Ash Canyon - July 23, 2024

 Some minor surgery on my left hand made it difficult to hold the camera, so I hunkered down at home for several days before returning to Ash Canyon.  While hummingbirds are still relatively scarce there, I did get a nice variety of other birds.  It was particularly interesting when a Curve-billed Thrasher dug a hole in a flower bed only a few feet from where I was sitting and began fluffing its feathers and wallowing in the hole, occasionally scratching out more dirt.  After a few minutes, the bird left and did a little foraging under a feeder, then returned to the hole and wallowed some more.  The expression on its face was one of pure unadulterated joy.  I've never seen such behavior from a bird, especially one that always looks so stern.


Here are the photos of more normal activity.  One of my favorite birds, the Cactus Wren, gave me lots of poses while hopping all around.  I like the one where it goes diving in the brush pile, spreading its tailfeathers at the same time.

Anna's (F)

Anna's (F)

House Finch (M)

House Finch (F)

Lesser Goldfinch (M)

Lesser Goldfinch (F)

Acorn Woodpecker (M)

Turkey Vulture

Broad-billed (M)

Brown-headed Cowbird (M)

Brown-headed Cowbird (F)

Black-headed Grosbeak (M)

Blue Grosbeak (M)

Bewick's Wren

Cactus Wren

Cactus Wren

White-winged Dove

Northern Cardinal (F)

Gila Woodpecker (M)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anza-Borrego Desert, California - April 7, 2024

Image
 I put this in the Arizona blog because it's a short trip and almost in Arizona, but I'm sharing it with Travelogue regulars as well, if that makes sense.  Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys a few scenes from the desert. The Anza-Borrego Desert is a huge area of sand, rock, mountains, canyons, arroyos, washes, a variety of plants and wildlife, and many unique formations and features.  There is a state park of some 640,000 acres, a state recreation area dedicated to off-roading of some 85,000 acres, the town of Borrego Springs at 28,000 acres and 4000 people, plus BLM land of untold number of acres.  Many snowbirds spend the winters here, while many off-road enthusiasts come year round to play in the vast sand box with 500 miles of suitable trail.  The entire area is available for camping without facilities, and there are several designated camping areas with facilities. The desert averages about five inches of rain each year, but there are years when winter rains are much heavier. 
Read more

Anza-Borrego Desert, California - April 8, 2024

Image
 A stop at the Visitor Center showed me the best spots for wildflowers were near the town of Borrego Springs, about 35 miles from my campsite.  This is a lovely town surrounded completely by the state park.  With seven acres per person, the town has lots of open spaces, filled mostly with creosote bushes and other desert plants.  There is a range of housing styles, from downright shabby to very nice, pueblo style or ranch style.  Cost of living here is pretty high, due to the usual California factors plus the remoteness of the area.  Regular gas was $6.10 and $6.30 at the two stations in town, diesel over $8.  Milk was $4.00 for a half-gallon, a box of crackers $5.59.  I managed to avoid buying anything else. The desert has many arroyos, so the roads can be somewhat like a roller coaster.  On the way into Borrego Springs, I entered the largest "dip", called Texas Dip because of its size.  I would guess it's about 75 feet deep and a quarter mile across.  The road into and
Read more

Sierra Vista & Ramsey Canyon, AZ - May 30, 2024

Image
 For a change, I decided to visit San Pedro House and arrived before 7 am.  Apparently this was too early because there were almost no birds around, particularly none around the feeders.  Obviously, the volunteers had not yet arrived to put out the feed that brings in the birds.  It's clear the birds are smarter than I am.  So, I could either wait a while or go elsewhere.  Since I was wearing only shorts and a tee-shirt, and the wind was somewhat chilly at 59 F, I decided to go to Ramsey Canyon.  Along the way, I explored a couple side roads and found a few birds willing to pose. Northern Mockingbird House Finch (F) Scott's Oriole (F) Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Pyrrhuloxia (M) American Kestrel At the Ramsey Canyon bird sanctuary, I was surprised to learn there are only a couple hummingbird feeders in front of the office, where there used to be several more.  This is the area where I normally hang out, since I have trouble walking the steep trails beyond the office.  I'
Read more