Recent Pictures

Hopefully I'll find time to write up some of my adventure stories soon, but for now, here are a few picture highlights:

Osprey with fish in Cibola, AZ

 Tree Swallows perched over the Colorado River

 Yellow-headed Blackbird with Red-winged Blackbird and European Starling

 House Wren singing in the Chiricahuas

 Long-billed Dowitchers in Cibola, AZ

 Black-tailed Gnatcatcher hanging out near Blythe, CA

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.. from today!

My first look at Wilson's Warbler of the year, in Blythe, CA

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Killdeer performing broken wing display

 

Welcome to Blythe!

Let's start where any radical story-teller starts from, somewhere in the middle.  6AM, I wake up gripped with excitement on the back porch of a house in Blythe, Vermilion Flycatchers announcing the opportunity of the new day, Northern Mockingbirds trying out a host of sounds that almost get me riled up about other birds.  I weave through a maze of fifteen roommates and perform the glorious combination of yogurt and granola.  It's actually a little disappointing, sorry to hyberbolize.  Not to worry, I did follow it up with a cookie.  Anyway, it is time to do some preparation work in the field with my self-appointed mentor.  We happen to flip over some boards, perhaps looking for snakes, when we see what he calls a baby Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, which is already larger than the adult Centruroides I am used to.  I can only I imagine what it's like to see an adult Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, but another thing I can do is wait just a couple of minutes until we flip over some more boards and see two of them!  My friend demonstrates how to handle them properly:  "Just don't worry too much about it, they probably can't sting through the gloves."

Sound advice.  I can't wait to see more of them, but consider my day already made!  We hear Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, and discuss plant identities.  I then recall where I was a couple days ago  Northwest of Tucson in Santa Cruz flats, picking up some plant samples while on a quest for Crested Caracaras.  I know most people are wondering, "Well, what plants did you find!!"  So, let me go ahead and tell you, yes, my friend Chris of http://gardeningandthespanishway-rohrerbot.blogspot.com/  (his blog of amazing birds pictures) and I did eventually have luck in the Caracara department.  After turning up not much besides doves, Horned Larks, meadowlarks, blackbirds, and Turkey Vultures, we came across five of our target birds standing in the dirt of a farm.  We estimate there were at least 7 others in the general vicinity.  They looked something a little bit like this!

Did I see a Burrowing Owl too?  Absolutely I did!

Well it would seem that I can't upload any more pictures at the moment.  (Possibly a Blogger issue)  However, stay tuned so you can believe me about the Burrowing Owl.  We haven't even started to hint at the thrasher-side of the adventure.  Did I see Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and where is that Beaks and Bikes guy warbler-wise anyway!?  Find out next time.

To Change Directions

Before I tackle commentary on my year's direction in birding, I must first address my recent bird adventures.  Finishing some data entry work, took me, again, to Tucson where I was excited to check on some local bird hot spots.  Upon Arriving at Reid Park, I was greeted by the presence of two Black-crowned Night Herons which I seldom see so out in the open.

Pictured:  One such heron spelling curses unto the artificial duck pond.

Also present were a Cooper's Hawk, plenty of Verdins, and a Summer Tanager.

At last, I moved on to a favorite location, Sweetwater Wetlands.  Although the water levels were low, there were still plenty of birds to be found.  As I was about to leave, I decided to do one more little walk-around which paid off greatly as I saw a Black and White Warbler foraging with its endearing trunk-clinging behavior.  As a particularly large fan of nuthatches, woodpeckers, and creepers, seeing a warbler displaying this similar behavior was a real treat.  Here's the sharp looking bird:

Now I'm back in Silver City where I completed my collection of bluebird pictures with a Mountain Bluebird.  Though it is the Western Bluebirds, the bird with the rusty breast, that I see more commonly in this pinyon-juniper habitat.

It is also here in Silver City, where I was unexpectedly offered an opportunity to work on breeding bird surveys around the Lower Colorado River.  I've now been spending much of my time quizzing myself on bird vocalizations of that area and just being generally excited about it.  With the addition of this job, most of the rest of the year will be filled with field work, and though I plan to update my bird picture inventory, the biking for birds adventures will have to be revisited another year.  My preparation for this year could certainly be improved upon.  Where I was relearning web-design and figuring out my gear this year, next time I will be able to focus my concentration on route-planning and putting in some miles beforehand.  My first jaunt on the bike, a cold 80-miles on a heavily packed mtn bike, was a bit of a shock.  The biggest obstacle, however, maybe remedied along a well-planned route, was the lack of companionship.  The next time I hop on my bike with my binoculars, I hope to have a friend riding along with me.  Take care all.  :)