Arizona Birds in Snow

I know!

Posting birds in SNOW in late February is going to prompt yawns and scorn from Wisconsinites, but these are DESERT birds not normally seen in snow.

A male Pyrrhuloxia (aka desert cardinal) cracks down on a newly uncovered seed.

It snows at the higher elevations in Arizona during a normal winter, but this low-down snow blanketed our house at just under 3000 feet. Snow is expected at 5000-8000'... not often at 3000'.

The birds didn't seem to mind though. They went about searching and scratching as they usually do, not affected by the weather.

A female Pyrrhuloxia poses in knee-deep snow (if birds had knees, that is) having no trouble uncovering food.

A male House Finch presents a peanut to his mate. In the early morning 20 degrees, it is quickly accepted.

Birds adapt well to large swings in temperatures. Their back is covered in multiple layers of feathers to trap warm air. Combined with a downy underbelly they manage quite nicely.

You often see birds in colder weather fluffed-up, looking larger than you'd expect. This extra bulking up maintains warmth for a desert existence.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

A juvenile Costa's Hummingbird searches an emu bush for any flowers not yet covered in snow. He was finding some, but he was working ten times as hard to find his early morning meal.

A Verdin, on the same emu bush, looks for aphids, scale and larvae attached to the branches.

A White-crowned Sparrow waits his turn at the feeder while closely watching for raptors.

I only have seed eating-birds to show you today, but there are many other desert birds. Where seed-eating birds congregate, a raptor, like a Cooper's Hawk, is always a possibility.

The pecking order at the food site is determined mainly by size or other physical attributes. Birds of equal proportions get along grudgingly.

Still, the largest weapons almost always prevail.

The Canyon Towhee (sparrow family) sports a necklace of brown spots and a central dark spot. Canyon Towhee are a common southwestern desert bird and a typical ground feeder.

A buff crown with a similar under-tail are the main distinguishing marks.

A female Northern Cardinal (southwestern) with her crest up is excited about something... snow?

This male Northern Cardinal (southwestern), also with his crest up, seems to take exception to the likes of a Mourning Dove.

These two are close in size and strength, so starting a fight over who has the right to do what and with which and to whom is muted.

Snow in Arizona is exceptional. It's especially enjoyable knowing it will be a short lived event.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley Guide to Birds

Coyote Pair (non-bird story)

Coyotes are cautious.

I'm not sure this pair saw me, but they certainly heard my shutter click. This is our backyard. More precisely, three doors down. The neighbors put out water beyond the steel fence and the coyotes come to drink daily. The neighborhood domestic dogs alert me to their comings and goings and I'm happy for that.

Coyotes move silently and secretly, so a dog barking is my only announcement of a coyote arrival.

They are territorial and marking territory is customary, if only a few yards beyond the fence.

It's a telltale message of who's-who and what's-what and where the line is drawn.

Eventually she sees me and shifts away. I'm only a slight diversion on her way through. Knowing where the clicking sound is coming from assures her there is no danger.

She continues along the game trail leading north and back into the security of the Big Wash.

One doesn't often see coyotes in the daytime, mainly because they see you first. It's that way for most species. If they flush, flee or fly, it was because YOU were discovered first.

With humans being the top predator on earth, coyotes have far more to fear from us than we do from them.

Allan

Cooper's Hawk

A loud 'thud' alerts me to the surprise attack of a Cooper's Hawk. The low-flying Cooper's Hawk is targeting Mourning Doves feeding late one afternoon.

Panicked, one Mourning Dove flies into the sky's reflection on our patio window. Striking it, the dove is stunned, but unhurt and gets away. 

The hawk ends the chase and comes to rest on the patio railing.

Catching his balance on the slick railing is challenging though.

He searches for a firm grip along the railing... none found.

It's all slippery!

When he's just about to lose it and tumble over the side, he catches his balance again.

OK, now it's working! But this hunt is over. He might as well move on.

Surprise is the Cooper's Hawk only chance of catching a meal and he certainly WAS a surprise to the doves, just not surprising enough.

Sill, he's surprisingly elegant in his many profiles.

Allan

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Last night's frost put a curl in the bougainvillea leaves, but the Broad-billed Hummingbirds survived just fine.

The warm morning sun jolts the Broad-billed Hummingbirds into the day's activities.

Winter is a time for little more than staying alive. Resting and waiting for spring is the most one can expect of a hummingbird in winter.

Nectar means survival.

Guarding their food source is the primary goal. This Broad-billed Hummingbird seems well equipped to protect what he claims as his.

Birds are often named for a noteworthy feature of their being. In the Broad-billed's case I would assume it's his broad red and black bill. Other species of hummingbirds have more slender bills.

Spotting an intruder in his territory, he's off to defend.

This juvenile male has been hanging around the feeders and sipping nectar, whenever he could get away with it.

The gleaming Broad-billed male tolerated some nectar sipping by the juvenile, so this one may be related to him.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

It could be that or maybe he's just tired of constantly springing into action at every trespass.

Really, there is plenty for everyone.

Still, if they all shared and got along peacefully, they wouldn't be hummingbirds... would they?

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Hummingbirds

The natural hummingbird food sources are running low at this time of the year. If your flowers haven't experienced a frost so far, more than likely, frost is on the way soon.

This Broad-billed Hummingbird inspects every flower and moves on quickly, so I believe he's getting very little nectar for his efforts.

He gleams in the rare afternoon overcast of Oro Valley, Arizona.

If you already have hummingbirds or would like to attract them, now is a good time to supplement their dwindling food supply. 

If you start a hummingbird feeding program, please continue it until spring when their natural food returns.

The recipe is simple. 4 cups of water to 1 cup plain white sugar... heat, stir, cool and fill the feeder of your choice.

Place the feeder near a window for your enjoyment. They'll usually return every 10 minutes for a drink. If you have more than one hummingbird, they appear in rotation.

Just be aware hummingbirds are notorious squabblers. They get very defensive of their food sources.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

This Costa's Hummingbird is one of three species of hummingbirds we get here. Different locations get different species. Arizona boasts of 15 different hummingbird species throughout the State.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

American Kestrel

I like to believe this American Kestrel was proudly showing me his latest catch, but I may be wrong about that.
Rather, he seemed unimpressed and untroubled by my presence just below the roadside power line.

That's a good thing.

The zebra-tailed lizard in his mouth was past showing any emotion.

American Kestrels are commonly seen hunting from utility wires. Predictably though, they'll fly away as your car approaches. This is a female and she's ready to departure any second now.

She did. She circled around only to come back to the same spot when I passed.

You'll occasionally see these small falcons flapping against the wind over an open field. They're flying in place to watch for movement in the grass below.

American Kestrels eat grasshoppers, small mammals, and now I can say for certainty... lizards.

This zebra-tailed lizard must have been tasty throughout, all the way down to its zebra striped tail, as that's all that's left now.

One medium lizard is a generous meal for this dove-sized falcon.   

Being the smallest member of the falcon family, it serves the little falcon well to remain alert to danger. Several species of hawks, barn owls and crows prey on the American Kestrel.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Northern Cardinal southwest (diseased)

A Northern Cardinal (southwest) lands on a chair in our back yard. He looks to be carrying a stick in his bill. It doesn't look right though.

(Click any picture to enlarge.)

There is a large growth on his lower bill and another on his right eye. He is active and agile... not seeming to be affected by whatever that is.

A quick Google search and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology describe it as Avian Pox:

Two forms of avian pox exist. In the more common form, wart-like growths appear on the featherless areas of the body, such as around the eye, the base of the bill, and on the legs and feet. In the second form, plaques develop on the mucous membrane of the mouth, throat, trachea, and lungs resulting in impaired breathing and difficulty feeding.

I have no experience or knowledge of avian diseases and I can't claim this is even avian pox, but it is likely to be that condition.

To avoid spreading this disease, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggests cleaning you feeders regularly as noted here:

If a sick bird comes to your feeder, minimize the risk of infecting other birds by cleaning your feeder area thoroughly. If you see several sick birds, take down all your feeders for at least a week to give the birds a chance to disperse. Remember that prevention is the key to avoiding the spread of disease. Regularly clean your feeders even when there are no signs of disease.

Allan

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/