TV Loop Zone 9-4-13

Zone-tailed Hawk juvenile

The walk up the wash to the survey start point was active with song this early morning.  I almost wished I could have "started in the middle of the route," when the noises of traffic would not be a factor.  The walk seemed slow not from the loose sand my feet trudge through but the pulling of my senses toward the variety of birds calling from every direction.  When I did reach my destination I was given a sweet surprise in the form of a juvenile Zone-tailed Hawk sitting in a cottonwood along the edge of the wash!  





I skewed my starting point slightly just so this magnificent raptor would not be disturbed.  Zone-tailed Hawks are a rare sight around the city, but are most often seen during spring migration and late summer during post nesting dispersal.   As mentioned in a previous post, their similarity to Turkey Vultures in flight is uncanny despite the size difference.  Later in this survey another Zone-tailed would circle over, its rattier tail distinguishing it from the first. 

The birds were outstanding along this stretch of wash with its new growth from the recent monsoons.  Although only a mile from our neighborhood the change is significant, and I'm guessing this stretch received some storms which just missed our neighborhood.  A singing Northern Beardless Tyrannulet lifted my spirits with its descending whistled tune.   Five Harris's Hawks circled about along with two American Kestrels.  Two Nashville Warblers flew into the lower branches of a small cottonwood as I passed.  Although no snakes were seen a Clark's Spiny Lizard (based on horizontal bars on forelimbs) clung to the bark of a mesquite. 

Bobcat camouflaged within brushy understory

I was trudging back up the wash after the survey when a rustling sound came from the elderberry I had just passed.  At first I saw nothing through the maze of branches.  As my focus shifted left my eyes met the warm slanted eyes of a bobcat, just a human length away.   We stared, and I smiled, yet neither moved from this magical moment.  She may have had kittens close by since she did not appear to be the one rustling about.   I moved out of her space before trying a couple photos, and, though she was most accommodating, the brightness of the sun obliterated any attempt to focus into her shady abode.   My eyes are opening with each of these wonderous encounters with our wild neighbors, and any allusion to potential danger would be a misstatement on my part.  

Bobcat-digiscoped

Male Blue Grosbeak

A raptor circled the wash, and closer inspection revealed its identity as an adult Gray Hawk!   Incidentally a Gray Hawk had used the same cottonwood used by the Zone-tailed today, and it may have been the same perch!    As I neared the car a male Blue Grosbeak came out in the open for a bit.   As I drove home the two Zone-tailed Hawks circled over the east end of our neighborhood along the Agua Caliente Wash.   It was another exciting morning along the Tanque Verde Wash!  Thank you for appreciating our wild and friendly neighbors who share our space so generously with us. 

July IBA experience

We finally received a respectable monsoon rain on July 26th, and I knew their would be a wildlife celebration the following day.. I set out for a bird survey the next morning in our neighborhood, which is an Important Bird Area. The birds were awesome. I watched a Peregrine Falcon eat his breakfast on the bare branch of the tall Eucalyptus which seems to attract all raptors.
The Western Screech Owl also poked his head from our man-made nest box.  A Tree Swallow was a surprising find over the lake, and the Purple Martins were in attendance as well . Three Tropical Kingbirds

Bobcat Article

On my previous blog post I was so excited to have an extra special bobcat experience.   I was disheartened by an email sent to our community soon after warning of the presence of bobcats, and telling parents to watch their children.  This is despite the fact that there isn't any examples of human deaths by bobcats.   A request for a follow-up email with accurate information was denied but I did write an article, which will hopefully make it into our community newsletter.   Below is the article for your viewing.  

                    Our friendly neighbors, the Bobcat family

As a wildlife enthusiast I would like to share some knowledge regarding the correct procedure when a bobcat is discovered on your property.   Following these steps will ensure a positive experience if this event should ever occur. 

1.       Slowly back away from the window or glass door so as not to be seen.

2.      Walk quickly to the nearest camera available in the house.

3.      Return to the window or glass door and snap as many pictures as possible.

4.      Share photos of your unique experience with friends and relatives.

If you are outside when this beautiful animal appears be still and enjoy this rare treasure as an amateur astronomer appreciates a new comet.    Being that bobcats cover a 12 square mile territory and are secretive in nature this gem may not be seen again for years. 

“But what about the danger?” you may ask.  Would you want to be warned of danger when you start your car, when a domestic dog approaches, or, heaven forbid, another human.  All of these scenarios are far more dangerous statistically than a bobcat sighting.  In fact there has not been a single human death caused by a bobcat.  For that matter even coyotes have only one fatal incident ever, and that occurred in Canada.  Statistically speaking mosquitoes are the second most dangerous animal worldwide with 3 million human deaths to their credit each year.   But they are left in the dust by another more deadly animal, which only requires a look in the mirror to identify. 

Bobcats are an important part of our ecology, feeding on rabbits, pack rats, mice, small birds, snakes and lizards.  Their size ranges between 2 to 2.5 feet long, and they weigh in at 12 to 30 pounds.  They are year round residents in our area but because of their secretive nature are not usually seen.    Kittens are typically born between April and June and stay with their mother for seven to 12 months.  Now that’s a strong family bond! 

Pets can be protected from wildlife such as bobcats, coyotes, and rattlesnakes by simply not leaving them outside alone.  This point is reiterated consistently in the media but sometimes is not heeded.   Bobcats, though cute, should never be kept as a pet or treated like a pet, as with any wild animal.   Finding a bobcat in your yard is a special gift, an exciting event which shows the ecological richness of our area.   I hope you enjoy their presence as much as I do.

 I would like to conclude by telling a story which happened back on Saturday, July 27th. We had our first real monsoon soaking and the birds were celebrating.  I set out early for a bird survey of our area, and finished with awesome sightings of a Peregrine Falcon, Zone-tailed Hawk, Western Screech Owls, a Great Horned Owl, and Tropical Kingbirds, a bird whose northern range just touches southern Arizona.   On the way home I walked through a remote part of our woods and was startled by a reddish animal scurrying up a tree directly in front of me.   It was a young bobcat, who had tried to stay still until my approach came too close for comfort.   I heard another rustle and the mother, who had been under the same tree, scampered off in a diagonal path away from me in an attempt to draw my attention from her youngster.  I never felt threatened but wanted to assure them of my good intentions by walking a wide arc around the tree.  At one point the branches cleared and I saw the kitten clearly.  I took the opportunity to shoot some photographs at a distance with a technique called digiscoping.   This picture exemplifies the cute yet wild nature of our most welcome neighbor, the bobcat.   Thank you for supporting our unique wildlife community.

What a Purrfect picture of cuteness-Grrr!

Monsoon Sunday, survey and storm. July 29 2012

Sunday I surveyed another area east of my neighborhood with my friend Kirk.   This area butts up close to the Rincons along the TV wash, and has some amazing habitat from the additional rainfall in the foothills.  Almost immediately we heard a Summer Tanager calling, and as we approached the running wash we spotted two White-tailed Deer standing in the water upstream, with fresh velvet-covered antlers adorning their heads as they enjoyed an early morning drink.  

Tiny desert toads were so numerous we had to walk slowly to allow them time to scamper from our path, and pools of water were teeming with tadpoles.   A bobcat traversed a tributary to our left and found safe haven in the thick vegetation.  This is the magic of the monsoon, Arizona's fifth and most precious season.  The desert is now just beginning its second and most substantial growing season, cherished by new baby birds, and early migrants.  Some nestlings, especially raptors, have even left to explore new territories, something called "post monsoon dispersal."    

The startling call had a loon-like quality to it as it pushed through the cottonwoods to our ears.  We recognized this piercing call as belonging to a Gray Hawk, and we rushed for a view of this elusive hunter.  "There, in some open branches!?  I set up the scope, turned on the camera, and managed one back shot before it took flight.  It was a juvenile molting into adult plumage, as seen by the tail section in this photo.  

We heard infrequent calls but couldn't relocate it for a bit.   Then Kirk pointed,"There!" as we watched it fly across the wash, getting great views of its white rump, a distinctive field mark.  We thought that was the end of our sightings, yet the hawk would give us one more show, allowing me to capture a few more images as it peered through the branches of a dead tree. 

Even as we watched, I couldn't help being distracted by a male Blue Grosbeak in the brush before us.   Then a Great Horned Owl flew through the mesquites, disappearing again against the similar looking mesquite trunks.  I thought I heard the loud trill of a Tropical Kingbird, but never got a second chance to hear the call.  A Harris's Hawk stood tall against an exposed branch.   I heard a "ZZZZZZ," call from the vegetation, recognizing it as a bunting.   I watched as a drab brown female Lazuli Bunting flew from the cover to a open branch.   Then a brilliant male followed, staying just long enough for a couple haphazard shots. 

Before leaving the wash we managed to plant some Sycamore seeds I'd been holding, and I was referenced as, "Johnny Appleseed." for the second time in a week.  I'd actually hope for a better name, maybe "Sycamore Sam," or the like, since these seeds were natural and from the same wash. No name would be nice too, just so long as I can see the wash flowing as it has in years past. 

Later that afternoon we received the most thunderous storm of the season.  One of the thunderous bolts shook the walls as it boomed angrily at the world, and apparently awakened our resident Couch's Spadefoot, who immediately began calling out.   This toad's mating call sounds more like a complaint against being woken rather than a musical serenade.  I watched, though, and soon another toad hopped toward the sound, and disappeared behind the curtains of the mulberry leaves.  

Meanwhile the Broad-billed Hummingbird tucked herself into her nest during the downpour, tail held high, keeping her eggs safe from harm.   

 

Thank you for appreciating nature and the environment on which it thrives.