Archive for the ‘hawk’ Category
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Made a quick visit to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. It is listed as an Arizona refuge, but it’s along the Colorado River and the border with California. I stay on the California side, below Blythe.
Saw some sandhill cranes, but most of them were out of range of the refuge tour route. The visitor center said they start to leave in March when the winds pick up. There were lots of Canada geese and other assorted waterfowl. They know they are safe on the refuge, but can be hunted when leave that sanctuary.
The American kestral above has to be one of the calmest I’ve seen. They usually are gone by the time I point my camera in their direction.
A huge ball of yellow-headed blackbirds were in a cleared corn field.
Posted in American kestrel, Blythe, black bird, hawk, wildlife refuge | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Spent four days at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. Had forgotten their Twin Peaks Campground doesn’t have hookups. Had not used my generator for a long time, probably last summer. A camp host helped me start it up. After that there was no problem. Promptly at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., all the generators in the generator section of the campground started up for the allotted two hours. It was cold at night, and my furnace draws a lot of power. Otherwise, I could go two days before needing a generator. Glad to know it works. It is good to have the option to stay places that don’t have hookups and are often free.
Also had a problem with my hitch jack, the fuse blew. I asked another Airstream camper to look at it and he was able to diagnose the problem. Really lucky he was there.
Could not get an internet connection at the park. Really missed it, to say the least. I don’t watch tv. The internet is my main connection to what is going on.
Cactus wrens
Gambel’s quail
Both the cactus wrens and the Gambel’s quail usually run from bush to bush so as to not be seen by predators, like the red-tailed hawk above.
This curve-billed thrasher really sang it’s heart out one morning.
House finch
Gila woodpecker. None of the birds seemed to have a problem standing on a cactus or other thorny plants.
Below, road to the park and the Mexican border.
Posted in Ajo, National, cactus wren, finch, hawk, thrasher, woodpecker | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Have been at Falcon State Park for a week. This is where you start seeing pyrrhuloxia (above). They are one of the calmer birds who don’t fly away the minute they see you. An online article said they should have been named desert cardinals rather than pyrrhuloxia.
My first sighting of a northern bobwhite (above). Grackles imitate bobwhite sounds and search through the brush for nests with eggs.
Orange-crowned warblers are very common here.
Yellow-rumped warbler
Ladder-backed woodpecker with peanut butter.
Swamp sparrow
A hispid cotton rat. Looks like a hamster. There is lots of brush for them to hide in. Bobcats have been seen in the area and these rats are something they’d hunt for.
Birds seen in the area, but not pictured: one white-tailed kite, a pair of caracaras, cactus wrens, roadrunners, and several loggerhead shrikes. The shrikes were always perched on barbed wire surrounding private property. They are known for impaling their prey on barbed wire.
Below, a Harris’ hawk and a great kiskadee. I’ll miss seeing the kiskadees as I head north.
Posted in Falcon Heights, State, bobwhite, hawk, kiskadee, pyrrhuloxia, warbler, woodpecker | No Comments »
Friday, January 1st, 2010
Two new sightings to start the new year off. A white-tailed kite with prey (top) and a white-tailed hawk (bottom). Both seen at or near Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge. I saw the kite flapping it’s wings and staying in place and then swoop down to the ground. Later saw it had a rodent in it’s claws.
There were a dozen or more reddish egrets along the beach at the refuge. This bird is listed as threatened.
A meadowlark and a roadrunner, both seen at the refuge.
Walking near my rv, saw a couple of kingbirds chasing a juvenile mockingbird. When I stopped to take a picture of the mockingbird, it flew closer to me, which is very unusual. Think it knew the kingbirds would not come near him with me standing there. I stood there with him for about five minutes. The next day he was back, but there was also an adult mockingbird nearby.
Went to put some trash in a large bin at the campground one day and screamed when I saw two eyes looking at me from the container. Felt silly then, as it was a pair of raccoons. There was a cold wind blowing and they looked warm and cozy in the container.
Posted in egret, hawk, meadowlark, mockingbird, raccoon, roadrunner, white-tailed kite, wildlife refuge | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Finally made it to the Gulf Coast of Texas. The warm breezes I felt when I first got here confirmed that I had arrived. Unfortunately, it proceeded to rain nonstop the following two days. I’m staying at the same park that I’ve stayed at before, but this time my site is about 20 feet from the Arroyo Colorado River. The second day of rain I started to get worried, but the river did not rise. There is, however, flooded farmland and front yards all over. You know a lot of stuff gets washed into the river when it rains. Nonetheless, people were back fishing the day after the rains.
I love watching all the birds fly inland over the river in the morning and out towards Laguna Madre in the evening. There are always brown pelicans around. It looks like an 2 adults and 2 young look alikes above.
Coyote in muddy farmland. He blends right in.
Green jays
Black crested titmouse.
Kingfisher seen from my rv. All these pictures are from where I’m staying.
There is a resident spotted sandpiper at my site. It’s a solitary bird that bounces up and down like a male ruddy duck.
Below, a Harris’s hawk with a fish. I didn’t have time to focus my camera, but still wanted to include it.
Posted in Arroyo City, County, green jay, hawk, kingfisher, pelican, sandpiper | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Top picture: broad-winged hawk
Bottom two pictures: crested caracara (the Mexican eagle).
House (top) and marsh (bottom) wrens. They are elusive, fast moving guys.
Swamp sparrow
Heron’s have to be the curmudgeons of the bird world.
Below, watched a group of white pelicans work their way along a shore, forming a circle to catch fish. They did this over and over, swimming a few feet, then forming the circle. Reminded me of an old dance movie.
Posted in Calliham, State, caracara, hawk, heron, house wren, marsh wren, pelican, sparrow | No Comments »
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Still at Choke Canyon State Park. It has been cool, but not freezing. Have not had to use much propane. I am the only camper in my section of the campground, which is nice.
Have not seen the bobcat again. It has been to cool to sit out and watch for him.
Above, scissor-tailed flycatcher and vermilion flycatcher.
Green jay with an acorn. Looking forward to seeing lots of green jays in the Rio Grande area.
In South Texas’ thorn forest it is easy for javelina and bobcats to hide.
Beautiful young white-tailed deer. Deer graze all around my rv. Enjoy watching them.
Egret with mouse. Have also seen heron’s hunting for them.
Harris’s hawk
Posted in Calliham, State, caracara, deer, egret, flycatcher, green jay, hawk, javelina | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Have been in the Socorro area for three weeks now. Had planned to stay in the area a few more days to avoid some of the Thanksgiving crowds, but it has gotten cold here again. Weather Underground is saying it could get down to 19 degrees tomorrow night, while weather.com has it 10 degrees warmer. Who to believe? I’ve had a single propane tank filled three times since I’ve been here. That’s more than I’ve done in the last six months! Went out and got a ceramic heater today. The furnace needs to be kept on to keep the pipes from freezing, but the portable heater can be useful to quickly heat an area. The downside is the ceramic heater draws a lot of power.
Have seen a number of sandhill cranes sitting down this visit (to the right of the standing one). Maybe the ground provides some warmth and/or they are really tired after a long flight.
A “ball” of black birds above cranes eating in a corn field.
Mallards surrounded by geese.
Lesser scaup (top) and Northern pintail (bottom).
A male (upper) and female (lower) Gambel’s quail.
Kestral
Posted in American kestrel, Northern pintail, Socorro, hawk, quail, sandhill crane, scaup, snow geese, wildlife refuge | No Comments »
Monday, November 9th, 2009
I have returned to the Socorro, New Mexico area to see the sandhill cranes. A little dismayed that I arrived a little early. The Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area that I visit prior to moving on to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge has some cranes, but nothing like I saw last year. They flood some fields with water around November 15th and that brings in a lot of cranes and geese. I am moving on to Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in a few days. I’ll have one week, then the Festival of the Cranes starts with the attendant crowds. So being early getting to the area has complicated things. Oh well.
When I left Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona, had planned on stopping at Homolovi Ruins State Park near Winslow, Arizona. Found that they have closed the camping area there and just have it as a day use park certain days of the week. At my next planned stop, Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico, found it closed for the season. While many rest areas in Arizona have been closed due to budget cuts, the ones in New Mexico are open. Ended up staying one night at the New Mexico Visitor Center in Gallup.
Have stayed close to a week at the Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel that I have stayed at in the past. They rescue horses, donkeys and other animals. Last year when I fed carrots and apples to some of the donkeys, the brown horse in the top picture bit me on the shoulder. The two horses looked so robust and healthy I hadn’t given them any of the treats. Didn’t make that mistake this time. Both horses followed me around the corral wanting more.
The “largest donkey in the world” is still there and doing well (second picture).
A Eurasian collared-dove on a fountain at the rv park.
A coyote watching for movement in some brush at Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area. There are sandhill cranes in the background at the top of the picture.
Posted in Bernardo, Socorro, coyote, donkey, hawk, horse, sandhill crane | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Drove from Riverside to Cave Creek Regional Park above Phoenix, Arizona. When I got to Blythe it seemed to early to stop, so I continued on to the campground. It’s a very nice park with lots of birds. The weather was in the 90’s during the day, however, so I just stayed the one night.
Phainopepla
A black-throated sparrow
Blue-gray-gnatcatcher
Cactus wren
From Phoenix I went on to Cottonwood, Arizona and Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Cottonwood is around 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix. The park is very popular and people are coming and going all the time. It is not just a weekend park.
It is just the second time I’ve driven on the I-17 that connects the I-8 and I-40. It has a significant grade, but it’s worth it to get away from the heat of Southern Arizona.
Gambel’s quail
Canyon wren
A brown creeper
Posted in Cottonwood, Phoenix, brown creeper, cactus wren, canyon wren, gnatcatcher, hawk, phainopepla, quail, sparrow | No Comments »
