Showing posts with label Canyon Towhee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canyon Towhee. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Birding On a Shoestring: The American Southwest via Southeast Arizona part 2
Gambel's Quail
Magnificent (Rivoli's) Hummingbird
Pink Sided Dark-eyed Junco
Gray headed Dark-eyed Junco
Canyon Towhee
Wilson's Warbler
Acorn Woodpecker
Mexican Jay
Plumbeous Vireo
Cactus
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Western and Clark's Grebes
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Black Phoebe
Male Lazuli Bunting
Cassin's Kingbird
Many of these were taken in Madera Canyon, as well as in Patagonia, both in Santa Cruz
County, southeast AZ. Most of the western and southwestern subspecies are clearly different,
very noticeably this grayer version of House Wren. The eastern subspecies is clearly more colorful,
but it will blend in better in this ecoregion.
Also observe how the Cassin's Kingbird differs from the Western Kingbird. It just has a white stripe
at the bottom of the tail, unlike the western, which has white on both sides of the tail.
Both the Clark's and the Western Grebes are much bigger than the ones that come from Central OK.
This is a lovely view of the breeding plumage for both. They can even interbreed, and the intergrade shows interesting characteristics, such as the black on the head. One side of the head can look like the western species and the other side can dominate with the headdress of the Clark's species.
There are also different towhees and juncos, all of whom are lumped into the sparrow family. Not all of them can be seen in spring, but there are more species in the winter.
Arizona is also the hummingbird capital of the world, but again, they all cannot be observed at the
same time of year OR the same elevation. For example, the Violet-crowned Hummingbird nests in
a very limited part of the southeast, and it is very rare and local in cottonwoods and sycamores.
As you can see, Gambel's Quail is much different than the Northern Bobwhit , and even less well known are the Montezuma and Scaled Quail, both of which are interested in different ecosystems.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed what some of Arizona has to offer in the winter, spring, and summer
even though it is spring now. Stay tuned for part 3.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Birding On a Shoestring: Life on the Oklahoma Panhandle
Wilson's Phalarope
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Ditto
American Avocet
Wilson's Phalarope
Lark Bunting
Western Meadowlark
Lark Bunting
Long-billed Curlew
Loggerhead Shrike
Pronghorn Antelope
Swainson's Hawk
House Finch
Juvenile Say's Phoebe
Cassin's Kingbird
Female Bullock's Oriole
Male Orchard Oriole
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Male Pronghorn Antelope
Say's Phoebe
Female Black-chinned Hummingbird
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird
Lark Sparrow
White Tailed Deer (Doe)
White Tailed Doe and Fawn (Left)
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Ditto
Canyon Towhee
Cassin's Sparrow
Rock Squirrel
Mule Deer
Black-chinned Hummingbird Nest
Burrowing Owls
Burrowing Owl
Friday, 05-12 through Monday, 05-15-17
This was a trip that I had been wishing for a little over a year, and when the opportunity arose,
my heart was filled with joy. Photos were obtained from the entire panhandle of Oklahoma, which encompasses Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron counties. It holds a wide range of important ecological regions in the state, which makes it an unusual area for western and eastern birds to converge.
We observed long and shortgrass prairie regions, pinyon-juniper habitat, sagebrush wild lands, brushy chaparral, mesa tablelands, Rocky Mountain foothills and rock mesa faces. With these diverse and desert lands came a remarkable and wide range of mammals and birds, most of which I had never encountered before.
Unfortunately, I managed a quick look at one small lizard common to eastern Oklahoma and Texas and met a common garter snake. I had hope for a prairie rattlesnake, but that wasn't in the cards for
this trip.
Many birds were seen but not photographed, like the Common and Chihuahuan Ravens and Prairie Falcon. The Lazuli Bunting and Marsh Wren were heard, along with the Common Poorwill and Western Screech Owl.
As you can see, many beautiful mammals were captured and many birds indigenous to the region, but many more were not. Perhaps this will create a need for a future trip, but it took nearly a day to get
here. The journey was well worth it, and it enriched my first trip to this most important birding area.
These are lands that must be protected at any cost, for our grassland birds are in danger. We have seen great decreases in their presence over the years and the fight for their survival is great, including the Lesser Prairie Chicken. We must make saving their habitat a prime endeavor and you can help by donating to the cause and not buying homes here or destroying this habitat in any fashion. Please help me help THEM.
Perhaps you will enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. If you have an interest in this area, which I believe you will after seeing these striking animals, you can help by spending time at Black Mesa State Park and the Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast caters to birders at the Black Mesa Tableland region. Many ranchers raise cattle here and are helping to keep the ecological region alive and well. I tip my hat to these people for this and support their efforts.
Red-headed Woodpecker
Turkey Vulture
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Monday, 05-15-17
The grand finale before the return trip home was in Woodward county, just east of the panhandle.
These were all species found at home, so they were just for the fun of it, and one last hurrah. We tried for the Barred Owl, who was not co-operative, but she had young in the nest hole, so it wasn't her fault. Our timing was poor.
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