What's in a Name?

After a couple of days of rain, we had a dry morning yesterday and got in a two hour bird walk. We are camped in the Road Runner Campground at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. From our site, number 37, we walked up to the Visitor Center and then took a two mile ramble on the Roadrunner Trail.  Birds were a little scarce compared to the other two Maricopa County Parks we have just stayed in. We could only come up with 14 species.  This Rock Wren was one I was able to photograph.  I like the organized names in the Wren Family, most of their names give you a clue to where you will find them, in this case on the rocks! Other descriptive wren names are Canyon Wren, Marsh Wren, House Wren, and Cactus Wren. The Cactus Wren has been the most consistent wren over the past two weeks here in the desert. It is the largest and most vocal of the wrens and usually found  on top of a Saguaro Cactus, cackling away.  Although I did not get a photo, during our walk we saw a pair of Cactus Wrens building a nest in a Cholla Cactus.  Incidentally the Rock Wren in the above photo, a shyer quieter bird, was also hanging out with its mate. Spring seems to be arriving in the desert in spite of the winter like weather.