Cochise County – Page 13

Merely a coincidence.

Lucy’s. The quintessential LSB* of the desert. So jittery!

Lucy’s warbler (Leiothlypis luciae), Fairbank Townsite, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona.

*Little Spazzie Bird

Desert bird of paradise (Erythrostemon gilliesii) at Fairbank Townsite, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona.

Elegant earless lizard (Holbrookia elegans

♀). Seen on the river loop trail at Fairbank Townsite, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona.

Untitled.

There was a noisy ruckus in the treetops as I walked by the cottonwoods in this photo. A nesting pair of common ravens (Corvus corax) had raided a Cassin’s flycatcher nest, and the flycatchers were enraged by the loss of their egg, calling and diving at the ravens. Then the ravens got upset with me for observing the fracas from 20 meters away. The raven nest (third photo from top) is a messy, untidy thing, but there are two raven chicks hunkered down inside, apparently unconcerned by all the commotion.

Yesterday’s path though an unnamed arroyo.

Breakfast.

Gila woodpeckers (Melanerpes uropygialis) feeding their chicks at San Pedro House. There is at least one other baby in their knothole nest.

Path. Mesquite bosque.

Family album.

The G.B.H. chicks at Kingfisher Pond are growing up so fast! I love their punk velociraptor haircuts and their bright bills. One of their nestmates is missing since my last visit. Predation seems unlikely. Nature may be red in tooth and claw, but I suspect in this case the parents were unable to keep up with the feeding demands of such a large brood, and one of the babies simply didn’t thrive.

Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) at Kingfisher Pond, San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.