110825 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

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040525 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

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120824 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

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081323 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

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110821 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

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Birding On a Shoestring: Upper Rio Grande Valley in Texas

                                                             Female Lesser Goldfinch

                                               Male Lesser Goldfinch, Breeding Plumage

                                                               Grasshopper Sparrow

                                                                       Jack Rabbit

                                                                  Swainson's Hawk

                                                        Juvenile Northern Mockingbird

                                                              Spadefoot Toad


The top two photos were taken at what might be San Felipe Creek, a small riparian area with native plantings.  Living space was across the creek, including non-native plants and an orange tree in one back yard.  All three kingfishers would travel up and down the creek, which also extended to another area that included both Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants, assorted doves, kingbirds, a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and a Spotted Sandpiper.

The Grasshopper Sparrow photos are followed by a Jackrabbit, which was actually a party of three Jackrabbits at one point and a lovely Swainson's Hawk.  It threatened rain that entire day, but we missed the brunt of it, which moved off elsewhere.

The juvenile Northern Mockingbird and Spadefoot toad came from a couple of retired ranches that were saved for their intrinsic natural life and native plant and tree growth.  Fortunately ranchers are responsible for a lot of native plantings that are reintroduced on their property to make the area better for the land, animals being raised there, and the natural life that it supports through the love of wildlife.

Thanks to all the ranchers that made and continue to make all of this possible by refraining from invasive growth.

Birding On a Shoestring: The Wilds of Arizona, Part 4

                                                                  Abert's Towhee

                                                              Male Summer Tanager

                                                           Broad-tailed Hummingbird

                                                                        Lizard

                                                                  Lesser Goldfinch

                                                               Violet-Green Swallow

                                                                  Spotted Towhee

                                                              Common Black Hawk

                                                   Rivoli's( Magnificent) Hummingbird

                                                                  Hermit Thrush

                                                             Anna's Hummingbird

                                                               Rufous Hummingbird

                                                                   Red Skimmer

                                                             Male Masked Bobwhite

                                                Northern Cardinal (Southwest Subspecies)

                                                               Male Western Tanager

                                                                         Iguana

                                                              Female Bighorn Sheep

                                                               Curve-billed Thrasher

                                                             Black-throated Sparrow

                                                                     Brown Creeper

                                                                  Common Raven


04-23 through 04-27-18

Abert's Towhee is common in dense riparian brush and the male Scarlet Tanager is common in mixed and coniferous woods, feeding in the upper level of trees and usually solitary.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is common in dry montane coniferous woods with openings like meadows and thickets of willows, which are common in the area where the photo was taken in Santa Cruz County, the most southern of southeast Arizona.

Lesser Goldfinch are residents and are found in patchy open habitat, like wood edges and riparian thickets.

Violet-Green Swallows are common summer residents, nesting in cliff faces and tree cavities in open areas.

The Spotted Towhee, also a resident, usually stays under cover and enjoys brushy undergrowth within forests and sunny clearings.  It is a denizen of leaf litter, found scratching about for insects and seeds.

Common Black Hawks are rare and local located within mature cottonwood forests near streams.  Hunting from a perch, their favorite food are snakes, frogs, and rodents.

The Magnificent Hummingbird is uncommon in montane pine-oak forests, is somewhat large, and favors flowers and feeders.

Hermit Thrush is a resident and common in the brushy understory of forests, usually in drier and brushier habitat than most other thrushes.  It is seen all over the country in winter.  It is distinguished by a narrow white eyering and has a contrasting reddish tail.

Anna's Hummingbird is one of the most common hummingbirds with the oak-chapparal habitat.

Rufous Hummingbird is common, nesting within open coniferous forest and riparian woods.  These migrants are common in mountain meadows and is a small and compact bird with short wings.

The Masked Northern Bobwhite is very rare and local in the grasslands of southern Arizona.

The Black-th®mated Sparrow is common in arid desert scrub and sparse shrubby vegetation with patches of open ground.

The Curve-billed Thrasher is a resident, common in desert scrub and dense brushy woodlands with open areas. It forages on the ground, tossing leaf litter about to expose insects.

This Common Raven was found in a picnic area protecting small birds from feral cats when located.  Upon arrival and discovery of the cats, they were kept at bay, while the raven looked on from the sky.

This female bighorn sheep was an amiable sort and enjoyed having her photo taken.