Wordless Wednesday-scary tree

Bird Photography Weekly

“Hey, what you lookin’ at?”
There is something endering about California Quail.  I am not sure if it is the fact that they are everywhere along the sides of the road or their plumpness, or their great family life or that little top feather.   I also love that one of them stand sentinel while the others [...]

Birding Brigantine

I had come to the Brigantine division of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to look for sparrows.  An odd thing to do perhaps, but I was specifically looking for the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow.  I had seen several reports of them being there.  It would be a life bird.
As I stood next to my car on [...]

Arborvitae Hedge

While I was out in the backyard trying to decide if I needed to rake or not, I noticed that the arborvitae hedge screening me from the back neighbor looked thin and was turning brown in places.  In horror, I peeked through at the neighbor’s cluttered backyard.  Ugh.  I paced up the entire 150 feet [...]

Bird Photography Weekly

Driving through the Arizona grasslands in search of quail, bunting, sparrows and longspurs; birds flushed from along the road to sit on rusty wire fences.  The most common bird by far was the Vesper Sparrow.  With those white tail flashes and its bouncing yo-yo flight it was easy to ID.  One small flock of birds [...]

3-Owl-Day

Melody came to pick me up at O’dark:30 to go owling.
 
With a warning about possible snakes and illegal drug smugglers, we stalked off into the pitch black desert under more twinkling stars than I have seen in a long, long time.  Shivering in the cold pre-dawn hour we stood in the darkness listening, straining to hear.   [...]

Birding Southeast Arizona-Part 2

Here is the list for today.  I saw many of the same birds as yesterday; but did add a few lifers.  We spent time in the grasslands since the rain had stopped before heading down to the Chiracuahuas to look for the Mexican Chickadee, Yellow-eyed Junco and the Olive Wabler.  I only saw the Junco. [...]

Birding Southeast Arizona-part 1

To maximize my time in Arizona and not wander all over the state being frustrated, I hired Melody Kehl to guide for me.  She picked me up at the hotel at 5:30 AM to try for the Sinoloa Wren at first light.  The day turned windy and rainy so many birds did not sit up [...]

Arizona Wish List

Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon,Montezuma Quail, Masked Bobwhite, Scaled Quail, Spotted Owl, Elf Owl, Painted Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, No. Pygmy Owl, Common Poorwill, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gray Vireo, Gray Flycatcher, Gray-breasted Jay, Chihuahua Raven, Mexican Chickadee, Varied Bunting, Painted Bunting, Lucy, Grace, Olive and the Green-tailed Towhee, LeConte’s, Sage, Bendire’s and Crissal Thrashers.  [...]

Bird Photography Weekly

I am off to Phoenix, Arizona for a business trip on Wednesday.  I hope to get over to the Desert Botanical Gardens again (one of my favorite places) to do a little morning birding.  Then once the conference is over, I will have a few days to dedicate to birding in Southeast Arizona.  I’m totally [...]