Ash Canyon - August 11, 2023

 It has been a couple weeks since this blog was updated, so I apologize for that.  For six weeks following my ostomy reversal surgery, I was experiencing severe "bathroom issues" that kept me stuck at home.  Once I used up my backlog of photos, there was nothing to do but wait it out.  I'm pleased to tell you I'm making progress and finding periods where it's safe to go out for short trips.  Two days ago, I paid a visit to the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary for the first time in nearly two months.

I immediately noticed there were very few songbirds present, and I learned that some sick birds had been seen and feeders had been removed to prevent the spread of disease.  There were plenty of white-winged doves, and a flock of fifteen turkeys showed up.  The best part, however, was a large number of hummingbirds flying here and there, including a few seldom seen species.  I hope you enjoy this overload of hummers.

A little female Broad-tailed was perched on the feeder when she lost her balance and had to scramble to recover.  Once back on her perch, she looked away, then cut her eyes back to see if there were any witnesses.  Very human-like.

There were lots of young birds about, such as these Broad-billed males.  Notice they are just starting to get their colors.

Adult Broad-billed males have brilliant blues and greens.

The Lucifer males have a beautiful purple gorget, making them a very popular bird here.

The Black-chinned species is fairly common along the west coast and down into Texas.

Here is one of the many turkeys that showed up this day.

Anna's hummingbirds are quite common around the Pacific coast and southeast Arizona, but nowhere else in the U.S.  The male has the red gorget and crown.