IronCrotch

Back home and finally time to start cycling again. Ironcrotch is my kickoff for this year. I was able to loop wife Barb and a few other friends into the junket. We did the short 43-miler and it still makes my long ride for the year. Well, it is the start of the year. Barb and Co. did great.

And you meet the nicest people knocking a few back Sunday morning. Well, it is Wisconsin.

Birding Southeast Arizona

Flew into Tucson 4/19 and left a week later. Birded every dang day. Some times were epic, and we got our first warbler waves of the year. Of course, we also struck out on some species and outings. They can’t all be winners. We did get well acquainted with the area so we’ll be able to pick up all those missing species when we go back. S-u-u-u-u-u-r-e we will.

Places visited: Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains. In the Huachuca mountains: Garden and Scheelite Canyon, Miller Canyon, Ash Canyon, Ramsey Canyon. Also Patagonia/Sonoita Preserve, Saguaro National Park. Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalinas.

Tops:

• Ran into our new buddies Rob and George from Hamilton, Ontario on day one. We hiked up the Hopkins Fork with them day two and they proved quite well prepared and enthusiastic. They helped us ID the cryptic Empidonax Flycatchers (Hammond’s vs. Cordilleran vs. …). George spotted a pair of rare Elegant Trogans about the same time we got hit with a wave of new warblers. Their enthusiasm was infectious. At the time, Rob already had 80-some lifers on the trip. Way cool.
• We stayed at Madera Kubo in Madera Canyon a few days. The Arizona Rare Bird Alert for the week opened with sightings of a Flame-Colored Tanager at the Kubo. Sure enough, right off the front porch.
• We have never seen a feeder setup like the one that Mary Jo Ballator maintains at Ash Canyon B&B. She does take day-guests, but we are so staying there next time. Half-dozen hummer feeders (including a visiting Lucifer’s hummer), suet feeders filled with home-made suet, jelly, seed, water, a Whiskered Screech-Owl in the nest box. She had a great procession of birds coming to her back porch. And she helped us get a Lucifer’s hummer. Good for hours of entertainment.
• When birding the Patagonia Wayside Rest the border patrol chopper buzzed the neighboring ridgeline repeatedly. Only 20 miles from the Mexican border, we saw border patrol regularly but had no real trouble.
• Our plan came together well. We hit good spots, had a good plan and adequate preparation. Turns out, we are birders. 121 species, including 61 lifers.
• Bird of the trip will go to Red-faced Warbler. Finally got him on Mount Lemmon on our last day. And look out Montezuma’s Quail. Next time, you are ours.

Year list is up to 209 species. Spring migration is just kicking off in Minnesota.

Saint Louis

Just finished our trip to Saint Louis for the NCAA Hockey Final Four. Spring is there, leaves are coming out and now they’re losing their grape blossoms to a late frost.

• We find there is nothing, nothing between Minneapolis and Saint Louis. Well, Iowa, which I’ll see much more of later this year. Looking forward to that. And about four turns to get there. Kinda refreshing.
• Saint Louis is a great town. Good restaurants, good neighborhoods, great old buildings. Nice arch, eh.
• We toured Anheuser Busch. How can you not? Half of all beer drunk in the US is Bud-style. 10% of the US rice crop goes into NASCAR bellies. They do a good tour and have a great hospitality room, even serving a few stouts and ales. And if you're sneaky you can get in there before your tour.
• Hockey was top shelf. The semi-final Boston College v. North Dakota duel was among the best I’ve seen. Unbelievable intensity. Game winning goal at 50 seconds left, and two more goals after that. 74 shots on goal. Ouch.
• I’m now a total bird geek. Cannot be denied after tracking down a few lifers, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (a Saint Louis specialty) and the Fish Crow. Both totally normal everyday birds in many ways. But they’re new, BABY!