Friday, March 31…I Like Birds (Eels)

   Our time here is dwindling down…leaving on April 2nd.  My mind is starting to figure out how to pack the items that have found a home on the shelf that needs to be taken down. Everything had a place when we travelled out here so it’s a matter of finding where that was and stowing it away.  And of course, some stuff has been stashed under the bed that will need to be taken out so the things that belong there can be put away…sleeping bags and chairs being the bulkiest.  Packing up is a process but one that involves more brain power than manpower…from me at least.  Kim deals with the stuff that requires heavy lifting.

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   In years past, we’ve been seeing temperatures occasionally in the 90s by the end of March.  This year, a 70o day has been cause for celebration. I’ve been wearing shorts the whole time; however, I’ve also been wearing two layers on top. Kim has even put on a jacket a time or so…especially at night out by the ‘scope. But still better than what’s been happening in Michigan, so I’m not complaining just recording the facts.

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   The hawk that was sitting on the crested saguaro yesterday eating his lunch has been overwhelmingly identified as a Red-tailed Hawk or RTH as those on the Facebook birding page call it. I posted my picture, the birders responded, and my bird education continued.

   A couple of people mentioned the ‘belly band’, which I hadn’t even noticed, as an identifier.  Then another mentioned the ‘gape’, a.k.a. the fleshy area at the base of the bill where the upper and lower mandibles meet.  Then the comment that really had me scratching my head: “Just remember: if it's a buteo, it's always a red-tailed hawk until proven otherwise.” I thought this dude was joking but it turns out this comment was for real because a buteo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings…this commonly refers to a hawk in the New World.  Another person was more practical minded as she mentioned that an RTH would be the one most capable of taking off and flying with a rabbit of that size.  And one person messaged me to ask if I’d be willing to divulge the location of the crested saguaro. It’s right along SR 77 for anyone to see, so I had no problem giving her directions. Maybe she’s as fascinated by them as I am. 

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   My knee has been improving and, although I still have a slight limp, I’m able to walk without pain so we took Mom to Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch today. It’s about 10 miles down the frontage road and calling it a ranch is a stretch but a person does get the opportunity to feed donkeys, deer, goats, ostriches, tortoises, stingrays, and more; but honestly, the best part about going there is the Lorikeet
experience. Well, that and watching Kim ‘kiss a goat’.  Anyway, the Lorikeets are brightly colored birds who love nectar and have absolutely no fear of landing anywhere on a person to get to the little cup of nectar in his/her hand. Heads, shoulders, arms, hands…all are fair game to be used as perches. And the Lorikeets are perfectly capable of using their beaks to flip the top off the nectar cup if it thinks the human is taking too long. Everybody gets one little cup of nectar with the entrance fee; however, it is possible to purchase additional cups and I always do. Actually, I could do without the pellet food and tokens for the other animals if they’d give me extra nectar instead but that’s not an option.  And tortoises. I don’t remember even seeing tortoises, let alone feeding them, in my previous visits. But we each got a spear of asparagus in our feed cups to feed to the tortoises and while they were fun to watch, the Lorikeets are still my favorite.

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   There was a quick celebration with cake up at the clubhouse with Felicia. We haven’t seen her as much this year as in the past because they have a house near Casa Grande; they’re no longer living in the campground. She’s here everyday except Wednesday and Sunday and when the workday is over, she’s outta here. So, it was good to talk to her today.

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   All the cell cameras are back at camp and packed for the ride home. The Nutt Rd camera had the most visitors…javelinas and jack rabbits being the most frequent fliers and the cow maybe being the most notable because it filled up most of the frame. The Desert Cam had a decent variety of visitors, also, with the 8-point mule deer being its most notable. But we had difficulty finding a niche for the third camera. Using it to record a roadrunner coming into the yard didn’t work…then putting it by the hawk nest resulted in more blown out sun pictures than hawk action videos…and when it was put by holes with trails leading to them, I think we picked non-active holes.  I haven’t gone through all the data yet but I’m not holding out any hope of seeing a critter on any of those videos.

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40 Days of Lent opportunity: Pray 3 separate times today.  Done, done, and done.


  

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