Arizona Photography

 After a ten day hiatus, I finally made it back to my favorite birding location.  The weather here has been very nice, and it felt good to be back in Ash Canyon.  Chatting with others there added to my enjoyment, as did a good selection of birds. White-breasted Nuthatch Chipping Sparrow Acorn Woodpecker (F) Common Ground Dove Mexican Jay Yellow-rumped Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Lawrence's Goldfinch (F) House Finch (M) House Finch (F) Lesser Goldfinch (F) Lesser Goldfinch (M) Anna's (M) Curve-billed Thrasher Pyrrhuloxia (F) Yellow-breasted Chat Northern Flicker (M) Coues Whitetail (F) Phainopepla (F) Rock Squirrel Bridled Titmouse Young Javelinas Gila Woodpecker (F)

 On a couple of these visits, I didn't stay very long, so I'm combining them into one blog update.  There was a good variety of birds in these visits, but some of the same birds were seen every time.  I won't bore you with all the repetition, I'll just show the best of each species. Turkey & poult Coues Whitetail Acorn Woodpecker (M) Chipping Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Yellow-rumped Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Cedar Waxwing (J) White-throated Sprrow House Finch (M) Phainopepla (F) Bush Tit Gila Woodpecker (F) Curve-billed Thrasher White-crowned Sparrow Pyrrhuloxia (M) Anna's (M) Rock Squirrel Scott's Oriole (M) Pyrrhuloxia (F)

 For the variety of birds, and the number of unusual or rare birds, this was a very good morning at Ash Canyon.  Hummingbird migration is coming to an end, but the influx of songbirds is certainly compensating. Pyrrhuloxia (M) Pyrrhuloxia (M) White-crowned Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak (F) Gulf Fritillary Bush Tit Hepatic Tanager (F) Hepatic Tanager (F) I thought this sequence of the Tanager bathing was cute enough to share. Rufous (F)