Sky Archives - Ambre Dawn Leffler

Blowing in The Wind

It is gusting at 40 miles per hour today. My cats are edgy. My heels are so dry, I could grate cheese with them. While I was cooking Valentine’s Day dinner a line of storm squalls moved right over my house. Squalls! In the desert! There was hail, then thunder, then lightning which flashed a vivid blue into the hallway. I hurried to get dinner in the oven in case the power went out. This February has been full of the strangest weather I have ever witnessed here in Arizona. Some days Phoenix has been colder than New York City. Flagstaff (a three-hours’ drive north) has been colder than Quebec.

One stormy morning I stepped out on the front porch to listen to birdsong. A Gila Woodpecker flew just above my forehead so fast, had I stuck out my hand I definitely would have been injured. I heard the whoosh of wind being displaced by the woodpecker’s body hurtling toward the west. Woodpeckers can fly at speeds between 20 and 30 mph. It is one thing to see birds in flight at a distance. Seeing and hearing this woodpecker up close gave me a new appreciation for the flight paths of birds in the sky.

Bird Migration

It seems everyone is talking about migration this year. (In the context of my newsletter I mean bird migration.) During the pandemic many of us became more aware of birdsong in our neighborhoods. And we are more than ready for Fall, for a shift toward cozy time and the predictable rhythm of this particular season when so many things seem to be dissonant, off key with the harmony of the universe.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology produces a map of real-time bird migration detected by the U.S. weather surveillance radar network. It shows the migration traffic rate in birds/km/hour from sunset to sunrise. In looking at the map, I now understand why I heard a bird hit my bedroom window in the early hours of the morning. I thought all birds were asleep, but the timing of the window thwack matches rush hour traffic for birds.

For someone who geeks out on weather radar maps, I love this tool. You can view it here: Live Bird Migration Map.

Equally intriguing is the bird migration forecast maps, created by Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The maps are updated every 6 hours, and I wonder if they’ve been adjusted for Hurricane Ian. It appears that way, judging by the precipitation swirl over the Carolinas. Click here to see for yourself: Bird Forecast Maps.

Bird migration is a tough endeavor on a clear day. I hope they have a safe journey, and that the humans are able to rebuild quickly and sustainably.

Birds in the Arts

“For the Birds” is a star-studded, 242-track collection of original songs, readings, and field recordings inspired by or incorporating birdsong. It is bundled as a 20-LP boxed set of artwork and music to benefit the National Audubon Society. You can read more about the project here: For the Birds: The Birdsong Project.

I also highly recommend The Lost Birds album, featuring Christopher Tin, VOCES8, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Barnaby Smith. For stunning video, liner notes, and an explanation of the project, visit Christopher Tin’s website The Lost Birds.

Happy bird watching and listening!

Spider Homes

Five spiders have taken up residence on the outside of the family room doors. Two have spun a network for their residences on the east side of the fireplace, and as I observed this morning, three on the west side. In the early morning light I can clearly see their thin long legs. By afternoon the wheat color of their limbs blends in with the door jambs. I’m not sure of their relationships, particularly those residing on the east side. One is the size of a tablespoon, the other a teaspoon. When the smaller one tried to pass the larger one, a battle ensued. 16 legs tangled with each other in this turf war. The smaller one eventually retreated back to its corner.

Are the east siders aware of the west siders living in webs across the next set of doors? It’s a mystery. As is what they are eating, though I am grateful for whatever they catch and keep out of my home. My three cats, in the meantime, are somehow oblivious. Little do they know the show they are missing just inches away from their faces…

Hawk Family

I have a family of hawks in my neighborhood. The “babies” have a raspy, loud voice when they are hungry. One morning I saw mama or papa perched on top of an antenna. The babies were insistently crying to be fed. What sounds like a vulture’s cry is in fact the baby hawks.

A monsoon storm blew in quickly and fiercely. I watched a hawk get blown back by the outflow wind and into the pine tree. I got to see the full span of the hawk’s wings and the beautiful pattern of its feathers. This hawk stayed huddled on the pine branch. It appeared to scrape its beak on the bark or else eat bugs while riding out the storm. Another hawk flew in and perched on a branch higher up. It appeared these were the parents. I don’t know where the babies were. Eventually the hawk flew away.

When I pay attention to the world outside my window, I see these stories unfolding that show the intricate connections of nature.

Monsoons and the Mulberry Tree

Today it is raining in the way I used to remember from the summer monsoons. Not the downpours following a crash of thunder, but a slow, steady rain that cools the hot desert air.

I’ve just returned from standing under the mulberry tree in the corner of my yard. Its branches had grown so long and heavy that they now touch the ground. Standing inside, it is a fort made of soft leaves and sturdy branches. All I can see is the screen of green surrounding me. Rain drops lightly patter against the leaves, a drumming that draws you in. Every third drop slips through the foliage umbrella, soaking through my shirt in a quarter-sized drop. After a week of 112 degree temperatures, the air is cool, sustaining, pleasant. My weather station says it is 85, a miracle in the desert.

Eurasian Collared Dove Atop Saguaro

Eurasian white-collared dove.

There is a bird mystery in the zen garden outside my window. One bird perches in a particular spot at the same time every day. It is the second-highest branch on the tree, just above a place where a branch was cut. With a distinct long black beak and a curve at the tip, this bird seemed different from others in the neighborhood.

I checked my Merlin app to identify this bird. The bird’s size, colors, and location in the tree seemed to match the Eurasian white-collared dove. The description says these doves migrate to eat saguaro cactus blooms. The saguaro in my front yard has been noticeably more productive with saguaro blooms this May. I’ve been hoping to see a dove eating the blooms at either dawn or dusk, and yesterday I finally saw her atop my saguaro!

She nipped at the saguaro fruits, disappeared for a moment around the other side, perched on top of the saguaro, then repeated this routine. Most June days in the desert heat are a monotony of endless searing sun. But seeing this bird here to feast on the saguaro fruit gave me a new appreciation for other living beings who benefit from this season.