good-times-rollin: Birding in Madera Canyon

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Merry Christmas Everyone !

Corona de Tucson

December 23, 2023

Madera Canyon Road

Tuesday Joe and I were off to Green Valley to pick up meds and food for Sally, but not before walking at Madera Canyon. We chose the Creek Trail and started at the Proctor parking lot and walked to Madera Picnic area where we turned around. It makes for a 2.5 - 3 mile round trip walk/hike. We have enjoyed really nice temps and clouds this week.

It was no surprise the creek bed was dry. It was actually fun walking in the creek bed and not getting wet...the huge granite boulders caught my eye.

As always, the deer were busy.

And Joe and I were thrilled to see a new to us bird...a Red-naped Sapsucker. I didn't have the big camera and zoom lens so there are no good up close photos of the deer or the Sapsucker. Shame on me and I won't do that again. Red-naped Sapsuckers are industrious woodpeckers with a taste for sugar. Their name implies that they suck the sap, but they don't. They drill neat rows of holes to lap up the sugary sap that flows out. I read that the tip of their short tongues have small hairlike projections that help hold the sap they lap up much like a paintbrush holds paint.

A male Red-naped Sapsucker and his very neat rows of holes...

When I looked back thru the blog, I found we have never been to Madera Canyon in December. It is quite pretty this time of year. I love the golden grasses...

the carpet of brown leaves...

the old trees...

and the rock gardens.

I captured one last photo on Madera Canyon Road when we left.

The rest of the week was busy...Sally had a spa day on Wednesday.

And I got a hair cut on Thursday. I plan hair cuts late morning so we can have lunch out. Thursday, we had tamales...not just any tamales, but Tucson Tamales. In the southwest, Christmas and tamales are a time-honored tradition. The word tamale comes from Mexican-Spanish tamalli meaning wrapped...a yummy corn and cornmeal dough stuffed with meat or beans and cheese mixture then wrapped in a corn husk (hoja) and steamed. I can eat tamales anytime of the year !

My favorite...one green chili chicken, one beans and cheese, and a salad

Back at the oasis, we had a rainy day. It was raining when we woke up Friday morning. It rained all day and was still raining when we went to bed. We even heard some thunder. I was so happy...I love rainy days in the desert and the desert sure needed the water. Sally and I had a walk around the backyard. I love trying to photograph water droplets.