Arizona Photography

 Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and I hope all of you had a good one.  Mine was quiet, as usual, but I enjoy my quiet time.  In addition to watching football on TV,  I spent time editing photos from my latest visit to Ash Canyon.  It was a quiet day there with only a few visitors during my stay.  I had good conversation with the two volunteers who served that day, and Tim (the caretaker of the sanctuary) stopped by briefly.  They reported that a bobcat was seen wandering around the grounds earlier, so I missed seeing it. Just like the mountain lion that was there last week. It was a nice surprise when a family of Phainopeplas arrived .  The mated pair of adults are still associating with the almost grown juvenile.  Many birds chase their offspring  away as they approach adulthood.  Sorry I was unable to get the female in focus, but I didn't have time to adjust camera settings to accomplish that. Tree where Acorn Woodpeckers st...

 Another beautiful day in Ash Canyon, but definitely on the chilly side.  For a while, it appeared the birds may not show up, but they finally started arriving in huge swarms.  Although nothing unusual appeared, there were plenty of the same old suspects.  The most interesting thing was when caretaker Tim popped out and told me he had seen a mountain lion earlier, probably 200 yards behind the sanctuary.  What a thrill it would be to have such an experience. Mexican Jay Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Anna's (M) Broad-billed (M) House Finch (F) House Finch (M) White-winged Dove Mourning Dove Gila Woodpecker (F) Lesser Goldfinch (M) Lesser Goldfinch (F) Curve-billed Thrasher Bridled Titmouse Cactus Wren

 It was a nice day at the bird sanctuary today, pleasant weather and some pleasant visitors.  In particular, a couple from Ellsworth who have decided to "snowbird" in Sierra Vista.  I think the quality of birding was the main reason they chose our area.  It certainly wasn't to have a short trip.  They brought back memories of the several times we stayed in or near Ellsworth on our trips to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  What a beautiful area they have. Mexican Jay Yellow-rumped Warbler Lesser Goldfinch (M) Lesser Goldfinch (F) White-crowned Sparrow Chipping Sparrow House Finch (F) House Finch (M) Orange-crowned Warbler White-winged Dove Pyrrhuloxia (J) Pyrrhuloxia (M) Turkey (F) Bewick's Wren Javelina Curve-billed Thrasher Acorn Woodpecker (M) Anna's (M) Anna's (F)