Riding Out The Storm

I really enjoy the hikes during some of our softer monsoon rains.  These pics today aren't spectacular but they are interesting.  The cooler temps allow the birds and animals to come out and play.  Well if play meant eating:)  Some of the things that I love to see on my walks are how the hummingbirds, in their natural state, fly and hover over water to capture bugs.  An update from yesterday.  A beautiful morning in Montosa Canyon with some fantastic wildlife shots.  No luck on finding the hummer but that's okay.  I had a scary run in with drug runners and that was unexpected but I'll write more about that later.  Everything is okay once I was with my birder friends who weren't far off.  These pics today are from Sweetwater after one of our gentle monsoon rains.

A hummingbird hawking

This act is called “gleaning,” “gnatting” and “hawking.” Hawking looks like aerial acrobatics made of erratic twists, stops and whirls as they chase invisible bugs.  The thing I like about Tucson is that you can see hummingbirds doing things naturally without feeders.  These were tricky shots to get but I had so much fun watching them.  This was the closest that I've been able to get to them while they are in this mode.  It's hover...zoom....hover.....zoom 4 miles.....hover....zoom back....zoom up....zoom down:) By the time, I get the manual on focus, it's too late:)

The views are wonderful.  The cloudy weather a relief from the blasting sunlight.  And it's a great reason to get out and breath some of that rain cooled air:)

"Ah-AWWwwww!".  Where oh where are you now Mr. Gambel?  You never know where they are standing watch.   In the trees, on a fence, or in this case, on top of a huge dirt hill looking down at me:)

Or the American Coot.  She didn't mind me getting too close while on her nest.  But the male did:)

And finally!!!  The Night Heron shot was nice because these guys tend to hide.  But since no one was on the trail, I was able to get an okay shot of this beautiful bird.

It was great getting out in Tucson for some hiking.  No canyons today.  No mountain tops yet(those are coming up:).  Just a nice walk nearby our home:)  More tomorrow....

Nooks and Crannies

Baltimore Oriole

Over the course of several months, I have been collecting a group of pics demonstrating how watchful one must be out in the wild.  Somedays, my eyes are sore from investigating every nook and cranny.  For example, during our education on cranes(post coming up), this beautiful Baltimore Oriole flew out of nowhere!!!  I had to take my eyes off the instructor briefly for this shot!!  This is the male with his bright colors out for the world to see.

And then there were the Barn Swallows.  For me, these birds are very tricky to capture on camera in Arizona but while in Wisconsin I had better luck as many of them were nesting up in the rafters.

Barn Swallow

Love this particular shot.  Again, they hid among the cranes.  Sometimes they stole the show:)

And while here in Tucson, our reptiles certainly put on a great show.   This little guy slinks around a post as I try to capture a hawk in flight!

Western Whiptail Lizard

Along a trail, the edge of my eyesight sees a slight movement.  I feel the power of the heebie jeebie take over me.  My body shakes.  I turn around and keep calm to film this guy along the edges of the reeds.

Common Kingsnake

Beautiful.  Dark.  Mysterious.  I watch from a distance as this Common Kingsnake sticks out his tongue to check out what's going on in the area.  Was I food?  No.  But I better move on.....:)

Sometimes appearing as a pebble, I discover what appears to be a juvenile Abert's towhee along the path.

Juvenile Abert's Towhee

Of course other things jut out from the sides and briefly make appearances.  But the sun holds their attention long enough for me to snap a pic.

Desert Spiny

The clouds start to roll in.  Darkness begins to fall.  But there is still action going on......

A Cooper's hawk feeds in between branches.  A night snack after a long hot day.

Cooper's Hawk

And as I leave the trails, my eye catches a Night Heron hiding in the reeds. Playing detective is really enjoyable since everything likes to quietly disappear in the nooks and crannies of our cities, parks and gardens.

Night Heron

Sometimes you may walk by and not realize that a branch is really an owl.

And that's what's exciting about each and every hike.  You never know what will turn up:)

Conspicuous

My best shot for the year of the Phoebe

You never know.  You never know.  I am finding that once I have that obligatory "snapped an excellent to alright shot" out of the way of a bird, I can relax a bit.  And then there are eyes.  They become sharper at spotting most of what would otherwise remain hidden from the public eye. Things that were hidden are now easier to find.  My birding skills are getting better and here is what I discovered on this particular day.......

Night Heron

I have wanted badly to spot a Night Heron and today I got that shot.  It took me minutes of scanning reeds before I found this little gem hiding.   What a beautiful bird!

Hispid Cotton Rat

And then there are the ears.  I hear something scrabbling in the reeds and think, "Warbler, Flycatcher, Sparrow?"  Nope. Just a rat.

Great Blue Heron rookery

And the rustle above your head, "Owl, Hawk?"  No!  A heron rookery!!!! And there they were....4 nests! FOUR!  It looked as if the parents were dropping fish into the nest and the young ones were feeding.

Most people walk by.  But not me:).

Your eyes will strain and your hands will get heavy from holding the binoculars or camera...

But if you're patient, you'll see this below!!!!  Look very very closely.  I'm not going to tell you what to look for.....be a birder.  Look closely.  Patiently.  And maybe you'll see it:)

 What?  You can't see it?  Look closer.  Hint.  My favorite kind of bird.  And another amazing capture without tips etc.  All I can say....exciting.  More tomorrow....

The Great Horned Owl nesting