The Long and Short Of It

Ambitious and unrestrained for 4 days, I took my birding on the road.  I didn't plan a thing.  I just let it unfold as it would.  And spontaneity happened!

We watched as this male Red-tailed Hawk captured this Western Patchnose Snake to present to the female as a gift.  A sign that spring is here and that nesting is about to begin for many birds in our desert.

We climbed the high elevations and found a pair of Arizona Woodpeckers hungrily tapping on the bark for a little snack.

Arizona Woodpecker

And then, we discovered this Long-eared Owl resting in the shadows.

So we got to thinking.......

Black-throated Sparrow

Could we find the Short-eared Owl that had been reported recently?

No luck, but that didn't matter. 

Other rarities popped up for us during our search like this Gray Catbird below!

And who could resist this beautiful Pyrrhuloxia?

Or the mesmerizing blue grays of the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay?

Or the orange sherbert of an Olive Warbler....

Or the colorful song of a Greater Pewee?

Simply put.  It's fun to show people around beautiful Southern Arizona and help them find a lifer or two.

It's time to get back on track and seek out new life and new civilizations.  Arizona is my home but there are new birds that must be discovered!  Stay tuned for a very special Las Aventuras next week.

Crissal Thrasher