I need to do two last Tucson posts to finish up. Sort of disconcerting to keep going back and forth between Indiana and Tucson photos.......if only it was that easy to go back and forth in real life!
**************
We decided to go back to Sweetwater one more time because it was such a cool place and we wanted to show Marie where it was. So we met her there and walked around the ponds.
This was another "life bird" for me....the Albert's Towhee. To me it looks like a faded out female cardinal.
We saw a pair of them. They blend so well the photos aren't very good.
This was my biggest surprise! I saw a small bird fly into a tree and took a couple photos of where I thought it was even though I couldn't really see it. Turns out it was a Hummingbird and is sitting on a nest! Had no idea until I looked at the photos. No idea which hummingbird. I only saw a couple this trip and didn't get an ID for either one.
We saw several critters on our last day here. I think this is an Arizona Cotton Rat....but not sure.
This little guy is the Round-tailed Ground Squirrel. I've seen him before. So cute :-)
I guess this is another one, but it was a lot fatter looking and a bit bigger. If it is something else, I haven't been able to discover what. (NOTE: Marie says they were Prairie Dogs...cool!)
These two don't belong together......Blue-winged Teal on the left and Ruddy Duck on the right.
They look comfortable.
I love those Cinnamon Teals! There were Coots all over the place and it looks like everyone gets along well together.
The water was so clear I could watch his feet as he paddled.
A Flicker way up high in a tree.
Great-tailed Grackle.
Moorhen
A "mystery" sparrow....I see lots of those :-) I don't have a western bird book here at home. No idea what sparrow this is, but I enjoyed seeing him anyway.
Same kind?
I liked this Ruddy Duck photo for the squiggles in the water. Wish I could remove the over-lapping green stems in the foreground.
Red-winged Blackbird female
Shoveler and Bufflehead
Shoveler and Cinnamon Teal
Shoveler pair......I like how they put their heads in and go around in circles. Funny to watch!
Solitary Sandpiper. We saw two of them this day.
Turtle catching some sun.
The MetLife blimp with Snoopy on the front :-)
We kept driving past this weather-vane, so I snapped a photo through the windshield.
One last Arizona post from the Saguaro National Park coming up soon.
%2B(2).jpg)
7 comments:
Hi Mary, Glad you went back to Sweetwater --and showed Marie where it is... Bet she'll go back there often now!!!!
Glad you saw an Albert's Towhee... It's always fun to see a 'life bird'...
Wonder how the Blue-winged Teal and the Ruddy Duck got together????
Love the Cinnamon Teals also.
Hugs,
Betsy
Wow again Mary. Love all the critters you have seen, and so glad you could share them with those of us who probably won't ever get that far West.
Awesome! I knew I would love all your shots! I hope that was a Prairie Dog because if it wasn't, I'll have egg on my face. Will go back and see if we see him, and also I'll do some asking around. Loved your post! Can't wait to see the one of the Saguaro National Park!
And, I am amazed that the hummingbird was headed to a nest and that you were able to capture that! Wow! I will go back and see if I can figure out where it was...take the extra good binocs! Great picture of her!
Oh, I have to tell you...I have plans to do a couple of posts of the overpass art, but I agree, it's almost impossible to get good photos, because most of the time you are whizzing by. But, I'm working on it! Some of them are really lovely, and I think people will enjoy seeing the photos, if I can get enough decent shots!
Thanks again for everything! Wish you weren't so far away! But, the two visits we had were great!
So many neat birds and ducks, but I how neat to catch that hummingbird on its nest...Wow!
Catching that hummingbird on a nest is pretty special. I love the Cinnamon Teal as well.
How awesome that you got that hummingbird on the nest....I have seen one nest out at the orchard, it had eggs but the bird was not on it.
Anyway, am really enjoying your photos...love the variety that you saw.
Mary, what fun! Love the hummingbird in the nest. I use to see Anna's there quite often. Your little sparrows may be Rufous-winged sparrows. I wish at least one had turned its head so I could see if it has the 2 dark "whisker" marks or malar stripes coming down from its beak but everything else seems to point to that species and they are often seen in this habitat.
Post a Comment