Arizona 2025 – Wildlife Intrigued

Hooks and Flags

The temps are dropping and the leaves are falling – we be in November and “winter is coming” for all you GOT fans out there. It also means we are making our plans for our winter migration. There is a new wrinkle to deal with as there is a Screwworm outbreak in the western part of the Rio Grande Valley – most concerning is the infections in the Falcon State Park and Salineño areas, which are some of the areas I like to bird when we are down there. Not going to take our furry boys into that area with their quarantining process that has just been implemented there. Will it stay contained there, move east, where are the quarantine checks occurring (in that area or at the BP points that sit many miles from there) etc – all things we need to figure out before making our usual trek down there. In the meantime, I am trying to get caught up on all the busy work that needs to get done and (fingers crossed) push through some of the image backlog. With the Arizona 2025 trip now done, my backlog has shrunk to ONLY 1.5 years – trust me, that is quite the accomplishment for me ha. Also happy to report I am fully recovered from the October race and now in maintain mode with my running which is in the 8 to 10 miles ~3 times a week (a mere pittance). I will be back at my annual target of 1,000+ miles by the time you are reading this and my logged weekly outside activity streak currently sits at 54 consecutive weeks – take that you petulant ankle.

Enough preamble, the sign above the desk reminds me why you are here “It’s All About the Wildlife” so let’s continue our “lifer” series for at least one more post. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to our latest(ish) addition to our checklist.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet found at Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

Admittedly, not the most colorful bird in North America, but it definitely has a high level of cuteness. Hit the jump to learn more about our featured feathered friend.

Congrats, Stats and Warbling

The month is young and already incredibly busy. I thought things would calm down a bit with the Halloween event passed and the ultra-race completed, but definitely not the case. Most of the time consumption has been tedious busy work, putting the Halloween props back into storage, getting the Christmas decorations out of storage (need to decorate before Linda’s upcoming knee surgery), picture processing and stat updating – we will get to those latter ones in a bit, but first I want to congratulate Team Raven.

Raven retirement from agility competition November 2026

This was a big weekend for the two of them as Linda and Raven earned their 5th CPE Agility Championship Title (CT-ATCH 5). Nothing better for the little guy than winning an award (bar/ribbon) that is 5 times your size. We had to take it away from him afterwards as he was continually going around taunting his brother Ruger saying “Who’s got four paws and a prestigious title” and then whacking him with the bar – There is a lot of attitude that comes with a 4.75 pound Poodle. More importantly, Raven is going out on top as he is retiring from competition. He has been competing for 11 years and he has earned the opportunity to kick back and give his brother some of the limelight. Way to go Ravi-man (and Linda of course).

Next up, a few stats. Now that the “Tetris packfest” is mostly over I had a chance to get back to processing some of my picture backlog. As of yesterday, I now have our March (looks sheepishly down..) 2025 Arizona trip completely processed. 532Gs worth now trimmed down to 187G. The January 2025 trip to Texas was 727G pared down to 243G. That probably seems like a lot, but keep in mind, that is 6 or so weeks shooting from sunup to sundown (and past for the nocturnal birds) every single day. Trust me, there is a reason for the ridiculous backlog ha. With that work, I updated my life list counts. 530 species lifetime and 521 recorded in eBird since January 1st, 2022 from 882 checklists and 2,264 ticks across 26 US states (unique species by state). Current annual count for 2026 is 450! To put things in perspective, I have only blogged on 332 of those lifetime species ticks – let’s just say I still have plenty of fodder for upcoming posts ha! Oh, and since we are talking numbers, the 11th Blue Chew commercial just came on in the YouTube screen that is running on my second monitor at the moment. Please god make it stop!

Guessing you are thinking that same thing about my ramblings, so let’s get to today’s Featured Feathered Friend.

Warbling Vireo found at Pantagonia State Park, Patagonia, AZ in March 2025

To be honest, my birding life list count rose at least two notches while I was just sitting in my den. The bird you are looking at is the catalyst for one of the increases – hit the jump to read more about this specimen that gave me quite a struggle.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

We are in the final week of our favorite month and getting closer to our signature holiday – yep, Halloween is a mere 4 days away. Truth be told, we do celebrate this season a bit early with our Haunted Trail event typically being the last weekend in September. That is traditionally the best weekend weatherwise as it tends to nestle nicely between the late summer and the harvest rain periods. There is also a lot of things going on for our guests during the October weekends (football, marching band, trail races and other Halloween parties), so pulling the trail forward helps insure as many people as possible can attend. It does mean we are bit worn out by the time All Hallows’ Eve is upon us. I actually just finished getting all the props back into the storage shelves which is basically a colossal game of Tetris. Major concern as we packed as densely as possible and now appear to be out of space – will have to keep this in mind when considering new additions for next year’s haunt – my idea of using the guest bedroom was nixed by Linda before thought were fully out of my mouth!

While I sit on the phone waiting for the Canadian consulate to explain what kind of plague they infected our staff with, thought I would get out my last entry in this month’s “lifer” themed series.

Williamson's Sapsucker found at Madera Canyon, AZ in March 2025

Warning, these are not my best work in the field. In fact, this entire series was almost thrown out when going back through the day’s spoils. An Intrigued golden rule and late read of an eBird report saved them. We will see if you make the same mistake as I did when first seeing this specimen – after the jump.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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