The Vermillion Flycatcher

One of the most sought after sightings at Buckskin Mountain State Park is the male Vermillion Flycatcher as shown in this photo taken this morning during my guided Bird Walk. Visitors love to report seeing this flamboyant little bird.  This area is at the northern end of the Vermillion’s range so most people have not seen this bird “back home”.  We currently have a pair here in the park that are still operating in separate areas.  The male can be seen on the east side of the Buckskin Store, the female is always on the west side of the store.  I’m sure during the next couple of months they will get together and my bet is that he will be found on the west side of the store showing off his brilliant colors. By that time the red color of the breast and abdomen will more closely match the bright color of his crown. Below is a photo of the female.

 

Nature Hikes

Every Saturday I lead a Nature Hike on the Buckskin LoopTrail.  I never know what kind of interests the people who show up will have.  Will they just be interested in hiking, will they have an interest in desert plants, or birds, or geology? Today I hit the jackpot in the person of Ron Smith who was interested in all of the above, plus also interested in taking photos. In the top photo Ron is shown with a Leafless Milkweed plant.  In the lower photo he is shown taking a photo of a tiny Side-blotched Lizard.

Sunsets Galore

I try to remind myself every day how fortunate we are to be here where our days are filled with sunshine and warm temperatures. As evening falls I am awed with our beautiful sunsets and I need no reminding, we are indeed fortunate. Included here is a sampling of tonight’s sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rare White-winged Scoter

I took this photo this morning on Lake Havasu at the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge.  This is a duck of the Pacific Coast and a very unusual duck to be seen here in Arizona. I’ve managed to photograph two rare birds in the last couple of days, which is very unusual for me as I’m not one to go chasing rarities. Birders develop along a series of steps.  It usually starts out innocently enough, maybe paying a little attention to birds at your backyard feeder.  Next you buy a bird identification guide, then a pair of binoculars. Somewhere along the line you start keeping track and making lists of birds you see.  Then it’s more bird guides, better binoculars, maybe a spotting scope. At some undefinable point you go from being just a “bird watcher” to a “birder”. The most obsessed among birders are the ones that chase after rarities. They are not content with the normal everyday birds; their habit requires the fix of something new and different.  They read blogs, search the Internet, and drive all over in search for the ellusive rare sighting.  I just want it to be perfectly clear, ---I did not go looking for these rare birds, they just happened to show up where I was.  

Rare Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

I am very familiar with the little Red-breasted Nuthatch, they come to our bird feeder at home in Elkton on a regular basis, and their call of yank, yank, yank, high the pine trees at Collier State Park where we volunteered this past summer was a very familiar sound.  However, they are considered “rare” here in the desert south-west. I thought I had heard one last month here at Buckskin, but was unable to see it.  Yesterday I got a good surprise; I spotted one in an olive tree by the office. As I moved closer to get a good photo it disappeared into the tree.  Unable to find it, I resorted to playing its call on my iPod which brought it directly out of hiding allowing me to get several photos. 

This is only the second area in La Paz County that this bird has been sighted this year.  From some blogs I have read I understand this is an “irruption year” for Red-breasted Nuthatches, meaning they are forced to expand from their normal areas because of lack of seeds of their normal diet.

Great-tailed Grackles

Great-tailed Grackles have been the most noticeable bird around Buckskin Mountain State Park this weekend, I think in large part because the campground has been filled with mostly tear-drop trailers. The owners of these tiny trailers are forced because of size to have all their meals and snacks outside.  The Grackles have been quick to pick up on this and are constantly raiding any unattended picnic tables for food. A dozen to two dozen birds seem to be constantly swarming from campsite to campsite. Plus they are interested in the small figs of the Ficus Trees that provide shade to quite a few of the campsites. Unfortunately the Grackles have gone from being birds of interest to being considered pests by a lot of the campers.

Our Day at Bucksin

These two photos give a pretty good idea of a typical day for us at Buckskin Mountain State Park. The top photo shows us this morning leading a Nature Hike on the Buckskin Loop Trail. Most of our mornings start this way with a hike on the trails.  The lower photo shows the beautiful sunset we had tonight that closed out our day light hours.  It’s pretty common for us to have glorious sunsets most nights here, but this one was an exceptional one that occupied a 360 degree view of the sky, an impossibility to capture with the camera.