We Saw It!

Nearly 4 years ago, we spent a few days parked at Patagonia Lake State Park in southern Arizona. When we went for a hike, we encountered people who asked "Have you seen it?" and said "We know where you're going. The word is out." We never saw "it" that spring. But yesterday we returned to Patagonia to go birding and we did see "it." It is an elegant trogon, a tropical bird that visits Patagonia during mating season.



In 2010, I wrote a blog post about birding and described it as "boring" and said we wouldn't be doing it often. Since then, we spent 3 months volunteering at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and have developed a greater interest in birds and birding. That is why we traveled to Rio Rico this week.

We saw quite a few birds as we walked through the wooded area next to Patagonia Lake. There was a vermillion flycatcher.



a gray flycatcher



a great egret--always beautiful



This may be a hermit thrush.



I don't know what this little bird is.



I thought this bird was a northern mockingbird, but they are gray, not brown. So, unless the color came out wrong in the photo, I don't know what this is.



We also saw northern shovelers, green-winged teals and mallard ducks.

Tuesday, on our way south, we stopped at Madera Canyon just south of Green Valley. It is supposed to be an excellent birding area. We probably came at the wrong time of day (after lunch) so the only birds we saw were western scrub jays. We also saw some mule deer. There were four of them browsing in the canyon forest.



All in all, we had a fun time birding this week. It isn't boring, especially when you see new birds.

Bird Migration

This post is a question for all the birders who read my blog. Are the turkey vultures migrating right now? This morning we were driving in central Mesa, AZ, and saw a large flock of turkey vultures. They were perched on electric poles, light poles and electric lines. Some were circling in the sky. There were no other birds in evidence. And we don't know of any disaster that would generate lots of dead bodies to attract them. We have never seen more than one of two at a time in the sky over the city, so we wonder if they have begun to migrate north.

Birds, Flowers and Perfume

Monday we returned to the Gilbert Riparian Preserve to see what new birds were in the area. It was a beautiful morning and we spotted a number of birds we hadn't seen there before (though none were totally new to us). This verdin is such a cute bird.



We saw lots of American avocets.



And watched two great blue herons (or the same one, twice) flying.





There were lots of ring-necked ducks.



This duck, which looks a lot like a mallard, has a head that is very dark purple. I don't know what it is.



All these birds bring out the humanoid avian watchers, as well.



Lots of plants were in bloom.



This fellow brought his alpaca for a stroll through the preserve paths. Certainly something we hadn't seen before.



So what, you ask, did perfume have to do with all of this? At VDO we have lots of citrus trees. Some still have fruit clinging to the branches, but the trees are also blooming and they smell sooooo good. We've never smelled this before and it is a real treat and a good reason to spend a warm March in the Phoenix Valley.

Christmas Week

The 113th annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count takes place between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. We didn't take part, but we did go bird watching Monday. We returned to the Gilbert Water Ranch Riparian Preserve and found even more birds than we saw last month. There were American white pelicans.



And these black-necked stilts.



And we found some black-crowned night herons. We saw some of these early this year in south Texas and were delighted to see them again.



The mallard duck isn't unusual. I think we have seen them everywhere, but they sure are pretty.



I can't identify this small gray and yellow bird. Anybody know what it is? (Carolyn, help)



The large palo verde tree is magnificent, isn't it?



Over the weekend, we attended a Christmas party with several other couples on the street where we are parked. Our hosts, Joe and Isabel, had wrapped gifts for everyone. You could either open a new gift or take one that had already been opened by someone else. It really helped to break the ice in our relationships (there isn't any ice in Mesa except in the freezer). Here is Barbara choosing a gift. Joe and Isabel are in the background to the right.



After the sun went down, we started to gather around a propane heater.



And we came in closer and closer to the heat.



Today we joined the community Christmas dinner. These are the folks we were sitting with.



The decorations for the party were beautiful.

A Great Find

We found the most wonderful place today. It was not like what you would expect to find in Phoenix (or Gilbert), Arizona.



We found trails through lots of desert vegetation.



We saw ponds.



The ponds are man-made lakes pumped full of recycled water from the adjacent wastewater treatment facility. It is allowed to soak into the ground to recharge the aquifers Gilbert uses for city water. They attract lots of birds, which is why we went there.

We spent quite a while watching an osprey (I think) hunting for its lunch.



This photo was taken right after the bird dived into the water and came up--without a fish.



There were quite a few great egrets.





I loved this mallard duck.



Is this his mate?



Look at this cluster of different colored ducks. Doesn't the one on the left remind you of Daffy Duck?



We had beautiful weather--temperatures in the mid-70s and no wind. Look at the reflection of this black-necked stilt.



We also saw turtles.



There were lots of hummingbirds, but I didn't get any pictures of them. We also saw quite a few dragon flies.



And there were cotton tail rabbits.



During our time at Santa Ana NWR during the first months of this year, we learned to really enjoy birding. It is good to find such a great place to see birds near Mesa.

Our last day of tram tours here at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, Texas, is tomorrow. We are glad we spent this winter here in the Rio Grande Valley. We enjoyed giving the tours. We enjoyed getting more into birding. We saw a lot of interesting sights. We spent time with two distant relatives—Harry and Juanita. Doing genealogy has brought great new people into our lives.

It is warmer here than in Arizona, where we spent the past three winters. Our RV site at the refuge is clearly the best one available in the Valley. It is long, wide, and private because of all the trees. At night there is little artificial light so the moon and stars are clearly visible—when the sky is free of clouds. At night there is no traffic—unless it is the Border Patrol or smugglers.

We learned so much about the history and the plants that grow here in the southern tip of Texas. It has been a real learning experience. That is one of the most valuable aspects of volunteering.

I will miss hearing the pauraques calling at night and the mocking birds singing during the day. We are close to nature: at home, running, at work, in recreation. Everything we need and most of what we want is close by, yet we don’t feel we are in a city. We see lots of agriculture—crops here need lots of attention, unlike corn and wheat and hay we see in Colorado.

On the other hand, we doubt we will ever return to the Valley. The month of April is very hot and humid. And the bugs are awful—mosquitos and gnats are more abundant than the birds.

Reflectiions on South Padre Island

We had a good time during our visit to the Gulf Coast last week. We enjoyed the Brownsville zoo, birding on the island and running on the beach. We had a good seafood dinner at Dirty Al's and a good salad at Ben and Jerry's. I really felt it was a must to visit the coast and see South Padre while we are in the Rio Grande Valley. It was fun.

However, we don't enjoy staying in motels--and this is the second time we have done that in a month. The Island Inn was OK, and the price was right. Our room had two queen beds, but only one chair. One of us had sit on the bed to read or watch TV. I can't imagine staying there with a party of four. The "continental breakfast" consisted of coffee, orange juice, and miniature donuts. We much prefer traveling in our RV and being home every night, no matter where we are.

Shopping on the island offers boogie boards, swim suits and cheap souvenirs. And there are lots and lots of inexpensive restaurants and almost as many liquor stores.

The main draws seem to be the beach, birding and drinking. It is a place aimed at families and at the surfing crowd. We are glad we went. But once was enough.

Wonders of Creation 2

On a foggy Wednesday morning we arrived at the South Padre Island World Birding Center at 8.



It was a great morning to watch birds. This large flock of laughing gulls was making a whole lot of noise.



A few at a time flew down to the water for their morning bath.



We saw a number of herons and egrets, including this great blue heron.



I think this is a reddish egret.



And these two birds are Louisiana or tricolored herons.






This white ibis spent time preening, as well as watching the gulls.



There was a pied-billed grebe.



I think this is a willet. If I am wrong, on this bird or any other, please post a comment with a correction. I am fairly new at this.



We also saw an American crocodile.



And sand crabs.



After the fog cleared off, we climbed to the top of the viewing tower. There is a large boardwalk system there.




It was a great day for bird watching. There are always lots of birds when there is water. The next best place to find them is at a feeder.