An Assortment

The yard is autumnal now…well, for Phoenix. Anna’s Hummingbirds above.

Abert’s Towhee

Curve-billed Thrashers

And they are even getting ready to start posing in my little tableaus.

Pirate Thrasher

A few butterflies have stopped by:

Fiery Skippers, Sleepy Orange, Dainty Sulphur

Those are very tiny Western Pygmy Blues in pink muhly grass. They are very small, 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

American Snout

Verdin

I’m sad to say that the little Orange-crowned Warbler who has wintered in our yard for the last 5-6 years did not return this year. I suppose they can’t live forever…but she won’t be forgotten and we will go through a lot less grape jelly without her. This is her last March and early April right before she left. Bye, “Tink.”

Springtime!

Baby birds are starting to appear. A Curve-billed Thrasher feeds a juvenile. Others are looking for mates:

Bathing European Starlings

Verdins

I think my sweet little Orange-crowned Warbler has departed for her summer home. I hope she returns yet again next fall. Safe travels, Tink.

What is spring without bunnies romping around with eggs and making everyone wonder what that connection is…including this Curve-billed Thrasher…

It also seemed to puzzle our cat, Ferguson…

Ebony didn’t even want to get involved with it all…

And who is this? Baby Bouche just showed up a few months ago and is now a neutered, ear-tipped member of the family. More to come…we’ve had an influx of cats that apparently were dumped or whatever, poor little things…but everyone is being fed…

Strangely, amidst birds, cats, bunnies, and eggs, I haven’t seen many butterflies at all this year and I have photographic proof from past years that they were here in abundance by now…worrisome…but the hummingbirds are out in full-force, very busy, not stopping to pose for many photos.

Random Stuff

Three hosers: Abert’s Towhee, Northern Mockingbird, White-crowned Sparrow.

*Wintering Orange-crowned Warbler, “Tink”*

I was surprised to see 8 quail in our yard the other day! That is only the second time I’ve seen them in our yard, which is not the typical place to find them. They hung around off and on that day, nibbling on various things, and I haven’t seen them since.

Here are a few more from my pandemic-driven “Anthropomorphizing Birds” series. They feature one of the 2 Curve-billed Thrashers, one of the 2 Abert’s Towhees, or one of the 2 Northern Mockingbirds that hang out in our yard and will work for peanuts. The whole album, to date, can be seen here on Flickr.

And here’s a little Inca Dove. The’ve been very plentiful lately, which is good, as they had been scarce in the Phoenix area for awhile but they’re back!

I was listening to NPR today and they were talking about a book called Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You). Remember when almost everybody had a blog? I guess that’s sort of “out,” now but, since I don’t want to have a podcast, I guess I’ll stick with blogging now and then. How about you?

A Colorful Yard

Anna’s Hummingbird, male

Some people think the desert is brown and boring and our birds are brown and colorless. It’s just not true! Here are pics from our yard in the last few days…

Above are a Pine Siskin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Verdin, Lesser Goldfinch female, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lesser Goldfinch male, and Orange-crowned Warbler. They are all only 4-4.5 inches long.

Rosy-faced Lovebirds (the young ones have black on their bills and less vivid coloring on their faces)

Honeybee on Sage and Lavender

*Mr. White, an unusually marked House Finch*

My sweet little Orange-crowned Warbler, “Tink”

Inca Doves (there were over 22 in the yard that day)

And guess what? We had snow in Phoenix on January 25! We’ve seen it in the mountains around town and a light dusting now and then but nothing like this storm!

So the desert is not all brown…and we haven’t even started spring yet when everything here bursts into color!

How’s 2021 Going?

Anna’s Hummingbirds, male

Well, 2021 has been both bad and good. Let’s hope Good prevails. If everyone was as happy as these Rosy-faced Lovebirds, I guess we would be in good shape. They are feral in the greater Phoenix, AZ area. Cheery and loud little critters.

I guess the quarantine has gotten to me. I can’t seem to stop putting my backyard birds into little tableaus. The ones I have done so far are all in an album on Flickr. But here are a few more since my last post. The Curve-billed Thrashers are the ones that are the most common stars of the show but the Abert’s Towhees and Northern Mockingbirds get brave sometimes, too.

*“How can we start a Rock ‘n Roll band if everyone plays guitar?”*

*The Curve-billed Thrasher is looking for an agent; peanuts are not enough pay anymore*

I feel certain there will be more anthropomorphizing to come…but here are a few other of the yard birds who do not participate in this birdplay.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, wintering

“My” wintering Orange-crowned Warbler, “Tink”

Lesser Goldfinches, male and females

Pine Siskins recently became the 54th species of yardbirds I have. There is an irruption of them all over the country right now, which means there are a bunch of them in places you don’t normally see them. They love thistle (nyjer) and share the sock with my goldfinches. So you might see some, too, if you’re looking.