Hummer Heaven

Love this rustic sign

First, get your mind out of the gutter. Now, on my way to Sierra Vista, I GPS'd my way to a premier Hummingbird site for the U.S. of A, the Audubon Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia, AZ. The Paton Center is so v. cool. Once-upon-a-birding-festival, I watched Mrs. Paton doing her rounds. The Patons had umpteen hummingbird feeders hung around the perimeter of their ranch style house. Mrs. P no sooner filled all the feeders, then it was time for her to heave a heavy sigh. It was time to start over again because the first feeder was yet again, sitting on empty.

I guess she didn't mind because the Paton's yard hosted as many as fifteen species of hummingbirds which you must admit is pretty damned impressive. Because their hearts were two sizes too big, the Patons set up a shaded tent so birders could sit in comfort, binoculars aimed at the dozens and dozens of hummers battling over ownership of the feeders. Would you let dozens of strange and colorful hummingbirds... I mean, birders sit around all day in your back yard? The Paton's did so which is why they deserve to have their name attached to this now best beloved Hummingbird heaven.

Yet another smug Broad-billed Hummingbird

Today, it was the non-hummer sorts that caught my initial attention. Ladder-backed Woodpeckers which for the life of me looked more like Nuttal's to me, scrounged up and down tree limbs. Numerous Gambel's Quail roamed about. Another birder tried to get me onto some quail chicks but I couldn't see the camouflaged little buggers to save my life.

Not ladder-backed enough for my comfort

When I did pay attention to the hummers they were dog-fighting like the Kaiser was watching.

Take that you shiny green nectar thief!

There were scarlet feathered types about.

Summer Tanager

Songs and looks have no better representative than the Cardinal

One of the reasons I was set on visiting Paton's was I haven't laid eyes on a Violet-crowned Hummingbird since 1999. So I sat in this Hummingbird haven with high hopes. The birder who tried to get me 'on' to the quail chicks asked jovially, if he could 'wish up' a special bird or two for me. I turned to him and whined, "Well if you could find me a nice Violet-crowned Hummingbird it'd be nice." I turned my head around and guess what was sitting on a feeder, staring at me? I'm surprised the explosion of laughter didn't scare the thing off...

This Violet-crowned Hummer was apparently awaiting it's cue to enter stage right

Hurrah! How lovely to see such a gorgeous little mite. I wish the lighting had been less shady, but oh well, better shaded pics than none at all.

Violet-crowns, male & females, look alike

That's a quick look at the Paton's Hummingbird center. Then it was on to Sierra Vista and a little more birding before I head back home.

Last Look at Madera Canyon

Before deserting the Santa Rita Lodge at Madera Canyon for Sierra Vista today,  I doddered around the birdie feeders. So I thought I'd post the pics I'd neglected to post earlier in the week (for those who sadly, think I post all this while I'm actually out of town, ahem!).

A highlight of the week, a parti-colored species, the Varied Bunting

It was interesting - to me anyway - that last year's buntings were all lazuli Buntings, but this year there were no Lazuli's, only Varied Buntings. A little sad here, as when I watched a several buntings bouncing around in a wood pile at the bottom of the slope in front of me, I neglected to point them out to any of the other birders. By the time I thought to,  the buntings had bounced. That, I can assure you, is the height of bad birding manners. I must beg forgiveness."Audubon, Peterson & other legendary birders in the great beyond, I have sinned..."

A variety of species came in to nab bits of orange & suet from the pole feeder.

Black-headed Grosbeak, ho hum for me, but not from birders visiting from east of the Mississippi.

A bold little Bridled Titmouse

One bird that had me all excited when I first saw it was this female mumble, mumble Oriole.

Female... uh.. there's a blackish bib... but a Scott's?

I so wanted a Scott's Oriole to fly in, a male one, that is. That'd be a lifer bird for me. But only this female what's it showed up. I mean, this girlie has a v. gray head but I dunnon... she could just as likely be a Hooded Oriole. Why oh why didn't she bring along her better half? *heavy sigh*

And on to more cooperative birds, such as Blue Grosbeaks.

There are Blue Grosbeaks in California, but often as not I don't see more than one or two per year. Here in Arizona though, the things are practically a plague. Have seen more this week than in all previous years of my entire life. A half dozen at a time is no big deal in Arizona.

Male Blue Grosbeak

A female Blue Grosbeak, altogether llooking like a different species than her mate

Oh, and here's a Magnificent Hummingbird. What a name, Magnificent Hummingbird. Not Better-than-average Hummingbird or pretty-fancy-for-a-U.S.-Hummingbird, just Magnificent.

Magnificent 'Better-than-average' Hummingbird

 Oh, and while on the topic of Better-than-average Hummers, I inadvertently got a series of shots that told a bit of a story about bullying and come-up-pence. It started with a female Broad-billed Hummer, minding her own business, sipping nectar.

Minding her business when along came a bully - a male Magnificent

He kept dive-bombing the little female, over and over again

The b*stard took over the little girlie's place at the feeder

But too quick for my camera, the little girl chased the big jerk from HER perch
Doesn't the Magnificent look surprised at her moxie?

The Magnificent, its purple & turquoise caught the sun as it skedaddled

Lesser Nighthawk in the ebbing light

It was a nice few days at Madera Canyon. Every day ending with  driving to the bottom of the canyon. There I lazily watched Lesser Nighthawks patrol their territory, gulping down insects on the wing as  daylight faded.

 

An Afternoon at the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Swainson's Hawk soaring at the Refuge entrance

By Wednesday the semi-sad truth occurred to me, that the Plain-capped Starthroat Hummingbird has gone back to where ever it came from and this isn't my year to see one. *sigh* Certainly saw loads of other nice birds. On Wednesday I drove down to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in hopes of finding some of the Masked Bobwhite Quail but no dice.

Refuge view of Altar Valley and the Baboquivari Mountains

The adobe brick refuge visitor center

  Other species were kinder and I found the first of them at the Visitor Center.

Barn Swallows hung around visitor center entrance way

At the rear of the visitors center I saw lots of other birds, and I watched them while I had my lunch on the picnic patio.

Visitor center's back patio picnic area

A Say's Phoebe found me suspicious

A Cactus Wren caught and enjoyed its own picnic beneath a picnic table

Vermillion Flycatcher also watched me eat lunch

After lunch I hit the Pronghorn Drive, but alas, as the last time I visited the refuge, no Pronghorns.

I found a lot more wildflowers than wildlife.

Coulter's Matilija Poppy aka Cowboy's Fried Egg Flower

Wild Verbena

Now we're talking desert wildflowers... a prickly pear cactus flower

Most of the birds I saw were either Eastern/Western Meadowlarks or Horned Larks.

The Horned Larks seemed, like me, to wilt in the heat

After leaving the refuge I drove back towards the tiny town of Arivaca, but on the way I stopped for short walk around one of the refuge trailheads. I found several nice birds and a pair of cooperative Butterflies.

Tiny Checkerspots

On the way back to Madera Canyon, barely a quarter mile north Arivaca I saw a small kettle of vultures. I was surprised to see there were Black Vultures, which I always associate with the east coast. The Black Vultures circled a road kill with the usual Turkey Vultures. That was a nice treat, I mean, seeing a second type of vulture, not the dead kitty.

Black Vulture left, Turkey Vulture Right

Altogether I had a nice day, abliet a hot one, taking in the sights of the southeast. Later in the evening I was pleased to get a quick look at one of Santa Rita's resident Elf Owls that nest in a telephone pole by the bird feeding area. Add to that, the air was full of the sound of various night birds, the most exciting one of which was the Mexican Whippoorwill. Ugh! Now I know I've heard them, I certainly wish I could find one to photograph, but will probably have to wait a year or ten, just like my first sighting of a Plain-capped Starthroat.