A Morning of Mixed Fortunes

We decided that we weren't up for rushing round chasing birds, we just wanted a quiet, peaceful morning in the park. Kathie knew just the spot - Javalina Picnic Area in Saguaro NP East. I managed to tear my husband away from his computer to go for a hike too so, although I'm not into 'stones at birds', we were definitely 'killing two' in this case :) I waved off my intrepid hiker on his trek and then we settled ourselves in the shade with our tea, bins, cameras, bird books and breakfast.

 
The birds were actually remarkably quiet early on so we sat chatting and watching the antics of a very sweet Antelope Squirrel who was definitely used to getting snacks from people at these tables.

Soon our peace was shattered by my phone, it was my husband calling to see if we could see him up on the ridge. What is it about guys? They need to be seen conquering things? Bless them! Anyway we trained our binoculars along the ridge and finally spotted a tiny figuring toiling away up high. Having satisfied him that we could see him, we turned back to our birds.

First on parade were the comical Gambell's Quail, chattering and fussing away as they pottered down the trail. Unusually they flew up into a small tree and began pecking. We couldn't quite tell if they were eating the leaf buds or little bugs on the leaves but whatever it was they were certainly enjoying it.

They were followed by a very handsome male Cardinal who posed obligingly for us before flying off.

Our little Antelope Squirrel soon came back and we eventually folded and gave her a cashew nut, which seemed to meet with her approval. Look at that beautiful lichen on the rock that she chose as her dining table.

A little black butterfly came in to land and I managed to get a photo of it which is a surprise in itself, usually I get a blurry blob! When I looked closer at the picture I noticed that it wasn't just a black butterfly, it had a yellow head! I found out later by pouring over my books that it is a Golden-headed Scallopwing.

The birds were not being very active but it was a lovely morning to just be outside and enjoy our surroundings.

After another half an hour or so we decided to walk a nearby loop, it was only a mile long and Kathie knew there was a spot where Great-horned Owls were known to nest. How cool would that be if we could spot them?

 

We set out down the trail and were soon spotting birds like this Black-throated Sparrow

And a beautiful pair of Kestrels perched up high atop of Saguaros on either side of the trail

Many of the plants were blooming too which just added to the beautiful morning

Unfortunately at this point things went a little awry when Kathie trod on a stone which moved under her foot and sent her crashing to the ground. I turned round just as she cried out and landed at my feet. I have to say, if this had been me I would have been bawling my eyes out at this point but Kathie was more concerned about her camera - seriously! I suggested we went back to the car but Kathie wasn't about to give up on the day. We sat quietly for a while whilst I tried to patch up her leg and hand that were very badly gashed up. The little band aids really weren't man enough for the job but I did my best. She was soon up and on the go again, ever watchful for more birds. I suspect that adrenaline was keeping her going as this fall would later lay her low for several days. 

We finished the loop, adding several more species to our list, including the nesting Great-horned Owls and then Kathie dropped me back at the picnic area before heading home to clean up her wounds. By now it had started to warm up a little and my little furry friend was stretched out in the shade keeping cool.

As soon as Kathie left, a species that we had been expecting to see put in an appearance. A pair of Canyon Towhee scratching around in the dirt. But they didn't stay long and I barely got one photo off.

Soon a Thrasher appeared to check up on me. I felt as though I should stand to attention and salute or something under that ferocious glare!

Someone else also wanted to see what I was doing and she was prepared to get really 'up close and personal' to check me out.

I don't think I have ever had such a close encounter with a female Cardinal. She seemed just as intrigued by me as I was by her. It was a very magical moment.

Determined not to be outdone, the Antelope Ground Squirrel continued her impossibly cute antics. I was beginning to feel as if I was in the midst of a Disney movie!

 
But all good things must come to an end and soon enough 'the rambling man' appeared hot and thirsty and very happy after a good hike. It was time to bid all the animals goodbye and head back home.

 

We had a lovely morning, apart from Kathie's nasty fall and for those of you who don't follow her blogs (and you really should) she is being very sensible, taking things slowly and making a good recovery. You can't keep a good birder down for long!!

Las Cienegas

We were due for another birding trip. So bright and early on Monday morning I was up making tea and packing my bag for a trip out with Kathie, my birding buddy. Our destination, Las Cienegas NCA to the south of Tucson.

It was a perfect morning, clear, blue and warm with the gentlest of breezes. we made good time and soon arrived at the Conservation Area. It was only a matter of seconds before we started seeing birds and the first was a new species for me, the Black-throated Sparrow.

Not the greatest of photos but it had to be included. What little beauties. As you know I am not a fan of sparrows generally but there are some stunners in the south-west. We trundled on and Kathie asked me if I had seen Pronghorn Antelope before, as I turned and looked out of the window - 'Oh you mean like those three there?'

Right on cue, there they were looking so pretty in the golden grass. Well of course I took way too many photos - no great surprise there.

I was briefly distracted by a Harrier swooping and hunting low over the grass

but of course I couldn't get a decent shot of it and soon returned to the Pronghorns.

 
Then Kathie spotted an Eastern Lillians Meadowlark posing perfectly in a small tree so I tore myself away from the Pronghorns again, but only briefly!

Eventually they moved off and we were able to continue towards the ranch,

 

 

spotting Horned Larks and White-tailed Deer along the road as we went.

We parked up under a tree with two Turkey Vultures peering down at us.

There were Say's Phoebes and Vermilion Flycatchers hawking insects all around us.

We headed down into the relative shade of the gulch and it was alive with birds. We could hear what Kathie suspected to be a Gray Hawk calling but we couldn't spot it. There were Yellow-rumped Warblers and Chipping Sparrows everywhere we turned.

Where the sun filtered through the trees there were lizards basking in the warmth.

 

 

We made very slow progress through the trees as there was something new to look at everywhere we turned. Zone-tailed Hawks, Painted Redstarts, Ruby-crowned Kinglets the list was endless.

We walked towards the other end of the gulch towards the water source and as we were carefully negotiating our way around some protruding tree roots a Wilsons Warbler popped out right next to us.

As he flitted about we tried to get some decent shots of him which wasn't easy.

After reaching the end of the gulch we turned around and slowly picked our way back.

We had got about half way back when we both spun around in opposite directions pointing 'Look, look, look!' We had both spotted a Gray Hawk - two of them, flying in opposite directions! Luckily one perched just long enough in a tree for us to confirm its ID before disappearing. What a finale! We made our way back to the car and had a tea-break in the shade

before setting off again to cross the grasslands to the south to another exit, adding a few more species along the way.

What a wonderful day we had with so many beautiful species. We arrived home hot, dusty and very happy.

Here is Kathies beautiful account of our trip - Kathies Birds

If This Is The End Of The World - I'll Take It!

As the world was supposed to end on December 21st, Kathie and I decided that we wanted to end it birding! It just seemed fitting somehow. It was also perilously close to Christmas so we were both feeling rather as if we were playing hookie from all the endless array of tasks that awaited us at home. In order to salve our consciences we picked a location close to home that would only take us half a day instead of our usual mega dawn to dusk trips!
We arrived at Lakeside Park at 8.30am which may seem way too late to all you hard core birders but it was a chilly winter morning in the desert and there was also a stiff breeze blowing so we felt that the birds would be hiding out until the sun warmed things up and we weren't wrong. There were numerous dog walkers and some hardy fishermen around the park when we arrived. In the water were masses and masses of coots and a few American Widgeons. As we drove up a mixed flock of blackbirds and grackles took to the air but it really was too chilly for much else to be out and about.

We put on our layers and strolled down to the waters edge. There were a handful of Mallards cruising around with the widgeons and on the far bank a Great Blue Heron was fishing for breakfast. 

Other than that there wasn't a whole lot happening and the wind was not too friendly either. We decided to drive round to the other side of the park where there was a little more shelter from the wind and see what we could find there. It was a good call, our first sighting was a little American Kestrel, all puffed up against the chilly air.

As we walked down towards the waters edge a flash of red caught our eye, a Vermillion Flycatcher was on the move. Not as vibrant as some, this looked like a young male who was working up to his full magnificence. We found him delightful none the less.
 

And he seemed to find us quite intriguing too as he flew in closer to where we were sitting to check us out.

There was a Western Grebe sleeping peacefully on the water with its head tucked snuggly in its feathers to keep out the morning chill.

Slowly the sun was beginning to reach out and warm the earth.

The coots seemed glad of the warmth and began squabbling and bustling about, calling raucously to each other across the water.

As we walked around the lake to a line of small mesquite trees I spotted someone sleeping in the branches.

An immature Black-crowned Night Heron. Our excited chatter soon alerted him to our presence and he kept a very close eye on us from his cosy hide out.

While we were watching the night heron the Great Blue Heron flew in and tried several times to land in the same mesquite tree. He is such a big guy and the tree was just not substantial enough to support him so after a few ungraceful flaps and some irritated squawks he flew off to a bigger willow across the wash. He tried to land on the tiniest of branches right at the very top of the tree as if he were a Verdin! Needless to say this led to a great deal of flapping

And wobbling

And flailing about

Before he finally managed to stick his landing.

I got a very hard stare for having the audacity to photograph such an inelegant moment.
 

It was time for us to turn back. As we walked back under the row of little mesquite trees we spotted another Black-crowned Night Heron snoozing away above our heads, this time a mature adult in the dramatic black and grey plumage.

Now the sun had beaten back the morning chill and the bushes around us were suddenly alive with bird calls and fluttering little bodies.
 

One strange looking bird had us puzzled for a while but Kathie knows her stuff and she eventually worked out that it was an immature Bronze Cowbird.

One species that Kathie really wanted me to see was a Lark Sparrow. Now I have to confess I am not usually very impressed with sparrows, they tend to fall into the 'LBJ' category with me. That and the fact that many of them are really difficult to distinguish from one another!
Of course I should have trusted Kathie when she told me that these little characters were worth seeing. When several of them flew into a bush in front of us I could see exactly why she found them so appealing.
 

What is not to love about that pretty little face. A new bird species for me!

As we strolled back towards the car there were three Killdeer on a nearby playing field. By this time we thought we were done for the morning and were just commenting on what a nice 'End of the World Birding Trip' we'd had. Little did we know that we had one more big surprise in store for us.

Kathie noticed a small raptor perched way up in a eucalyptus tree and initially we thought it was the kestrel that we had seen earlier. I can always tell when Kathie is excited by a bird sighting, her voice goes up an octave! Well sure enough her tone changed and I knew we were onto something special as I raised my binoculars and was a little puzzled not to see the familiar facial markings of the kestrel.
 

It's a Merlin! She exclaimed with undisguised delight in her voice. This is a very special bird for anyone to see but had an extra relevance to us as it was the very first bird we saw together when we first met back in 2009. What are the chances? A relatively rare bird and here we are being treated to another opportunity to view it together. Needless to say we were both extremely happy.
 

We watched it for several minutes before it flew off, swooped round and landed in another tree to join its mate. Double delight - not one Merlin but two. It doesn't get much better than this. We decided that this was the best End of the World ever!

There was nothing we could possibly see that could top that so we made our way back to the car and headed back to catch up on all those pre-Christmas chores we had been avoiding.