Corona de Tucson
January 7, 2023
Our new year/week started off with a couple of rainy days. The birds didn't seem to mind and neither did we. We can always find something to do...or not. Joe has been busy in the garage rearranging, organizing, building shelves, cleaning and filling the trailer with Good Will items. I managed to stay busy inside by dusting all the window blinds, scooting around on the floor wiping/dusting all the base boards, making a pot of homemade beef/vegetable soup and cornbread muffins, baking a spinach quiche, painting the inside trim around the patio door, and watching the birds. All the regulars were busy at the feeders and to my surprise, we had a few birds in the yard we haven't seen in awhile. Quite a few Gambles...
a pair of Curved-bill Thrashers...and a beautiful Desert Cardinal. We don't know where they have all been, but it was great to have them visit.The highlight though, was an immature Black-chinned Hummingbird. These cute little birds are widespread and found from deserts to mountain forests.
He put a smile on my face as he flew from the yard chair, to the feeder, to a plant on a shelf under the patio and back to the yard chair.
I read that female Black-chinned hummingbirds are larger than the males and that young birds were larger than their parents.
And did you know that they extend their tongues thru a nearly closed bill at a rate of 13-17 licks per second?
The female lays 2 eggs (about the size of a coffee bean) in a compact nest with a deep cup made from plant down, spider silk and cocoon fibers. The nest we found last year had some foam from a chair cushion. As the babies grow, the nest stretches into a wider, shallower cup...amazing !
Also, this week I spotted a team of 6 Harris' Hawks in the tree.
Jack loves to play ball in the house...Dover keeps me company in the kitchen...and Sally found the hedgehog outside.
The sun rises...the sun sets...and most days, we enjoy the shadows.Occasionally, we get a rainbow. Life is good at the oasis ! Until next time,HAPPY TRAILS!
Looks like the birds are happy to have you home!
ReplyDeleteHi Jim and Barb…actually, we have not been any where all week…just home bodies. Back at the oasis is how I refer to the things around the house and this week, that is all I had to write about. The birds are fun to watch!
DeleteThe little hummer is a cutie!
ReplyDeleteSeeing Dover in the kitchen I have to wonder if it's your company he longs for or if it's anything that falls on the floor?
I've noticed when there is a double rainbow they are images of each other.
Another beautiful sunset ...
Hi Jeff…I sure enjoyed the little photo shoot with the hummer…rain and all! Dover is a scrounge for sure and claims any morsel on the floor. Now that she is deaf, she follows me everywhere I go. She loves her daddy, but has always been a mamas girl! I never thought about the double rainbow being an image of each other…cool!
DeleteWe've had so few quail and Thrashers so far this season, I'm hoping to see more very soon. Your little hummers are precious as are the clan. What kind of dog is Sally? Incredible skies!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jodee…we had so many quails this past summer and then early fall they stopped coming. We have no idea why. We were happy to see them this past week and hope they return. I love the hummers and was so excited to get a few good photos. We rescued Sally in 2009 and really don’t know what kind of pup she is so we always just say a rescue. I do think she has some Carin genes. Arizona skies sure do WOW don’t they?
DeleteHow neat to see so many Harris Hawks in one tree. Love when you include photos of the clan. They are adorable. Beautiful sky.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Pam…and thank you. The team of Harris’ Hawks just keeps getting bigger. The folks at Wild Birds Unlimited said 6 was a couple more than they had ever seen all together. I love watching them soar. We definitely keep an out for Jack. Those same folks said the Harris’s Hawks rarely ever attack small birds…that made us happy!
DeleteLove your bird photos! I had a curved bill thrasher in the bird bath yesterday--he stayed for a long time and splashed most of the water out. I too love seeing photos of the pooches! This area is hawk haven--I've counted over 20 sitting on power poles on trips to Willcox for groceries but have never seen 6 in one spot--wow!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Janna…watching the birds in the birdbath always puts a big smile on my face. The thrasher is a most interesting bird to see with his golden eye. I had to get Joe to come see the hawks in the tree. I had seen them soaring. They landed one at a time and flew off one at a time. Quite a sight! Their wingspan is 3 to 4 feet and I’m only 5 feet tall!
DeleteWe so enjoy our bird friends. Small pleasures, eh? Our Thrashers are so loud and pushy....the more shy Phrrhuloxia have to wait their turn. I've not seen one with such a dark beak here! The way this house is set up, Lewis can be on the couch and watch me working in the kitchen. If he smells something interesting, he parks himself at my feet to, you know, clean up anything that may make the floor messy.....
ReplyDeleteGood morning Sue…it is nice to have such an obliging helper isn’t it? The thrashers do run the other birds off, but sometimes they stay and sing and what a beautiful song they sing. I don’t know why, but the birds…even to house finches…have had such beautiful vivid color lately. It’s the small pleasures in life that help me stay balanced and happy…😃.
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