Category: Birds

Sorry Little One

A pair of legs and tail feathers of a young Harris’ hawk lie scattered on the desert floor in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 27, 2023. Original: _Z726694.NEF

The world is often beautiful but rarely kind, as all the little creatures fed to this young hawk discovered, and eventually the hawk learned too. From what I could see only the legs and a pile of feathers remained, as honey-colored ants recycled what little soft tissue and fluids remained. Bear and I didn’t hike this trail again until weeks later when the only signs of this once beautiful life were a few feathers scattered on the desert floor.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: October 27, 2023

Expansive Views

A loggerhead shrike perches in the arms of an ocotillo in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 20, 2024. Origial: _A676712.ARW

Like saguaros, ocotillos provide winged predators perches with expansive views of the desert floor. Even when they leaf out, their leaves are small and don’t stay long. Their thinner arms generally host smaller predators like kestrels or this loggerhead shrike, but in the far distance I could seen an ancient ocotillo entertaining a Harris’ hawk.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: October 20, 2024

The Woodpecker Hotel

A Harris's hawk perches on a large saguaro pocked with woodpecker nests on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 15, 2024. Original: _ZFC1322.NEF

The Woodpecker Hotel is one of my favorite saguaros, quite the survivor to get this old and this big. I wonder how many animals owe their lives in part to the giant, from what must be hundreds of woodpeckers who were born in its arms to countless creatures who fed on its flowers and fruit. I hadn’t planned on photographing it on this occasion as Bear and I headed back to the car but I couldn’t resist when I saw the hawk perched on top.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: February 15, 2024

I Slept But Very Little

A Canada goose rests in the grass with four goslings nestled in its wings at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington on May 10, 2009. Original: _MG_4000.CR2

The brochure for Ridgefield NWR had a quote from the Lewis & Clark Journal on their visit to the area that always made me smile:

I slept but very little last night for the noise kept up during the whole of the night by the swans, geese…brant (and) ducks on a small sand island…they were immensley numerous and their noise horrid.
Capt. William Clark
Lower Columbia River
November 5, 1805

As someone who both has trouble sleeping and made a similar cross-country journey when my wife and I drove to Oregon years ago, I feel qualified to comment and say the expedition should have brought a white noise machine, or at least downloaded one to their phone. Classic rookie mistake!

If they had stayed to enjoy summer in the Pacific Northwest they would have slept soundly as the big flocks of waterfowl migrate out, leaving a smaller group of residents like this Canada goose with four goslings nestled in its wings.

📷: Canon 20D | Canon 500mm f/4 | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: May 10, 2009

mlem

A female Anna's hummingbird perches on a bougainvillea branch in our backyard in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 12, 2019. Original: _DSC2176.ARW

A long thin beak necessitates a long thin tongue. We had a ton of bougainvillea when we moved in years ago but had it ripped out as it was a nightmare to maintain. The local wildlife misses it as our backyard is rather sparse now but this is not entirely a bad thing with Bear around. I do miss gardening from our time in Portland but I don’t have the bandwidth for it here. Something to look forward to in retirement though I’ll need some lessons as I have no idea how to grow things in an area where everything stabs you.

📷: Sony A6500 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 12, 2019