Well, it's Too Darned Hot! (but the birds are still here)

With temperatures reaching 104 by 9:30 a.m. MST I am not venturing too far from home these days. The summer heat for me is what winter cold was like living in the north. It is the time of year to stay home, do indoor projects, or curl up in the air conditioning and watch a movie. The birds are drinking water faster than I can fill the dishes, but still they come for seed and peanuts. I have discovered that they are occasionally salad feeders and my verbena and petunias have fallen victim to their foraging. One day I had flowers, then next day stubble! On Friday night around 6:30 p.m. a flock of house finches flew into the yard and started grazing on this weed I allowed to grow beneath my newly planted Palo Verde tree. I figured the leaves would help shade the roots and keep the tree a tiny bit cooler. I had no idea I was providing a salad bar! The shadow from the house had fallen across the tree and the little house finches are perfectly camouflaged beneath it. Look closely and see how many you can find.

Photo taken 6-13-08 by Kathiesbirds

Another well camouflaged bird in Sycamore Canyon is the Canyon Towhee. Canyon towhees are one of the scruffiest non-descript birds I have ever seen. When I saw my first one here last year I thought it was a cross between a House Finch and a Curved-billed Thrasher. It wasn’t until I looked it up that I learned what it really was. On Saturday morning Gus and I took a walk in the canyon and this bird flew out from the bank and landed on a rock in the middle of the wash in front of us. Can you see it?

Photo taken by Gus 6-14-08 around 7:30 a.m. MST

We stood frozen and watched as it proceeded to walk the rest of the way across the gravel canyon bottom. Its bedraggled appearance coupled with its dirt-colored feathers provides perfect camouflage as it crosses this wide expanse. It must have walked at least 15 feet pausing every few steps to look around before continuing onward. Whenever it stood still, it looked like a stone. Once it reached the opposite bank, it disappeared into the brush.

Canyon Towhee Photo taken by Gus 6-14-08 Cropped and enlarged.

On Saturday as the sun was setting in the west, these two flickers and a Gambel’s Quail came for their evening meal. In the golden light of the setting sun, they lined up like a perfect birdie totem pole, so I grabbed the camera and snapped away!

Photo by Kathiesbirds 6-14-08

We have our own bird tribe here in Sycamore Canyon!

Gambel's Quail Tribal Mask 8x10 Acrylic on Canvas Copyright 2008 by Kathiesbirds