Am I Doing a Big January?

Agua Caliente Park 1-13-14

As the time to move grows nearer I find myself busy with all the preparations. While I don’t have to pack and move myself, I do have things that need to get done and people I want to spend time with before I leave. But I also want to see my favorite places and my favorite birds. I am trying to squeeze in birding whenever and wherever I can, but I am also trying to make sure I spend time with my son and grandson before I leave. As a result, there has been little time for blogging, but here I am tonight, trying to write a post or two and keep everyone abreast of what is going on.

I am used to doing a Big January each New Year since 2008. With everything going on I wasn't going to do one this year, but I still feel the pull of it and the desire to be out birding as much as possible. Of course I am counting birds in my yard, but I am also counting them in the parking lots and along the roads. I managed to get to Sweetwater Wetlands one day with Chris, as well as out to the Tangue Verde wash this past Sunday afternoon. On Saturday I took my son and grandson to Colossal Cave Mountain Park where I added a Bewick's Wren to the list while we were waiting for our cave tour. By Sunday night I was up to 76 species of birds. When my son needed me to drive my grandson to school on Monday morning, I took advantage of the opportunity and went to Agua Caliente Park after dropping him off. I thought I would just take a quick look around but ended up staying for 2 hours and counting 26 species of birds, 5 of which where new to my 2014 Year List.

Walking around the park Monday morning was very poignant for me. I can't help looking at each tree and cactus, each curve of the mountains and thinking to myself how much I love this place and how I will miss it. I am immensely thankful that I was able to live here for as long as I have and to experience this place.  Agua Caliente Park holds a special place in my heart, because it is the place where I first went birding with Celeste back in 2010 and with Chris Rohrer in the fall of 2012.

After spending the morning in Agua Caliente Park I decided to see if I could find the Great Horned Owls in Saguaro National Park, so at 4:50 PM I headed over to the Freeman Homestead Trail for a hike.

It was all pretty quiet on the trail. The sun was sinking low and deep shadows lay across the dusty trail. There was only one other car in the parking lot as I set out, but all was quiet. I heard no birds or people until I got farther down the trail where the voices of children drifted up from the canyon and I heard the trill of a Rock Wren ringing off the canyon walls. As I descended the trail towards the wash, I constantly scanned the cliff walls where the owls are known to roost and nest, but though I examined each cave-like hole and each tree, I did not see an owl anywhere.

With the sun sinking lower the temperature dropped and I heard my feet crunching in the gravel wash, but still no birds, until I heard the whistling of a Mourning Dove's wings as it flew over my head and landed on the branch of a nearby tree to roost for the night. Finally the trail took a turn upwards and as I ascended through the rocks and desert scrub I saw a small bird bouncing on an outcropping ahead of me. It did not take me long to recognize the Rock Wren picking among the cracks in the stones. When it saw me it flitted off into the bush and as I stopped to get a better look I heard the call of a Curve-billed Thrasher piece the quiet dusk. As I stood there soaking it all in suddenly I saw motion out of the corner of my eye and I turned to see a Great Horned Owl gliding silently along the edge of the canyon walls that only moments ago towered above my head! Bingo! I got my bird! I followed it with my binoculars on its stealthy flight until it disappeared beyond the wash and into the desert evening.

So...maybe I am doing a Big January after all! Here is the list of birds I have seen so far:

1. Rock Pigeon-Tucson Yard-January 1, 2014
2. Mourning Dove
3. Anna's Hummingbird
4. Cactus Wren
5. Yellow-rumped Warbler
6. house Finch
7. Lesser Goldfinch
8. House Sparrow
9. Costa’s Hummingbird-my neighborhood-January 1
10. Gila Woodpecker
11. Say’s Phoebe
12. Common Raven
13. Verdin
14. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
15. Curve-billed thrasher
16. Northern Mockingbird
17. Phainopepla
18. Pyrrhuloxia
19. Canyon towhee-Saguaro NP, east-January 1
20. Black-throated Sparrow
21. Cooper’s Hawk-Tucson yard-January 2
22. Gambel’s Quail-Tangue Verde Wash-January 3
23. Red-tailed Hawk
24. Northern Flicker
25. Vermilion Flycatcher
26. Abert’s Towhee
27. White-crowned Sparrow
28. Great-tailed Grackle
29. Gadwall-Sweetwater Wetlands-January 4
30. Mallard
31. Cinnamon teal
32. Northern Shoveler
33. Green-winged Teal
34. Ring-necked Duck
35. Bufflehead
36. ruddy Duck
37. Pied-billed grebe
38. Eared Grebe
39. Sora
40. Common Gallinule
41. American Coot
42. black-necked Stilt
43. Killdeer
44. Spotted Sandpiper
45. Least Sandpiper
46. Eurasian Collared-dove
47. Red-naped Sapsucker
48. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
49. Black Phoebe
50. Marsh Wren
51. Orange-crowned Warbler
52. Common Yellow-throat
53. Song Sparrow
54. Lincoln’s Sparrow
55. Red-winged Blackbird
56. American Wigeon-Reid Park-January 4
57. Canvasback
58. Great Egret
59. Black-crowned Night heron
60. Lewis’s Woodpecker
61. Western Bluebird
62. European starling
63. Chipping Sparrow
64. Dark-eyed Junco
65. Great Blue Heron-Lakeside Park-jauary 5
66. American Kestrel
67. Lark Sparrow
68. Brewer’s Blackbird
69. Bronzed Cowbird
70. Brown-headed Cowbird
71. Harris’s Hawk-North Houghton Rd-January 8
72. Broad-billed Hummingbird-Celeste’s Yard
73. Northern Cardinal
74. Bewick’s Wren-Colossal Cave Mountain Park-January 11
75. Red-shouldered Hawk-tangue Verde Wash-January 12
76. White-winged Dove
77. Cedar Waxwing
78. Western Screech Owl-Celeste’s Yard
79. Sharp-shinned Hawk-Agua Caliente Park-January 13
80. Belted Kingfisher
81. House Wren
82. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
83. American Robin
84. Great Horned Owl-Saguaro National Park-January 13
85. Rock Wren

Note: Bold type denotes new location and/or new date.

 

• Starting the Year With a Big January Bird Count-Larry
• A Bigger January-Las Aventuras

Life Bird 458: Northern Beardless-tyrannulet

 Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 9-4-2013 Agua Caliente Park, Tucson, AZ

The Northern Bearless-tyrannulett is a small gray flycatcher of the tropics and the desert southwest. It is one of the birds most birders come to see and get on their Life Lists here in Tucson. When I first moved here in 2007 I didn’t even know what one was. then, when i did learn about them I decided it was a bird i would never get to see. It is known to hang out at Agua Caliente park on the Northeast side of Tucson, but after several trips there I began to think I would never find the bird. Then, one day at the beginning of September I stopped in at the park on a whim after dropping my grandson at school. When I worked my way around to the mesquite bosque on the north side of the park I was amazed to find these two little birds calling and feeding among the trees! I was all alone in the park at the moment and stood there quietly with binoculars and camera as I watched them for about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

My first view of them was through the trees like this, but then they worked their way closer until they were directly overhead! I couldn’t have asked for a better view or better lighting! I was mesmerized and in awe. I was also surprised at how very tiny these little birds are. At only 4 1/2 inches they are smaller than a Magnificent hummingbird or a chickadee! They are the same size as a Red-breasted Nuthatch or a Verdin. regardless, I quickly fell in love with them. I found them to be friendly and curious and I totally enjoyed my encounter with them! I do not know if they were a male and a female or an adult and a juvenile. All I do know is they are so cute!

 

 

 

 

Northern Beardless-tyrannulet

 

• Northern Beardless-tyranulett-Audubon Birds
• Life Birds-click this link to see all my posts about Life Birds
• When You Do Something Good-how I found the bird.
• Agua Caliente Park-Pima County Link

When You Do Something Good

 Warbling Vireo at Agua Caliente Park 9-4-13

Sometimes when you do something good, something good happens in return. Though I was not expecting a reward the day I took my grandson to school for his dad. My son had early meetings and did not have time to drop his son at school. It was a task I was happy to do, but since my grandson’s school is so close to Agua Caliente Park it only made sense to me to bring along my camera and binoculars and go for a short walk and do a quick bird count. I thought I would stay at the park about twenty to thirty minutes and then get home and back to work. I had so much to do before leaving for our trip to Utah and Yellowstone National Park. After a quick good-bye I was on my way.

Wednesday, September 4th was a hot and sunny day. As I drove into the park I was surprised by the lack of people and cars in the parking lot. So many times lately when I have birded here this place has been so busy! Now it was mostly quiet except for a couple of workers doing grounds keeping. As I put on my binocular harness and donned my hat and camera a stiff breeze blew helping to mitigate the heat of the day. Already I can hear bird calls and songs. I look beneath a nearby lime tree where I find a pair of young cardinals bathing in the irrigation water beneath the tree. The male flew up soaking wet to the top of the tree while the female heads for the shade of a nearby mesquite tree. The mesquite tree is part of a cluster of foliage that includes palms and other bushes and trees that line the stream and runs from the spring to the pond. The thick foliage casts a cool dark shade over the area and draws me and the birds to its canopy. This area is very active and I soon spot my first MacGillivry’s warbler of the year.

Poking around in this same vegetation I find Warbling Vireos, Canyon and Abert’s Towhees, Western Tanagers, and a Black Phoebe (pictured above)! While the sun blazes above, this area is nothing but cools greens and grays. I cross the now dry stream bed in search of the birds I am hearing.

Out in the bright sunshine again I see a pair of Cedar Waxwings near the entrance to Agua Caliente Park perched in a dead snag. Gila Woodpeckers call and fly from tree to tree. Purple Martins soar on darkened wings against the clear blue sky chattering amicably to one another in flight. These are the sights and sounds that make me happy and bring me peace.

But the heat of the sun causes me to seek the shade once again. As I near the edge of the pond I am amazed to find a Yellow-breasted Chat working its way up through a tree. This bird is very silent for a chat, but a chat nonetheless and the first time I have ever seen this species at this location! It quickly becomes apparent to me that I will be staying here longer than twenty minutes! There are birds everywhere! While I am enjoying my time alone, I also wish that Chris Rohrer could be here because I know that he would be going nuts over all these birds! However, I decide to relax and enjoy the peacefulness and the rush of excitement each time I see another bird!

Western Tanagers were everywhere!

 

I hear the scolding of a House Wren, then find the tiny gray bird in the reeds!

 

In a nearby tree I spot a Ladder-backed Woodpecker!

It just kept getting better! There are not many ducks in the pond, though, just the typical mallards. I did happen to see a Great Blue Heron rise on ponderous wings when I first arrived, but I do not even find a coot on this day. I work my way across the lawn and past the old farm house to the trail beyond that leads into the mesquite bosque. All is still in the soft green-gray shade as branches reach across the path and form an speckled tunnel.

So many times I have wandered down this path searching for the elusive Northern Beardless Tyrannulet. I searched for it with Chris Rohrer on the first day I met him here. Earlier this spring Gordon Karre and I searched for it twice on the same day with no luck. I have looked for it on my own. A couple of weeks ago Gus and I came on a Sunday morning and sat at a picnic table by the pink house and the abandoned nest for 40 minutes hoping to see the bird, but still with no luck. The Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet had become my nemesis bird. I have been looking for it since I first moved to Tucson and became an eBirder over 6 years ago. Now I heard something! It was something different! I moved slowly and waited. There was no one but me on the path. Tiny birds moved through the thick twigs as if I did not exist. I felt as if the whole world was holding its breath, and then I saw this:

 Could it be true?

Then it flew into view and there was no mistaking it!

A Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet!

*Life Bird Number 458!

And while the tyrannulet flutters around me I also find a Nashville Warbler and another McGillivry’s! I don’t know who to watch or photograph first!

But the Tyrannulets make it easy for me when they come even closer as if to inspect me! Yes, there are more than one! Wow! What a way to conquer a nemesis bird! I had arrived at Aqua Caliente Park around 8:30 AM. By now it is after 10 and the temperature is rising. As I gaze at the birds through my bins a mom and her little son came walking down the path. They want to know if the path continues in a loop and I tell them that it does. I am happy to see this mom taking her son out to enjoy nature, but I am hot, tired and thirsty. I realize that it is time for me to go. So, I turn and begin my walk back to the car. As I emerge from the bosque trail onto the grounds of the park I spot a small sparrow in the grass.

A juvenile Chipping Sparrow!

What a way to end my morning of birding at Agua Caliente Park! When I left the house this morning I never expected this. And while I will always be more than happy to help out my son and give my grandson a ride to school I can’t help but think that finding the tyrannulet was my reward for the day and anyone who saw me could tell by my smile how happy I was! I carried that contentment and satisfaction around in my heart for the rest of the day like a tiny chirping bird!

Birding Agua Caliente Park

Time of arrival: 8:30 AM

Total Time Birding: 2 hours 17 minutes

Distance Traveled: 1/2 mile

Birds seen at Agua Caliente Park on September 4, 2013:

1. Mallards-13
2. Great Blue Heron-1
3. Turkey Vulture-2
4. red-tailed hawk-1
5. Mourning Dove-2
6. Broad-billed Hummingbird-3
7. Gila Woodpecker-12
8. Ladder-backed Woodpecker-1
9. American kestrel-1
10. *Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet-2
11. Black Phoebe-2
12. Vermillion flycatcher-2
13. Bell’s Vireo-1
14. Warbling Vireo-6
15. Purple martin-6
16. Verdin-8
17. House Wren-1
18. Bewick’s Wren-1
19. Cactus Wren-2
20. Curve-billed thrasher-1
21. Cedar Waxwing-2
22. Nashville Warbler-1 (FOTY)
23. MacGillivry’s Warbler-3 (FOTY)
24. Wilson’s Warbler-8
25. Yellow-breasted Chat-1
26. Green-tailed Towhee-1
27. Canyon Towhee-2
28. Abert’s Towhee-2
29. Chipping Sparrow-1
30. summer Tanager-1
31. Western Tanager-8
32. Northern Cardinal-2
33. House Finch-6
34. Lesser Goldfinch-14

*Life Bird-a bird species a birder has seen for the first time in their life. Most birders keep a Life List of all the bird species they have seen and I am no different! (Click on the link to see posts about other Life Birds I have found.)

How I Met my Birding Buddy

Chris and Kathie at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson 9-9-12

It’s been a year since I first met Chris Rohrer at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson. I had just moved back here from Andover, MA and was feeling very sad and depressed after leaving my family behind on the east coast. I already knew Chris from his blog and Facebook, but I had never met him in person. With football season in full swing, my husband and son were preoccupied with watching games on the weekend. Gus knew I was sad, but I don’t think he knew what to do about it. He only knew that we were not going to be moving back east and that was the only way he could fix my sadness. But then I met Chris.

Chris learning to list at Gilbert Water Ranch 11-12-2012

(This was before he got a smartphone and the Birdlog app!)

Chris was a beginning birder at the time, with more of an interest in photography than bird species themselves. But then he met me, and I introduced him to eBird and let’s just say that an obsessive compulsive birder was born! He has learned so much in the past year and studied so hard that in some ways he is now a better birder than me! In one year’s time he has almost caught up to my Life List of 458 species, though I have more species than him in the USA, while he has more species than me for this year in Arizona. Since Chris travels outside the U.S., some of his Life Birds are in other countries. He is far ahead of me in this regard and I am happy for him and proud of him as well.

Chris searches for birds at Roper Lake State Park 2-3-2013

I do not think that you can plan a friendship like this. I had no idea when I met him  that it would turn out to be one of the best friendships of my life. We have had so many adventures in the last year and I look forward to many more. Chris has pushed me to go places I would never have gone and taken me to see birds I never would have seen without him. I have pushed him to be accurate in his bird listing and impressed on him the importance of counting birds consistently whether there is a new species to be seen or not. It is by counting all the birds all the time in our yard and other places that we get an accurate picture of just where the birds are. While counting birds at eBird Hotspots can get you a big list, it is counting birds in your yard and in parking lots that really fleshes out the data and helps the birds.

Chris photographing a bird in Madera Canyon 5-30-2013

If Chris has his way, I will soon be getting a passport and counting birds in other countries as well. Until then, I look forward to many more birding adventures with him as I continue to watch him grow. I know he will surpass me on all levels. He is a wonderful writer as well. If you have not read his blog, Las Aventuras, you should give it a read!

 Happy One Year Birding Anniversary Chris! Bird on!

(Come back tomorrow to see a photographic essay of the birds we have seen!)

Mexican Spotted Owls seen in Miller Canyon 3-23-2013

• A Return to Agua Caliente Park-our first birding adventure
• Las Aventuras Links -click this link to see all the blogposts of our adventures
• Life’s Unexpected Surprises-Chris’ anniversary post
• A Year Full of Birds-all 3 of my posts
• Las Aventuras-Chris Blog

Note: By the time this story posts my husband and I will be off in Utah and Yellowstone on our own 36th Anniversary Celebration which was delayed by my trip to the east coast in June. We have not been back to Utah since we moved away in 2007. I cannot wait to see that place again and see all the changes and visit with my old neighbors and friends and my first ever Birding Buddy, Kathryn Kelley! I may not have internet access much of the time but will comment and visit when I get back. I still have so many posts to do from my summer trip to New England back in June as well as more birding adventures that I have had since getting back. For now, my life has become one endless birding adventure and I have no complaints about that! Gus is a good sport and a wonderful husband and I love him so much. He tries very hard to be excited about my bird sightings and I appreciate his efforts! The best thing of all is that his is supportive of my birding passion and I love him for that! And yes, I will be counting birds all the way to Utah, Yellowstone, and back!

Birding with Gordon Karre

 Agua Caliente Park 4-14-13

April 14, 2013: Two weeks after I fell in Saguaro National Park a fellow birder and blogger from the Phoenix area contacted Chris Rohrer and I about going birding with him in the Tucson area. He planned to come down and spend the weekend to try to increase his Pima county List and perhaps pick up a couple of Life Birds. Chris was out of town for the weekend but I agreed to go and we met at Agua Caliente Park. I was still hobbling around, so I warned Gordon that I would not be up to any vigorous hiking and he was fine with that. Agua Caliente is a gentle place to walk about and he wanted to see if we could find the Northern Beardless Tryrranulet. It would be a Life Bird for both of us and it is know to hang out in this particular park. People all over the birding world were reporting and photographing it here. Alas, we were not one of them. Though we hunted all over and searched near the expected area, we saw and heard nothing like a tyrranulet!

We did walk out through the mesquite Bosque where we found a few mule deer.

Back at the pond we found a Great Egret Hunting in the reeds.

Though we saw quite a few birds here the wind was gusting quite fiercely and as the temperature rose and people filled the park we decided to move on. Agua Caliente is close to the Catalina highway and Mt. Lemmon. Gordon had never birded here and since it would involve more driving than walking, we headed up!

View of the Tucson Valley from our first stop at an overlook.

The only bird we saw here was a Gila Woodpecker.

Farther up the road we stopped at the Molina Vista Overlook. We saw many more birds here, including a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and some Chipping sparrows.

A cute lizard crossed out path!

View across the canyon.

Gordon gazing out over the canyon.

Rock Wren on a rock 4-14-13

We drove farther up the mountain and stopped at a picnic area that yielded little more than a western spotted towhee before moving on. The road snaked and climbed to Windy Point, a favorite place for rock climbers and tourists with spectacular views of the valley below.

The edge of the road we just drove on.

That silver snake is the road we just drove up!

View of Thimble Peak from Windy Point

Rock Climber

We walked out to this edge where white-throated swifts dashed about in the sky and darted over the ledge. We think they had a nest somewhere down on the face of this cliff, for we could hear the nestlings chirping. it was amazing to have those black and white bullets dash past our heads so swiftly that it was impossible to get off a shot. It became very apparent why they got their name of “Swift!”

It amazed me to find this Anna's Hummingbird up here on this dry, windy cliff!

I love this twisted tree sculpted by nature and the wind!

After spending about 20 minutes here we headed farther up the road to Rose Canyon Lake. Chris R had told me that many desirable species were being seen here. I have only birded this lake one other time, so I was anxious and excited to see what we would see. As I stopped to pay the fee to enter Rose Canyon Gordon jumped out of the car to see what bird a couple of guys with spotting scopes and cameras were looking at. It turned out to be a Painted Redstart! This was going to be good!

Rose Canyon Lake

It was a little over a mile drive down to the farthest parking lot. all along the way we drove with our windows open so we could see, hear, and count birds. After parking we still had a quarter of a mile hike down to the lake, then about a 1 mile hike out along its eastern edge. Loaded up with two cameras and my binoculars as well as my trusty fanny pack filled with emergency stuff and a granola bar we headed for the trail. I have to say that Gordon was such a gentleman and was very patient with me as I hobbled along taking care to not twist my ankle or slip and fall once again. At one point there was quite a steep step down and he offered me his hand since my knee would still not bear my weight very well. But seriously, this was about birding and we got on with it!

A Yellow-eyed Junco walked along the water’s edge, then flew up into a tree!

We found the Grace’s Warbler! Life Bird!

Along the edge of the lake. Do you see Gordon? Look closely now!

Soon an Osprey flew in. He had his eye on some fishermen and their catch!

We found a nesting pair of Pygmy Nuthatches, my first since I returned to AZ.

We went as far as the dam, then turned around and headed back. When I spotted a nice straight and sturdy stick alongside the trail I picked it up and used it as a walking stick as we headed back along the trail to the parking lot. By now my knee was swollen and painful and I was trying very hard not to limp. Gordon, who is tall and long legged and very fit could have easily hurried on, but he was very patient and courteous with me. Soon we were back by the parking lot and looking for a hummingbird nest someone had told us about.

However, I soon got distracted by this zone-tailed Hawk that was flying overhead!

Broad-tailed Hummingbird on nest 4-14-13

Eventually we did find the hummingbird nest when we saw the female fly in with some soft nesting material to tuck inside. It was well camouflaged but only about 5 feet off the ground and hanging over the pathway where a tall person or a kid waving a stick could easily hit it. I can only hope she and her nest survived.

Stellar’s Jay in Summerhaven

By now it was well past lunchtime and we were both starving! I drove us up to Summerhaven where we both got pizza and a cookie at the Cookie Cottage. While there we also counted birds and found a Stellar’s Jay, among other species. On our way back down the mountain we did stop at the Palisade Visitor’s Center to see if there were any hummingbirds hanging out at their hummingbird feeders. Frequently one can find a magnificent hummingbird here, but they only had one feeder up and all I saw was another Broad-tailed hummingbird, so we headed on down the road. Our destination now was Agua Caliente Park again where Gordon had left his car. Once there we took one more look around for that blasted tryrranulet to no avail. I guess it is my new Nemesis Bird!

However, we did find a fine Harris hawk basking in the setting sun.

And a sweet Lark Sparrow to boot!

It was a very fun day. I found Gordon to have a birding style similar to Chris R and I and we talked of plans to get together in the future. Gordon was headed for Sierra Vista tomorrow and our plan was for him to drive and take me along but I was so exhausted and my knee was hurting so badly by now that I declined. Beside, he was meeting another birder and they talked of hiking up some canyons and I did not want to hold them back! So, we both went our separate ways with dreams of future birding adventures that would come sooner than I thought they would! In the end I was very glad that I didn’t go because he and his friend did hike some steep mountain trails and find some great birds! You will have to read Gordon's blog to see what he saw on his trip! He is an excellent photographer and his blog has gorgeous bird photos! He is also a very good and faithful eBirder and at the top of the list in Arizona!

Our trip summary: We saw 28 species at Agua Caliente Park in the morning; 11 species at Molina Canyon Vista; 4 species at Windy Point; 19 species at Rose Canyon Lake; 5 species in Summerhaven, and 19 species back at Agua Caliente Park in the evening!

• Birding Adventures-Gordon's blog
• Birding With Kathie-Gordon's Post of this day
• eBird-follow this link if you would like to get started eBirding!