Hmmm … Yesterday a Rattle Snake and today a Gila Monster. Apparently both are quite poisonous. At home my birding occasionally brings me face to foot with small Garter Snakes. Yesterday this process got started during my daily bicycle ride. I had discovered where a Red-Tailed Hawk nest was just off the bike trail. Upon mounting my bike for my return ride a 4.5 foot snake presented itself in my path.

As I knew someone else was riding a bit behind me, I yelled snake and steered just behind the snake to avoid running over the reptile. I thought the snake looked like a rattler, but I had never seen such a beast. The rider behind me exclaimed … wow … good sized rattler. I responded that at least I had quickly steered behind said snake.  My riding companion then said: Oh … they can turn and strike real quickly. Oh well … no harm done! I am still riding.

Fast forward to this morning during my morning birding hike in Sabino Canyon. I started watching a strange large reptile which was 8 feet in front of me. Listen to the sound track from the video I was taking. Uff dah! Still cool. Apparently Gila Monsters are quite rare. In the end my two birding excursions yielded two poisonous lifers! I have no desire to repeat these sightings, particularly the snake.

Here is a vista view of my walk in Sabino Canyon. Eventually I would be down hiking the trail in the photo. It was also cool to see Saguaro Cactus in bloom.

My hike shortly after sunrise at Sabino Canyon was super. Here are a few photographs I took of our fine feathered friends, who I like better than reptiles. Learn more about the relationship between birds and reptiles from Arizona State University’s Ask a Biologist.

Cardinal Looking Birds … (with unpronounceable names)

Phainopepla

Pyrrhuloxia

And some other birds …

Black-Throated Sparrow

Gambel’s Quail

Early April is a great time to visit the Tucson area. It is not uncommon for the desert to bloom with all kinds of color. I asked a new friend with whom I birded a few days ago how long the desert would be green. The answer was by early May the flowers would be dead and the grasses brown. However, for the moment the desert is awash in color. This morning I bicycle over to Catalina State Park and arrived just as the sun peaked above the mountain ridge at 6:45 am.

My first stop of the morning was visiting two barn owls. Once again, although no photos I had great views. After that experience I split my time between birding and taking photos of the desert bloom. By 8:30 I called it quits as I wanted to get in more miles on my bicycle before the temperatures rose.

The Desert in Bloom (The yellow flowers are Mexican Poppys. The blue flowers are my friends from Texas … Bluebonnets. I have no ID for the purple and lavender flowers. Sorry)

Crissal Thrasher (lifer)

Vermilion Flycatcher

Broad-Billed Hummingbird (lifer this trip … pics from Madera Canyon)

Warning! This post is a condition which married folk may experience. Vacations can be dangerous, and there is no known cure for this disease. Once the special bird is found, another fine feathered friend will replace it in “the search”.

Scenario:

1. Happily married couple decides to take a hike in Madera Canyon.
2. Husband (i.e. me) agrees it is not a birding hike.
3. Wife agrees to location (i.e. Molly).
4. Husband agrees to NOT stop at the lodge’s birdfeeders

The hike is progressing nicely up the canyon subject to my one caveat. We had to stay near the stream. Although not technically a birding hike, wildlife loves water in the desert. I rationalized that if we were going to hike, the probability of seeing something interesting might as well be maximized. Molly reluctantly agreed. As we reached the summit of our hike … 3.4 miles and a 1,700 climb some magic words were mentioned by hikers descending the trail … Elegant Trogon!

While I try to be a good husband and honor my promises, there is a limit. Finding a trogon near the summit where the bird had not yet been reported that year was like handing candy to a baby. The hike was now over. For the next hour I birded 1/2 mile of the Carrie Nation Mine Trail and struck gold. Elegant Trogon. Sorry Molly (not really).

Does your family have this problem? Learn about the hike from Molly’s perspective! She is a bonafide writer (has penned stories for many regional and national magazines). Her post on her blog today, Superior Footprints (as in Lake Superior), is called: Life with a Birder.

Elegant Trogon

Our Hike (and my eBird entry)

And Yours Truly in Action! Three people in this photograph are Arizona natives and one is not. Find the Minnesotan! My thanks to the couple I met up with on the trail and treated me to this birding experience.  The other gentleman joined us after about 30 minutes. It took us 15 minutes to locate the Elegant Trogon when I joined the first couple. Thankfully it would occasionally sing out. From that point on we watched the bird for over 45 minutes. The Trogon actually flew over and landed four feet away from where I was standing half way through our viewing session. I was flabbergasted and exhilarated by the expereince. I could have reached out and touched the bird! Molly obviously took this photo. Huge thanks and love to my wife!

The Movie!