"Tails" of a New Birder's Journey

There’s a heatwave in the High Sonoran Desert and I fully expected the yard birds to take a break during the worst of the heat. But it was fairly birdy throughout the day and I spent several hours observing their coping methods. Many of them held their beaks open like panting dogs. The large bird bath was very popular, with lots of drinking and bathing. A female LEGO perched atop the drip line and she drank from the opening. Smart girl! 

I happily added another bird to the Wingsong life list: a Rufous Hummingbird. Much more common in Arizona than Cali, I was thrilled to see either an immature male or a female, as this is one of my favorite hummer species. The bird had a VERY peachy tummy and a green back. The sun lit up its coppery gorget that was spotty in places. If this were Cali, I’d assume this was an Allen’s, which are much more common than Rufous. But in Arizona, it’s the reverse. Like all the other yard hummers, it visited all the Autumn Sage shrubs then buzzed off. It came back and perched in the Mesquite tree, then took off again.

Another highlight of the day was getting the most amazing looks at a Sage Thrasher! I’ve seen–and heard–Curve-billed Thrashers every day, but this bird has skirted the property, making me doubt my ID. I’d been 99% positive I’d seen one, but today, I was 100% positive. I’ve only seen a Sage Thrasher once before, at San Jacinto on a Sea & Sage Audubon trip, where it put on quite a show for us in the parking lot. Its beautiful streaky breast reminded me of one of my favorite birds–the Hermit Thrush. 

Today, I spotted a streaky-breasted bird about 20 feet from the bird bath. It looked around, as if making sure the coast was clear, then it started skipping closer, heading toward the bird bath. As it got closer, I could see the golden eye, the long tail, and the small, dark bill. It came right up to the bird bath, then ran a few feet away, then approached again. So many of the birds seem unsure of the bird bath, and it’s not like it was crowded. A single MODO was the only borb nearby. After a full minute of decision-making, it hopped into the bath–only to jump out again a few seconds later! Finally, it came back, went all the way in, and took a bath. I love watching any bird take a bath, but this was a real treat! It was so quick, it was more like a shower. It was in and out in about 9 seconds.

The Thrasher shower inspired me to find my Nature Journaling notebook. However, I couldn’t find the one I usually use. The only paper I could find was in a blank watercolor journal that I bought ages ago and unpacked yesterday, along with the watercolor pencils that I’ve also never used. Recently, I’ve seen some really amazing watercolor nature journal pages shared in a birding Discord group. As I started to sketch the bird, I really struggled with the streaks on its chest. Exactly what kind of shape ARE those streaky spots, anyway? I had to erase and start again several times. Once I had a decent sketch, I filled in the pencil drawing with the watercolor pencils. Then, it was time to use the waterbrushes. I nervously dipped a fine-tipped brush into some water. It was easier than I thought it would be and I don’t know why I’ve been so nervous about using them. My “painting” could at best be called mediocre, but the process was fun and relaxing. 

Other observations:

• A Verdin ate from the orange slice for a bit.
• A Roadrunner approached the bird bath, but didn’t drink from it or go in. Then it leapt into the air and tried to eat a butterfly!
• A Curve-billed Thrasher went after a squirrel and won.
• A Northern Flicker drank from the bird bath at the same time a NOMO and MODO were drinking/bathing.