Cactus Wren

From San Diego, CA to San Antonio, TX,
the Cactus Wren is at home in the southwestern deserts. Blazing hot days or freezing cold nights don't faze this
over-sized wren.

Listed as a Common Bird In Steep Decline* the Cactus Wren is a familiar feature of harsh environments.

Crisp white feathers mimic and complement the sharp white spines of the cholla cactus. At a distance the whites merge into "Nothing Special To Look At Here, Keep Moving."

Conversely, brown tones blend and conceal as light conditions change. The desert habitat is typically shades of olive and dun. Blending into those surroundings is critical to a small bird, even if one is the largest wren.

A ground-foraging, insect-eating Cactus Wren patrols the desert floor to score a meal. He checks under rocks and leaf litter for insects and arthropods. These creatures sustain him so well that he rarely ever drinks. He fulfills his daily moisture needs from the insects he eats. That's a remarkable evolutionary adaptation for this ol'desert bird.

Dangers abound in the desert and the Cactus Wren is not immune to predation from fox, coyote, bobcat, hawks and feral cats. Being able to navigate and nest in these prickly places works to its advantage.

Allan
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
Wikipedia
*North America Breeding Bird Survey

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are fascinating and frustrating at the same time.  Everything they do is quick. Finding a resting hummingbird to photograph is difficult. Darting and dodging they seem uncatchable, but they don’t all get away. 

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

Surprisingly, hummingbirds have more enemies than you might think.  Hawks and falcons have been documented killing hummingbirds. 

It is doubtful a 0.15-ounce hummingbird would do much to satisfy the hunger of a hawk or Peregrine Falcon, but it happens. 

Jays and Crows will nest rob, too, if the opportunity presents.

Strangely, bees and wasps pose a hazard to hummingbirds.

The same bee venom that causes so much discomfort in us is toxic to a tiny hummingbird.

I’ve observed a hummingbird holding off a wasp as they both tried to sip nectar from a feeder.  When another wasp arrived a standoff developed, when more wasps arrived the hummingbird left.

Hummingbirds can get trapped in spider webs, too.  Hummingbirds use spider silk to secure their nest to branches.  A spider’s silk has a tensile strength comparable to steel on a weight basis.  Procuring that web material presents some risk to the hummingbird and she may not always get away with her life. This is a female Anna's Hummingbird.

The common garden variety praying mantis has been documented as a capable predator on hummingbirds, also. (see link below).

But, the number one predator to hummingbirds is the house cat.  Left to roam outside, a house cat’s natural instinct is to hunt and all too often the cat wins. People love cats, so we can’t blame the cat for these fatalities. 

The hummingbirds that remain continue to entertain us with their brilliance and beauty.  This male Anna’s Hummingbird is presently claiming our back yard feeder in Arizona. It is a constant vigil for him...watching and intercepting intruders. 

He’s on the branch…he’s off the branch…he’s a blur. 

Between protecting his territory and impressing a female (it’s courting time in Arizona), he only has time for a quick sip of sugar water and it's back to showing-off again.

Allan

Credits:

The Sibley Guide to Birds,

   David Allen Sibley

Birds of Southern Arizona,

   Richard Cachor Taylor

Wikipedia

Hummingbird and Mantis:

http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/~hummingb/cmsAdmin/uploads/Slater-mantis.jpg

Map: 

https://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&q=google+maps+tucson+az&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x86d665410b2ced2b:0x73c32d384d16c715,Tucson,+AZ&gl=us&ei=rDa4UuKIFtPeyQHUmoHIDA&ved=0CCsQ8gEwAA