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.
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| male... |
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| female |
Mary Ellen loves birds as much as I do...we had a fun time "oohing" and "aahing". Our cameras got a good workout!
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| 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.
A flip book is available to identify the variety of hummingbirds in the desert...
This Steller's Jay sure caught my eye...
Hope you are having a great week-end. Until next time, take care, and...
happy trails!
Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 21, 2015
Since our last post, we have been busy having fun and getting things done. First off, I had my days and dates all mixed up and we didn't check out of San Diego on the 17th as we were suppose to. I had it locked in my mind that the 17th was on a Wednesday...so on Tuesday, the 17th about 1:00 pm, I realized I had made a huge OOPS! It was too late to finish packing and head out so a decision was made to leave early the next morning and go the whole way to Tucson. Thank goodness our site was not reserved!
The Monday before we left we planned to visit Cabrillo NM. I had wanted to play in the tide pools. It was a cool, cloudy day, but that didn't deter us one little bit. It also didn't deter the many other folks with the same agenda. When we arrived at the park, we discovered admission was free as it was Presidents Day. Yikes...there were thousands of people with cameras in hand already exploring the pools and thousands of others looking for a parking place. None to be found and finally the road down to the tide pools was closed. Next visit, we will make this a priority and visit sooner.
Instead of going home totally disappointed, we took the short walk to the historic lighthouse there...something we didn't do 2 years ago. There is also a 2.5 miles walking path to enjoy.
The main reason for a return to Tucson is doctor visits. I am happy to report, Sally is A OK. She had a 3 month blood work up done at Ajo Veterinary Clinic to check her thyroid function. We feel very blessed to have found the best vets all over our country and Ajo is no exception. If you travel with pups and need a vet, we highly recommend Dr. Christensen and her vet tech. Belle also has an appointment for service the first week in March and I need glasses. There are also a couple of DIY projects we want to check off the list before we head north for the spring and summer.
Friday, the 20th, we had a nice surprise. Jim and Mary Ellen and their two Scotties pulled into Lazydays for the week-end on their way to San Diego. It was a busy fun-filled weekend...more on that next time.
On our walk at Cabrillo, a gentleman was very eager to share a find...there were several families around and he repeatedly said, "Anyone want to see an alligator lizard?" I was the only person who responded. How sad is that?
Until next time, take care and...
happy trails!
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. 
