Elegant Trogon

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted about the young Owlet. The Great Horned Owl family has now moved on. Presumably the adults are showing the young one the neighborhood.

In the meantime, we've been able to get away a few times to do some hiking/birding -- and, of course, photography.

Yesterday, we went with "former guests" (who have now moved to Tucson) to Madera Canyon. They had never seen (or heard) an Elegant Trogon. So that was the main goal of the day. While it took an hour and a half, we finally came across a very cooperative male Elegant Trogon.

I have seen and photographed them in the Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Santa Rita Mountains -- which are about the only places in the US where they can be found.

I have a couple of photos from yesterday that I want to show starting with this view:

What is interesting to me is the color of the back in this view. It is clearly blue! The head and nape are clearly green, as are the scapulars. Not having handled either a live or dead bird I had never noticed blue on an Elegant Trogon.  I consulted the many bird journals and found no mention of blue.

However, I found an interesting article on the coloration of bird feathers in the Cornell Lab Bird Academy. 

"The colors in the feathers of a bird are formed in two different ways, from either pigments or from light refraction caused by the structure of the feather. In some cases feather colors are the result of a combination of pigment and structural colors. The greens of some parrots are the result of yellow pigments overlying the blue-reflecting characteristic of the feathers."

There are three types of Pigmentation: Carotenoids, Melanins, and Porphyrins. These are substances in birds (plants, animals) that are in fact a specific color. A Cardinal for example has red pigmentation.

Structural Colorations are caused by light as it is refracted by the proteins in the feathers. The two types are Iridescent Feathers and Non-Iridescent Feathers. The most obvious example of Iridescent Feathers is the gorget of hummingbirds. And the most obvious example in hummingbirds on our property is Anna's Hummingbird whereby the crown and gorget can look "black" until the sunlight hits them and the red becomes striking. 

This brings us back to the Elegant Trogon that may well fit in that category of "... the greens of some parrots are the result of yellow pigments overlying the blue-reflecting characteristic of the feathers."

I am curious as to how often other birders have seen this blue coloration.

Here is a frontal view of this very cooperative Elegant Trogon yesterday in Madera Canyon:

Huachuca Canyon

One of my favorite places to hike, bird, search for wildlife in Huachuca Canyon at Fort Huachuca. Dawn morning is best for animals, early morning good for Montezuma Quail and Trogons, and when the sun comes over the mountain for the other birds.

I got out early hoping to get animals, and of course there's always a deer or two or ten. But not much else. I did hear Elegant Trogons for an hour or so and got a few photos. And flycatchers were more abundant than warblers this time.

The monsoon rains brought lots of wildflowers -- which brought lots of butterflies. I'll show those next time.

Here are some animal and bird photos: 

Young White Tailed Deer Buck

Elegant Trogon

Greater Pewee

Vermillion Flycatcher

Miscellaneous Birds of Southern Arizona - Part I

I've put together a few odds and ends -- photos of birds seen at various places during the past week. Here's part one: 

Ash Throated Flycatcher

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Elegant Trogon

Singing House Finch

My Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2017 - 8

For the remainder of the year I thought I'd share my favorite wildlife photos taken in 2017.

So here they are (in alphabetical order):

Elegant Trogon

I took this photo in what I consider the most reliable place to find the Elegant Trogon, Huachuca Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. 

Huachuca Canyon Birding: Part V

And best to last, we were serenaded by Elegant Trogon's the entire time we were there; finding three at various times and spots. Here are a couple of those photos:

Elegant Trogon

Elegant Trogon

Day before yesterday I had a chance to go to Huachuca Canyon early and was rewarded. Three warblers: Black Throated Gray, Painted Redstart, and Hermit; Wild Turkeys; Cordilleran and/or Pacific Slope Flycatchers; male and female Hepatic Tanagers; White Tailed Deer at every (well not quite every) turn; 

Oh, and Elegant Trogons. The Trogons seem to serenade me all morning. At one point an Elegant Trogon flew from one branch to another, no more than 10 feet off the ground, and no more than 25 feet away from me. Once at each branch he started singing again. Loved it. Here are photos of this serenading Trogon (all on different branches):

Best Wildlife Photos of 2016: Elegant Trogon

The Elegant Trogon is a prized bird from Mexico and Central America that in the past few years has extended its yearly range into the southernmost mountains of Arizona. Found near mountain stream beds containing Sycamore Trees, it is a large colorful bird that "barks" like a seal. This one I photographed in what I believe is the most reliable place to find one --- Huachuca Canyon inside Fort Huachuca.

Male Elegant Trogon

New Photos: Elegant Trogon

Always nice to see and hear the Elegant Trogon. Here are two photos from Huachuca Canyon taking this past week:

Elegant Trogon

Elegant Trogon

A Great Day Birding

So what constitutes a "Great Day Birding?" For me it is a wide variety of birds, flocks that make it difficult to know what to photograph first, some close ups, and last but certainly (not for me) the least, very good detailed photos.

Where do you go to have a "Great Day Birding?" Well, of course this is Southern Arizona so there are many places to go. I have raved about Mount Lemmon so many times. But yesterday, one of my favorite places in the Southern Mountains: Huachuca Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains.

There's been a Sinaloa Wren that frequents the stream bed near the picnic areas just as you enter on the dirt road. But I usually start 1.7 miles up the canyon and look for the Sinaloa Wren on my return. But, yesterday the birding was so good up canyon that I didn't have time to stop and look for the Wren.

Okay, so what did I find? Well, I'll make several posts of the next couple of days with photos, but I'll start with, none other than the Elegant Trogon. I got my first really good look and photo of a Juvenile Elegant Trogon as well as an adult Male. Here are the photos:

Juvenile Elegant Trogon from behind

Adult Elegant Trogon from behind

Adult Elegant Trogon from the front

Huachuca Canyon and the Elegant Trogon

As our busy season has winded down, I had a free morning -- no breakfast. So off I went. I was hoping to find the Flame Colored Tanager and the Tufted Flycatcher that have been reported in Ramsey Canyon. However, when I arrived at Ramsey Canyon I found the parking lot full with the docent greeting me with an apology and suggesting I try again later.

So, back to Huachuca Canyon. Huachuca Canyon was quite birdie. Lots of singing. And a wide variety. I kept hearing one or more Elegant Trogons the entire time I was there. It wasn't until I was just about back to the trailhead that I saw one. And as luck would have it he felt like a photo.

I remain convinced that Huachuca Canyon is the most reliable place in the US to find the Elegant Trogon. A few years ago I would have said Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains. But since the fire/flood of 2010 it's not been quite as good.

In any rate, here is the best of the day:

Elegant Trogon

Is Birding Hiking?

Hiking is a way to get exercise in Nature's Wonderland instead of indoors at a gym. Often I'll hike with Christine in Saguaro National Park. It is essentially a hike: 2 to 5 miles at about 3 miles per hour. Although I usually take my camera, I am not actually birding, I am out for exercise -- and, besides most of the birds that I might find in Saguaro National Park I can find in my "backyard." But I take my camera .... just in case.

Birding, on the other hand is stopping along the trail to enjoy nature's birds (flowers, animals etc). We have some wonderful guests that have been staying with us every year we have been open (12 years). They have become good friends. And, we have done many hikes with them. They were here for the second time this year just last week. They usually come in January or February. But May is great birding, so our "hike" in Huachuca Canyon was a little more like "birding". We did walk nearly four miles -- but it took four hours.

Birding is a bit challenging for me since I am deaf. I can hear birds now that I have a Cochlear Implant, but since only one ear "hears" I can't tell where the bird sounds are coming from. We heard the Elegant Trogon several times, but it was Bob who found him. The Trogon was about fifty yards up into the woods sitting nicely on the end of a branch. 

Here are a few of the photos from that hike, or birding trip:

Spotted Towhee

Elegant Trogon

Dusky Flycatcher

Summer Tanager Female

A Day in the Life of a Photographer Birder

We have some wonderful guests staying with us (Susie and Steve) that have become good friends over the years. Yesterday, after breakfast we headed out together to Huachuca Canyon to do some birding. The scenery was beautiful, the "hike" was welcomed exercise, the company was enjoyable ......... oh, and the birding was better than expected. 

Here's how the day went pictorially: 

Almost immediately there was the barking of an Elegant Trogon. Thanks to Steve we located it very quickly. Getting a good photograph was a little tricky as it moved around frequently and always with lots of tree branches and leaves obstructing the view or making focusing difficult. Of the 15 or so photos only one was in focus with no obstructions. Of course, his head was turned at the time.

Elegant Trogon

Then we were treated to a pair of Hepatic Tanagers. The male quickly flew up the wall of the canyon. I could see him occasionally but he was much too far for a photo. I only got one photo before he flew away. It's a completely out of focus photo that I only -- temporarily -- saved to demonstrate the difficulties in photographing birds.

Hepatic Tanager Male

The female Hepatic Tanager presented a different challenge. She flew about six feet from me, but with my super telephoto lens was too CLOSE to focus on. She also had the habit of sitting directly above me or directly into the sun. After a couple of minutes though she appeared at a distance of about 100 feet and I was able to get some photos. This is the one I like best:

Hepatic Tanager Female

Next comes a treat for me. My first good photo of a Black Throated Gray Warbler. With the photo comes the knowledge of just how beautiful this bird is. The illustrations in Sibley's for example, really don't do this bird justice. So, for me, this was the prize of the day:

Black Throated Gray Warbler

We continued on to an area with a magnificent Sycamore Tree. It just felt like the perfect place to sit for a bit. To our surprise and good fortune, Steve found a couple of Hummingbird nests in the surrounding fir trees. We watched as the hummers flew into and out of their nests. It was delightful. It took some maneuvering to get to a place where a photo was possible. Susie suggested that I climb an adjacent tree.   After we all had a good laugh I continued to search for an answer. A hillside next to one of the nests provided the best angle. Identifying the hummer is a bit tricky, but I am guessing a Black Chinned Hummingbird. Here's one of the photos of her sitting on her nest.

Black Chinned Hummingbird

 Next, a California Sister Butterfly seemed to provide a wonderful photo op:

California Sister

And, in the occasional absence of birds, plants provided a couple of photos:

Columbine

Just some Grasses

Then finally, what would have been a nice treat was a Hermit Warbler. But, once again he moved around so quick a photo was very difficult. This one too will go into the trash bin as soon as the post is done.

Hermit Warbler

So, all in all a wonderful day birding with good friends. Thanks Susie and Steve!

Elegant Trogon Close Up

The last of my "5" Star Elegant Trogon Photos comes from Patagonia Lake. I was excited to be able to get this close. Note the "beard" under the bill. 

Elegant Trogon

Elegant Trogon in Nest

I have several wonderful Elegant Trogon photos. I was hiking along the South Fork of Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains of Southeast Arizona when I heard the barking of a male Trogon. The sound kept getting closer so I just stayed put. After a couple of minutes I saw the male Trogon fly into a hole in a Sycamore Tree. Ah Ha! A nest. I hung out there for over an hour watching and photographing first the male and then the female stick their head out of the hole in the tree. What a delight! 

Male Elegant Trogon in Nest

Female Elegant Trogon in Nest

Elegant Trogon

The Elegant Trogon is a favorite among birders around the world. In the US it can only be found in Southeastern Arizona, and typically only from March to September. They don't arrive in big numbers either. 

Often they are found by their "call." They sound like a "seal"  -- 4 to 7 quick barks.

I have seen the Elegant Trogon in the Chiricahua Mountains, Patagonia Lake, Gardener Canyon, Madera Canyon, and in the Huachucas. I remember the first one I saw in the Chiricahuas. I met a wildlife photographer from Australia who said this was his sixth trip to the US looking for the Elegant Trogon. So, sixth was the "charm" for him.

This "5" Star Photo was taken at Patagonia Lake:

Elegant Trogon

So What Happened in the Chiricahuas?

First the birds. The best was a female Elegant Trogon. Trogons typically migrate to the Madrean Sky Islands of Southern Arizona in March and stay for the Spring and Summer. They often nest in holes of Sycamore Trees. This female let me get close for a photo, but then took off up the mountain.

Female Elegant Trogon

 The Black Headed Grosbeak and Cardinal are more common in Southern Arizona:

Female Black Headed Grosbeak

Male Cardinal

 The Blue Throated Hummingbird, another migrant, is a typical summer resident of the Chiricahuas, the Huachucas, and occasionally the Santa Ritas (although not in large numbers):

Female Blue Throated Hummingbird

 This Red Tailed Hawk posed nicely for me:

Red Tailed Hawk

 As did this Raven:

Raven

Nests - Part IV

Some nests aren't obvious and can only be found by seeing a bird go into the nest.  The Elegant Trogon is a migratory bird that arrives in the Madrean Sky Islands of Southern Arizona in March and April. Males begin looking for a female on arrival and usually nest by the end of Spring. They stay here until September or so, then head back to South for the winter. 

I remember hiking along Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains looking for Elegant Trogons. They are most easily found by following their "call." Their call is a very distinctive "bark", like a seal. Four to six very loud bursts. One April I followed the barking until I saw a flash of red disappear in the hole of a Sycamore Tree. I parked myself about 25 feet away and waited. I was rewarded with both male and female poking their heads out of the nest:

Male Elegant Trogon in nest of Sycamore Tree, Chiricahua Mountains

Female Elegant Trogon in same nest, Chiricahua Mountains

Male Elegant Trogon in Gardener Canyon (Huachuca Mountains)

Male Elegant Trogon near Patagonia Lake