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| Pyrrhuloxia male |
Taking a break from the Guatemala treks, here is a fantastic discovery closer to home. My Aunt from Prescott came down to visit me in Tucson. I had taken her to Sabino Canyon for a walk and possibly find some wildlife. She wanted to know more about what I did on my free time. And so I showed her....
And not too far from the entrance to the park did we spot our first adventure! I noticed a lot of Pyrrhuloxia activity happening around a grove of mesquite trees. So we moved closer to spot what all the commotion was about........and then my Aunt saw why they were going crazy........look at the pic above.
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| Pyrrhuloxia Female |
A Coachwhip snake climbed the branches searching for the young ones in the nearby nest. The father Pyrrhuloxia tried to distract the snake from the babies. Meanwhile mom had food in her beak for them while she sat nearby to the young ones. But where were the young ones?
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| Coachwhip Snake(Red Racer) |
My question would be quickly answered as one plopped down in front of me on the road. Now I'm not one to interfere with nature's battles, but the little ones were in danger. Well they were out of danger from the snake, but not from the human "tram" that drove up and down the road. So I led them back near the base of the trees while the snake climbed higher towards the nest. At least they were safe from the human traffic.
We did our part to help the little ones out, but it is my rule of thumb never to interfere with "the show" unless of course humans caused it.
We hiked to the rushing waters of Sabino and cooled off. And for the moment, the Pyrrhuloxia family was safe. Just one of the many dramas that unfold in nature. More from Guatemala coming up.....
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