The cell phone rattled as the incoming call stirred me from my focused world of searching for a job and a place to live. It was my adventuring buddy, Eric. I had forgotten what adventure was since I had stepped forward to caregive for my parents, sell their house, and take care of family details. It would be the most important job I had ever done or would ever do.

The call involved the Chiricahua Mountains, housing (not in a tent!), and searching for the elusive elegant trogon (we’re talking the bird world). What on earth is a trogon? I pondered about this possible escape. And pondered some more. In the last four years, I had only one brief getaway for a few days into neighboring California. I felt guilty for abandoning the need and ability to search for a job. Then that feeling dissolved, and I said yes. I needed this.

waterfall near the Southwestern Research Station

There was mayhem, disruption, distress, questioning, more bedlam, sprinkled with uproar, and then I was packed. I am living out of sports bags, and Basha’s grocery bags and wondering where on this planet I will be living in the next couple of weeks, so packing was a jolting task. There were items in storage that I so desperately wanted to bring. They remain hidden, deep within storage units 56 and 64. I fearfully suspect some valued items may have entered the estate sale zone.

The Chiricahua’s from Rodeo, New Mexico

Our pavement ended sometime after three hours Eric and I connected with Mariann, Jane, and Debra, with hunger calling our names. Actually, in a deafening tone so our gut decided, for us, what our next order of action would be.

Our new adventure home, which was a resort, was a sprawling complex that happened to include a nice basketball court with a single glass backboard. Some 100 blogs ago, I jotted that I was once a basketball stud who sat on the bench while sporting a miss-sized junior varsity outfit. I was too short, and skinny, and I was pretty bad in almost all aspects of the game, but boy, could I shoot. With possibly my only superhuman talent, I traveled the county and sometimes competed during halftime of NBA basketball games. What a crazy life. In a desolate spot in New Mexico, I found my ‘touch’.

The hoop

Our first exploratory journey along Cave Creek was a search for vivid landscapes, interesting local lore, wildlife, and historic sites. We scoped out the area and landed some great scenic photos. This remarkable area is the most biodiverse landmass of North America, and the bird life reflects that. Cave Creek Canyon is the largest and best watered in the Chiricahuas. While I may not be sporting a ‘bird’ tick list (probably lost somewhere in the storage unit 64), my human tick list includes some exceptional people on this trip.

Eric

Elegant Trogon (Male)

Eric and I ventured down the S. Fork road in search of awesomeness. The good people at the Cave Creek Visitors Center had shared that awesomeness was everywhere, and the extremely stunning zone could be entered by seeing an Elegant Trogon. This premiere bird was at the top of every birder’s list visiting here.

While sightings this season of the Elegant Trogon were down, likely due to a cooler winter in Mexico, causing a delay in their arrival, the S. Fork road had some valued sightings, so we zoomed on.

Within 1/2 mile of the truck, we heard some rustling on the hillside. At this point, I had seen few birds, all from a decent distance; I had zero photos that qualified as viewable. I was beginning to wonder if I could make it as a professional birder. I did need a job, right? That rustling was a pair of Mexican Jay’s and an Acorn Woodpecker and…could it be? Yep, the fourth bird was an Elegant Trogon, confirmed by Eric’s wildlife biology eyes. I would see a second landing not far from the first sighting. We would end up spending 1.5 hours with this spectacular bird. There would be 10-12 landings until our entertainer with wings would finally fly into a more distant location on the hill. I will be posting a more detailed post on this special moment and plan on linking it here.

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