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

Olive versus Hermit Warbler

I have always liked warblers and finding and photographing the less common ones can be exciting if not thrilling. Identifying the various species is sometimes challenging -- especially without the added of a camera, binoculars, or spotting scope.

Like many bird species, the males are often the more colorful making them easier to identify. The male hummingbirds for example. However, the female hummingbirds are a little more challenging. Same is true of Cardinals and Pyrrhuloxias. Males easy, females less so.

And the same is true of warblers.

Plumage in both the Olive Warbler and Hermit Warbler are different between their sexes. As you can clearly see from the photos below, the plumage in the two males is strikingly different. The male Olive has a "butterscotch" head, throat, upper breast and a black mask. The male Hermit has a yellowish head with black throat and upper breast, with a variably dark cheek patch.

Male Olive Warbler

Male Hermit Warbler

However the plumage in the female Olive is quite similar to a young female Hermit Warbler making it challenging to identify in the wild without the add of song. Both females have a yellowish head and throat with a variable darkish cheek patch. As the female Hermit Warbler ages, some black in the throat begins to appear, but even that is variable. As a general rule the wing bars are weaker in the Olive, but again that is variable. Here are photos of the females:

Female Hermit Warbler

Female Olive Warbler

Both of these warblers are constantly foraging and partially (or fully) hidden in Ponderosa Pine  Clutches. The Hermit Warbler doesn't restrict itself to Ponderosa Pines as the Olive typically does, so that can be a clue when seen elsewhere. When both are foraging in Ponderosa Pines, I usually find it too difficult to accurately identify the females until I download the photos and take a closer look. 

I never understood why the Olive Warbler was so named. The male has no visible "olive" color. But on close examination of the female Olive Warbler you can see the olive color on its crown and nape. On the other hand, maybe it was named after my grandmother whose name was "Olive." Here is a photo of the female showing the olive color:

Female Olive Warbler

Birding Mount Lemmon - Part X

Birding is all about being in the right place at the right time. Not approximately, but exactly since you may only get a glance before it's gone.

The key then is to put yourself in the place with the most potential -- your best chance of finding what you are looking for.

Sometimes that's not always possible. For instance, yesterday I couldn't leave until after I served breakfast to our guests. I started with a quick look at the Alder Picnic site. As luck would have it, there was a nice male Olive Warbler waiting for me.

My next stop was a walk from the Cookie Cabin to Marshall Gulch Picnic site. Again, as luck would have it just across from the Cookie Cabin was a Red Faced Warbler sitting on a branch cleaning himself (for at least five minutes). A little further down, another Red Faced Warbler. There were a few other birds but I think as time passes, birding slows down as more people walk, run, or drive up and down the road.

My next stop was Incinerator Ridge. I started at the bottom but not much going on. However, at the top it was so birdie that it was difficult to keep up. I had to decide what to photograph. I started just taking photos not always sure what I was photographing. Case in point, there were lots of Pygmy and White Breasted Nuthatches -- it wasn't until I got home and downloaded photos that I saw a Red Breasted Nuthatch among the photos. Just one, but it was good enough.

In a matter of three minutes or so, photos of Townsend's, Hermit, and Red Faced Warblers. Then there was another bird that appeared to be a fledgling that I have yet to identify. I'll show that as well. And lots of Hermit Thrushes, Mountain Chickadees, a nice Warbling Vireo ...

My next stop was going to be Rose Canyon Lake, but I was having too much fun at Incinerator Ridge so I never got to RCL. "I ended up taking 604 photos."

Olive Warbler

Olive Warbler

Red Faced Warbler

Red Faced Warbler

Red Faced Warbler

Hermit Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

Warbling Vireo

Red Breasted Nuthatch Female

Fledgling Something (Yellow-Eyed Junco?)

Mountain Chickadee

Yellow-Eyed Junco Juvenile

Birding Mount Lemmon Part VI

Still a few more recent photos from Mount Lemmon, here at the Alder Picnic site atop the ridge:

Broad Tailed Hummingbird

Here the Broad Tailed Hummer feeding

The often present Olive Warbler (couldn't get a great photo but...)

Pine Siskin

This Week's Warblers

Just now catching up from a very busy season and then getting out for a few days photographing. I'll start with nine warblers I have been able to find and photograph this past week.

The first is a Hermit Warbler that -- acting out its name -- did not want to be photographed. I did the best I could. The others are quite a bit better.

Hermit Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Olive Warbler Female

Painted Redstart

Red Faced Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow Breasted Chat

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Yellow Warbler

My Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2017 - 12

Continuing with my favorite wildlife photos of 2017 (in alphabetical order):

Olive Warbler

The Olive Warbler is one of my favorite birds to photograph. I've mentioned before, how the name "Olive" warbler seems inappropriate since there is not a speck of olive color on the male. I'd prefer the name "Butterscotch" Warbler since it's hood is a rich butterscotch color.

The Olive Warbler lives above 7,000 feet and almost exclusively high up in Ponderosa Pines. So finding and getting a good photograph is always challenging. 

This one was singing away. I like the blue background and the out of focus pine needles behind the warbler. 

Birding Mount Lemmon

The best months for birding Mount Lemmon are April through the beginning of September. By October many of the migrants have moved on to their winter homes. Most of what remains are the birds that live in the Catalinas year round.

So I was somewhat surprised to see a Hermit Warbler the beginning of October:

Hermit Warbler

 The Olive Warbler is one of the few warblers that are year round residents:

Olive Warbler

Townsend's Warblers can usually be found year round though with much lower numbers in June and July (not a very good photo but just to confirm its presence).

Townsend's Warbler

Hermit Thrushes, Acorn Woodpeckers, Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, and Western Bluebirds are year round residents so no surprise to find them on Mount Lemmon in October:

Hermit Thrush

Acorn Woodpecker

Mountain Chickadee

Pygmy Nuthatch

Western Bluebird