Arizona: owl family, hummingbirds, and more quail

In one place where we stopped, there was a Great Horned Owl that lived right near our lodge.



It didn't just live there - it had a nest, and a couple of owlets in it!






On the other side of the size spectrum, the place was also full of hummingbirds. This is a Broad-tailed Hummingbird:


Another Broad-tailed Hummingbird:


Two female Black-chinned Hummingbirds:


I think we saw a Gambel's Quail every day:


But I could never get enough of them. Just look at that crest!


An appropriately named Yellow-eyed Junco:


This is a Pyrrhuloxia, also known as a desert cardinal:


Western Tanager:


Hooded Oriole:


Cactus Wren:


Acorn Woodpecker:


I will let you guess this one:


Mexican Jay:

Roadrunner, bobcat, and a shrike with a meal

You haven't been to Arizona if you haven't seen one of these sights:



Here is a couple of shots from one of our night trips. This cutie is a Common Poorwill:


And this - this is a bobcat!


Even the cardinals in Arizona are crazy looking!


Just look at that crest! It's definitely braking some cardinal rule.


One of the more amazing things we've seen - a shrike doing its thing...


Impaling a lizard on a thorn...


All ready for breakfast...


This cool guy is a regular sparrow. Familiarity breeds contempt - if they weren't so common, everyone would go gaga over them.


And that's a baby squirrel!


A view from Huachuca mountains:




The roads were more hazardous than they looked:


We got as far south in Arizona as it was possible to go. Beyond that wall is Mexico.


The pickup is Ford's. The wren is Bewick's.


And a few random shots:

Arizona Hummingbirds

Arizona is the hummingbird capital of the US. Especially in the spring! Half of the hummingbird species in the country either nest here, or migrate through here, or stray to southern Arizona from Mexico.

This is a Broad-billed Hummingbird:




This is a rare Magnificent Hummingbird:


Here is another one. Check out how the color of its neck is different from the one above. This happens because its feathers are iridescent and change color depending on the angle of the light.


Another rarity - a Violet-crowned Hummingbird!


And yet another rare hummingbird with a great name - Lucifer Hummingbird:


A family of Blue-throated Hummingbirds - these are the chicks. Notice how their parents built a nest on top of their previous nest:


A female Broad-tailed Hummingbird:


Anna's Hummingbird:


A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird:


Female Broad-billed:


Another female Broad-billed:


A male Broad-tailed:


Black-chinned Hummingbird. When it lifts its head, its neck becomes blue.


Female Magnificent Hummingbird. A few months after my visit, it's been renamed to Rivoli's Hummingbird. But I like the old name much better!


Another Black-chinned Hummingbird here:


Another day - another Gambel's Quail!