2020: A Chaotic Year

 Not even sure where to begin, as the year 2020 has become probably the most Chaotic Year in my lifetime.  First couple of months of the year were pretty much normal and I was anticipating new and exciting international adventures.  When March rolled around, things changed quickly.  Covid-19 was a new coronavirus that affected all of our lives, and in many different aspects.  Just as tighter security and restrictions affected all of us in 2001 due to the World Trade Center incident, Covid-19, has changed our daily lives by learning to assist in stopping the spread of this deadly virus.  Most of us have now started wearing face masks, gloves, (when appropriate), hand sanitizers, and disinfectant wipes.  Finally, about six months later, we are seeing hope that a vaccine might be on the horizon.  Unfortunately, even when a proven effective one is approved for distribution, it is going to be a very long process for people to get vaccinated.  So it is not going to be a quick solution that will make this virus disappear.  

The need for social distancing, and taking proactive measures, has greatly changed the world of birding.  The birding guides in the tropics have been especially hit hard as it stopped all of the birders throughout the world from visiting those countries and left many people without jobs and income.  

For me, all birding with friends and guiding came to an abrupt halt and I decided to stay home for much of the time to avoid the possibly of being exposed.  Then at the end of April, Chuck, became ill and ended up in the hospital for a total of 10 days and then another 2½ weeks in a rehab center.  Once he was released, I became an at-home care giver and it has curtailed a lot of my birding adventures.  He is making improvement and I can now leave for a day or two and he can care for himself.  Since my quarantining at home, I have had few opportunities to get out and go birding alone. With all the great rarities showing up in Arizona, I had to stay home and miss out on most of them.  However, I finally broke down and chased a rarity in southeast Arizona;  the Eared Quetzal.

It is bird that I have often pondered when looking through bird field guide books and longed to see, but figured it was rare enough that it might not show up in Arizona in my lifetime.  It is a bird from the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico and there have been a handful of reports of this bird in Arizona in the past but they are not frequent.  A pair has been reported in the Chiricuahua Mountains in southeast Arizona this year and many people were getting good views of them.  So I decided to take on a one day trip to try for them even though it was a 4 hour drive to the location from home and another 4 hours back.  I went with the option of maybe spending a night somewhere in case I missed them the first day.  Luckily, I did not have to do that and I made the trip there and back in one day. There were many other birders also searching for it and all of them were showing constraint and not chasing or stressing out the paid that was there.  My photos were a little soft since I got to see them at a distance, but the welfare of the birds is more important than perfect photos.

Eared Quetzal

Brown Creeper

Yellow-eyed Junco

I also found a way to do a little birding in Navajo and Apache Counties of Arizona.  We have had a brutally HOT summer this year which broke a lot of records, including the number of days that Phoenix has hit 110° +.  Before this year, we normally had 19 days at those extremes.  Last year we recorded 33 days, and this year we have currently had 50 days at 110° or higher with a few more on the way.  Plus our monsoon season has been a bust with very little rain, leaving the desert parched and dry which in turn has created a very high wildfire danger.  My trips to Navajo and Apache Counties at least got me into higher elevations with cooler temperatures and some intermittent rain showers. 

On these two trips, I was able to add 18 new species of birds to my Navajo County list and 3 new species to my Apache County list.  The trips were definitely worth it and I had my friends Barb and Jeanne to assist me and accompany me on my forays. 

Rufous Hummingbird -male

Rufous Hummingbird - male, with light reflecting at a different angle.

American Dipper - One of my favorite birds and I enjoy seeing them.

Band-tailed Pigeon - This is the best photo I have ever got of this species.

Lazuli Buntings - What's not to love?

Western Bluebird - Juvenile, recently fledged.

 

Another Western Bluebird - Juvenile and recently fledged.

Green-tailed Towhee - recently fledged juvenile.  Had never seen a juvenile before.

Clark's Nutcracker - Not a super common bird in Arizona.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Arroyo Bluet - This was a new new for me.

Mexican Forktail - Another new one for me.

Plains Forktail

Spotted Spreadwing - Another new one for me.

Blue-eyed Darner

Blue-eyed Darner

Eight-spotted Skimmer

Arizona Sister - Did not notice the little fly until I added this photo to this bog post.

Western Pygmy-Blue - Often mentioned as the smallest butterfly in the world.

Greater Short-horned Lizard - Just a baby and the next photo will give some perspective of its size.

Here it is in my hand.  What a cutie and glad I was alert enough to spot it.

With Covid-19 coupled with the severe summer heat in Arizona this year,it has been a challenge to really enjoy the outdoors and all that nature has to offer.  But with the summer starting to wind down and lower temperatures on the way, I hope to get out and see and enjoy a lot more of nature in very near future.  Just getting out into nature and some solitude can do wonders for my soul.  

Rain or Shine

A recent 3 day trip to the White Mountains of Arizona, was just what was needed by 4 of us that needed a break from the Arizona summer heat.  We had to deal with rain off-and-on for the first couple of days, but it was so cool and refreshing, none of us were complaining. Joined by Muriel Neddermeyer, Babs Buck, and Chris Rohrer, we had a couple of target birds as our goal.  The first was the Dusky Grouse, which would be a lifer for all 4 of us. The second target species was the American Three-toed Woodpecker, which would be a lifer for 2 in the party.  It would not be a lifer for me however, as I had seen one in 2012 and after 4 years, it would be nice to see one again.  

In spite of 3 visits to the top of Green's Peak, we dipped on the Dusky Grouse, but we definitely gave it our best shot.  However, on a side note, on our second visit and walking down the trail on the north side, we were stunned to have a very brief glimpse of a Gray Wolf, trotting down the trail and quickly out of view. After that brief sighting, it helped us understand the distant unusual barking that we were hearing.  

The hunt for the American Three-toed Woodpecker ended with better results and a new life bird for both Muriel and Chris.  We checked several spots where they had been reported in the past, with the Butler Canyon Trail in Greer being the most promising location.  After our first visit and getting rained out, the second visit proved to be fortuitous for us.  Once we got far enough up the trail and into the right habitat, then it was a matter of listening and watching and waiting.  Sure enough, a male finally revealed his location.  It wasn't until it flew to a different tree that we were able to get photos. While I failed to get photos of the yellow crown on this bird, Muriel and Chris did which was very gratifying for all since it was a life bird for them.  

    

The rest of the photos in this blog are just some of the other interesting and cool discoveries that I found intriguing.  

 Horned Lark

 'Red-shafted' Northern Flicker

 Pied-billed Grebe - Parent and juvenile

 Pied-billed Grebe Juvenile

 Pygmy Nuthatch

 Rufous Hummingbird

 Sora

 Sora - With an itch

 Western Bluebird - Juvenile

 Western Bluebird - Juvenile

Willow Flycatcher

 Abert's Squirrel

 Cliff Chipmunk

 Unknown flower with unknown ant.

Nokomis Fritillary - A very vibrant and colorful butterfly

 American Dipper

 Lobster Mushrooom - something new to me and it is edible.

 Mormon Fritillary

 Unknown fungi

 Olive-sided Flycatcher

Williamson's Sapsucker

As we were preparing to depart this area, I received a notice from a friend that a Tricolored Heron was discovered at the Gilbert Riparian Water Ranch back in the valley.  So we hatched a plan to stop there on our return.  Yes, it took us about 3 hours to return and when we did, we quickly got a slap in the face with the triple digit temperatures.  But we persevered and went to the water ranch and split up.  Muriel was the one the found it on pond 6.  She quickly got the rest of us on it.  What a great way to end the 3 day road trip!

 Tricolored Heron

All four of us had a very enjoyable 3 day trip with some good friends and some good food in Springerville, Arizona.