2023: A Whirlwind Year

It's been quite a year, including 696 observations of over 400 species on iNat, 48 books read, one dissertation written and defended, a cross-country move and road trip, and lots of time with friends and family! Here are some highlights.

I started 2023 in quaratine at my parents' house, sick with COVID. But one benefit of the location, was that I could watch birds and other wildlife out the window from my bed. I was particularly excited to get eyes on one of the (unfortunately mangy) neighborhood red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)! (We saw two again this week, but alas, no photographic evidence.)

Three days later, I spent much of an afternoon watching this red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) out the window.

Returning to Tucson, I also got some nice winter birding in. (Tucson's really lovely in the winter! And as glad as I am to have moved on, I will miss it too!)

Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps). Funny how strange birds look to us when they look straight at us!

Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens). An iconically southwestern bird.

Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana). Happily, I've seen several of their eastern cousins in my new yard!

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), another common Tucson bird I'll miss!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), more specific the Audubon's Warbler subspecies.

In Tucson, I frequently saw these round-tailed ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus). There were multiple burrows within a few hundred feet of my apartment. but this is one of my favorite photos I've gotten of one.

And I also enjoyed the wildflowers, especially the lupines, as always!

In March, I went to Petrified Forest National Park, which has its own blog post, but it was definitely a highlight, so take a look if you haven't yet. I also took my first trip to Atlanta to interview at Emory!

In April, I went the Comparative Cognition Society Conference in Florida and tacked on a day trip to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the way to the airport.

Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)... that's a lot of repetition!

As much as I loved all the birds, the highlight of this particular trip were the manatees... I was managing my expectations, but we were able to stop at an observation deck where they tend to hang out, and indeed there were several individuals swimming about and interacting! I could happily has stayed watching them for hours.

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

Not sure what this specific social behavior was, but it looked like a four-way kiss!

In May, I got to walk at graduation and be hooded by my advisor (even though I hadn't quite finished writing my dissertation yet).

Later that week, I drove my Dad up Mount Lemmon for a hike, and on our way back down, we saw the most spectacular rainbow and sunset.

May was Princeton Reunions, a highlight of every year, and an opportunity to take another iteration of this photo.

Then there were a few frantic weeks of writing my final dissertation draft, which I submitted to my committee in June. I did squeeze in a few walks with my Dad though!

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), note the ducklings!

Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)

From the end of June to mid-July, I took a whirlwind trip, starting with a last-minute one-day visit to Atlanta after my first under-contract house fell through, followed by a long holiday weekend in Los Angeles, a week in Southern Oregon (and a day in Northern California), and the Animal Behavior Society conference in Portland, Oregon. (This was slightly over ambitious...but I'm also really, really glad I got to spend time with everyone I visited!)

California Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) in LA

California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus), off Point Dume in Malibu

Dolphins off the coast in Palos Verdes

American Beaver (Castor canadensis) in Siskiyou County, CA

Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus), a lifer for me, in southern Oregon

I got back to Tucson with just a few days left before my defense. A lot of you attended in person or virtually, and it was wonderful to celebrate with everyone! 

Then it was time to pack up my apartment, but we also managed a few walks and I enjoyed some final observations of iconic Arizonan species, including this entire family of Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii).

Dad

Mom

And babies!

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), with feathers ruffled

Another roadrunner, with the colorful stripes behind the eye visible.

Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)

Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii), actually a lifer for me

Arizona Cotton Rat (Sigmodon arizonae), which I'd seen a few times, but not identified until July!

Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), which always looks draconic to me, especially the more colorful the scales are!

At the end of the July, I packed up a U-haul (with a lot of help from my friends and family... thank you!!!) and moved across the country. The highlight of that trip was White Sands National Park. I arrived in Atlanta to a leaking ceiling and a lot of house stress, but everything was dealt with and reasonably well settled within a few weeks.

At which point, I answered an email from a colleague looking for help rehoming two kitties... and in September, I adopted my two forever kitties: Circe and Lakshmi.

Circe (named particularly after Madeline Miller's feminist retelling)

Lakshmi (named after the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity)

In October, I went on a herp walk with new friends (yay!).

River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna)

In November, I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time, with both family and new friends, which was lots of fun!

And in December, I put up Christmas lights, before heading to Maryland for Christmas with the family. Unfortunately, it's been another winter break dampened by a bad respiratory virus, but we're starting to feel better.

I'm looking forward to 2024 and hoping for much of the fun with a little less of the stress. Hopefully that'll include more time for photo sorting and blog post writing, now that the dissertation is DONE! And if you have a reason to be in Atlanta, let me know, and I'd love to see you. Happy New Year, everyone!