Another “Lifer” in Fresno

When we weren’t seeing birds while out birding, Ruth Sullivan used to say, “All we need is one good bird.” On a good day, of course, you should see hundreds of good birds, not one.  These last shots from Fresno were actually taken on two different days.  

We actually saw yesterday’s House Finch while trying to get closer to this American Kestrel.

American Kestrel looking down

We never did get close to it, and it steadfastly refused to leave the safety of its perch.  I’m sure I’ve gotten better shots of Kestrels, but I still love this shot.

After hunting down the Kestrel, I noticed two Acorn Woodpeckers on some adjoining palms.  I think this one was actually building a nest since that hole is much too large to hold any kind of nut that an Acorn Woodpecker could carry up there.

Acorn Woodpecker in Palm Tree

We regularly see Acorn Woodpeckers in Santa Rosa, but, since we weren’t able to fit Santa Rosa in this trip, I was particularly happy to see a pair of them.

On a later walk I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk circling overhead. Whenever I see an eagle or hawk soaring overhead I try to get a photo. Sometimes I get lightheaded and feel like I’m about to fall over.  Most of the time I end up with nothing but blue or white sky.  Occasionally, I actually capture the bird within the frame, but the breast and wings are completely obscured by shadow.  

This one, though, circled me repeatedly and low enough that I wondered at one point if it was about to land. I suspect this might be the best shot I’ve ever taken of a Red-Winged Hawk in flight.

Red-Tailed Hawk overhead

Right after we spotted the hawk, we started walking down a road that was supposed to lead to the trail.  Before long a worker came over and told us we were in a restricted area.  We had a short conversation and we told him we were just out birding.  He asked me if we had seen the Phainopeplas that were nesting nearby.  I had never heard of such a bird and had to ask him to repeat the name.  He reckoned we could walk a little further down the road where he pointed out this female Phainopepla.  

female Phainopepla

The Phainopepla was apparently used to people because she perched there for a good five minutes while I tried to get a better shot through a thicket of branches.

closeup of female Phainopepla

A quick search after we were home revealed that the male Phainopepla is jet black and much more striking, but it was still exciting to photograph the female.

Just a House Finch

When I was teaching, I used to meet students in Safeway who seemed shocked that I shopped for food.  We get so used to seeing a person in a particular setting that we do not see them at all; they fade into the background.  

I’m afraid that happens with birds, too.  When we see a species often, we give it a “name” and don’t really look at it anymore.  I’m sure I’ve been guilty of replying “Oh, that’s just a House Finch” when someone new to birding points one out. 

If we had seen a lot of birds in Fresno, I might not have paid any attention to this House Finch flying to a feeder. 

House Finch Flying

However, I didn’t immediately recognize what it was, so I tracked it until it landed in a nearby shrub

House Finch in Shade

and then flew even higher, where his brilliant red head and chest stood out more clearly against the blue sky.

House Finch Against Blue Sky

I’ve said this before, but I think it bears repeating that walking around with a camera makes you more aware of your environment. I labeled it “The Zen of Canon” way back in May of 2004. 

It’s certainly not a new idea. Coincidentally, I encountered this quote from Henry Miller on Facebook while working on this blog entry: “The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” 

Sounds sort of Whitmanesque, doesn’t it, maybe even Zen-like.

At Jeff and Debby’s

Though the main purpose of our trip to Arizona was to see Bill and Alice, we also planned on seeing Jeff and Debbie, Leslie’s brother and sister-in-law, on the way home. It just seemed wrong to drive through Fresno without stopping to visit. Even though we see them quite often because their son lives in Portland, we’ve only managed to get to their Fresno home a few times.  When we’ve been there in the past it’s been hot and dry, but that wasn’t the case on this trip.  Heck, I even ended up wading in water over the top of my shoes on our first walk.  

Although we did a lot more walking than we did in Arizona, we didn’t see nearly as many birds and almost all of the birds we saw were ones we often see in the summer at home. I suspect I’m generally viewed as a “birder,” but I tend to see myself as a (wildlife) photographer.  When I’m walking around with a camera I’m a lot more aware of my surroundings than when I am without one.  When I don’t see birds, I look a little harder and see other things, like this beautiful lupine, a flower we won’t see in Pacific Northwest for several months.

Lupine

I can’t remember ever seeing this orange flower (which might explain why I don’t know what it is), though my iPhone tells me it is Amsinckia, commonly called Fiddleneck

Fiddleneck

We also sighted a small flock of one of my favorite birds, Cedar Waxwings.

Cedar Waxwings

Although White-Crowned Sparrows are common in the summer at home, this might be the first time I’ve seen one this year.

White-Crowned Sparrow

After all the rain and cloudy weather we’ve had in the Pacific Northwest this Fall and Winter, it was a delight to be able to take pictures in full sunshine, even pictures of common birds.  

Arizona Odds and Ends

Judging from my last three posts you might think I spent most of my time at Bill and Alice’s taking bird photos. Nothing is further from the truth, though.  There were so many birds feeding in the backyard that it was ridiculously easy to take the shots that I got. The birds were indifferent to people unless you moved too close.  That wasn’t a problem with my 600mm lens with a 1.4 extender. Heck, it took a lot longer to edit one of these photos than it did to take all of them.  

Strangely enough, even birds I’m used to seeing seemed different in Bill and Alice’s backyard.  We often have Mourning Doves in our backyard, but I can never get as close as I did at Bill and Alice’s house.

Mourning Dove

I was surprised that even the Mourning Doves feeding on the ground seemed indifferent to my presence.

Mourning Dove on the ground

I’m used to seeing Mockingbirds in Santa Rosa, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this one in Arizona, especially since we couldn’t fit Santa Rosa into this trip.

Mockingbird

I’ve only gotten fleeting glances of Long-Tailed Grackles outside of Colorado, but this one seemed eager to get its picture taken, returning to the yard three or four days in a row. 

Long-Tailed Grackle

Seeing Bill in so much pain from his neck injury was tough, but the birds were a nice distraction when he needed extra rest.  

Sometimes immersing ourselves in nature, even for a short time, seems to help us cope with problems.