Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2018 - XV

Today a Hooded Oriole:

Hooded Oriole at Molino Basin, Catalina Mountains

Birding Mount Lemmon - Part III

Hooded Orioles seem to like the Molino Basin Campground; enough so that there is often a nesting pair. Here are a few photos of the Hooded Oriole:

Female

Male

Male

Male Singing

Male

Male

Molino Basin

A quick trip early morning (to beat the heat) to Molino Basin which is one of the first stops on the road to Mount Lemmon. It's still quite hot, but the combination of water and trees provides some interesting birding.

The moment we arrived there was a beautiful Hooded Oriole sitting atop one of the trees. It was a good start to the day:

Hooded Oriole 

Best Wildlife Photos of 2016: Hooded Oriole

A pair of Hooded Orioles nested here at The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast this year. And here is a juvenile male that resulted. He's sitting on a Fan Palm which is one of the Hooded Oriole's favorite resting spots:

Juvenile Male Hooded Oriole

Back Yard Birding: A Hooded Oriole Family

Yesterday while sitting in my office working, Christine came over to say there was a large yellow bird in the oasis. (Large I took to mean larger than the many Lesser Goldfinches we have).

So I grabbed my camera and went into the oasis for a look. He had been in one of our mesquite trees but now nowhere to be found. Yet, a few minutes later one of our guests spotted him over by our fan palms. 

I could see right away that it was an immature oriole; maybe Bullocks, maybe Hooded. As I checked Sibley's I found the following statement for the Hooded Oriole: "uncommon in open wooded or brushy habitats, often near fan palms..."

I have photos of about a dozen different Hooded Orioles -- and none on or even near fan palms. Now, here was this oriole in our backyard hanging out on and near fan palms. I figured I had my answer.

An hour or so later I spotted both the adult male and female -- though didn't have my camera with me. 

Here are some of the photos of the young male Hooded Oriole: 

Rock Corral Canyon, Tumacacori Mountains

Since I had success (and fun) a couple weeks ago going into the Tumacacori Mountains, I thought I'd do it again. 

And, again lots of fun ... lots of birds.

Here's a sample:

Summer Tanager Female

Blue Grosbeak Male singing away

Lark Bunting Male who was being pursued by four Females

Hooded Oriole Male gathering food for his Chick

Hooded Oriole Chick waiting patiently for food from his Dad

Curved Bill Thrasher and Broad Bille Hummingbird wanting to feed from the Century Plant.

Very nicely detail Roadrunner

Other birds included: Gray Hawk, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Black Throated Sparrow,  Northern Cardinals -- male and female, Lesser Goldfinches, Western and Cassin's Kingbirds to name a few.

Hooded Oriole

Next up on my alphabetical listing of "5" Star Photos is the Hooded Oriole. Such a beautiful bird its hard not for it to be "5" Stars provided you get close.  The Hooded Oriole doesn't have the range of the Bullocks (West) or the Baltimore and Orchard (East) so it is less often seen. It is found only in the Southwest, primarily Southwestern Arizona. And a real treat when you do.

Hooded Oriole

Orioles

It is also high season for Orioles. The Baltimore and Orchard Orioles are essentially in the eastern half of the US. while the Bullocks Oriole is in the western half. The Hooded and Scotts Orioles are found only in the Southwest. So, in Arizona we commonly have the Bullocks, Hooded, and Scotts. Occasionally, the Streak-backed Oriole and Audubons Oriole are sighted here in southern Arizona. (Both have been reported this year). While the males are fairly easy to identify, the females are a little more challenging. 

The Taxonomy -- classification of birds, while scientific, is not something that ornithologists around the world completely agree upon. There are Old World Orioles (Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia) and New World Orioles. Curiously, they are unrelated. New World Orioles are related to "Blackbirds" even though their plumage is much more like Old World Orioles than Blackbirds.

Most of the Orioles in the US are migratory and only here in the Summer. That's true (for the most part) even here in Southern Arizona. Orioles are essentially insect feeders, but will also eat fruit and nectar. I use a modified hummingbird feeder (larger ports and perches), jelly, and a nut/bug mix to attract them. I have those feeders out from March through September.

Male Bullocks Oriole

Female Bullocks Oriole

Male Hooded Oriole

Female Hooded Oriole

Male Scotts Oriole

Female Scotts Oriole

Madera Canyon

I went to Madera Canyon hoping that the Berylline Hummingbird would still be around. But, after three hours of waiting I left without seeing one. But, as always there were some other photo ops available: hepatic tanager, hooded oriole, acorn woodpecker, and magnificent hummingbird were a few seen:

Female Hepatic Tanager

Acorn Woodpecker

Female Magnificent Hummingbird

Female Hooded Oriole

Madera Canyon is Open!

Madera Canyon is open again. Still some restrictions on campfires, but trails are open. So off I went and found some nice photos:

Acorn Woodpecker with Seed

Bridled Titmouse

Hooded Oriole

Patton's in Patagonia - revisited Part II

I have always liked the Orioles. Especially since the Washington Senators moved out of Washington for the second time back in 1969. But, it wasn't until moving to Tucson that I found other kinds of Orioles. The Bullock's Oriole is a migratory bird found throughout the Western US during the summer months. The Scott's Oriole, also migratory, found throughout the Southwestern US during the summer months. And, the Hooded Oriole, found only in the extreme Southwestern US (again in the summer). We occasionally get the Hooded Oriole passing through the Azure Gate. We had one just last week which I was unable to photograph. Here's a photo of a Hooded Oriole I took here last year on one of our feeders:

Although I went to Patton's in Patagonia yesterday hoping the migratory Violet Crowned Hummingbird had arrived (see yesterday's post), I was pleasantly surprised to find both the Bullock's Oriole (male and female) and the Scott's Oriole (male) very willing to be photographed. First up, a Bullock's female that was catching bees from a honey jar:

Next, a Bullock's female sitting on an iron rod which held a couple of hummingbird feeders:

The next two photos are Bullock's males showing their wonderfully colorful plumage:

And, finally the Scott's Oriole (male). The Scott's Oriole would come down and drink from the hummingbird feeder too, but would then fly up into the tall trees. They seem to like the Sycamore's that typically line the Patagonia Creek. Once in the tall trees they would jump around climbing higher and higher, making photographing them more and more of a challenge. The Bullocks, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to be in the lower branches of the trees. Here's the Scott's:

Birds of The Azure Gate

In additional to the occasional Brown Crested Flycatcher, here are a few other occasional visitors to The Azure Gate:

Black Headed Grosbeak

Typically found in hardwood forests, the Black Headed Grosbeak summers in the Western US and winters in Mexico. He was probably just passing through on his migration.

Hooded Oriole

The Hooded Oriole is another summer migrant only found in the extreme southern Arizona and California (and occasionally New Mexico and Texas).

Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mocking bird is much more widespread found throughout the US except in the Northwest, Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Like the Hooded Oriole often found in suburban neighborhoods. Unlike the Hooded Oriole is a year round resident.