Tag: Arizona 2025

José Maria

Welcome to another edition of “Hey, that’s a new bird!” If you haven’t noticed, the theme for this month is “lifers” and hoping you have been enjoying our new finds in the field – here and abroad! Before we get into today’s featured feathered friend, some quick housekeeping. It has been quite the busy month with the race and trying to get all the props back in storage from the big Halloween event. Unboxing the props is fun and exciting, trying to stuff them back into that box and getting them packed away on the shelving in the most dense manner possible – nuns running their nails down a chalkboard (the trauma runs deep people ha). In the midst of that torture, I did manage to get my recap of the race posted up on the mothership – link here, but words of caution, these recaps are not glamour shots, rather info I can look back on and prepare myself better for the next race – might avoid if you are thinking about getting into the sport, but if you want to confirm your choice to avoid…have at it!

How about we turn our attention to this month’s Halloween mascot..Mr. (or Ms.) Orange-Bill.

Greater Pewee found at Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

I’d say this lifer is a “Great” choice for today’s featured feathered friend. Hit the jump to read more about this southern Arizona specialty.

Continue reading José Maria

Hamming it Up

I have to say, it has been a quite a weekend of activity here at Intrigued starting last Friday when we made our way to the race course. Although only 45 minutes away, staying overnight at the trail site takes a lot of stress off the race prep, not to mention the fact the launch was at 5am…or as Linda puts it 5 “Hell NO”am. I still need to get the race recap up on the mothership, but I can let the cat out of bag – I successfully added my 5th buckle from this 50 mile race to my collection. That means another 50 to make 250 for America’s 250. A few things went right, a lot of things didn’t during each of the 5 ten mile loops. Ultra racing is problem solving at the core and I had plenty of chances to demonstrate that over the full day (and night) effort. Prime directive was to get through without re-injuring the ankle or elbow and no new “major” damage to anything else. Glad to report that was accomplished although there is some rib damage that is taking longer than expected to get past. Again, more details once the recap is officially posted. The next day Linda guilte…err, encouraged me to go on a local craft/antique tour (Spoon River Drive) which helped get a lot of the built up acid drained and then made a trip down to St. Louis to get some work done on our RV. Time now to sit back, rest a little and then dig into all the Haunted trail props that need to be packed away. Oh, almost forgot some great news, our Haunted Trail recap video I added to my last post was picked up by the YouTube algorithm – getting thousands of views a day and growing steadily yay! (link here). Enough about me…let’s get to today’s Featured Feathered Friend shall we…

Hammond's Flycatcher found in Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

Now if you are like me when I saw this Flycatcher in the queue you probably groaned..well, if you are birder as you know that likely means potential hours nose deep in the reference books. Normally, I would ask you to take a guess as to the species…but that would be impossible from this first shot. Hit the jump and I’ll show you how to properly ID this Empidonax.

Continue reading Hamming it Up

Ah Kah a Qual

The time has come to once again test my training, fortitude and based on my wife’s assessment – my sanity. Two years ago nearly to the day a rock lurking under some devious leaves caused 16 hours of rather excruciating pain giving way to 2 solid years filled with various medical procedures, recovery, therapy and training to get back to this spot, my return to the ultra racing circuit. Not sure what to expect really beyond the overwhelming feeling this is where I belong success or failure. My planned pacer bailed on me yesterday, so I will have plenty time in my head to figure myself out. The good news is Linda will be with me at the loop starts to keep me in the best condition possible. I have been working her day and night on the key verbal communications “Linda, now repeat after me if I whine about being tired or sore you reply: ‘You lily-livered POS, get your damn ass back out on the course, get it done and stop acting like a baby‘”. She still needs some work getting the right tone, but she should be good to go by race time! If you don’t hear for me in a while, assume the worst ha. As a way to calm the nerves, thought I’d work on a post, one about outing that felt as equally tough as this upcoming race. Please give it up for the latest featured feathered friend making its debut here at Intrigued. (including a special haunting surprise at the end!)

Black-Throated Gray found at Florida Canyon, Arizona in March 2025

Any guesses? Probably beyond obvious, but as a hint it is a member of the Warbler family. Hit the jump to learn more about this rather monochrome looking specimen.

Continue reading Ah Kah a Qual

Number 30

I am currently in the sweet spot so to speak. The mental and physical stress of the annual Haunted Trail event has passed for the most part along with yesterday’s final taper run before the ultra race, means a good rest is at hand. The full fretting on the upcoming race hasn’t set in yet giving me a rare moment of calm my body badly needs. Taking it really easy for the next few days in hopes of getting some of the tweaks, twinges and dings to subside to put me in the best condition to battle the trail – the trail adage holds, you just need to get to a point where the entire body hurts as much as the individual angry parts and then you can transition to the mental part of the task. I’ve never forgotten the wisdom a good friend passed on to me many a year ago – “Equilibrium is the secret to success – if you injure your hand, just smack the other with a hammer and carry on”. That may say more about me and the friends I keep than their “wisdom” ha. The good news is there is time to get a post (and maybe more than one) out during this rare moment of relative stillness. To kick that off, here is today’s featured feathered friend.

Ash-Throated Flycatcher found at Patagonia State Park, Patagonia,AZ in March 2025

Any guesses on an ID before you hit the jump – hint, this is the first time this species has been featured here at Intrigued.

Continue reading Number 30

Feels Like a Thrashing

I have to admit, this month (and longer) has been an absolute grind. The lead up to our annual Haunted Trail of Fears event was a pressure cooker as the weather was not cooperating AT ALL. My brother Ron was down just about every weekend to help get everything prepared (broken props fixed, new props finished, props/scenes built and the mind numbing process of putting batteries in everything. We started setting up on Friday, one week before the event kickoff. For practically that entire week it rained various amounts to a point the pathways down into the valley were worthy of a Woodstock Festival. Thanks to incredibly gracious help, the trail was completed (big thanks again to Ron, Brad and Jan and the others in the Scream Squad). Unbelievably lucky, the rain relinquished for the two nights of the event for one of our best haunts ever, only to give way to the burden of pulling it out back of the valley before the rains start again late this evening. Add in the final stages of training for the ultra in two weeks and you have yourself a recipe for a well tenderized body. With the double session 20 miler yesterday for my last endurance training cycle, I can finally start the final two week taper to race day. More importantly, time to get some of the weight loss back (as a toll indicator, managed to lose ~14 pounds), get some of the swelling out of the ankle and basically REST….but before I do that, there is one more task to check before the end of the month.

Sage Thrasher found at Tucumcari Wildife Management Area, Tucumcari, NM in March 2025

Yep, it is the end of the month and we are one post down from our self-imposed quota – Intrigued’s quality control department has been leaving nasty messages on my phone threatening me with disciplinary action, public shaming and removal from the company bowling team if I miss the performance targets. NOBODY wants that to happen, so hit the jump for today’s Featured Feathered Friend.

Continue reading Feels Like a Thrashing

Bunting to First

By the time you read this, we will have officially used up all the available days in August. I am stunned to say the least… not so much that another calendar page has been torn off, rather we will be in official haunt month. I am sure my long-time readers (so appreciative) are likely bored of hearing about our haunted trail and the effort it takes to get that built, put on for two days, and then torn down every year. It is truly the pinnacle for our year and a culmination of all the prop building and preparation that occur through the entirety of the year. Unfortunately, the “fun” times give way to full on stress when we get to this point as the project plan needs updating hourly the weather forecast is constantly fretted over and “overwhelmed” becomes the word of the day. All of this is really just context to let you know I will be stepping away from the Internet most of September as a result. Fear not, Intrigued will continue to bring you content with the help of Brad and Jan who will be going to bat in my absence. Truth is I have been saving up their adventures to this point knowing this was on the horizon (note, they also just returned from another exciting adventure in the field).

Since our power hitters are coming on deck, thought the perfect strategy would be to “Bunt” my way to first (of the month ha).

Lark Bunting found at Lorsburg, NM Welcome Center in March 2025

No mistaking that bill for a member of the Bunting family. Hit the jump and we will introduce you to a new featured feathered friend making its debut on the wild side of Intrigued.

Continue reading Bunting to First

Location, Location, Location

It is going to be close, but I think we are just barely going to get in under the wire to meet our self-imposed monthly post quota. Our streak is well over a decade and not willing to just throw all that effort away because of something trivial like lack of sleep ha. That and I don’t want to add “another” blemish to my performance this year with annual reviews just around the corner. Due to the short spacing between this and the last post, not really much to highlight as far as activities go with the exception I hit the 18 mile mark on my trail training today. I am feeling (a LOT) better about my conditioning now as that only puts me 7 miles short of the max training distance target – already at the 50+ mile mark for weekly mileage. Should be able to cover that remaining training distance in the next month assuming I can break away from the haunted trail for some good hard runs. The rest of the race distance is just a matter of grinding/gutting it out and that is exactly how I feel about today’s featured feathered friend.

Cackling Goose found at John Ward Memorial Park, Amarillo, TX in March 2025

Quick, take your first guess at this species and we will check it after the jump.

Continue reading Location, Location, Location

A Hummingbird Misogi

Every have one of those to-dos that stares you in the face and it just hangs around and around and around? In my latest situation it was an item on my read list. It has been there since 2019, finally got it as gift this last Christmas and then dragged it on two long trips out west and managed to get through maybe 2 chapters at best. Got back, put it on my nightstand, said goodnight to it every night and promised to turn the pages ….the next night. Even more embarrassing it was about building good habits and breaking bad one. The book – Atomic Habits by James Clear (link here). In my defense, I was keeping up on his thought provoking emails in the midst of this (think he stopped sending those or I got dropped somehow through 2025). My summary, probably would have been more useful while I was still in the grind as my “habits” have shifted a bit and maybe honing them isn’t as critical. I do like the core principles, Make it Obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy and Make it Satisfying, however, my big takeaway was his take on boredom . “Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference. Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way“. That rang absolutely true with me as I always tell people my superpower is the ability to grind in work (formerly) and sport (ultras). Overall, not a bad read, although, I would recommend first consuming my favorite book – Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter (link here) or Do Hard Things by Steve Magness (link here). Those two offerings pretty much summarize my long held outlook on life.

Steve focuses on developing mental toughness and Michael challenges you to participate in activities you have a 50% chance of absolute failure even with focused training (misogi)…and now you know why I do the things I do ha. Why bring all this up..well, because I am about to do something in this post that is hard, which I should make more of a habit of and yes, there is high probability of failure. Today we are taking on the female Hummingbirds!

Violet-Crowned Hummingbird captured March 2025 at Paton Center for Hummingbirds

Before digging into this, I found myself quoting Theron from 300: “This will not be over quickly, you will not enjoy this, you suck at female Hummers“…or something like that. Hit the jump to see the fruits of my misery ha.

Continue reading A Hummingbird Misogi

Just Waiting on a Flame

Nothing like getting in just under the wire. We’ve come to the end of another month or as we say here at Intrigued, officially HT-2 – only TWO months before the annual Haunted Trail event. We have been working hard on creating props, new power solutions and trail prep since we made it home from our western foray, but now the pressure really starts to build. Sleep is becoming a luxury even before mixing in this month’s stepped up run training cycle. I would liken it to being back in the corporate grind if it wasn’t so damn fun hahaha. Oh, speaking of a physical “grind”, the Intrigued family extend their best wishes for “happy feet”, clear skies, cool temps and emotional fortitude to Jan (and Brad) during their annual charity event. I will let Brad comment more on that at a later time – fingers crossed they are not getting the current downpour going on here.

Now let’s get to today’s featured feathered friend and put a wrap on this month’s colorful theme!

Anna's Hummingbird found at Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

Watching Hummers go passing by
It ain’t the latest thing
I’m just standing in a blind
I’m just trying to make some sense
Out of these Hummers that passing by
The tales they tell of nectar
I’m not waiting on a lady
I’m just waiting on a [male to] flame

Yes, I took some liberties on a classic song, but that was me in March of 2025. Hit the jump to learn more.

Continue reading Just Waiting on a Flame

Keep Your Chin Up!

Howdy ya’ all! I have to say, it feels like a stress weight has been lifted as of noon today. Got through the anniversary celebration event earlier in the week and that all went very well beyond a bit of a let down on our chosen fancy pants dinner location – a LOT of dollars for a mediocre experience which is disappointing when you are ordering “market” priced entrees. Beyond that, a great day just confirming why we both said “I do”. That only left today’s physical to get through and then it was days primarily filled with training and prepping for the haunted trail (that is actually coming at bullet train speed). Didn’t know what to expect at the doctor’s office – late start to training, pushing to the edge in our humidity trying to get caught up, just got back from 2 months living in a tin can and in a battle since January to cut the weight from the sedentary ankle recovery months. A bit shocked, but every diagnostic test indicator came in excellent (some cases better than my peak performance years) and weight was 8 pounds less than last year – apparently rucking mountains, daily core work and limiting yourself to only two if not one meal a day is the ticket – a bit of work, but rewarding! Which brings us to today’s featured feathered friend.

Black-Chinned Hummingbird found at Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

Hopefully you have picked up on my featured theme as of late – Hummers. Like the last several training months, this purple chinned beauty comes with a bit of work. Hit the jump to read about the latest in this rocket-propelled series.

Continue reading Keep Your Chin Up!