Last Flight out of Tucson

Cactus Wren feeding at Saguaro Cactus blossoms

Yesterday started with me eyeballing a Harris Hawk that soared past my rental car as I headed for the north district of Saguaro National Park. Wish the bird had been heading for the park so we could rendezvous there. Despite it being largely Harris Hawk free, I enjoyed most of my morning, driving the 8 mile loop, taking short - and I mean short - hikes along the route. Of course, the only reason I ever set foot in deserts, now I'm not a field biologist anymore, is to take pix. In other words, I don't do it for exercise or for love of sandy gravel, I do it solely for the photo ops.

Managed a through-the-cactus shot of this little Harris' Ground Squirrel

A trotting and looking annoyed, a Gambel's Quail hen

Gila Woodpecker engaging in deep research

As I did last year, I checked every Saguaro cactus along that long, l-o-n-g route hoping to see an Elf Owl peeking out of a cactus hole: no such luck this year.

Post-Saguaro NP I decided to check out nearby Colossal Cave Mountain Park. The park was HUMONGOUS with two distinct areas to it. The first was, no surprises here, is the cave.

Cave and its Entryway on the left, HUMONGOUS rest of park, on right

I only spent a short time at the Cave area and declined actually taking its tour. Honestly, when it's too warm, it would take either the world's largest, calorie free ice cream sundae or something tempting and illegal in several states to get me hiking. I was willing to walk - a bit - in a butterfly garden. The garden was located in the far-off-reaches of the park as seen in picture above.

The butterfly garden was in the La Posta Quemada Ranch portion of the park. The ranch has a riding stable (no I also won't ride when the temperatures mean both the horse and I are sweaty at the stand-still). There on the Ranch stood the HQ, which in the 1960s was a ranch house with a family. Here's a view inside the HQ.

Today a park HQ, once-upon-
a-time ranchero living room

V. lovely building, and it must have been fun to live in, that is, not to beat a dead & ailing horse, if it had air conditioning. Anyway, had a modest sandwich centered lunch bought at the HQ, then headed off to the butterfly garden next door.

Butterfly Garden and teeny bit of desert tortoise habitat

Nice and shady, which meant there was less swearing than I normally indulge in when walking around hot areas. There were goo-gobbers of butterflies alighting everywhere. They seemed trained to take off as I approached however. Oh well. Here were new flutterbys for the week, the only ones that deigned to hold still for a shot.

I present her majesty, the Queen Butterfly

Mormon Metalmark

After the butterfly garden I did some touring at the southern Saguaro Park district, and the best sighting there was the mangiest coyote I've seen this year. I can't say it was the mangiest I've ever seen, as I saw one a couple of years go that was so astoundingly ugly and mangy it nudged me towards believing in chupacabras. I had considered posting that coyote's picture on line, but I didn't want to be responsible for children accidentally viewing it and developing a life long aversion to the internet.

The butterfly garden was a nice end to a short week in southeast Arizona. How much do you want to bet, the minute I leave for home, the Plain-capped Star Throats will invade once again?

UPDATE: Yes. In mid July, a Plain-capped Starthroat flew into Madera Canyon for a few day's visit. Hum... just how did that bird know I'd left?   

Ramsey Canyon Score

Ramsey Canyon view

Today was day two of 'Find the Flame-colored Tanager'. I headed up Ramsey Canyon,Quest, not actually expecting to find the bird.  When I made my way to the where the tanager was is said to hang out, there were many birders, who hadn't seen the bird as yet. Several false starts happened that set groups of birders hiking up and down the canyon trail with me trailing along, in total fear of missing the bird altogether. But today was miracle day and eventually a tanger-ish melody wove in and out of the pines and sycamores, causing everyone to race for the source of the song. Finally I looked up, and there, on a darkened branch in the shade was the tanager. Suddenly I had myself a new life.

First view of the tanager, in a not-too-sunny spot

After five minutes or so the singing male moved into a brighter spot

If I were a female Tanager, he'd be my choice

Must have taken a b'jillion photos of Mr. T (Tanager), who sang like he was auditioning at an auxiliary branch of the Met. It took 2 days, but I got my bird.YAY! Having seen my first, and hopefully not the last lifer of this trip, I headed back down the canyon, and got yet another treat. A birder, going wild snapping shots in a small tree, shot me a massive grin and pointed out a tiny little nest only about 10 ft, if that high.

"It's a Plumbeous Vireo nest. The birds are over in that tree over there, but they'll be back if you wait." The birder, still grinning headed off downhill.

I stared at the clever little nest, made with dry leaves and bits of cottonwood fluff. After a few minutes, the little Vireo, the species of which was a lifer for me last year, flew in.

'Babies... Mama brought you a num-num!'

Awww... who're the cutest nestlings in the canyon...? You are!'

I watched the vireo and the nest for quite a while, and made sure to honor the unwritten birding code and made sure I put others to viewing the nest before moving on.

I also saw a massive sycamore tree, with a broken limb that hung right over the trail. Into said limb, I watched a Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher slip into, but the silly bird wouldn't come out again and do it all over again for my photographic benefit. Happily I did get another shot at a Sulfur-belly. I went Canyon hopping again, visiting Ash and Miller Canyon. In Miller Canyon a Sulfur Bellied Flycatcher bounced around and gave me lots of nice pix.

Sulfur-bellied in Miller Canyon

Sulfury tinge is visible on that stripped belly

Ramsey Canyon

Tufted Flycatcher, totally unseen by N. C. Miller

Yesterday I headed for Ramsey Canyon, a best beloved birding spot which would be perfect for me if it were more horizontal in nature, but you can't have everything. Ramsey is jumpin' these days for the exotic birdies that have flown in from the tropics, the most sought after being the Tufted Flycatcher. To see this little exotic feathered thing, an uphill hike to the Ramsey Canyon summit followed by a mile hike along a mountain ridge was required. Loads of people did the hike, me however, not so much. Hope it returns about two years from now at which time I plan to be ready to hike to see the little booger.

Crap shot, of great bird, Elegant Trogon

Meanwhile, yesterday I was after a different tropical rarity that's been found uphill about half a mile up the canyon. So, with camera (loaded with film & charged battery which I had presence of mind to check) I headed uphill. It was nice & cool under the shaded canyon trail. I heard an old familiar call, that of the Elegant Trogons which called vigorously.

Tickled to see a bird that was a lifer for me just last year, I made my way up to where I found a group of birders.

"The Tanager?" I asked hopefully.

"Just left a couple of minutes ago. It'll be back." the Tanager sated birders replied.

Thus started a long, long, futile wait for the Flame-colored Tanager to return. These south of the border birds, a breeding pair showed up a week or two ago, and started building a nest in a little pine tree.  The Tanger's nesting tree was fenced off for protection.

Nesting site was fenced off to protect the little pine on the right

 While we all chatted and waited for the Flame-colored Tanager male to return, I photographed whatever winged thingies came in sight.

Texas Crescent Butterfly

Painted Redstart, cutest little thing in the Canyon

A girlie, Northern Flicker, trying it's best to look like a Gilded Flicker, just for me

 One hour. Two hours. Three hours. No Flame-colored anything. I was starting to get hungry and as no food is allowed in the canyon (unless you are feathered, furred or scaled) getting back to my rental car seemed a good idea. Heavily disappointed I started the long trudge back down the canyon. Loads of birds danced around along the route, and not to far from the visitor center I stopped to rest on, I kid you not, a wooden rocking chair to watch hummingbirds at the feeders. There, watching a Magnificent Hummer duking it out with a Broad-billed Hummer, a couple of guys who I'd chatted with uphill, called to me.

"As soon as you left, the Flame-colored Tanager flew in! I'm sure he's still singing away just over the trail if you want to see him."

I. Was. Flabberghasted. How DARE they update me on that totally Claire-unfriendly Creature-of-the-wild. It was some kind of CIA level conspiracy. I mean, how DARE that bird fly in after I'd left in favor of lunch over facing the bird's return while slowly starving to death in public. 

No way I could muster the energy to crawl back up the hill. It was a miracle I'd made it uphill to begin with but I just couldn't face scaling the hill a second time. Too much sweat on my brow and under my armpits. Tomorrow. I'll get back up there tomorrow. Feeling sorry for myself. Oh yeah, you betcha. 

When I left the canyon and finished lunch I stopped by a Mickey D's for a HUMONGOUS iced coffee, then decided to re-visit Carr Canyon, where a year ago the troop of White-nosed Coatis crossed my path. On the way I passed by a little nature center which was closed last year as it was mid week. This time it was open and I toured it, and chatted like 45 minutes with the visitor center ranger. Honestly, I had a rare case of Chatty Cathy-itis and couldn't just shut the hell up. After the visit I headed up Carr Canyon and half way there in my rental 4-wheel drive, I decided I didn't feel like hazarding the drive up to the top which, I recall from last year, was um... daunting. No Coatis this time around, but I did come across a roadrunner, with the catch of the day in its bill. The bird charged across the road then flew (a rare sight I can assure you) up the hill, where the bird proudly posed with its lunch.

Mighty hunter I, pose here with this wildly
powerful mini-dinosaur I caught with my own beak!

Totally enjoyed that Roadrunner. 

Tonight I checked into a cute tiny motel, that had champagne dreams and caviar wishes. Was delighted they had a happy hour (OK, was more like 3 hours). I decided after my long day I deserved treats so enjoyed a nice cold beer (wasn't Guinness but very nearly had flavor which was a bonus) and a little of their starchy Chex mix type offerings. Later around sunset, I exited said room to see, a large, scrubby desert lot next to the motel that was being droned by a Lesser Nighthawk. Yay!

Feeling experimental, I took loads of pictures with an ISO setting normally used for photography in unlit caves in the bowels of the earth. It being sundown, not Hades, I think I may have overshot my ISO needs, but what the hell, it was an experiment. I was stunned by how not-too-horrible the shots turned out.

Little Desert Gamble's Quail

Now, the photos I took ran from so-so to too-dark-but-what'd-ya-expect-it-being-past-sundown. So, I did a little photo shopping and LOVED the results.

Un-photo-shopped Lesser Nighthawk

Second uncorrected shot

OK, now hold onto your whatever-it-is you hold onto. Here comes a Nighthawk with viewable feathers!

Astounding - for me at least - corrected photo

And oh, yes, here is a second lightened, contrast messed-with and such, photo.

Slightly blurry, overly contrasted, but hell, you can very nearly see feather patterns!

Are you awestruck? No? Then you're not trying. Really, for me these are amazing photos, that I skillfully produced by hitting Photo Shop's 'You are too much of an idiot to work the professional level so just hit the auto' button. Yeah, I hit that sucker all on my own, no help with the cursor. Thank you. I'm impressed too.