Nighthawks and Pauraques
Common nighthawk
Nighthawks are among the birds of my childhood. Their “buick buick” calls at dusk, the quick wingbeats followed by a glide, remind me of warm Southern nights. I remember being outside when it was nearly dark, and a nighthawk flew past my head.
I took off after it in my bare feet. (My feet were perpetually black in summer from running on pavement). Read the rest of this entry »
Avian Residents of the Southwest
Male Gila Woodpecker
I’ve been occupied transforming 30-year-old family videos into digital movies, so I’ve been remiss in keeping the blog up to date lately. Here are some of the birds I met on my road trip from California to Oklahoma in November that didn’t make it into the previous blog entries. Read the rest of this entry »
Ajo, Arizona
Mule deer doe in saguaro forest
Although I chose not to visit Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge with a heavily loaded minivan due to the rugged roads, I stopped at the refuge’s visitor center in Ajo, Arizona and found out about a loop drive that was much easier to navigate. Read the rest of this entry »
Birds of Joshua Tree
Canyon wren fledgling looking grouchy
The young canyon wrens made a non-stop racket at the 49 Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park. The loud peeps helped their parents keep track of them when they were ready to fill those noisy mouths with caterpillars.
The fledglings could fly well enough to pester a parent hunting for their meals. Soon, though, these babies will learn to find their own food, and the palm grove will return to peace and quiet. Read the rest of this entry »
A Few Good Birds of Mojave National Preserve
Zone-tailed hawk
Going birding with an expert familiar with which bird will be found where is usually an excellent way to “meet” new species, and the zone-tailed hawk was the highlight for me on a trip last week to Mojave National Preserve, California. Read the rest of this entry »
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve, near Mid-Hills campground
Since I moved to Southern California, I’ve been “saving” a visit to Mojave National Preserve for just the right weekend – an early April birding trip with the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society.
Rock Spring House and desert purple sage (Salvia sp.)
The weather was perfect, I added two birds to my life list, and the scenery surpassed expectations. Read the rest of this entry »
December Birds in Southern California
Cooper’s Hawk Juvenile, Newberry Springs, California
Birds seen on a field trip with San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society and on the Morongo Valley Christmas Bird Count. (Not including ones already featured in recent blogs.) Read the rest of this entry »
Hummingbird with the Amethyst Throat
Male Costa’s Hummingbird closeup
The male Costa’s hummingbird also has a violet crown. This little beauty was seen sitting on a blooming bladderpod bush in California’s Morongo Valley last week.
He was the second Costa’s seen on the Christmas Bird Count. Since the first was at a bladderpod, when I saw another in bloom I hunted for another flying jewel. Read the rest of this entry »
The Peppy Phainopepla
Male phainopepla in flight
The hard-to-pronounce word (fain-o-PEP-la) is Greek for “shining robe” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These unique birds of the Southwest congregate in areas of abundant mistletoe, and they typically eat more than 1,000 of those berries each day. Read the rest of this entry »
Bear River Birds
Western grebe pair
Although my trip in July to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah was a bust (child-rearing was already over) I did get a few nice images. The Western grebes look similar to the Clark’s grebe, but the black on the head covers their eyes. See the difference.
Clark’s Grebe
