Back to Birding Mount Lemmon

I continue to bird Mount Lemmon just outside Tucson in Arizona. The first of the birding sites is just 8 miles from us. And from there up to the top (30 miles from us) is outstanding birding. 

I've been on a "mission" to find a photograph a male Olive Warbler. I'm also trying to get a better photo of a Grace's Warbler.

As I've talked with other birders, I think many of the "reported" Olive sightings have actually been Hermit Warblers -- which are plentiful. With almost every trip I find a Grace's but they are extremely difficult to photograph. They are almost exclusively in the top third of the tall pine trees above 7000 feet. That being the case it is difficult to get that full side view in full detail.

Yesterday, at dawn, I started at the top and worked my way down. The thought is that the top gets sun first which attracts the Warblers. Six hours later, I came home after having taken 1350 photos. (Thank goodness for digital). And although I missed on the male Olive again, I came back with some "bests".

Here are a few of the photos:

White Tailed Deer

Female Western Bluebird feeding its Chick

Red Tailed Hawk

Virginia's Warbler

Pine Siskin

Nashville Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

Orange Crowned Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Male Hermit Warbler

Mothers with Babies, Last one

One last post -- for now -- of mothers with babies. I usually think in terms of mammals, then birds with their chicks, but there are others to be considered. Take this parent with it's young for example:

Desert Spiny Lizard

 Of course, seeing mammals nursing their young for me is a treat:

American Bison with Calf

White Tail Deer with Fawn

sleeping Through it All: Part II

Here are some of the other photos of mammals laying down:

Elk: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Javelina: Our Bed and Breakfast

Moose: Near Maligne Lake, Alberta, Canada

Mountain Goats: Mount Evans, Colorado

Mule Deer: Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

Pronghorn: Eagle Creek, Arizona

White Tail Deer: Mt. Elden, Arizona

Said with Tongue in Cheek

Every once in awhile I change my desktop photo. And, two days ago I had such an urge so was looking for a new photo and decided on the Bobcat photo below. I have been looking at that photo on my desktop for a two days now. And this morning I wondered how many different mammal photos I have where I can see their tongue. (Okay, I admit I must not have anything important to do --- or, that I am feeling lazy and am procrastinating the important things). Nonetheless,  I found ten such photos. My idle mind then thought, I have been doing my Blog for 28 months now, why not a Post on "Tongues?" Soo .....

Bison

Black Bear

Bobcat

Coatimundi

Coyote

Elk

Hooded Skunk

Moose

Mule Deer

White Tail Deer

More Babies

The increase in the Deer population throughout North America, among other things, means more frequent sightings of young fawns. I wrote in September about the newborn Coues White Tail Deer I came across in the Chiricahua Mountains. This little guy I mistook for a Jackrabbit at first  -- until I realized he was too small to be a Jackrabbit. He wasn't much bigger than a house cat. The Mule Deer photo was taken in Yellowstone Park and the White Tail Deer photo was taken in Glacier National Park.  In all three cases there were two fawns with their mother.

Coues White Tail Deer Fawn

Mule Deer

White Tail Deer

Ramsey Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, Arizona

Today, another picnic and hike. This time Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains of Southeastern Arizona. We started out around 8:30 and went up the canyon along the creek taking both side loops. Then, took Hamburg Trail and its switchbacks up the mountain. It was another great hike. Here are some photos from the hike:

White Tail Deer

Younger White Tail Deer in Ramsey Canyon Creek

The Endangered Ramsey Canyon Spotted Leopard Frog

Red Naped Sapsucker

One of about ten Wild Turkeys foraging around on the side of the Canyon

Another of the Wild Turkeys

Muleshoe Ranch, Galiuro Mountains, Arizona - Part II

In addition to the Long Eared Owl, there were a variety of other photo ops:

This Sacred Datura nestled among weeds and grasses.

A  Pipevine Swallowtail was one of hundreds of butterflies fluttering around Hot Springs Wash.

And, here in a dry part of the wash, a White Tail Doe with her fawn.

Finally, a Red Naped Sapsucker seemed insistent on drilling in this cottonwood tree along the wash.

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.

Fort Huachuca: Garden Canyon - Part III

Rarely do I hike or drive through Garden Canyon that I don't see some White Tail Deer. This time was no different -- except that there were several young bucks included in the group. As you can see their antlers are still in the growing stage having plenty of velvet on them. This, in contrast to Elk or Moose (that live in colder climates) where the velvet is gone or almost gone and they are preparing for the rut by this time.

White Tail Deer Buck

White Tail Deer Bucks

Mothers with Babies (or sometimes dads): White Tail Deer

Males compete for the opportunity of breeding females. Sparring among males determines a hierarchy of dominance. Bucks will attempt to copulate with as many females as possible, losing physical condition since they rarely eat or rest during the rut. The general geographical trend is for the rut to be shorter in duration at increased latitude. There are many factors as to how intense the "rutting season" will be. Air temperature is one major factor of this intensity. Any time the temperature rises above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the males will do much less traveling looking for females, or they will be subject to overheating or dehydrating. Another factor for the strength in rutting activity is competition. If there are numerous males in a particular area, then they will compete more for the females. If there are fewer males or more females, then the selection process will not need to be as competitive. Females enter estrus in late October or early November. Sexual maturation of females depends on the density of deer population as well as availability of food and water. Females can mature in their first year, although this is unusual and would occur only at very low population levels. Most females mature at 1–2 years of age. Most are not able to reproduce until six months after they mature.

Females give birth to 1–3 spotted young, known as fawns, in May or June. Fawns lose their spots during the first summer and will weigh from 44 to 77 pounds by the first winter. Male fawns tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. For the first four weeks, fawns mostly lie still and hide in vegetation while their mothers forage. They are then able to follow their mothers on foraging trips. They are weaned after 8–10 weeks. Males will leave their mothers after a year and females leave after two.

White Deer Doe with Fawn

Ramsey Canyon Part II

In addition to the female Calliope at Ramsey Canyon, I witnessed a young White Tail Deer eating leaves from an Arizona Oak. I thought that sequence might be fun to show today: