 Male Phainopepla greeting the morning sun, Sabino Canyon, February 9, 2024. February in SE Arizona is a bit of two things, late winter, and early spring. So, let's take a look at some of the region's winter offerings, with a hint of what is to come in only a month or two! Black Phoebe on The Hunt . . . . Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 sec., ISO 2500, +0.33 EV In January this blog saw another phoebe, Say's Phoebe, going for bugs in sub-freezing weather at White Water Draw. Here we follow the feeding activity of another flycatcher, the Black Phoebe, at Sweetwater Wetlands on December 29, 2023. Black Phoebes live year round from the California Coast south into Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and all the way south through Mexico, Central America and western South America. They like to be near water, perching low to the ground searching for insects on or near the water. They tolerate human populations, making them easy to spot and fun to watch. Black Phoebes are sooty gray on the upper parts and chest, with a darker head, a white belly and wing feathers edged with light gray, the latter more evident when they are in the flight (Ref: All About Birds). Black Phoebes may show a slight peak at the rear of the crown, seen in both of these photos, captured at Sweetwater Wetlands on January 28, 2024.  Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 sec., ISO 640, +0.33 EV Black Phoebes will perch near water and run a route off of one or more perches, grabbing bugs on each sally. They tend to repeat the route, making it easier to predict their next move. In the sequence below, the phoebe was perched on a large rock at Sweetwater Wetlands on December 29, 2023. As he dove down I hit the shutter with the lens zoomed back enough to keep him in frame for the sequence. (Don't be too impressed, this was one of many attempts, most of which ended with my subject going off frame or out of the focal plane!) In the frame below paler markings can be seen on the fight feathers.  Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 223mm, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec., ISO 1600, +01.33 EV Next frame, below, he is very close to his target and his wing markings are evident. I also think I can spot the small alula, or "bastard thumb" at the wrist, where the primary feathers meet the secondaries. The alula is like slats on an airplane deployed to disrupt airflow and facilitate landing. For more on the alula, see The Meadow Trail, Mt Lemmon, Arizona, Summer 2021 wrap-up.  In the next two frames, my subject pulls up and rolls to the right, looking for his landing spot.   He flares his tail and stalls at the right moment to nail his landing. They never seem to miss!  Back on the rock, he is ready for his next sally. Black Phoebes eat insects and other arthropods: bees, wasps, flies, beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, damselflies, dragonflies, termites, and spiders. They can catch small minnows from just below the water's surface and rarely will eat small berries. (Ref: All About Birds).  Black Phoebes are well known for flicking their tails up and down when perched. The two frames below were taken within a second of each other and show this action. Why do they pump their tails? G.F. Avelis concluded that the pumping is a message to local predators to alert them that their presence is known, perhaps making dinner a bit more difficult! Other reasons for tail pumping, e.g. balance, territorial aggression, or foraging, were not supported by his data. (Ref: Avelis, G.F. 2011. Tail Pumping by the Black Phoebe. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 123:766-771.)
Common Gallinule Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 400mm, f/8.0, 1/400 sec., ISO 320, -0.67 EV Common Gallinules are rails, in the order Gruiformes, family Rallidae. They swim like ducks but can also walk atop vegetation with their long and slender toes. The bill has a brilliant red shield with a yellow tip, and they sport a white stripe down their sides. Males and females have similar plumage. The family, and some of the specific species, get their name "rail" as an anglicized respelling of the French rale, from the Old French rasle, Vulgar Latin rascala, in turn from the Latin radere, "to scrape," the sound the bird makes! Who knew?
   Let's take a break for a Rail Review . . . .Rails are in the family Rallidae within the order Gruiformes. Worldwide there are 152 species in this family, but in North America there are only 11 species listed by the CornellLab, All About Birds. This small North American subgroup consists of Rails Gallinules and Coots. Let's look at some of the rails I have been able to capture with my camera over the past 5 years and get to know them a bit better.
The images here were captured in April of 2019 at Brazos Bend State Park in Texas. Again, the birds's very long legs allow it to walk over wetland vegetation. The Purple Gallinule is known for its brilliant coloration, mixes of cherry red, sky blue, moss green, aquamarine, indigo, and violet, with bright yellow legs!  Canon 7D Mk II, EF100-400mm w/ Ext 1.4x Mk III, 174mm, f/6.3, 1/500 sec., ISO 1000, +0.33EV   Our next member of the rail family is the American Coot, a common resident at Sweetwater Wetlands and throughout North America. Coots live near freshwater wetlands favoring aquatic vegetation with some standing water. Below, a Coot at Sweetwater Wetlands shows off his lobed toes that allow easy walking as well as for efficient paddling.  Canon 7D Mk II, EF100-400mm, 400mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec., ISO 1250, +0.67EV Next is the King Rail, photo below, a large slender rail with a short tail and long bill. The King Rail prefers freshwater and brackish marshes in the U.S. and Cuba. It is the largest of the North American rails, and very secretive. I was fortunate to get these shots in Anahuac National Monument on the Texas coast in May of 2019. Unfortunately the King Rail's population has declined 90% in the last 50 years due to loss of habitat as wetlands have been "reclaimed" and modified for human use.  Canon 7D Mk II, EF100-400mm w/ 1.4x Ext Mk III, 140mm, f/8.0, 1/160 sec., ISO 2500, +1EV
 Canon 7D Mk II, EF100-400mm w/ 1.4x Ext Mk III, 560mm, f/8.0, 1/400 sec., ISO 800, +0.67EV  Bringing us closer to home, the image below if of a Virginia Rail captured at Historic Canoa Ranch, just south of Green Valley, in March of 2022. The Virginia Rail is smaller than King or Clapper rail, sporting a gray cheek, reddish bill, cinnamon neck, with black and white barring on the flanks.  Canon R6 RF 800mm, f/11, 1/400 sec., ISO 4000, +01 EV Let's end our Rail Review with another secretive member of the family, often heard but rarely seen, the Sora. The Sora is in the rail family and lives throughout North America, from Alaska to Maine, down into Mexico, Central America and the northern portions of South America. Sora like fresh and brackish water as well as wet pastures, ditches and flooded fields during migration. They eat seeds from wetland plants as well as aquatic invertebrates. Their wide ranging diet combined with habitat flexibility undoubtedly accounts for their extensive range. It is no surprise that they are the most abundant rail species in North America. Below, a Sora comes out of hiding at Sweetwater Wetlands in January of 2020. We can see his short tail tilted up at an angle and his long toes as he hunts for food.  Canon 7D Mk II, EF100-400mm, 400mm, f/7.1, 1/400 sec., ISO 2500, +1EV The rest of the North American rails not described here include: The Ridgway's Rail, Clapper Rail, Gray-headed Swamphen, Yellow Rail, and Black Rail. Cactus Wren Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 sec., ISO 500, 0 EV Cactus Wrens are noisy year-round residents of Arizona, Mexico, Nevada and New Mexico, and are the Arizona state bird! Cactus Wrens are well adapted to desert living, able to survive without drinking free-standing water, and, nesting in cactus. They are noisy by nature, sounding like an old Ford trying to start. The image above was captured on February 9th in Sabino Canyon. This could be a male or female calling to its mate (they look alike), with nest building beginning in early March. The two nests below were photographed in Tucson Mountain Park in late March of 2022. The first shows a narrow entrance into a saguaro cavity, the one below shows a typical football sized nest built deep in a cholla cactus. Either nest types feature a narrow entrance to discourage predators.  Canon R6 RF 800mm, f/11, 1/500 sec., ISO 400, +0.67 EV Below, a cactus wren disappears into his/her nest in a cholla cactus. The cactus wren seems to have no trouble living with an abundance of sharp cactus thorns!  Speaking of nests, who else builds in cactus? The Curve-billed Thrasher, parent and offspring shown below at Agua Caliente Park, March 31, 2017.  Canon 7D Mk II, Sigma 150-600mm at 600mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 sec., ISO 1250, +0 EV Start looking for nesting activity next month! Phainopepla Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 sec., ISO 800, +0 EV The Cornell Lab calls the Phainopepla "a singular bird of the Southwest," that lives in desert washes and oak and sycamore woodlands of California, Arizona, and Mexico. Migratory patterns are poorly understood, but it is clear that the males and females live in SE Arizona during the winter. The image of a male above was captured in Sabino Canyon on February 9, 2024. Males are a stunning glossy black with a crest and brilliant red eye. All the more brilliant when they sit in the morning sun! There is a patch of white on the flight wings that flashes in flight. Females share the red eye, but are gray with a pale gray wing patch. Phainopepla nest/breed twice a year, first in the desert in the spring, and a second time in higher woodlands. The nest shown below was built in late March and early April of 2019 in a remote corner of Agua Caliente Park. Below we see the female sitting on the nest, and then feeding in the sequence that follows.  Canon 7D Mk II, 100-400mm w/ 1.4x MkIII Ext. at 560mm, f/8.0, 1/100 sec., ISO 250, +0.67 EV Below, mom is feeding her chick high protein breakfast of insects followed by fruit.  Mom carried the insects in her bill to the nest and had two berries in her crop, bringing them up when the time is right.  Western Screech owl Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 sec., ISO 1250, +0 EV The Western Screech Owl is a small owl that lives year round west of the Rockies from coastal Alaska down to Baja California and into the western woods and deserts all the way down into south central Mexico. They are active at night, hunting for small mammals, as well as birds, fish, amphibians and invertebrates. They sleep during the day usually in small cavities, in this case a cosy hollow in a broken tree limb, somewhere in the foothills of the Catalinas on February 9, 2024. Below, another Western Screech Owl snoozing near the San Pedro House near the San Pedro River on February 19, 2022. I think this owl took advantage of the Valentine's Day move-in special.  Canon R6 RF 800mm, f/11, 1/1000 sec., ISO 1000, +0.33 EV Below, a close-up of our subject snoozing in his/her roost. They are very well camouflaged, tough to spot, and (for the photo geeks) a challenge to process in post-production. Western Screech Owls nest in existing cavitites, either old woodpecker holes or existing cavities such as the one below. For more on their breeding behavior, see All About Birds.  For a closer look, I have included a photograph of a Western Screech Owl sitting on a volunteer's glove at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. These are small owls, perhaps only the height of a pair of binoculars. A reminder around the house and yard to avoid any rodent poisons. These rodenticides can be easily ingested by birds of prey who depend on small mammals for food. If you need to get rid of pesky rodents, trap them without poisons, or use a trapping service, leaving our natural bio-environment poison free.  Canon R6 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/7.1, 1/400 sec., ISO 1600, +0 EV Greater Road Runner Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/11, 1/1000 sec., ISO 1000, +1 EV The Greater Roadrunner is a cuckoo and another carnivore of the desert. They live from California and the desert southwest all way east into Texas and Louisiana, and south into southern Mexico. They eat mostly small mammals, reptiles (including rattlesnakes!) frogs, toads, insects, as well as other birds. The roadrunner above was captured in Sabino Canyon, not far from the falls, running, well, . . . in the road . . . . looking for food. Below is an image caught near the San Pedro River in August of 2023. Roadrunners have very long tails which they bob repeatedly and they use for balance. They are not good aviators, flying only to reach a long hanging branch, or when avoiding predators, including, yes, coyotes.  Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 400mm, f/7.1, 1/320 sec., ISO 125, +0.33 EV The "where's Waldo" shot below was caught at Sweetwater Wetlands in May of 2018. Roadrunners blend in well with the desert environment and like to perch a few feet about the ground looking for a fresh meal.  Canon 7D MkII EF 100-400mm at 400mm, f4.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 400, +0.67 EV Below, a Greater Roadrunner at Agua Caliente Park in April of 2019 with a fresh kill, likely a vole.  Canon 7D MkII EF 100-400mm w/ 1.4 MkIII Ext, f8, 1/500 sec., ISO 1000, +0.33 EV A Northern Cardinal Singing in the Morning Sun . . . . . Canon R7 RF 100-500mm at 500mm, f/8.0, 1/400 sec., ISO 500, +0.33 EV Spring is coming, so let's close with a male Cardinal greeting the morning sun with a song at Agua Caliente on February 18, 2024. He is likely declaring his territory in the desert just to the east of the Agua Caliente Park parking lot. That's all for now! More soon . . . Happy Trails!
2 Comments
Linda Currin
3/1/2024 07:27:02 pm
You are truly a wonderful gift, Henry!! Thank you, as always
Deb
3/2/2024 09:13:14 am
Very nice shots of the Black Phoebe. (IMHO). You’ve captured in flight the repeated pattern that you’ve described, carving a track hunting over the waters surface and returning to perch from the all seeing boulder to make another run. You have an art to your images as seen in the reflection shot, the water ripples separation cause a layering to the image while remaining easy to identify as a bird. Turning that section upside down is a very appealing shot on its own. Nice that you have maintained a sense of place in your images. A repeating vertical chest feather pattern of the Cactus Wren juxtaposed against the vertical patterned white spots along those cactus gills is eye catching. The Virginia Rail backdropped by a dangling overhang of silvery winter reeds portraying a canopy shows contrast to the rich dark and varied colors of the feathers, all of these images mentioned offer unique and interesting perspectives. (but just my small opinion). Your posts are always informative, making an interesting read of useful details, all from accessible locations for anyone to enjoy photographing birds and the wild outdoors. You make it easy to choose a subject on any day. There is more to say but shortened, for this is a blog, I’ll be looking for spring to come, listening for Northern Cardinals in full throated song. A nice blog post, every-time. Leave a Reply. |
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