End of Summer Series: Cholla Cacti

As the end of our second summer in Sycamore Canyon draws to a close I think of all the new things I've learned and experienced since moving here a year and a half ago. There are so many new plants, animals and birds to see and learn about. Each day I feel that I am more in tune with the breathing of this desert landscape. When we first moved here I quickly learned about Cholla cacti (pronounced "choy-a"). These spiny plants grow all over the desert and break off in segments that fall to the ground to start new plants. On June 30 of this year before the Monsoon started I decided to hike out into the desert with a bucket and tongs to collect a few cholla segments. I brought them home and tossed them into the vacant wash that borders my house in an effort to encourage regrowth. I tossed them and forgot about them until this past Sunday...

...when I looked over the wall and look what I found! A baby cholla has taken root right behind my house. Why would I want a cholla to grow here you ask? Because the roots will discourage erosion, and the cactus will provide shelter for one of my favorite insect eating birds...

A catus wren! These noisy little charecters build nests in the spiny chollas to protect themselves from predators. I don't know how this little one can perch on these sharp spines but it doesn't seem to mind. Can you find the nest in the cactus below?

Cactus Wren nest in Sycamore Canyon cholla 3-19-08 by Kathie

This is the first in the End of Summer Series 2008. Come back tomorrow to see Gus' photo "Rat: It's What's for Dinner."

A Sunrise Stroll In Sycamore Canyon

The sun rises in a flame behind the cholla cactus as I begin my morning walk. Gus has dropped me at the bottom of Harrison Road at 6:40 a.m. It will be 2 miles and over 2 hours before I am home again.



If I walked straight home at a fast clip it wouldn't take me nearly this long, but I am counting birds and photographing wildflowers. There is so much to see and marvel at in this bright desert today.

The path wanders enticingly before me, and I eagerly follow.

Nearby on the barbed wire fence a Rufous-winged sparrow perches, anticipating the first warming rays of the sun.
A curved-billed thrasher has found its own spot for catching some rays.

When the sun finally breasts the desert's edge it illuminates everything. The first blossom of a Palo Verde tree opens its heart to the sun.

Mt Wrightston is still sprinkled with snow from Sunday's storm. The white-washed flanks of the mountain contrast with the new green leaves of the ocatillo.



A lesser goldfinch flies from the desert marigolds she was perched on.

This barrel cactus sprouts a golden crown of pineapple-like fruit. soon these fruit will drop and the cactus will blossom once again.

Cactus wrens are everywhere singing, cackling and searching for insects to feed their soon to hatch broods. The cactus wrens build their nests in the spiny thorny chollas to protect them from predators. I know I don't want to get too close to this nest!

Flowers are blossoming everywhere. Penstemmon in many varieties fills the roadsides and trails. Their red tubular blossoms are a magnet for hummingbirds, but I have not seen any this morning. In fact, I have not seen any for a week. Where have they all gone?

Ocatillos rise in skies of blue.

Sunday's Story of the GBBC

Every day is warmer and drier and the birds have dispersed from my yard. Though they still show up in hordes, there is not the number or variety as there was on Friday when the storm rolled through. Today I expand my horizons and try to find some new birding areas close to home. Gus and I are both still fighting this cold, and he stays home to rest. My obsession drives me from the house to add to the greater knowledge of bird populations across the U.S.A. Besides, I am determined to have Corona de Tucson well represented in the bird count, so off I go.

I start at the local park in our neighborhood where I am horrified to see they have started to tear the desert up to make way for the community center. The area is all marked off and heavy equipment is parked at the edge. I knew this was coming but it still makes me sad to see it happening. I know how many birds and bunnies inhabit the scrub they will now tear up. Cactus will be plowed over, though some will be saved, and in the end a pool and club house will be built, all with new landscaping. New birds will move in to inhabit the landscaped areas, but the wild delicate species will be gone, driven off to find new habitats in undisturbed areas.

Today I count a mixed flock of Brewer’s, Rufous-winged, and Black-throated sparrows among the thin grasses. The usual suspects of Gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens, and curved-billed thrashers are present also. The thrashers and cactus wrens make their nests in spiny cholla (pronounced choy-a) cactus. The fruit from these cacti hang down in chains and drop to the ground to be eaten by other desert animals. When a cholla cactus dies it leaves behind a beautiful gray skeleton. This latticework trunk makes a nice addition to the yard or even as part of your interior decorating if you find a good piece. Here in nature, the birds simply use it as a perch. I’m sure for them the appeal is purely practical and they are unaware of its esthetic appeal.

From the park I simply drive around trying to find a good area to bird. A Sunday morning quiet has descended on the area but over on Houghton Rd I see and hear a bunch of birds in some tall trees in an older part of town. I pull over in front of what I later discover in the Tin Cup Lounge and Country Club for the Santa Rita Golf Course. There are lots of cars at this place, so I pull a little farther down the road and park in front of a vacant lot. This vacant lot proves to be a gold mine as I soon discover.

It’s only a small area of land about 1 ½ acres in size. To the north if a hair salon, the east border is formed by the golf course with tall pines and other trees. On the south the Country Club frames the lot with tall eucalyptus trees and some juniper. The western border is formed by the road which has a constant stream of traffic. But, here in this little abandoned and scrubby field the birds have found refuge. I’m drawn in by the chirping, tweeting, cackling sounds. Feathered motion is everywhere. Tiny birds flit from brush to bush, cactus to cactus and tree to tree. The sparrows fly up briefly, then dart into the grasses again. I find thrashers and cactus wrens building nests. Before I am done I count Brewer’s, Rufous-winged, White-crowned, and Black-throated sparrows. I suspect there are others I can’t identify.

Then I see something different and focus on it. It has a larger beak, a striped breast, central breast spot, dark malar stripe…what am I looking at? Dickcissel and Lark Bunting go through my mind, but I put down my binoculars and swing up my camera. I need to capture a picture if I want to be sure. The little scallywag runs for cover. It stays low in the grasses but I snap away. When I get home I discover it IS a lark bunting! A new bird for my bird count at least! On Sunday I count 21 species in this forgotten bit of earth. When I return here on Monday I add two more species to the count. I also observe the red-tailed hawk bringing nesting material to a tall pine on the golf course. I suppose someday this forgotten piece of land will be plowed up to make way for a parking lot or something, but for now I can only hope it stays this way for a long time to come.

Birds Counted in and around the vacant lot: 1. Red-tailed hawk, 2. Mourning dove, 3. Anna’s hummingbird, 4. Costa’s hummingbird, 5. Gila Woodpecker, 6. Say’s Phoebe, 7. Chihuahuan Raven, 8. Cactus Wren, 9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 10. Curved-billed thrasher, 11.European Starling, 12.Yellow-rumped warbler, 13.Canyon towhee, 14.Rufous-winged sparrow, 15.Brewer’s sparrow, 16.Black-throated sparrow, 17. Lark bunting, 18.White-crowned sparrow, 19.Phrrhuloxia, 20.Great-tailed grackle, 21.Housefinch 22. Hutton’s vireo, 23. Orange-crowned warbler.