The Only Way to Bird Effectively in Sickness

I've been very sick the last few days, including today.  The nose has been running, my eyes have been hurting, my body is weak, and the scariest of all, my lungs hurt.  Hurting lungs is not a good thing, but they have shown a few signs of letting up as I write.  I hate to stay inside all day and need some sort of daylight or activity to keep myself from going completely down the mental deep end.  As I've written about many strange birding occurrences or stories, I'm about to give you another:  the one and only way to bird effectively in miserable sickness.  It's not too challenging (unless diarrhea is your worst symptom), it basically involves driving to a spot, looking at a bird, and then leaving.  It would take a major highlight bird in my books to get my butt out of the house, especially since I was going to be driving to a spot, looking at a bird, and then leaving.  I've recently bought my first ever XBox 360, and I also left that extreme fun on the couch for a bird, a Maricoper like-bird.  Going into November of 2014, I had 363 birds on my Maricopa County list, and I got four more to bring the total up to 367 before 2014 was all said and done.  And two of those birds were given to me by Caleb Strand.  Strand the Grand has been on a role, and he found yet another bird that would be a new Maricopa County bird for me, a Greater Pewee!  Despite my sickness, it helped me greatly to get out of the house for a little while, hang with Caleb, and look for this Greater Pewee in a roadside grove of pecan trees.  This method involved standing and waiting for a bird to pop up.

This grove of pecan trees is close to Buckeye, Arizona, and is along Fremont Road just north of the M-C 85 Road and is just west of Jackrabbit Trail.  Caleb's lives close by and is constantly finding rarities in this area he lives in at isolated patches of different habitats.  I've thought this pecan grove has looked attractive when Caleb and I have driven by it in the past, and that was proven when the Greater Pewee showed up for Caleb.  He found the bird on Monday the 26th of January at 2:00 P.M.  Caleb and I got to the spot today at about 12:20 P.M.  We started waiting and looking and walking down the street a few times for a short distance.  1.5 hours went by quickly, and my fatigue level was dropping drastically.  I was sure the Greater Pewee was still in the grove, but I was also sure he wanted me to see him another day.  Caleb and I waited, and waited, and waited.  At the last second, I did notice a flycatcher come in that wasn't the numerous Black and Say's Phoebes that we were seeing.  Ironically, it was around 2:00 P.M. and two days later, and yes it was my first ever Maricopa County Greater Pewee!

The Greater Pewee is a flycatcher who's range typically lies in Mexico and southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.  However, it can be found in small numbers breeding in central Arizona and it is usually a rare but annual winter visitor somewhere in the southwest.  I've seen Greater Pewee at a few locations in central Arizona such as in Gila and Yavapai Counties, but I have never been lucky enough to encounter one in Maricopa County.  Mount Ord and Slate Creek Divide offer seemingly appropriate habitat to harbor this species in breeding season (especially Slate Creek!), but for whatever reason I have never found one in those areas in the Matzatzal Mountains (others have on occasions though!).  At times, Greater Pewees winter in Arizona in riparian areas, groves of trees, and planted groves of conifers at parks or cemeteries.  Maricopa County has had several such records, and Caleb's discovery added to the list.  It was an awesome way to get a bird and lift my dark spirits despite my sickness.  The Greater Pewee may look like a plain gray bird other than his awesome hair-do and bright orange lower mandible.  But hey, it can sure sing.  Jose Maria always comes at the best-of-times!

Caleb and I watched the flycatcher for about 20 minutes as it was active and flew from tree-top to tree-top.  It didn't sing for us, but it did regularly give it's high-pitched "peep-peep" call.  It was a wonderful treat to see this bird, and it was an interesting way to get Maricoper # 368.  Another huge thanks to Caleb, who has given me 3 out of my last 5 Maricopers (364, 365, and now 368).

When I'm sick like this, I guess I'm more of a pewee than a Pewee itself.  I just explained and successfully demonstrated how to bird when your miserable.  If the treasure is sighted, I guess it may make one temporarily feel better.  The Greater Pewee is my first major highlight of 2015.  What do I consider a major highlight?  There's three categories.  One is a life bird, anytime or anywhere.  The other is an Arizona statebird.  The third is a Maricoper, a new bird for my Maricopa County list.  And I must admit, the last one I mentioned is usually what I get the most excited about.  Cheers to 2015 officially being underway!

Jose Maria!