Birding Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon provides some great birding opportunities. Though rarely rare birds, it provides first time birders to Arizona opportunities for "Lifers." Arizona birds like Oliver Warblers, Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstarts are relatively easy to find. Western birds like Acorn Woodpeckers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, and Western Tanagers are also relatively easy to find. 

Acorn Woodpecker

Black-headed Grosbeak

Hermit Thrush

Mountain Chickadee

Olive Warbler

Painted Redstart

Red-faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Western Tanager

Wild Turkey

Abert's Squirrel

Incinerator Ridge

Christine and I headed up to Incinerator Ridge (Mount Lemmon) on Thursday.  It was a beautiful early morning walk with lots of serenading birds the entire time.

There is usually at least one Abert's Squirrel begging for a photo:

And, of course, Incinerator Ridge is the most reliable place in the United States to find the Red Faced Warbler:

A pair of Stellar Jays were showing off their beauty, here's one of them:

And at the top in the brush was a male Virginia's Warbler. The first photo is diagnostic even though you can only see the underside -- but you can clearly see the yellow breast and undertail coverts with light gray belly, which distinguishes them from all other warblers:

Here a little bit better photo. Although with this photo you can't be sure it is a male, nor is it absolutely clear that it is not a female Nashville Warbler. I guess that's why I like the photo above in conjunction with this one:

Birding Mount Lemmon Again and Again

Some more photos from a quick trip up Mount Lemmon this morning:

Abert's Squirrel

Stellar Jay

Common Raven

Black Headed Grosbeak

Cliff Chipmunk

Red Tailed Hawk

Rose Canyon Lake, Mount Lemmon, Arizona

Took a quick trip up Mount Lemmon to Rose Canyon Lake to see if the Spring Migrants have arrived. The answer: Some.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

pygmy nuthatch

house wren

cassin's vireo

ash crested flycatcher

abert's squirrel

spotted towhee

western bluebird

brown creeper

american robin

hermit thrush

My "5" Rated Photos:

I thought for the next while, I'll share a "5" rated photo each day. Starting alphabetically, Abert's Squirrel taken in the Coconino Mountains of Northern Arizona:

Abert's Squirrel

Photographer or Naturalist, That is the Question

The balance between wildlife photography and nature lover gets blurry sometimes. I am not sure there needs to be a fine line of distinction between the two but certainly it is worth thinking about. DeWitt Jones, a National Geographic photographer I admire, said "every once in a while leave you camera behind and just enjoy nature naturally." The thought of not carrying 10 pounds worth of camera equipment around on a hike is definitely appealing. Of course, every time (well it seems like every time) I leave my camera behind I miss "the shot of a lifetime." 

I like keeping good photos of wildlife seen in various places around the world (thank goodness for digital photo storage and organizing  software), but eventually I replace good photos with better photos, keeping them in an "album" of all my best photos. At some point I end up with a photo like this White Tail Buck that I suspect will be very difficult to improve upon, and unlikely replaced in my "Best Photo Album":

White Tail Buck

Now, when I see White Tail Deer I don't think about photographing them unless there is something unusual about the setting, the lighting, or what they are doing. I can simply enjoy watching them as a nature lover. 

While roaming around the Coconino Forest ten days ago I came across many Abert's Squirrels darting around through the woods. I could easily have gotten frustrated not being able to get a good photo. Fortunately, five years ago  while roaming around in this same area I got one of those "I suspect will be very difficult to improve upon photos:" 

Abert's Squirrel

The beauty is that I can now watch them frolicking around without going for my camera. Just enjoy nature naturally. It is a beautiful thing after all.

Squirrels?

What's up next? I thought maybe squirrels for a couple of days. The Abert's Squirrel, also known as the "tassel-eared" tree squirrel is confined to the Ponderosa Pine forests on Colorado Plateau and the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico; its range extends south in the Sierra Madre Occidental to Chihuahua and Durango in Mexico. Abert's Squirrel also extends a short distance into Wyoming where ponderosa pine  is present. Abert's squirrels transplanted to the Graham and Catalina mountains of Southern Arizona have established stable populations. It feeds exclusively on the various parts of Ponderosa Pine trees:

Abert's Squirrel

photo taken in the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff

The Arizona Grey Squirrel found only in Arizona is found in deciduous and mixed forests of Arizona and New Mexico:

Arizona Grey Squirrel

photo taken in the Tucson Mountains

The Harris Antelope Ground Squirrel is a subspecies of Antelope Squirrels that is restricted to the Sonoran desert or scrub areas. It adapts to the hot desert sun by keeping its tail bent up over its back as an umbrella. It can also withstand body temperatures up to 104 degrees:

Harris Antelope Ground Squirrel

photo taken at The Azure Gate, Tucson

Then we get the Round Tail Ground Squirrel of the Southwestern deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. Like other "ground squirrels" it dig holes in the ground in which to escape predators -- or people. Usually these holes are under Prickly Pear Cactus, Creosote Bushes, or Mesquite Trees. These holes also serve as "dens" for the winter months and the hottest parts of summer days. They eat just about any vegetation, including berries, as well as any insects they can find. This one climbed a Creosote Bush to get at the berries:

Round Tail Ground Squirrel

photo take at The Azure Gate, Tucson