Backyard Visitors in the High Desert

"I thought you were going to call ME!"

 

Hawk on Birch Road pole

Hawk on Hwy 186 wire

What is the OTHER one?

 

At the Feeders, On the Water, and In the Air

 

Mockingbird and house finch

White-crowned sparrow

Snow geese

Sandhill cranes

Birds in the Snow (from the back door)

 

After yesterday's Chiricahua adventure that included hours of cold, wet feet, and this morning's hour-long walk in snow and cold wind, I had no desire to bundle up to try for good photographs of birds at the feeders, but it was interesting to see that gusting snow did not keep a gang of hungry house finches from collecting. I ventured no farther than the back door, standing there in my slippers, the door open just long enough for a click!

Later, as the wind was abating, the snowstorm winding down, I opened the back door again and aimed at the feeders. Wasn't this cardinal the clever fellow, though? Posing against the white background!

Frequent Visitors

 

The northern cardinal, a bird that presents itself strikingly against northern snow,

makes a welcome splash of color in the Southwest against a grey and brown backdrop.

The curve-billed thrasher, dull in color,

is equally welcome (despite his grumpy look),

because he sings almost as beautifully 

as the mockingbird.

Cranes Again

 Today I photographed the sandhill cranes at the same place, Twin Lakes outside Willcox, Arizona, but with the snow-capped peaks of the Chiricahua Mountains (instead of buttes and Dos Cabezas Mountains) in the background.

Cranes at rest

Cranes in flight

Cranes against the sun

Uncommonly Beautiful, Even in Death

 

The barn owl, most widely distributed owl I North America, is not a rare bird, but how often does one have a chance to inspect it up close? "Stop! Stop! Back up!" There it was, on the side of the road. Why? What had ended this owl's life? It was lying at the base of a utility pole, and I wondered if it might have been somehow electrocuted. Whatever killed it, I was sorry the owl was dead but glad I had spotted it along the road and had a chance to inspect and appreciate its beauty.

The Cranes Are Coming, the Cranes Are Coming!

 

You hear them before you see them -- that purling, purring, somewhat cackling, creaking cry as they circle high in the sky. At first they are higher than the unaided eye can see, and then gradually they come in lower and lower, and the congregation assembles for midday or evening rest.

I really miss the old telephoto lens I had with my previous camera. With what little zoom power I have and some judicious cropping, I can get closer, but never close enough. The cranes attitudes in flight are so striking!

Of course, it's when they are massed on the ground and in the shallow water that their numbers are so impressive, as they are this year at Twin Lakes outside of Willcox, Arizona.

I'd need to do a video and sweep across the whole crowd to show them all adequately, but my favorite shots are those with the twin peaks of the Dos Cabezas Mountains in the background.

Too Soon They Leave, Too Fast They Fly

Why are these leaves in Omena changing color so soon? Will they fall before fall arrives or hang on through the winter?

Canada geese and sandhill cranes have not left yet but seem to be thinking about it, gathering their energy for the long journey south.

While Looking For Something Else

I ran across this photograph of a cardinal, taken in Dos Cabezas, Arizona, on a day when the sun had not yet dispersed all the morning fog.

Roadrunner Hood Ornament?

...

On the hood but not quite in position....

Distracted by dead bugs under windshield wipers....

The pose is right, now just move forward.

Perfect pose, but that's not the hood!

Curved-bill thrasher had it just right but flew off before caught by camera.

Soaring

Gradually But Quickly, Morning Builds

I often begin my outdoor day by sitting in the car, watching light change on the mountains while visiting by phone with my son. Whether or not the sun is "up" yet depends on where you are in the mountains and which way you're looking. -- Ah, there it is! In the east but much farther to the north than it was months ago.

And now come the birds, and day is truly underway.