8 years ago, a good friend asked us to go on a trek with him to find a rare and elusive bird. Not being birders in any sense of the word, we thought a hike up in the mountains would be a fun way to get some exercise and take some good pictures. Little did we know that first hike would turn passive interest into an obsession.
"Find the Elegant Trogon".
After we got home that day, we Googled the Trogon and were immediately captivated by its beauty. We decided to continue to try to find it; after all, how hard can it be to find a brightly colored red/green bird that is about 12" tall. Not exactly the size of a sparrow.
One hike turned into the next hike, which turned into the next. Hike after hike, month after month, year after year. The start of each new mating season brought hopes that this would be the year. We knew the areas where they nested, what were we missing? Why couldn't we find this bird?
Fast forward to 2015. It had been frequently sighted in the Santa Rita Mountains just south of Tucson. So we began the 2015 Elegant Trogon quest, and decided to concentrate our efforts there. For the first hike, we asked a ranger if he had any insight to the whereabouts of our nemesis. He directed us to the Vault Mine Trail, saying that was our best bet. Talking to birders on the trail told us that it had been sighted more on the Super Trail...UGH; too far from our current location. 3.5 miles later and calf muscles completely seized up, we came up empty and with tears in our eyes, went home.
Memorial Day weekend! What else does a person do with 3 days off from work? Go looking for Elegant Trogons...of course. Sunday was a beautiful day; sunny, cool temps, perfect hiking weather. We packed up the SUV and off we go. Today was the day; we could just feel it.
Up we go on the Super Trail. About an hour in, we heard it! (Never heard it before this.) YES!!! Straining our ears to try to pinpoint its location, we heard it once more and then no more. Was it further down or further up in the canyon? Go forward or turn back? We decided to continue up the trail and about 2 miles in, we meet up with a couple hiking down and asked them if they've seen/heard it. They said no, but also said it had been sighted the past week over on the Carrie Nation Trail. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Feeling deflated once again, we turned around. We were too tired to try to attempt another trail and just went back to the car and went home. We were coming to the conclusion that we were on yet another wild goose chase.
Monday morning brought renewed hope and we decided to give it another try. The Carrie Nation Trail, after all, was only a couple of miles long. We quickly found out that it was also much steeper; a 500' elevation gain in the first 1/2 mile. We stopped to rest and drink some water, wondering if we were doing the right thing, when a familiar sound emanated from the woods, very close to where we were sitting. Looking at each other in utter disbelief, we jumped up about as fast as 2 people on the brink of senior citizenship could and followed the sound up the hill. As we rounded the corner, we saw several birders and photographers clicking away, looked up, and there it was! A magnificent male Trogon sitting in the tree right in front of us. Pete grabbed his camera and started shooting. I was just mesmerized at finally seeing it, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw another large bird land on a nearby branch. I turned to look at it and, lo and behold, it was the female. I tried to get Pete's attention to shoot her, but she flew away as quickly as she came. The male soon followed and just like that, they were gone. Sadly, from the first shot to the last, only 1 min, 45 seconds elapsed. We waited around for 2 more hours for them to come back to their nest, but to no avail.
So, good things do come to those who wait. Will this end our quest? Probably not.
Until next time,
Peace
"Find the Elegant Trogon".
After we got home that day, we Googled the Trogon and were immediately captivated by its beauty. We decided to continue to try to find it; after all, how hard can it be to find a brightly colored red/green bird that is about 12" tall. Not exactly the size of a sparrow.
One hike turned into the next hike, which turned into the next. Hike after hike, month after month, year after year. The start of each new mating season brought hopes that this would be the year. We knew the areas where they nested, what were we missing? Why couldn't we find this bird?
Fast forward to 2015. It had been frequently sighted in the Santa Rita Mountains just south of Tucson. So we began the 2015 Elegant Trogon quest, and decided to concentrate our efforts there. For the first hike, we asked a ranger if he had any insight to the whereabouts of our nemesis. He directed us to the Vault Mine Trail, saying that was our best bet. Talking to birders on the trail told us that it had been sighted more on the Super Trail...UGH; too far from our current location. 3.5 miles later and calf muscles completely seized up, we came up empty and with tears in our eyes, went home.
Memorial Day weekend! What else does a person do with 3 days off from work? Go looking for Elegant Trogons...of course. Sunday was a beautiful day; sunny, cool temps, perfect hiking weather. We packed up the SUV and off we go. Today was the day; we could just feel it.
Up we go on the Super Trail. About an hour in, we heard it! (Never heard it before this.) YES!!! Straining our ears to try to pinpoint its location, we heard it once more and then no more. Was it further down or further up in the canyon? Go forward or turn back? We decided to continue up the trail and about 2 miles in, we meet up with a couple hiking down and asked them if they've seen/heard it. They said no, but also said it had been sighted the past week over on the Carrie Nation Trail. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Feeling deflated once again, we turned around. We were too tired to try to attempt another trail and just went back to the car and went home. We were coming to the conclusion that we were on yet another wild goose chase.
Monday morning brought renewed hope and we decided to give it another try. The Carrie Nation Trail, after all, was only a couple of miles long. We quickly found out that it was also much steeper; a 500' elevation gain in the first 1/2 mile. We stopped to rest and drink some water, wondering if we were doing the right thing, when a familiar sound emanated from the woods, very close to where we were sitting. Looking at each other in utter disbelief, we jumped up about as fast as 2 people on the brink of senior citizenship could and followed the sound up the hill. As we rounded the corner, we saw several birders and photographers clicking away, looked up, and there it was! A magnificent male Trogon sitting in the tree right in front of us. Pete grabbed his camera and started shooting. I was just mesmerized at finally seeing it, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw another large bird land on a nearby branch. I turned to look at it and, lo and behold, it was the female. I tried to get Pete's attention to shoot her, but she flew away as quickly as she came. The male soon followed and just like that, they were gone. Sadly, from the first shot to the last, only 1 min, 45 seconds elapsed. We waited around for 2 more hours for them to come back to their nest, but to no avail.
So, good things do come to those who wait. Will this end our quest? Probably not.
Until next time,
Peace
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