More Hummers From Miller Canyon

Normally I would show you photos of the Javelinas when they came around. But this time I am not going to do that. They uprooted and shredded three beautiful flowering Yuccas I had just bought and planted three days earlier. So, I am not going to give them that publicity. I don't want to encourage that behavior just to get their photo on the internet.

So, on to the Hummingbirds of Miller Canyon.

Here a beautiful Broad Billed Hummingbird is cleaning his bill after drinking nectar.

Here a female Broad Billed Hummingbird is gathering material for her nest.

Here a juvenile Magnificent Hummingbird rests before taking another drink.

I am not quite sure about this one. Maybe an Anna's, but thought it was a unique photo.

Miller Canyon Trail

Although in the waning days of our busy season, I am still limited to day trips until our busy season is over. So, it was back to Miller Canyon to hike up to Miller Peak. I started at Beatty's Orchard to see what hummingbirds were around and then took off up the trail. Although some of the "exotics" (Blue Throated, Berylline, and White Eared hummers have not arrived yet) I did get a wonderful photo sequence with an Anna's juvenile female. So, that's it for today. Tomorrow, a few other hummers, then what I found up the canyon:

Here she is sitting on branch. 

She notices the flower above -- maybe smells the nectar?

Still clutched on her "perch" she sips nectar from that flower.

Finished with that flower she turns to the nectar in the flowers behind her -- still from her perch. 

More from Ramsey Canyon

The trials continue. Often with the small birds you only have a nano second to get a photograph. That means once you find a bird, you must find him again in the viewfinder, focus, and shoot. I remember back to my film days and being "lucky" enough to have a Bald Eagle fly right in front of me. I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get home and get the film develop so that I could see my award winning photo. I must say, that as a general rule I feel very good about a great many of my photos. But I also recognize that some may not turn out quite as I wanted -- or expected. As it turns out, at the very moment my camera captured the Bald Eagle his wing was in an upward position -- and covered his entire face. In Ramsey Canyon Saturday, we came across this Wilson's Warbler. I was able to take three photos before he flew away -- none were very good. Why? Because at the moment the shutter opened the Warbler was  not positioned correctly. Here his head was down -- which, although helped identify it as a Wilson's, did not give me the photo I wanted. Oh well:

Wilson's Warbler

Continuing with Saturday's trip to Ramsey Canyon

I find that the small birds are the most difficult of all wildlife to photograph. They are either flying about at speeds of Mach II or sitting in a tree behind leaves and branches that even Superman would have trouble seeing through. If you even try to approach them they take off like they are Olympic Gold Medalists in the hundred meter dash. They always seem to be just far enough away that a photo of them would be an unidentified spot the size of a blemish on an ant. So, how to get a good photo -- other than at the Bird Aviary at the Sonoran Desert Museum? It requires three things: first, a decent camera (13 megapixels or more - if digital), a very good super telephoto lens (300 mm or more), and most of all luck.  Luck that they are out in the open. Luck that they sit still. And, luck that you can get close enough. The photos today are of a Hermit Thrush, and while they did sit still out in the open, this was the best I could do before they felt I was too close and flew away.

On to the next adventure: Ramsey Canyon - again.

Christine and I like to take hikes every chance we get.  When the temperature gets hot we usually head to the mountain ranges. It was 98 degrees on Saturday, so we took a long time friend (who was staying with us) to the Ramsey Canyon Preserve (run by The Nature Conservancy). TNC has really done a wonderful job over the past 5 years expanding the trails and establishing new hummingbird feeding areas. So, it has become one of those "best birding spots" in Arizona. One of the birds I photographed was the Cordilleran Flycatcher -- I think. There are a great number of these small flycatchers (northern breardless-tyrannulet, western wood peewee, cordilleran flycatcher, willow flycatcher, hammond's flycatcher, dusky flycatcher, and gray flycatcher) all found in Southern Arizona -- and all of whom look very, very similar. Many accounts say that the only way to tell them apart is by their song. Well, since I am nearly deaf that doesn't help me much. It also means that you must hear those songs frequently, can distinguish between them -- and can remember which song belongs to which bird. I have a hard time identifying the voices of my daughters sometimes and I talk to them all the time. And, the grandkids, as they say in Jersey --- "forget about it!"

Anyway, here are a couple photos of -- I think -- the Cordilleran Flycatcher from Saturday at Ramsey Canyon:

Back to finish Ash Canyon til next time

Just to finish some of the last photos at Ash Canyon: the Lazuli Bunting, Bridled Titmouse, and Yellow Rumped Warbler:

Lazuli Bunting Male

Lazuli Bunting Female

Bridled Titmouse

Yellow Rumped Warbler

They're Back!

Oh how I love the Javelinas! As I got up this morning and took out the recycle around 5:45 AM, I noticed that one of the 96 gallon trash cans had been upended by the Javelinas, and trash -- garbage -- was everywhere. So, there I was with a rake and a shovel cleaning up. An hour later I was sitting in my office when the Javelinas came back. Couldn't count 'em. Probably 15 or so. Big ones, lil ones. I went to see if any of our guests were up and interested. One of the guests had camera in hand and off we went. Here are a couple of photos I took before they got away:

Javelina a bit startled by me.

Mom with two babies