Perching Birds

Perch
1.A thing on which a bird alights or roosts, typically a branch or a horizontal rod or bar in a birdcage.

I thought these were beautiful shots from my outing at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  All of these shots were taken on their grounds during a recent visit. My focus today is on 3 truly beautiful birds that can be seen during our warm summers.  The Northern Cardinal, the Brown Crested Flycatcher(brown and yellow coloring), and what appears to be a Male Juvenile Anna's Hummingbird.  Note the patches of color beginning to patch around the throat and the white eyebrow.

The real treat of course is capturing the Brown Crested Flycatcher.  They are migratory birds here and will hang around until the heat disappears and then they head back down to Mexico for the winter.

And during this time of year, the Juvenile hummingbirds are out and about.  If you visit the gardens, keep your eyes not only on the plants but the wildlife associated with them.  It's always a real treat to see wildlife come and visit something you helped create.  Hope you enjoy this series of pics and more tomorrow.....

Oh Those Golden Grahams....

As it warms up, the Brown Crested Flycatcher finds its way back into Southern Arizona.   During a shoot for the "Supermoon" which turned out "Superbad", I did get wonderful shots of this bird at the Saguaro East National Park. 

I set the tripod up and was getting all the settings set up on the camera as the sunset began its decline.  I experimented with some landscape shots and discovered that one of these beautiful birds was hanging out on one of my favorite desert plants....the Ocotillo.

He sat there for awhile as I snapped a billion shots of him posing.  After a rattlesnake sighting that day, I was very aware that at dusk, these dangerous critters come out searching for food.  Let me just say that I was VERY careful where I stepped:)

I burned my eyes as I snapped this shot.  It's pretty though:)

The Palo Verdes were in bloom casting more yellow hues around the landscape.  Absolutely gorgeous!

The colors of our Arizona sunset come from all the dust particles in the air.  As the sun sets, the rays reflect off the particles creating the beautiful oranges, pinks, and purples in the night sky.

And so while I didn't get the moon, I was very happy with these very accidental bird shots on the Ocotillo....with blooms!!!

This post also proves that the color brown isn't such a bad thing:)  This line applies to both landscape and birds!  After I got done with this shoot, I got hungry for Golden Grahams cereal hence the the post title:) Stay tuned for more tomorrow.....

To The Pointy End

Barrel Cactus with red spines.

Taking a break from birds(kind of:), I thought I'd take you to Picacho Peak.  Today's focus?  Pointy ends:)   We paid the 5 bucks to enter the park hoping to film some wildflower action but after a cold rain storm, we discovered that most of the flowers were fried from the frost.  Change of plan. 

Dead Cholla Cactus

So instead I focused my energy on the shots from around the landscape.  These pictures, I believe, capture the pointy and edgy landscape that can do some damage if you're not watching where you walk.

The trail here is not really a birder hike as it is a hiker's hike.  You'll have some great views from around the area....and it is all very beautiful. But some may find this a boring trek.  It's all in the eye of the beholder.  However, I have a good eye and did spot some life in the brown landscape.

Antelope Ground Squirrel

I recommend doing this hike during the cooler months as summer is too hot.  However still remember to bring water all times of the year.

It's amazing how much effort it took to take pictures:)  It was a challenge.  Find something interesting within the theme and force yourself to find those shots. My friend loved all of it and she was going to town with lots of pictures.  She was learning how to use her new camera and was practicing the auto and manual features of the camera.  I searched for angles and the right sunlight conditions to capture a "moment".

So while the Ocotillo didn't have leaves on the stems, they did begin to flower.  Hummers love these blossoms.  Look at how long the tubular flowers are and you'll understand why:)

I also found a manmade art piece along the trail and thought it was interesting.

As for the pic below.....I couldn't decide how to edit it.  I cropped the shot 3 times!

Brown Crested Flycatcher

So I pulled the camera back to give you an overall view from the peak.  It's really quite beautiful but wear a hat and protect your skin with sunblock.  Skin cancer is huge in Arizona because we have so much harsh lighting here.

My favorite shot is below.  It is a dead Saguaro cactus, but the colors remind me of some island art I've seen on my travels.

And as with all things, like this ground squirrel below, it was time to bounce and so we did.  It was a fun hike playing around with cameras, telling jokes, and finding shots along the trail.  I would classify this hike as moderate and give yourself 3-4 hours to do the trail.  More tomorrow.....