Category: Birds

Tree Topper

A male phainopepla perches above a pile of desert mistletoe berry detritus in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona

Perhaps this winter I should top the Christmas tree with a phainopepla ornament, they certainly make a lovely tree topper. Desert mistletoe berries are a favored food but I’ll pass on replicating the debris field of detritus beneath them, fresh clumps are a giveaway of a preferred perch.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: February 14, 2024

Mixed Feelings

A great horned owl perches with its eyes closed in the last light of the day in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 27, 2023. Original: _A672991.ARW

I have photographed owls here with a variety of focal lengths over the past year, in December I lugged out my biggest telephoto for a close view. As the sun sank behind a mountain, my favorite moment as usual was when the last bit of soft light fell on the sleepy hunter. It was so lovely and peaceful but I had mixed feelings as locals have created two paths that look like they lead directly beneath the boulders. In a Phoenix park there’s a successful nest in a saguaro right next to an official trail, so perhaps these owls will also tolerate the human intrusion, just wish they didn’t have to.

📷: Sony A6700 | Canon 500mm | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: December 27, 2023

Savannah Stretches

A savannah sparrow stretches while perching on a cattail at South Quigley Lake in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington on October 1, 2017. Original: _DSC0640.CR2

These pictures remind me of spring as I so loved sitting beside a lush meadow and listening to the savannah sparrows sing. They were taken in the fall though, the green backdrop courtesy of the wonderland that is the Pacific Northwest.

📷: Sony A6500 | Canon 500mm | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: October 1, 2017

A savannah sparrow perches on a cattail at South Quigley Lake in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington on October 1, 2017. Original: _DSC0610.CR2