good-times-rollin: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Desert Museum...There's more!

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 21, 2015

So, in addition to bird pictures, I also enjoyed the various cacti and plants we saw at the Desert Museum. I read that there are over 1200 different types.

Yikes! I can't help myself!

We didn't see very many critters...

There is a raptor show everyday at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. We just missed the morning show, but did get a glimpse of a hawk in flight at the end of the presentation...

We had such a good time at the museum and hope to go back sometime.

Until next time, take care and...

and happy trails! (Or "The End" as Judy would say...)

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 21, 2015

Each time Joe and I have visited Tucson, we have tried to visit the Desert Museum. A parking lot full of school and tour buses each time have been an excuse to not stop. We got lucky last Saturday as there were lots of empty spaces! As mentioned in my last post, Mary Ellen and Jim stopped by Lazydays for a 3 night stop over on their way to San Diego. I was thrilled that we finally made it to the museum and even more excited to share it with friends.

On the "About Us" page in the museum's pamphlet, they proudly boast it is ranked on TripAdvisor.com as one of the top 10 Museums in the country. What I really liked is that about 85% of the museum is outdoors! It is nestled in the desert on 98 acres that include walking paths through various habitats and gardens.

Today's post is all about the birds I enjoyed...

The State Bird of Arizona...

The Cactus Wren is the largest wren in North America. It is a true bird of the desert and can survive without free standing water.

They eat mostly spiders and insects, and will occasionally enjoy fruit and scraps at picnic tables.

White-crowned Sparrows are very common in the Sonora Desert during October - March. They mostly eat seeds from grasses.

A Gila Woodpecker...what a beautiful wing design...

Their most common nest hole in the desert is the Saguaro. After the hole is made, the cactus forms a tough callous making the hole durable and dry. Years after the Saguaro dies, the hole remains and are known as "Saguaro Boots" because the resemble the footware.

This is a Phainopepla...a crested songbird of the desert. These are the most northerly representative of the Central American silky flycatcher.

male...

female

Mary Ellen loves birds as much as I do...we had a fun time "oohing" and "aahing". Our cameras got a good workout!

A Costa's Hummingbird

The Hummingbird Aviary was a highlight of my day. I have wanted to see a hummingbird nest for quite a long time and even though these were not in "the wild", it was still a thrill.