Gordon and a young birder by the name of Caleb at Patagonia Lake on the birding trail. We didn't just see the Green Kingfishers; we saw an Elegant Trogon, Gray Catbird and Black-capped Gnatcatchers! My only new state bird was the Green Kingfisher but getting to see all those other rarities were a lot of fun.  On this day, we had 72 species of birds.  This was my second highest number of bird species at Patagonia State Park.  My first?  Also at Patagonia State Park that same year with 99 bird species! And to this day, that bird list number has not been broken for my own highest species count of any place in the world. I was so going for 100 but it sadly did not happen. If you ebird, what's your highest species total ever on one day? Sometimes it's a fun game to play! 

This picture is fascinating to me.  In the pic above, we see a younger birder at the time by the name of Caleb Strand. Across the way, we see the retired birders.  Everyone is looking at a Coppery-tailed Trogon sitting on a branch.  What's fascinating to observe about this picture is how Caleb was sort of the first true young birder and President of his club.  During covid, a whole lot of younger birders would fall into step with Caleb and they would form their alliances.  I will always consider Tommy D to kind of kick off the trend.  If Tommy was a birder Jedi, then Caleb was his apprentice.  Today, we see so many groups of birders.  There are these comfortable alliances that have naturally formed over time which include the young birders club, which also includes the subset of homeschooled birders, the retired club, the record keepers(some arrogant and grouchy-really in every group), the gay club, the women's groups and the disability crew.  It's so cool.  Everyone connects over Discord these days but it wasn't always that way.  It was a telephone hotline, an ebird report, Facebook page, Tucson Audubon's weekly rare bird alert, hearsay, secret texts between allies or the now outdated Sialia Birding List Digest.  As the times changed, so did the communications and birder's ways of communicating! I remember birding with a notebook right before I learned how to do ebird on a computer.  Today, some of these birders have passed.  Others have moved on to other states or places.  Some continue, like myself, but not as visible. The record keepers are aging and still keeping everyone on task.  The younger birders are finding lots of new rarities for everyone with that youthful energy and curiosity we all share. The retired snowbirds are visiting and finding a bird that they don't recognize. Sometimes it turns out to be super rare like my 500. Sometimes it's a House Sparrow.  The record keepers monitor every platform because they have time???  They go over every ebird list and every picture posted.  How they have the time or can do this is beyond me!?!That's dedication. Love them all.  Each offers the birding community something unique. I write all this with a smile on my face. 

The next bird was a road trip up to Phoenix and more specifically to Glendale. The Long-tailed Duck, which is a common Wisconsin bird for me, was found at this place called the Glendale Recharge Ponds.  Again not a favorite place to visit, but it had a rare bird.  The reason that I was eager to visit?  Because I got to bird with my buddy Gordon.  I miss those days. It's been a few years with both of us going through life changes.  But any time I get to hang out with him makes me happy. So yes, we saw the bird thanks to his help but I also got to do some birding with him and spend the morning outdoors looking at birds.  Birding friendships are everything. Sometimes a rare bird brings us together.  Sometimes, we get bored and want to explore.  That childlike curiosity is still present even as we grow into our late adulthood. And thank goodness!

This next state bird was a scary trek alone out to Safford on this remote dirt road full of ruts. I was still very brave at that age and took risks.  I had my old car which was low to the ground and not the SUV I have today.  If I knew what I do now, I wouldn't have even made the trek. During this trek, it was January of 2017.  I had just come back from Wisconsin.  I said good-bye to my Grandma.  She had tears in her eyes and she kept something hidden from us that we didn't know. She was always a big hugger, but this hug was extra long and had a grip.  Even my ex told me that he felt like she was giving us a final good-bye.  I was so naive. After all the loss that has happened in my life since 2017, I didn't think death could happen to me. Well, not for awhile.  Today, with every moment, I now take seriously and with great intention. We are not necessarily guaranteed a tomorrow. I have moved from, "I have to do things" to "I choose to do them" within my personal limitations.  I was a super human in 2016. But today, I recognize my limitations. I have less tolerance for nonsense and my core values have become the main compass of my daily choices.  I live in the present world. My dream has always been to live in Mexico since I was 17. Today I prepare for my own final chapter. I have worked hard these last years to arrive at my dream. Carpe Diem

In 2017, the Rose-throated Becard was a super rare bird.  Today it's still rare but can be found breeding in several areas around the waterways of southeastern Arizona. In fact, on one of my tours this year, we took a group of birders to see their lifer Rose-throated Becard.  We saw the female briefly in her yellowish brown hue around an old nest near Patagonia.  Like the Green Kingfisher, climate change has shown a movement northward for this species. My next prediction is that we'll eventually see a Great Kiskadee cross our borders. 

My next state birds would all come from warbler sightings.  Specifically eastern warblers. A Palm Warbler stopped by in a cow pasture near the town of Green Valley.

And then on a cold and rainy winter's day, we headed to Camp Verde near Sedona to this magical fishery that has this Common Black Hawk that lives there all year round.  For this experience with the Tennessee Warbler, I pointed to the spot where the bird should show up.  And it did!  When does that ever happen?! Knowing the species and their habitat is everything in birding.

This was my first time to Camp Verde along that beautiful winery road near Sedona.  Magill and I had a blast. 

Years later, I'd see this warbler often in Pima county during the winter months.  It's somewhat rare but there's usually a sighting or two each winter or spring around Tucson. 

One winter's day, a few years back, I was bored and went to see a rare Tennessee Warbler alone in Tucson.  Some days, you just need to connect with nature by yourself. And it's always fun to revisit old friends in the wild who make a rare showing.

In March of 2017, Magill and I headed up again to find a Rough-legged Hawk around Mormon Lake. It took us awhile but we found it.  Years later, I'd see one near Sonoita and again in the town of Marana.  It was a fun day out in the cooler temps. But the best sighting?  This juvenile Bald Eagle flying in sync with a Red-tailed Hawk! 

Then a mega rare White Wagtail showed up.  I had to look it up.  It was a lifer for me and a state bird.  But it was all the way in Ajo!  It was a long drive and day.  I think we've had 2 other sightings since, one being right now up in the Flagstaff area.  Since that not so great sighting and a fast forward to 2023, I remember falling asleep in a Portuguese park and woke up to a White Wagtail, wagging its tail around me. 

Sometimes your first views aren't stellar. And sometimes, it's irritating to chase a bird far away.  Sometimes you just want to see the bird alone.  While I could count the Arizona bird, it didn't mean to me as much as the one below as it walked around me under that tree in Lisbon.  There was no one around except me and the wagtail. I started to let the need for chasing birds inside of me go.  I began to understand the phrase "meaningful observations" better as it has since become part of the way I bird . I began to feel the target chasing wearing off but it wouldn't truly happen until after 2020. I still had more work to do. Letting go of group organized events where people pointed to birds and said, "There you go!" was becoming meaningless. Working for my own birds and understanding their sounds and habitats became my goal. This is not to say that I didn't do other guided trips but I minimalized them to places where I would need tricky permits to access the land like the Darien Gap in Panama.

For our next bird, we had a caravan of birders drive up to Flagstaff together. That's a long drive up from Tucson!  However, a rare Common Crane was spotted! Eurasian birds are top priority!

At the time, a great conversation in the birding community demanded the answer to their question, "Is this crane countable?"  After some debate, the "record keepers" said it was.  In my mind, I already knew it was countable. Me and my ex went to New Mexico to see our lifer outside of Roswell!  

This crane is larger than our smaller Sandhill Cranes. We got our scope on the bird and could add it to the list. This is where study is important.  In the great north, near the Arctic, birds from Eurasia and North America can cross paths and get "mixed up" in the migrational patterns. This bird was hopping around from state to state that year and a couple years afterwards.  Maybe there were 2 making their rounds on our side of the pond?  No one really knows but it is possible.  That sighting just reminds me to always look carefully at our Sandhill Cranes for either a Common or Whooping Crane! You just never know.

I didn't need a great picture of this bird because I saw them in Europe and had my documentation. 

My last sighting was a sacred one.  A rare Blackpoll Warbler showed up at Sweetwater in Tucson.  I was all alone for quite some time with this bird back in May of 2017. 

I think at one point, I may have run into a local birder and friend Jeff.  He had to run and I watched this warbler grab a meal.  It was very special. And close to home! Even better!

 Ten birds. Ten adventures. And a birder still finding his way. In between these state chases, I traveled the world adding new life birds adding a bit of "seasoning" to my background. I had so much energy during those years. Things would change as they do in life. Covid would happen and essentially lock us down for a few years.  My marriage would transform into divorce.  My grandma would pass in the summer of 2017. And I let myself get lost in the birding world avoiding my own personal troubles. Birds easily distract us from life's uneasy truths. It's simple to avoid them when you're constantly on the road. 

Part 3 takes us into pride, anger and jubilation. Another milestone defines where I stood in the birding community. The next ten include controversy, the nastiest hotspot of my birding career, a miracle, a tractor ride, and special hunt for a super rare sparrow that was as intimate with a group of birders as it gets.

The Blackpoll Warbler makes 419. We step fully into the year 2017 for the next ten birds! Until next time....