Ash Canyon - August 7, 2024

 There was a nice selection of birds at the sanctuary today, as well as several species of butterflies.  But before getting to those photos, here are a couple from my back yard.

Say's Phoebe

Desert Spiny Lizard

I was a little late getting to the canyon this day and the place was packed with visitors, both local and out-of-state.  I got to chat with several folks and help them with IDs.  It's normal to not recognize birds when you go into a new area.  Birders are always happy to help out in that respect.

Canyon Towhee

Gulf Fritillary

Gulf Fritillary

Gray Hawk

Black-headed Grosbeak (M)

House Finch (F)

Acorn Woodpecker (M)

Anna's (M)

Anna's (M)

Anna's (F)

Broad-billed (M)

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Chipping Sparrow

Lesser Goldfinch (M)

Lesser Goldfinch (J)

House Finch (M)

Black-chinned (M)

Pipevine Swallowtail

Cloudless Sulphur

Cloudless Sulphur

Earlier I posted photos showing the strange behavior of a Curve-billed Thrasher "bathing" in the sand.  On this day, I witnessed another such incident, possibly the same bird.  I took a whole series of the bird scratching out a hole in the sand, lying in it, then scratching out more sand.  After several tries, it seemed to be happy with the hole and just lay there enjoying the fruits of its labors.












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