good-times-rollin: Gila Woodpecker

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Life is Good!

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 18, 2016

Life is good! If you don't believe me, just ask any one of our three pups. Food, water, toys, a blankie and some cuddling goes along way with them!

Early mornings
and late afternoons have been so nice for sitting on the patio. Puppies love their ex-pen and freedom to play.

As for us, life just couldn't be better. Joe had his year and half check-up. The PET shows NO cancer and we are good to go for another six months...yippee!

Just like our other stays here in Tucson, I have enjoyed the birds at our feeders.

The hummingbirds continue to zoom in and out, fuss and consume lots of food.

The verdins also continue to entertain. These cute little birds make me chuckle...the real "angry birds".

A new partaker to the orange feeder this year is a Gila Woodpecker. He is a regular visitor every morning around 8:30 and again about 4:30.

He is a medium to large size woodpecker (about 9.4 inches) and a bit tall for the feeder. It is amazing how he compensates for his size by ducking his head down as he tucks his tail feathers under the feeder to use them as a counter balance and clamp. A real balancing act...

I have photographed these beautiful birds in and on saguaro cacti, but never in my backyard. I read on www.allaboutbirds.org that the Gila is the only woodpecker in it's range with the black and white back...one of the gorgeous patterns of nature.

It's a good thing the feeders hang on an orange tree. There are a few oranges left at the top of the tree which I expect to be bare by the time we leave.

I have noticed new leaves and blooms about to open on the same tree.

Up next, a walk through a saguaro forest with friends...

Until then, happy days and happy trails!

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.