azbirdsandblooms's Journal

I began birding the PCT last year while my husband is section hiking. Every couple of months we travel west. He hikes while I take advantage of the time to bird. I started at the Mexican Border and I have ended at Idyllwild, until we go back. I have taken side trips to San Diego and the Tijuana River Mouth, and visited many of Southern California's lakes. I have seen so many areas of California that I didn't know existed. It truly is a beautiful area. I have added quite a few new life birds during these trips. Such as the Red-breasted Sapsucker, Oak Titmouse, Little Blue Heron, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Common Poorwill, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Lawrence's Goldfinch and American Redstart. Once the snow and storms ease up, we will pick up at Mount Jacinto .

I just recently saw an article in the newspaper about a woman who accidentally drove her car into the Colorado River, on the Havasu National Wildlife Preserve. My husband joked that it could easily have been me. Now I don't text and drive, I don't drink and drive, but what I do is bird and drive. I can't help myself. I guess my fear of missing out, FOMO,( as it is referred to in social media) keeps my eyes "off" the road. Countless times I have almost swerved off the road, rear-ended someone, stopped in the middle of the road, or just been downright distracted, by the flight of a bird. There have been times that my gawking has paid off, but truth be told, by the time I stopped and turned around, the bird would be long gone. If I ever do get in a hopefully minor incident, my family will be the first to say "I told you so".

One of my photography life birds is the Burrowing Owl. I have spent days looking throughout Mohave County for the perfect little owl peeking out from a burrow, or perched upon a rock. I have driven the rock lined railroad tracks along Route 66, dirt roads spotted with cattle ponds, visits to Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs in Las Vegas and even tried finding them at the Salton Sea, but to no avail. Now, of course , I have seen a Burrowing Owl, and as a matter of fact there used to be a colony living in the wash near my home. This was before I was interested in photography, and they have since moved on. I even spoke to a Game and Fish officer, who also said he hasn't seen any in the area since he first started in Kingman (He is a transplant from Tucson) . I have even checked Ebird for any recent sightings in the county, and the most recent was in Lake Havasu toward the end of December 2018. I drove to Lake Havasu, walked the reported area, and still no sighting. I'm growing concerned about the elusive Burrowing Owl, especially in Mohave County. We have experienced growth, but is it enough growth to drive them out? In the meantime, I will continue my search, and with another California trip planned, maybe this time the Salton Sea will be kind to me and allow me to check this bird off my photography life list.