On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
It’s Albatrossity Monday! Followed by a great mix of other posts this week.
Albatrossity
This post will end the series of Arizona pictures, and next week there should be some pics from spring migration here in Flyover Country. Right now is a great time to be a birdwatcher, as lots of species are coming back, passing through, or leaving for points north soon. So get out there and see what you can find in your patch of the world. You can thank me later!
The White-winged Doves were large and abundant, so they sorta overshadow another dove species, which is tiny and not particularly common in the Chiricahuas. That would be the Inca Dove (Columbina inca), whose diminutive size always makes me unconsciously change that name to Dinky Dove. They resemble a pine cone in both size and patterning, and are residents of Mexico and Central America as well as some parts of the southern US. They are apparently cold-sensitive, which explains that southerly range map. But they can survive colder nights in the mountains with a variety of behavioral adaptations, including something called “pyramid roosting”. That would be something to see! Click here for larger image.
There was a picture of a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in a previous post in this series, but the females deserve a place in the spotlight as well. These Arizona cardinals are slightly larger, with stouter bills, than the cardinals I am used to seeing here in Flyover Country. Click here for larger image.
Another charming bird at the feeders at Cave Creek Ranch, the Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii), occurs across North America and should be familiar to most birders. They are usually skulkers, but when they can be found in the open, they are splendid birds, with elegant gray eyebrows and fine brown streaking on a russet upper chest. And this one is chunky, making him a favorite with WaterGirl! Click here for larger image.
The rest of the birds in this post are species that appeared in previous posts in the series, but they are worth a second look. This Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) was glad that the White-nosed Coati left at least some jelly in the jelly feeder jar. He won’t be happy when the Scott’s Orioles show up and dominate this feeder, I suspect. Click here for larger image.
The Bridled Titmouse (Baeolophus wollweberi), a perky and abundant denizen of the oak woodlands along these Chiricahua streams, is a personal favorite. So this one gets an encore appearance too! Click here for larger image.
Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus), unlike most wrens, can appear to be very stern. Their impressive size (the largest North American wren) might have something to so with that, or maybe it is their massively polysyllabic and intimidating scientific name. Click here for larger image.
The Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata auduboni) deserve a second look as well, particularly since their eastern counterparts (Setophaga coronata coronata ) are flooding through my part of Flyover Country right now. This female is ready to head north, or perhaps upslope to the high Chiricahuas, and right now (more than a month after this picture was taken), she is hopefully incubating a clutch of eggs. Click here for larger image.
Another personal favorite (and hence back here for an encore), this Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) was sunning itself on a chilly morning and waiting for another go at the suet feeder. Even though these are cooperative breeders, when feeding, they like to be left alone. Click here for larger image.
The route back was scenic, but long. We wanted to avoid too much interstate mileage, and that preference was reinforced when we had to sit and wait a bit for a dust storm to cross I-10 in southwest New Mexico. If you have ever driven that stretch between Lordsburg and Las Cruces, you have probably seen such things or at least seen all the signage telling you what to do if you encounter blowing dust there. We spent the first day getting to Socorro NM (driving past the Very Large Array), the second day driving though the Pecos and Sangre de Cristo ranges to Trinidad CO, and then on to Garden City KS (my hometown). The third day was a leisurely drive from Garden City to Manhattan KS. Click here for larger image.
I tend not to take many pictures while driving, but we did stop to admire this small herd of elk just west of Socorro. Doesn’t look like elk country to me, but what do I know? Click here for larger image.
War for Ukraine Day 1,165: A Brief Sunday Night Update
Lapassionara
Thank you so much for these photos, and your other photos for that matter.
I am not seeing as many birds in my neighborhood. I’m in the St. Louis area, and I’m wondering if bird populations are dwindling everywhere, or just in suburbs.
Gloria DryGarden
I just read something on blue sky, bird populations dwindling, down by 75% iirc.
These photos take my breath away. Such clarity, even the subtler colors, it’s magnificent.
Lapassionara
@Gloria DryGarden: so it is not my imagination.
HinTN
We’ve had our usual large group of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks these last few weeks. They’re thinking out and heading north now. When they leave we stop feeding the squirrels for a while.
Rob
Another lovely post, as usual! Thank you, Albatrossity!!
SteveinPHX
Thanks again for photos. Sure look forward to them. Have been to the Very Large Array several times. I fool around with amateur radio some and I’m always impressed with BIG antennas!
Trivia Man
Maybe you can answer a bird question. My friend lives in a large city in the mountain west. His favorite bird is the robin, largely because he likes the early morning call. He lives in a small cul de sac very near a major artery. In 3 years he has not seen a single robin on his street. He can hear them in the next neighborhood over, he sees them everywhere when he goes out and about. What would cause a robin boycott of him?
He wonders if its because he shot a robin when he was 8, but i find it unlikely they took grudge lessons from crows.
Albatrossity
@Trivia Man: I have no specific answers, but here are some possibilities.
Urban/suburban birds depend on habitat that has insects that they can feed the babies, for most species. If the neighbors are the type that need to poison the yard so that they can “enjoy” the outdoors from their deck or patio, insect populations plummet and birds die or leave.
In winter the robins are frugivores, eating honeysuckle berries, cedar berries, crab apples etc. If there are no fruit-bearing trees or shrubs in the immediate neighborhood, they will be elsewhere. Plant a crab apple or some other fruit-bearing tree (but NOT a Bradford/Callery pear tree).
If you have seed feeders, they won’t come to those, But they will come if you have a bird bath that you maintain. And lots of other species will use that birdbath as well.
mvr
Thank you for these! Always like wrens. Wish I could identify sparrows other than house sparrows. When I am out on the prairie they seem to move too fast for me and also to be good at hiding.
In the course of traveling from Lincoln to Tucson and back in January (with a detour to the Grand Canyon) we hit a lot of the route you drove though we likely hit more interstates in the Mountain Southwest. I remember seeing Acorn Woodpeckers on that trip.
MCat
Thank you. I always love your pictures. I learn so much. I am fascinated by their little feet too.
Trivia Man
@Albatrossity: thanks. I bet his cul de sac is 100% Roundup friendly kind of folks. Ill send him a bird bath and see if he can entice them that way. I bet his yard has worms.
WTFGhost
I’m sorry, I followed the link for Pyramid Roosting, and all I found was this gem:
And I had to admit, I’ve never seen a two-foot tall, snowshoeing, woodpecker, either. That would be neat.
(Ah, further down the page, I found the pyramid roosting shot.)
Redshift
I was visiting friends in the Chicago suburbs this weekend, and I spent some time admiring redwing blackbirds flashing their brilliant red in the sun at a nearby pond. My birdsong app said there was also a Baltimore oriole around, but I couldn’t spot it.
West of the Cascades
Thank you so much for the beautiful photos and travelogue! I moved to Silver City three years ago, and have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Chiricahuas, with a couple of days of camping, hiking, and ultra-casual birdwatching coming up in two weeks. Great dark skies down in that area, too!
jackmac
Wonderful photos! Thanks!
I was in Arizona a couple of weeks ago and noted the varied bird species on lengthy drives from Phoenix to national parks. It was quite different from my home Midwest region (with cardinals, robins, sparrows and the usual suspects). I couldn’t name the Arizona and southwestern U.S. birdies, but really enjoyed seeing them.
munira
The female cardinal is quite beautiful. Great photos as always.
Albatrossity
@WTFGhost: Yeah, you have to scroll down that page to see it. As far as I can tell there is no way to link to the appropriate part of that page. But here is a link to the image!
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Great pictures and comments as always! Love the Inca Dove and the Butter Butt ❤️