Patagonia, AZ - July 8, 2024

July 12, 2024

In the last update, I forgot to include a story I meant to share with you, so here it is. While at Ash Canyon last Saturday evening, I was all alone when a couple I didn't recognize suddenly appeared. She asked where the Lucifer might be found, and I pointed to the feeder where I most often see him. We chatted while waiting for Lucifer to show, and I learned they are extremely avid bird watchers/photographers. They travel all over to photograph as many species as they can find, last year they managed their record count, 811 species.

I started photographing birds about fifteen years ago, not at all seriously, but fairly active. I've photographed birds in the three most prolific areas (Florida, Texas & Arizona), as well as many other states in my travels. At last count, I'm approaching a total of 400 different species in all those years. Needless to say, I was very impressed by their total. However, a couple days later I saw a video of a Norwegian man who travels the world full-time photographing birds. Last year, he set the record with 6800 different bird species. Now that's impressive.

OK, back to the real world and my recent visit to Patagonia and the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, which is the most reliable place to see the Violet Crowned Hummingbird, a rarity in the U.S. This former private residence, purchased by the Tucson Audubon Society when the owners died, attracts many hummingbird species, as well as a variety of songbirds. Unfortunately, the center is not conducive to photography because of the way feeders are placed among the trees. Birds are almost always on the feeders or hidden in the trees, since there are no perches that allow the birds to "pose" on their way to or from the feeders. Consequently, most photos include the feeder, not the most appealing image.