This post is  a Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year post all wrapped up into one!  In celebration of the holidays, I will look at Western Bluebirds, and delve into how the various species of blue birds throughout our world have come to be associated with the spirit of peace, hope, and happiness over thousands of years. But first, a callout to the park where I shot most of these photos in recent days.

Agua Caliente Park is a Pima County park on the far east side of Tucson in the Tanque Verde Valley. For more on the park and prior posts see Mt Lemmon AZ Images Search: Agua Caliente. 

The park has recently benefited from a series of restorations: First the ponds, then areas of fire damage from a lightening strike in 2022. Below on the left, a view of the new bridge to a small island on the restored Pond 1, nearest the ranch house and parking lot.  Below to the right, Pond 1 looking southwest from the island. A great place for egrets and herons, with occasional Harris's Hawks flying through looking for lunch! 

Below are images of Pond 2, a short walk west from Pond 1. The photograph on the left is a view toward the Catalina Mountains, and to the right a view looking west. Pond 2 has a lot of Mesquite Trees around it that fortunately (for the birds) are parasitized by Mistletoe, a great source of berries in the winter. It is here that I recently found dozens of Western Bluebirds feeding on berries. 

The Western Bluebird above and below is likely an immature male, with blue on the throat and head mixed with some paler feathers. In December we may see a lot of immature birds, less than  a year old, with indeterminate plumage, as well as typical males and females.

The bird below is likely a juvenile female with some blue on the head but a gray throat. 

Below, a more typical mature female with a gray head. 

In the flight sequence that follows we can see the gray head and undersurface of the wings. The gray will look slightly blue in some light.

In the images above and below, there is some some hint of blue on the dorsal wing feathers, with a flash of blue on the tail.

During my limited time observing WEBL's at Agua Caliente over 3 days, I noticed that they would take flight to move to new sections of a tree, rather than the progressive hopping common among warblers.  The bird in this sequence has relocated to a higher part of this mesquite. 

For reference, below are a male and a female Western Bluebird photographed in central Tucson on December 6, 2022. This side to side comparison clearly shows the differences in coloration of the mature male vs. the female. 

In bright light, a male WEBL is a startling blue!  Below, a male on Mt. Lemmon staking out his claim, April 28, 2024. April is the peak of their breeding season and he may have a nest nearby. 

Birds do not have blue pigment in their feathers. Instead, structural properties of the feathers make them blue. The Western Bluebird's blue feathers have a spongy matrix of microscopic air pockets. These pockets or channels are at a fixed standard distance to each other so that light waves reflected off of the pockets will reinforce for the blue spectrum, and cancel out other wavelengths. The feather will look blue from any angle of reflected light, but if held up to transmitted light it will look gray.  (Ref: David Allen Sibley, What It's Like to be a Bird, Knopf, N.Y., 2020, p.133)

The image below is of a mature female at Rose Canyon Lake,  May 14, 2020.  She likely has a nest near by. 

Below, a female Western Bluebird close to Loma Linda Extension Road in Summerhaven, June 19, 2022. She may be wet from a morning bath in the creek! 

Below, on the same day and location, a female feeding her hatchlings. We can see blue on her flight and tail feathers.

The photograph below is a juvenile with spotting on the back and streaking on the breast, captured on Incinerator Ridge, on Mt Lemmon, July 10, 2016.  In Arizona nest building is in April, fledging is in late May to mid-June. This is likely a recent fledgling. (Ref: Birds of the World). 

In the summer Western Bluebirds eat mostly insects, but in the winter switch to fruit and seeds. One of their winter staples are the berries of mistletoe, an evergreen shrub that grows in clumps and balls on trees which the mistletoe parasitize for water and nutrients. Because mistletoe is considered a pest, many homeowners will remove the plant from trees, decreasing food availability for birds, including Western Bluebirds and Phainopepla. However, at Agua Caliente the mistletoe persists and makes a great December buffet!  

Above, two Western Bluebirds literally "hang-out" on mistletoe at eye-level adjacent to one of the paved paths next to Pond 2. The bird on the right is clearly a mature male, the one on the left probably a juvenile male or female. 

In the images above and below, a male Western Bluebird grabs a mistletoe berry and scarfs it down! 

In the series below a Western Bluebird puts on a show while grabbing a berry.  In the last two frames the variation in color on the flight feathers may be due to the difference between reflected and transmitted light. Where the feathers overlap there is less transmission and more reflection, creating a deeper blue. 

Blue birds have been associated with hope and happiness in myth and folklore dating back to the Shang dynasty, 1766-1122 BC, in pre-modern China (Ref: Wikipedia, Blue Bird of happiness). In Native American Folklore, the blue bird is considered a spirit in animal form, associated with the rising sun. In Russian fairy tales the blue bird is a symbol of hope.  The "blue bird of happiness" features in Lorraine (a region of NE France) folklore, inspiring stories, plays,  novels, and at least seven films between 1910 and 2002.

The list of references to bluebirds in modern popular culture includes the Wizard of Oz ("Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly"),  the Beatles Yellow Submarine (the chief blue meanie claims his "cousin is the bluebird of happiness"),  the Allman Brother Band's song Blue Sky, ("Don't fly, mister blue bird, I'm just walking down the road"), and in a cartoon from Gary Larson, (the [absent] bluebird of happiness is mentioned as counterpart of the "chicken of depression.")  For much, much more, see Wikipedia, Bluebird of happiness. 

So, may the Western Bluebird, and in fact all blue birds, be your companions in 2025, bringing you peace and well being throughout the year! 

Special thanks to Jeff Babson for his help in identifying the sexes of this mix of winter birds!  Greatly appreciated! 

That's all for now!
​Stay safe and stay well.

​More soon! 

Last month was the 9th anniversary of this blog. OMG!  I wrote the first post on November 8, 2015, just a few lines to test the posting process. The first real post was on November 10th on White Water Draw (WWD). On that trip I was fortunate to see a Northern Harrier cruising for critters over the fields right in front of me, photograph above. I got a good view of the harrier's bill, eye markings, and facial disk, an anatomic feature similar to the owl's, which focuses  remote sounds into the bird's ears. 

I have been back to WWD numerous times since, my last visit was on a trek with Club Camera Tucson* on November 21st. Below and to the right is a map of WWD from Adobe Lightroom showing the spots where I shot most of the images (orange and yellow squares). 

*For the photo/camera geeks: this is a great club, nice people, fun stuff to share and do. Check out the website. 

The photograph at the top left and the one below it were shot from the "32 Orange Square" on the map, looking to the west. North is at the top of the map. As of November 21st there was no water in any of the areas inside the built walkway boundry. In past years these ponds have been full, providing habitat for water birds and a better environment for songbirds in the area. There is water to the north of walkway, "594 Orange Square," photograph lower right. The Sandhill Cranes are roosting in this northern pond to the far east, and far west. Flycatchers were working their routes over the water. There were a few ducks.

The big show on the 21st was a female Northern Harrier cruising over the fields to the north and east, then zooming right in front of the viewing deck on the north side, to cruise some more to the north and west, then work her way south and back east. The sun was in the east and south early on, then worked its way west, but stayed to the south, creating better photographic opportunities during her flight on the northern side of the trail. 

In the image above she is flying to the east of the eastern trail, facing the sun, and looking for prey in the fields below. Here facial disk is evident.

She cruised over the eastern fields for about  20-30 minutes, then decided to fly west, making a close pass in front of the observation deck where I was standing. I was shooting at 700mm and literally had less than 2 seconds to try to track her as she came in very close flying right to left.

​The frame above is one of the better ones, showing her hooked bill, white markings above and below the eye, and a hint of the facial disk characteristic of the Northern Harriers. If  you look closely at the edge of her mouth I think you will see a small white feather, likely a remnant of her last meal. 

Northern Harriers are in the family Accipitridae: hawks, eagles and kites. Harriers are most similar to Rough-legged Hawks, Cooper's Hawks and American Goshawks but are unique in their family for the predilection to hover low over their prey.  ​

In the image above she is cruising over the fields to the west with the mountains in the background. The sun is to the left of the frame, lighting up her face.  

Below, she has come around flying toward me. She has two white eyebrows clearly visible as she looks down at 90 degrees looking and listening for ground mammals, as well as other birds including meadowlarks, Northern Cardinals and sparrows, all part of her winter diet.

Below, it looks like she has spotted or heard something (someone?) and begins a hover. 

Harriers don't soar and dive, nor do they take prey on the wing, rather they hover over the fields looking and listening. Above, the image shows her feather pattern and white rump. Below, she is hovering, looking straight down.

Above and below, she has heard/spotted something, and stays focused. 

She bends her neck way down, and slowly descends, maintaining the hover. One can see the horizon getting lower from frame to frame. 

Lower, lower . . . . 
​
In the image below one can see her alula clearly on the left wing. The alula, also known as the "bastard thumb," is a small group of feathers that grow from the bird's equivalent of our thumb, at the junction of the fused hand bones and the ulna/radius. It can be deployed like slats on an airplane, to break up the airflow and improve lift at slow speeds. It is common to see the alula deployed as large birds land. 

Her tail is fanned and she is working her large wings to maintain the hover as she gets lower . . .

And finally lands in the grass! 

No post on White Water Draw would be complete without at least one picture of Sandhill Cranes!  Yes, the cranes are back at WWD, foraging out in the fields each morning, coming back around noon, making a noisy ruckus and landing. Above from November 21st, likely a family of four coming in for a landing. My guess is that mom and dad are leading, with two juveniles from this past summer's breeding right behind them. Sandhill Cranes mate for life, and families stay together for some time, migrating, feeding and roosting together. 

That's all for now!  More soon.
Happy trails!

The preserve, adjacent to the Santa Cruz River, was originally farmland as well as a source of gravel for the nearby I-10 construction. The area is now beautifully maintained by the town of Marana as a wildlife area, with the help of an agricultural water allocation. ​

Many thanks to the town of Marana and their dedicated staff, shown above, tending this beautiful wetland sanctuary.  

Verdins sport a rusty red shoulder patch, often difficult to see, but just evident in the Verdin below, foraging for insects on a mesquite branch at the preserve. He/she (the sexes look alike) drops off one branch to likely land on another one below. Birds will forage efficiently, using gravity when at all possible! 

As our subject falls, he puts out his wings heading toward the next meal. Just when he gets his wings open for a great shot, he has the audacity to fly off of the frame! Imagine! 

The male seen here was perched above the pond for some time, often accomanied by other kestrels, perhaps fledglings from this past summer breeding. 

The kestrel below is likely a female or immature,  perched not far from the male. 

The Kingfisher pauses her search of the pond to look almost straight up, rotating her head, searching for something. 

Kingfishers will eat insects and young birds in addition to fish, so the question is whether our hunter is looking for other offerings, or being a prudent bird is looking for predators!  Remember, birds are born to do four things: Eat, Don't get eaten, Breed, and Molt!  This area is territory for American Kestrels, and although the Kingfisher is a bit big for a kestrel, is is wise to be vigilant. 

Having found nothing to be excited about, she returns to scanning the pond, and finds something worth diving for! 

This series was shot with a Canon R5 Mark II in pre-capture mode.  Rather than dropping off of the branch, our subject spent some time stretching her wings and warming up. I got a lot of wing flapping shots which could have occupied most of this post, however, I have edited with vigor, keeping these images that show the extent of her wings and tail and the feathers/wing markings that could otherwise only be observed in a museum specimen.

Looks like an Olympic swan dive, except she can fly, and of course, she is a Kingfisher, not a Swan!

When kingfishers hit the water they pull back their wings to maximize their speed in the water and the dive depth.  The water surface was well below my line of sight.

Having spotted a bug, our subject gets into a crouch. Looks like he is waiting for the starting gun . . . .

Bang! He is off.  He drops down a bit to gain speed.

In the air and off for his target. We can see his wing markings and how he holds his tail in this series. 

Flycatchers often run a "route" from perch to perch when they find a good spot for insects. For viewing or photographing them, be patient and wait, and the flycatcher may come back to the same perch again. In this case, the "Fragile Ecosystem" sign was part of his route, and I photographed him launching from the site repeatedly. I suspect the angle of the sun in relation to the perch made bugs more visible. 

Their large wings allow for a controlled stall and a gentle landing. 

Above and below a Spotted Sandpiper in non-breeding (winter) plumage hopping from branch to branch at El Rio Preserve on September 26, 2024.

In spring the female Spotted Sandpiper is the first on the breeding grounds, staking out and defending her territory ahead of the arrival of the males. One female may mate with up to four males, and lay multiple clutches in multiple nests, all incubated and tended by the male, including raising the nestlings. 

​Rock Wrens nest in cavities or crevices in rocks, often on a rock floor. They will build a pavement or walkway of small, flat stones or pebbles that leads to the nest cavity. They eat mostly ground dwelling insects. Their desert survival is aided by not drinking water, but instead getting all the water they need from their food. (Ref: All About Birds). ​

That's all for now.
Happy Thanksgiving!  

Happy trails!

Every fall Mt Lemmon's full time residents get ready for winter. For you and me this means filling the propane tank, splitting wood for the fire, and stocking up on canned goods. Although avian residents don't need to worry about a propane delivery, they do need to stock up on food. For the Acorn Woodpecker this means putting away acorns in safe spots where they can be easily accessed during cold months, while also eating as much as possible. 

Fall comes every year and this blog is now 9 years old.  9 falls. 9 falls which are really very, very similar from an avian perspective. So this post is really a review, a fall revival if you will, with some new images, and hopefully a new perspective, but with links to three prior fall posts, which should provide more depth and a slightly different perspective. 

Birds in the fall have breeding and molting behind them, and now need to work on finding food. Predators are always a risk, but in the scramble to gather calories, the other threat, competitors, looms large. Enter the Steller's Jay . . . . .

But first, Acorn Woodpeckers.

In the images above and below, we see a granary tree, a dead tree that the Acorn Woodpeckers use for storing acorns. The birds excavate holes just the right size for acorns spaced out very systematically in the tree. Once placed, the acorns dry out over time, shrinking and loosening in their holes. So, Acorn Woodpeckers not only gather and store the nuts, but must periodically check their stock, moving acorns from one hole to another to make sure they don't fall out or become easy pickings for squirrels. The woodpecker here seems to be working the stock to keep it secure. This tree is just west of Middle Sabino Road in Summerhaven.

Fast forward five years to 2024, and below we see an Acorn Woodpecker gathering up another favorite, peanuts in the shell, this time provided by the author/photographer. Note that all the peanuts are processed for birds and obtained at Wild Birds Unlimited in Tucson.

The woodpecker below has grabbed a peanut, and is ready to take off.

For the photo geeks: All the images from 2024 were shot with a Canon R5 Mark II with the electronic shutter at ~30 frames/second, in the Pre-capture mode.  This feature constantly records 1/2 second of images prior to the shutter being fully depressed. For birds, 1/2 second is just about right, allowing for the photographer's reaction time. The full sequence of shots shown here was 22 images over 1 second or less. I edited them down to these three. 

Below, peanut in his bill, we see a flash of white on the flight feathers and the white rump and black tail. Without the pre-capture mode it is almost impossible to photograph these birds in flight. They are very fast, and move quickly without much warning.

Below, our male pumps his wings to get some lift, depressing the tail. Birds fly as efficiently as possible, and when taking off, if possible they drop off their perch to use gravity to gain speed and lift. 

We know this is a male because the bright white forehead meets the red cap in a straight line. The female has a black band between the forehead and the cap.

Acorn Woodpeckers often gather food in teams, one of their many community projects. When I first put the peanuts out, it did not take long for a female to find the goodies. However, she did not dive in and grab a peanut, rather she sat on a high pine tree branch and called, "wacka-wacka-wacka" to her mates and waited until another two to three arrived. The team then began to set up a conveyor line, grabbing the peanuts one at a time and either flying off into the distance, or back to the branch to peck it open. 

Below, a female has a peanut on one of her favorite perches above the feeder, and gets ready for work! 

Above, she pulls her head back, feet firmly attached to the branch and braced with her strong tail, and below, drives her bill into the peanut shell. 

Above and below, the action is repeated, this time putting shell fragments into the air. 

And below, coming up with a peanut. 

Although collecting and storing food is a key activity in October, it takes energy, and eating enough is essential. So raiding the harvest is acceptable. Birds need to be at top weight and strength going into the winter. 

Fast forward to October  2024, six years later, and SURPRISE!  Jays still like peanuts! 

Although Steller's Jays are aggressive predators, they will not confront an Acorn Woodpecker. When facing off "mano-a-mano" the Acorn dominates and the Steller's retreats to the sidelines. 

So during the peanut buffet on October 11th, while the Acorns converted our mountain backyard to a cafeteria line, one Steller's Jay sat off to the side, waiting for his chance. Although Steller's Jays will forage slowly and methodically, in this case our jay decided to take the "plunge and grab" approach, sitting on the feeder pole until the time was right, and then diving for the peanut. He did this repeatedly.

Above our jay is perched, below he dives for the goodies. 

For the photo geeks: This series was captured with a Canon R5 Mark II, electronic shutter on Pre-capture mode. The whole sequence took 2 seconds or less. 

This dive allows us to see the pattern and coloration of the wings and tail. 

A quick grab in the frame above and a rapid spring back into the air,  below.

Our jay repeated this sequence and each time disappeared into the distance with a peanut. He wanted the peanuts, but did not want to mess with the Acorn Woodpeckers. 

Acorns can be very aggressive with potential predators. In April of 2021 we were in Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains getting photos of birds at the Sunny Flat Campground (The Chiricahua Mountains and Cave Creek Canyon April 2021: Part III, Sunny Flat). We captured a Cooper's Hawk on the prowl in the low understory when suddenly two to five Acorn Woodpeckers mobbed the Cooper's and drove him north out of the canyon. They pursued him for some distance. Unfortunately I was not able to get photos of the pursuit. 

That's all for now ! More coming soon.

​Happy Trails! 

Heat, humidity, and rain, a great time to go birding in Arizona? Well, yes it is!

During our summer rainy season, the monsoon, local birds are breeding as are residents of Mexico and Central America who just barely make it north over the border to nest in the U.S. becoming RARE BIRDS.  So, Southwest Wings runs a festival in late July and early August, followed by  Tucson Audubon a week later.

From July 31st to August 2nd we ventured out with SW Wings and Richard Fray for a three day, two night trek to find some of our summer visitors amid a bit of rain and some muddy roads!  We had a great time with great people.

Of all the species we saw, here are the highlights. Let's start with one of the stars of the show, the Five-striped Sparrow. 

To keep you oriented, below is a map of our tour generated by Adobe's Lightroom  with my annotations showing the location of all of the images in this post.

The images here were captured in California Gulch at 6 pm on July 31st, in the rain. California Gulch is just south of Ruby, Arizona, and very close to the border. There are two roads in and out, one very muddy this day, and one very rocky. The muddy route was okay coming in, but not going out! Fortunately the rocky route was a welcome alternate at 9 pm, providing us a welcome path back to comfy beds at Rancho Santa Cruz.

This series of images shows the markings of the bird as he slowly turns and begins to sing.  Nest building coincides with the first significant summer rainstorms, with the first eggs of the season from early June to late August (Ref: Birds of the World). 

Males sing during all daylight hours, especially  in the early morning and late evening. This is likely a male, and the calls/singing may be to keep contact with his mate during foraging. He likely has a nest nearby. (Ref: Birds of the World). 

We had a clear day, with this bird perching up close, a bit backlit. 
​And below, calling, "Hey, I am up here, with the birders!"  

In the image below, our subject pulls his tail forward showing the length and markings. 

Back in California gulch, about 20 minutes  before we found the Five-striped Sparrow, we encountered this Blue Grosbeak. I was fortunate to be sitting in the front seat of the van, and as Richard paused, I was able to get these shots out the rolled-down right front window. 

Like the Five-striped Sparrow, the Blue Grosbeak breeds with the monsoon rains. Only males sing, and this male is likely defending his territory.  (Ref: Birds of the World).  

Above, a becard nest just south of Harshaw Road. Below, the same nest with mama sitting on top. The entrance to the nest is likely on one side and toward the bottom.

Females are gray to brown with a black, gray , or rusty brown crown. Males sport a bright pink throat. They eat insects, and occasionally fruit if  available. 

Below, mama takes a break from her nest duties to preen in the sun, including an occasional scratch.

Above, a Violet-crowned Hummingbird comes in for a landing at a feeder at the Paton Center, and below, appears to be fending off competitors. We get a good view of the details on the crown.

Below a low light shot of a Violet-crowned on August 3, 2023 during a daylong  SWW tour on hummingbirds led by Kristy Gallo. We see good detail of the wings and underparts. For more on that tour see my post: Southwest Wings: The Hummers of Summer!

The color of the feathers, especially the gorget, varies by the feather's angle to the sun. The feather's internal nanostructural geometry generates refraction and interference that separates and reinforces only a subset of the wavelengths of light. (Ref: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd Edition, page 141). This effect can be seen in feathers of many species, but is especially prominent in hummingbirds.  The Broad-bill's gorget can go from bright blue to black with a turn of the head.  In this series of photographs we can see color variation as the bird turns his head and neck.

There were many Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at the feeders this day, so it is impossible to tell if the bird shown above is the same as the bird shown below. In any case, the bird shown below is definitely molting, the process of replacing all the feathers on the body that in most species occurs once a year after breeding.

Some species can lay back and "chill" while molting, a process that requires a lot of energy.  For example, Canada Geese are vegetarians eating a wide variety of grasses, as well as some seeds and fruits in the fall. They can eat and molt without doing much else. However, other birds, including the hummingbird, need to fly to eat, and the molting process literally occurs "on the wing" in a sequential fashion that allows flight to continue. A bit like changing tires on an 18-wheeler without pulling over to the side of the road! 

Below we see that one of the flight feathers on the left wing, likely a secondary, has been lost with a new feather coming in.  The variation in color of the contour feathers that cover the body may be a consequence of molting, or the bird's angle to the sun, or a combination of both.

​For more on molting see these posts: Cardinals Molting in August: a Pre-Halloween Tragicomedy  and Birds are Born to Do 4 things; Eat, Don't Get Eaten, Make More Birds, and MOLT!

On the last day of our tour, as we were making our way back to Sierra Vista, we stopped at Empire Ranch, part of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, managed by the BLM. This conservation area covers more than 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands north and east of Sonita. Part of the area includes a Prairie Dog Colony, intended to preserve a population of these frisky and entertaining herbivorous ground squirrels in their native habitat. I was able to get my long lens over the fence and catch some of their activities. 
​
Prairie Dogs build extensive underground colonies housing multiple family groups. They are considered a keystone species, with their mounds often being used by other species. In addition, mound building encourages grass development and renewal of topsoil. Their underground tunnels bring rain to the undersoil, reducing runoff.  For more on this important species, and the value it brings to the prairie, see this entry in Wikipedia: Prairie Dog.

Prairie Dogs have a complex system of communication capable of alerting the colony not only to the presence of predators, but to the type of predator, the size, and approach. (Ref: Wikipedia: Prairie Dog).  Here we see a series of images showing calling behavior, perhaps an alert that a photographer is near! 

In the series below, a Prairie Dog moves from one tunnel to another, diving for cover. Possibly the response to the pesky photographer nearby? 

Whew!  Made it!

Before I go, let's have a round of applause for our intrepid guide Richard Fray, pictured below as we unloaded the van in Sierra Vista!  And, thanks to all my fellow travelers from near and far on this three day trek.  Great trip! 

That's all for now!  
Stay tuned.

​Happy Trails!

In Part I of this series, I looked at two warblers who winter in Mexico, and nest on Mt Lemmon, the Painted Redstart and the Red-faced Warbler. As of early September they are still around, but will be heading south soon as the days get shorter and the food (insects) move south. 

As our summer residents leave, we are greeted by warblers who breed to the north but may stop over in the village for food and water on their way south for the winter. 

Let's start with three species who summer in the same northern regions and often migrate together, the Black-throated Gray Warbler, the Hermit Warbler, and the Townsend's Warbler. 

Black-throated Gray Warblers eat insects from the understory, moving with deliberate hops from branch to branch. They are good subjects for photography, being less frenetic than the Painted Redstart or Red-faced Warbler.

Above, and in the images that follow, a Black-throated Gray finds an insect under the leaf at eye level and plucks it off. 

Although the Hermit Warbler likes the canopy of the highest trees in summer in the Pacific Northwest and in the winter in Mexico*, on migration they join other warblers in mixed flocks, feeding in riparian oak woodlands like Summerhaven. 

*Cornell's All About Birds attributes the bird's name, Hermit, to their preference for the high canopy summer and winter, although they are gregarious and in full evidence to us on migration.

As this series of photographs shows how the Hermit Warbler hops from branch to  branch in search of insects. 

Like most warblers, Townsend's feed on insects and insect larvae, gleaned from conifer needles. They will occasionally hawk, catching flying insects in midair.  On migration they will feed on nectar from flowers. At backyard feeders they will take mealworms, peanut butter and suet. 

The image above was captured on August 25, 2024, in Summerhaven near Sabino Creek. The image below was captured a year ago, October 29, 2023, toward the end of the fall in Summerhaven.

Above and below, a Townsend's Warbler searching for food in the understory, September 20, 2020.

Below, catching a ray of sunshine during breakfast, October 2, 2020. 

Grace's Warblers have gray backs, a white breast with a yellow throat and eyebrow.  Males and females are similar, with the female being less boldly patterned. 

The population of Grace's Warbler is falling most likely due to loss of their habitat - mature forests. For more on the challanges habitat specialists face, see Northwest Ohio, Spring Migration 2022, Part 1, Warblers.

Occasionally one can spot a chesnut crown, not visible in these images. The female is paler than the male.  They eat insects including spruce budworm on their northern territory as well as other arthropods in all seasons. They nest on or near the ground hidden among bushes or the base of trees. 

Mountain Chickadees are small birds with a definite "cute factor."  Their head is large in relation to the body, with a small bill, a narrow tail and round belly.  They are gray overall with white cheeks, a black cap and throat, offset by a white eyebrow. 

Above and below, a Mountain Chickadee grabbing an insect from under a leaf near Sabino Creek in Summerhaven, August 25, 2024.

As of Saturday September 14th there continues to be a lot of  birds, including the Nashville Warbler, along Sabino Creek across from the Cookie Cabin. 

That's all for now. More coming soon.
​Happy trails! 

During the course of any summer, two warblers are regular ground nesters on Mt. Lemmon, with a preference for the riparian woodlands of Summerhaven and Marshall Gulch. In this post I will take a close look at the Painted Redstart and the Red-faced Warbler, both popular summer residents who are getting ready for their fall migration.

​

On August 4th on Mt. Bigelow, I caught the Painted Redstart below hopping from branch to branch looking for insects. This bird was moving very fast! 

Painted Redstarts "startle" their prey by rapidly spreading the tail, showing a flash of white and black, flicking it  up, as well as spreading the wings, as they hop from branch to branch. I was able to capture the rapid tail and wing flick in the image below. 

Our hungry hunter jumps to the next branch searching for lunch. 

Above and below, pausing long enough to pose while looking for food before charging forward again! 

In the sequence that follows, two Painted Redstarts have a lively debate over who owns a particular branch.   

The Cornell Lab's Birds of the World reports that juvenile Painted Redstarts have black and white wings with gray breasts. However, my guess is that the two birds below are juveniles with red feathers just beginning to come into the breasts. 

Above, a single bird is perched on a branch, taking a break between forays for insects. Below, another Painted Redstart joins him/her. My guess is that these were nest mates last spring now learning the ropes and gaining weight, getting ready for the migration south. 

Above, the bird on the left vocalizes. It looks like a loud squawk!  At my distance, I could not hear anything specific. 

The bird on the right repeats the call. Maybe a dispute over who the branch belongs to. 

After a pause in the action for a few seconds, the bird on the left decides he has had enough, and makes a move for his neighbor, who takes off for another branch, and more food. 

Painted Redstarts glean insects from leaves, needles, twigs and the surface of tree bark,  but also from hawking - catching insects on the wing. The next sequence shows how this is done!  

For the photo geeks: The sequence below was shot with a newly released Canon R5 Mark II set in Pre-Capture mode. With this setting the camera shifted to electronic shutter at ~30 frames/second and recorded each frame to a 1/2 second continuously rotating buffer as long as I kept the shutter partially depressed. Once the action started, I pressed the shutter down completely and the ~15 frames shot over the previous 1/2 second were recorded to the memory card as shooting continued at ~30 frames per second as long as I kept the shutter depressed. This allowed me to wait until the bird took off to press the shutter, knowing that I would get the gap in the action created by my response time. I recorded multiple flight sequences with the lens zoomed back a bit to allow "room" for the bird in flight, and got lucky with the sequence below. The whole sequence took place within one second and the bird stayed in the frame. The camera's autofocus did a good job of sticking to the bird. 

A Painted Redstart was hawking for insects in the backyard in Summerhaven, often perching on a tree stump, looking for prey, then launching himself upward. Above, he has spotted a bug, a bright white dot in the upper right corner of the frame, and lifted his left foot. 

Below, he is into the air, the bug now looks like a smudge in the upper right. 

The insect has again caught the light, and our Painted Restart is on the wing. 

Above, the insect is straight above our hunter, as he alters his flight to make the interception.  

Below, he gets closer.

For the photo geeks: In the frame below we can see that the camera's autofocus is following the bird, with the head and eye in focus, but the stump in the background where the bird started now out of focus. 

Above and below, the insect is pretty sharp, and our predator is closing in.

Above and below, the mouth is open, and lunch is within reach!  Note the somewhat mottled breast, which could be new feathers on a juvenile, or an adult molting. 

For the photo geeks: On electronic shutter at 1/2000 second, there is no appreciable rolling shutter. 

Above and below, GULP!  Down it goes. 

Painted Redstarts eat primarily insects, and as the insect counts on Mt Lemmon begin to fall in September, the redstarts will start to migrate south to Mexico, following the food. 
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Chances are these birds will return in the spring to nest. 

Above, a male is gathering grasses for a nest in May near the road in Marshall Gulch. By August nesting is over, and both adults and offspring are looking for food to support their ongoing molting activities and to get ready for migration, following the food. 

Below, two images of a Red-faced Warbler foraging for insects in the low understory across from the Cookie Cabin on August 25, 2024.  

Just like the Painted Redstarts, the Red-faced Warblers will soon be heading south to Mexico, following the food! 

That is all for now!  Part 2 is coming soon, more warblers on the mountain, this time in transit, stopping off for a bite on their way down south.

​Happy Trails!

Yes, this is a post is about molting! 

​Much of what we observe in the life of birds are their most important everyday duties, such as getting lunch before being lunch, and breeding. However, an essential aspect of every bird's life is molting, replacing all the feathers on the body, which generally  occurs on an annual basis, taking time and energy. 

Molting generally occurs after breeding and before migration, so now, July and August, is the molting season. In August of 2022 I got images of Northern Cardinals and Pyrhuloxia in the middle of their annual molt in the Chiricahua Mountains near Cave Creek Canyon. However, I have never noticed molting in hummingbirds until this past weekend. 

Anna's Hummingbirds have 16 flight feathers on each wing, 10 full length primary feathers, which occupy the most distal or end of the wing, and 6 shorter secondary feathers that are shorter and closest to the body.  See the diagram below that shows the anatomy of the right wing of typical bird.  For each species the primary and secondary flight feathers are numbered from 1 upward beginning where the primaries and secondaries meet. The number of flight feathers will vary by species.​

On July 20th I captured a large number of images of hummers in flight by our deck feeders in Summerhaven. As I was going through the deck of photos, tagging "duds" for the trash-basket, I noticed the image above of a female Anna's. The left wing was definitely different. 

This bird is molting. We can see the wing feathers are being replaced from the junction of the primary and secondary flight feathers going out in both directions, the newest feathers in this photo being the shortest and darkest, which are probably primary flight feathers. I suspect that Primary 1 (P1) is complete and the smallest and darkest feathers are P2, P3, and P4, P4 being the smallest. The secondaries may have been replaced already. 

We can see molting occurring  on the wings, but it is also underway on the body itself, although these changes are more subtle. The pattern of body molting is complex, and varies by species.

The science of molting, including classifications and descriptions, is very complicated. For those with interest, I would recommend a subscription to the Cornell Lab Birds of the World, where you will find detail on each species, depending on the amount of research that has been done for that species. Another great reference is the Handbook of Bird Biology (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) 3rd Edition.  Warning: this "handbook" is 716 pages and takes two hands to lift . . . . . 

The next shot, above, shows the symmetrical nature of the molt, with both wings looking the same.

Hummers must fly to eat, so even with the feather loss and replacement, this bird maintains its flight function. Molting is energy intensive and must occur when the bird does not have to consume energy breeding or migrating, and when there is adequate food available. The energy required for molting may explain why hummers spend so much time at nectar feeders this time of year, supplementing what is available from the local flowers and insects. ​

Above, more views of the Anna's coming in to the feeder. 

Below, a landing! We can see the flight feathers backlit. 

As mentioned earlier, during a molt all the bird's feathers are being replaced. The molting process will make birds look different, perhaps scruffy. For example, below are three images of a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird at our feeders on July 21st. The gorget, the brightly colored area on the throat in the male, looks different. 

A closer look reveals little white "pins" sticking out next to mature contour feathers. These "pins" are most likely the white sheaths that encase the new feather.  The new feather opens up much like a blooming flower, shedding the sheath.
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In the two images below there appears to be new feathers close to the midline with white remnants of the sheaths still present. 

July and August is molting season, so keep your eyes open for birds that "just don't look right."  They might be molting! 

That's all for now! 
More content in the hopper and coming soon!

​Happy trails! 

Birds are born to do four things: Eat, don't get eaten (get lunch before you are lunch!), make more birds (breed), and molt (gotta get a new set of feathers every year to look your best!). 

Every day is a day to find food and eat. Spring is the time when the hormones kick in and birds find a mate and build a nest (not necessarily in that order) and make more birds!

So let's take a look at some of Mt. Lemmon's avian residents in April and May and see how they eat (without being eaten) and breed! 

Mt. Lemmon is in their year round territory, but until April I had only seen single crossbills at some distance on the Meadow Trail. On April 28th, my wife and I were birding with our friends Marty and Jim, and spotted a Red Crossbill on a nearby tree, image above. We then had the privilege and pleasure of watching two Red Crossbills feed on downed cones right in front of us on Middle Sabino Road! Images below. 

The Red Crossbills above and below are males, reddish overall with darker wings. The tips of the bills are curved with crossed mandibles. 

In the image below, a male is feeding on a fallen cone where the scales have already spread. Red Crossbills usually feed on cones in the trees, with scales open or closed. The bills are perfectly suited for extracting seeds from the cones, but don't appear so handy for doing much else!

​Below the male has just removed the seed "feather" (now in his mouth), which, when attached to the seed allows it to ride the breezes and distribute itself away from the parent tree. 

Below, he drops the seed feather which falls toward the ground.

Seed feather out of the way, he digs in with his bill . . . 

and comes up with a seed!

What we call Pine nuts are really seeds, although the nut designation can be helpful for people with nut allergies, since the pine seeds (AKA nuts) can trigger allergic reactions in some individuals. So, thinking of them as nuts has some advantages.​

The crossed bills are great for harvesting cone seeds, but can otherwise be a challenge. Below are images of male and female Red crossbills trying to get a drink of water at Dave Jasper's feeders in Portal, AZ, in May of 2018.

With each "drink" most of the water runs out, but some is retained and swallowed with the head tilted back. 

All birds wake up every morning looking for food. If supplies dwindle in the local area, it is time to move on and find new supplies.

Birds who can eat almost everything, like Common Ravens, have lots of options in times of scarcity, and their range is pretty broad. Dietary specialists like the Red Crossbill have to follow the cone/seed supply.

This change in food source can create what is known as an "irruption", a sudden change in population density due to movement in times of low food availability. These irruptions in turn create very broad range-maps, with birds suddenly coming into a region for as long as the food lasts, then moving on. Irruptions can be a boon to birders, bringing otherwise rare species into their areas from time to time.

We were really fortunate to see Red Crossbills up so close and feeding on downed cones. Look for them this summer on the mountain; they seem to be finding food. 

​Red crossbills nest high in the trees, so getting a peek at a family can be tough, but chances are they are breeding locally right now.

April and May brings Red-faced Warblers back to the Catalinas to breed.  The image below is a male in Summerhaven on May 19th, looking for insects and larvae under leaves in the understory. 

​The male has a bright red face, throat and neck with a black bonnet with a white patch in the back. The female is similar, but more of an orangish color. ​

Above and below, a Red-faced Warbler looking for insects in the understory. They will flick their tail, or a wing (below) in a fashion similar to the Painted Redstart in order to scare insects out of hiding and into their visual field. Because they search low on deciduous leaves, they are easier to spot than birds who prefer the crowns of conifers.

Gathering grasses for the nest involves the Goldilocks Principle, get enough to make the trip worthwhile, but not so much you cannot see or fly! 

Below, he lifts his wings and tail, perhaps a pre-flight check! 

The nest below was adjacent to the road, dug into loose dirt and covered with grasses. There was one spot from across the road to view the nest opening. 

In the next frame we can just spot our male Red-faced Warbler to the right, a spot of red, perched on a branch waiting to be sure his path is clear. 

He launches himself into the air . . . .

And brakes for a landing . . . . 

After some time for nest construction, he peeks out to be sure the coast is clear, and takes off following the same route back out.

As noted earlier All About Birds reports that the female chooses and builds the nest, although the male may build another nest nearby that does not get used. I am pretty sure that this is a male based on the bright red coloration of the head, so this is likely a secondary nest that will not be used.

Although pure conjecture on my part, it is possible that male nest building is a ruse to divert predators away from the real nest. 

So far we have seen a tree nester (Red Crossbill) and a ground nester (Red-faced Warbler), so now let's look at a cavity nester, the Western Bluebird. 

The photograph above is a male Western Bluebird, captured on April 28th, in Summerhaven. The images below were captured on June 19, 2022, off of Loma Linda Extension Road. 

Western Bluebirds are cavity nesters, usually using existing holes in living or dead trees. Where tree holes are scarce, Western Bluebirds like nest boxes, similar to the one shown here provided by one of our industrious neighbors on the mountain. 

Above and below, a female is bringing in a large bug for her brood, June 19, 2022.

After delivery, below, she pauses to look around, always looking for predators. 

June is breeding time on the mountain, so keep your eye on the nest boxes scattered around the community and look for activity.

Next . . . . .

The Plumbeous Vireo has white eye-rings that are connected with a white band above the bill to create "spectacles" which we can see in the photographs above and below. 

Plumbeous Vireos feed on insects, foraging carefully, preferring pine trees rather than the deciduous understory.  

For the photo geeks: Plumbeous Vireos move slowly, and will pause looking for food, but higher up in conifers, maxing out your telephoto and your neck! The Red-faced Warbler on the other hand sticks to the lower understory at eye level, but moves very fast, and in low light. No one said it would be easy . . . .

Plumbeous Vireos nest on Mt Lemmon, as shown in the images below, captured on July 11, 2021 on the Meadow Trail. 

Keep your eyes open for nests on the mountain in the coming months.

Next . . . . 

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have specialized wings that emit an insect-like metallic trill while flying. It can be quite loud and is noticeable around feeders. As the season progresses, the sound becomes muted as the feathers wear, until late winter when the birds molt into new feathers with sound properties restored,  ready for another loud and raucous breeding season!  (Ref: All About Birds).

Finally . . . . 

Let's close with a few shots of a male Wild Turkey near Carter Canyon Road, in courting mode, all puffed up and gobbling like mad. There were several males together on April 28th, all trying very hard to get the attention of a nearby group of females, who seemed totally uninterested. 

Wild Turkeys are native to North America, but in the early 20th century populations were almost eliminated in areas due to hunting. A subspecies, the Gould's Wild Turkey, was introduced into SE Arizona in the early 1980's, initially in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista, then with transplants going to other ranges, including the Catalinas, Rincons and Santa Ritas. Ref: AZPM News.   

Wild Turkeys live on the mountain year round, nesting on the ground in dead leaves or plant material at the bases of trees or in the thick understory.

Fossil records show that turkeys have lived across the southern U.S. and Mexico dating back more than 5 million years! Ref: All About Birds.

That's all for now!  More coming soon . . .
Keep your eyes and ears open, and don't go out without your binoculars!

​Happy Trails! 

In early March my wife and I traveled to Panama to visit the Bocas Del Toro region   on the northwest side of Panama on the Caribbean ocean. This post is the third and last on our trip, and covers some of the more remarkable birds we saw in the tropical forest regions.

Let's start with a pair of Blue Dacnis, foraging for insects near the lodge.

The male, shown in the frames above and below, is a bright turquoise blue with  a black tail  and black markings on the wings with black around the eye and throat.

This male is looking at the underside of the leaves for fruit, seeds, or insects. This tree, which really looked more like a gigantic bush, was relatively open on the inside making photography easier.

Blue Dacnis are non-migratory year round residents, as are most of the species featured in this post. 

Above and below is a female, green overall with a bluish head and paler throat. Blue Dacnis are quite brilliant with an almost neon appearance, even in subdued light.

Blue Dacnis frequently forage in pairs or small groups, and this case a female is joining the male.  

 A lot of fun to watch and photograph!

Jabiru have a massive black bill  that curves slightly upwards at the tip. They have a bare black neck (no feathers) with a large red patch of the base, and entirely white plumage on the body. ​Jabiru are the tallest flying birds found in South and Central America,  and for the continent have the second largest wingspan after the Andean condor. Reference: Wikipedia.

Jabiru feed on a variety of aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, snakes, young caimans and crocodiles, crabs and turtles.  They move their head and bill actively in shallow water splashing water to flush  prey which they then locate by sight or touch, clamping down on them with their large bills. They will eat critters up to several feet in length by throwing their heads back and swallowing them whole!

Jabirus are solitary nesters, building massive platform nests in large trees which they often use year to year. They are often seen in pairs during the off-season suggesting a lifelong pair bond. Reference: Wikipedia.

Like other cuckoos, the Mangrove Cuckoo has four toes on each foot in a zygodactyl configuration, with two toes forward and two behind, unlike many other birds who have three-forward and one-back. Reference: Birds of the World. Recall that the Greater Roadrunner is also a cuckoo, leaving a distinctive "X" footprint, making one wonder if it is coming or going! Note that some birds, such as the Great Horned Owl, can pivot the fourth toe forward or back depending on their needs.

The Mangrove Cuckoo is secretive and quiet, and very difficult to spot. We were fortunate on March 8th when our guides, Roger and Brenda, maneuvered the skiffs close to the mangrove trees and spotted this bird foraging in the trees. 

Mangrove Cuckoos eat insects, spiders, frogs, lizards, eggs and nestlings, as well as fruit, doing most of their foraging in the tree canopy where they quietly look for prey and then hop or fly to the spot to pick it off of the vegetation. Reference: All About Birds.
​

The Cocoa Woodcreeper lives in the lowlands of Central America and northwestern South America. See the eBird map above.  They eat insects and other arthropods taken from tree trunks and occasionally frogs and small lizards. In the images above and below our subject is "creeping" up the tree looking for lunch!  (References: Wikipedia and Birds of the World). 

The males are velvety black with a bright red head and bright yellow thighs (not seen here), a powder yellow chin and wing linings. The female, (not shown here) looks distinctively different, being olive green above with yellow green underparts and a brown Iris, in contrast to the white iris seen here on the male.

Red-capped Manakins are frugivores, feeding almost exclusively on fruit. For more on frugivores, see my first post in this series,  . . .Part 1, Mountains

Photographing a black bird with a bright red head in low light is a challenge! The series shown above and below attempts to show detail in both the head and the body. 

​For the Photo Geeks: This is where a stacked sensor with low noise and high dynamic range would be really helpful.

Prothonotary Warblers eat insects, as well as snails and mollusks. During the non- breeding season they will eat fruit and seeds as well. 

The male is brilliant yellow as shown in the first frame above, the female is similar but a bit paler with a crown and nape washed with green (Ref: All About Birds). Below we may be seeing two males, or perhaps a female to the left. Although their main fare is insects, they are enjoying the bananas put out each day at the lodge. 

* There are only two species of warbler that are cavity nesters, the Prothonotary Warbler and, one of Tucson's favorites,  Lucy's Warbler. 

Below, the careful observer will notice that the gray and yellow bird on the left does not look like a Prothonotary Warbler, rather it is a Bananaquit. The name derives from its yellow color (banana) and the English world quit, referring to a small passerine (songbird) of tropical America.  

Bananaquits were in abundance at the lodge feeders. They feed on primarily on nectar, with some fruit and a few insects. 

Tropical Kingbirds are tyrant flycatchers, catching insects on the fly from a prominent perch. The images here were captured near our hotel in Panama City, close to the Panama Canal. 

Let's close with a family photo of two of the early morning regulars at the lodge as we sipped coffee and ate breakfast. Panamanian White-faced Capuchins are New World monkeys native to the forests of Central America. They eat fruit, invertebrates and small vertebrates. Like other frugivores they are important for the ecology of the forest as dispersers of seeds and pollen. 

Well, that's it for Panama!  
Be back posting on SE Arizona soon. Spring is here and summer is approaching! 

​Happy Trails!