Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Little Things In Life

It seems like all around the country, autumn went ahead and skipped winter, moving right into spring by the end of February. Though it's early, there are now young birds all around the Phoenix birding spots, and it's totally delightful. Of course, just because some birds have already brooded doesn't mean they're all at the same stage. This pair of Sparrows were behind the times, but better late than never!


It's great to have the spring migrations coinciding with breeding/fledging season. I was lucky to see an entire Bullock's Oriole family in the same tree--ma, pa, and 2 kiddos--a great treat and one which embodies the young and colorful feeling of this season so well.

From his colorful perch, the pater familias oversaw his brood work out the kinks in their foraging techniques. Unlike many of the other desert birds, Orioles, are pretty and proud creatures who refuse to perch on ugly things.


While pops stood proud and tall, junior skulked in the shady branches. He peered nervously around while eating, as if he was worried someone might be watching...


The Orioles like to stay higher in the trees, and this makes the color composition more interesting, if more challenging to photograph. Of course, I'd probably be grumbling if it was a new bird that I wanted to see up close--fickle as a finch am I.


Look at all these yummy flowers; this Oriole has it made! Though this bright bird's cup did overfloweth with nectar, that didn't stop him from being a real whiner. He squawked and screeched as if he thought the whole world was lucky just to hear his cracking voice. These Orioles are beautiful, but I must admit I find their sound to be bullocks.


While the Orioles are starting to fill in the tree canopies, the Gambel's Quail are pairing off down on the ground. They're much more common than the Orioles, and it's a daily occurrence to see them on their evening dates all over Phoenix. This Thursday I saw my first Quail chick of the season. The little rascal (alfalfa, I think, given its hair style) seemed to be an only child--rather odd. He'll be the oldest kid in his grade and he'll be spoiled rotten...lucky duck (Quail).


While this camouflaged couple picked through the desert detritus, Mr. Quail looked on from his elevated and verdant dinner chair. Soon his vigilance gave way to the tempting bean stalks hanging in front of him, and he started pecking away.


Foraging Quail are a common sight. This is the first time I've been able to witness the precise destructive power of the full-grown Quail beak. See the little snippets, the little bite marks taken out of the bean stalk? It is a widely believed fact that Quail bite down with an astounding 33,469,000 psi--about the same compressive force as a black hole, or Thor's vice-grips. The beans never stood a chance.


At first this stately cock kept his reserve and nibbled with the proper dignity, the dignity befitting his renaissance headgear. Eventually he lost patience and severed the stalk, rending it asunder in a way that would shock even the most iron-stomached vegetarians into carnivores.


Of all the young birds out and about these days, by far the most adorable has been this puffy, fluffy, stumpy and lumpy Curve-Billed Thrasher. I like Thrashers a lot, but I wouldn't say they're especially beautiful or aesthetically pleasing birds (except the Brown Thrasher). I wouldn't have expected them to make such cute babies. It's like the 'Ugly Duckling' story except backwards (and, I guess, we already know what species this bird will turn out to be). Most adorable chick ever? Perhaps.


There's been so much great birding these last couple weeks. It's amazing to think that things are just now heating up; there is a whole summer of birding festivals and migrants yet to come.

12 comments:

  1. Laurence, AZ is ahead of us as far as young birds go, all I have seen so far are ducklings, goslings and owl chicks. Love this post & the images.

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    1. Thanks Mia. We've been swimming in ducklings/goslings for 3 or 4 weeks now (of course, there's only Canada Geese and Mallards left). It's great fun to have these other little bird bumbling about; it lends a new sense of excitement and discovery to each outing.

      Old birds that I see all the time, like the Curve-Billed Thrashers, now have a new angle to observe--=Thrasher chicks!.

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  2. This is definitely my favorite time of year as I enjoy seeing all the youngsters. The Thrasher chick is quite an eye pleasing sight:)

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    1. It's an adorable ball of fluff. I wonder when the eyes change color

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  3. Great collection of youngins'! Love the shadow play on the quail shredding those pods.

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    1. Thanks Lauren. I worked really hard on that composition--it's supposed to be a metaphysical reflection of the Quails two lives--the good and the evil, the dark and the light, whereby the Quail moves in between without conscience nor conviction.

      Nah just kidding I was just lucky to have it work out. Thanks for stopping by Lauren.

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  4. First let me say thank you for all the visits to my blog and all the humorous and kind comments you left! Second, I love your flicker photo in the header. Third, I love your oriole photos. Fourth, I love the male Gambel's quail head shot in the leaves. Fifth, you sure are throwing the adjectives around in your post today! Did you swallow a thesaurus?

    Oh, and one more thing...did you know that baby thrashers have gray eyes while the adults have orange or yellow eyes? You can see the gray eyes in your baby thrasher photo!

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    1. Wow Kathie! Thanks for your exceedingly kind list. I'm still mixed on whether or not I prefer the Flicker to the Verdin I used to have, so I'm glad to have your input there. I'm exceedingly pleased to have gotten some Oriole photos this spring. I totally missed the opportunities last summer, new as I was to the photography. Now I'm having great luck, not just photographing them but getting to observe them frequently.

      Now that you mention it, I guess I DID swallow a thesaurus, or 'the saurus' as I like to call it. I guess I swallowed the thing and now I'm regurgitating all the words, which explains why they're not alphabetized anymore...

      I had never seen nor read about young Thrashers until I saw this little guy. As you mention, his clear gray (I guess I would've called it pearly) eye is very apparent, and since the angry orange eyes of the adults are one of their most prominent features, I then made the connection. I forgot to mention it in the post though--I'm glad you reminded me.

      Always a pleasure to have you stop by Kathie--good birding this weekend!

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  5. Hello!!! You are so right....this has been an epic birding season...even though I've only been less than a year doing it. But I can't believe all the birds and nesting going on around our property. The chicks are adorable...and it doesn't matter if it's an owlet, baby house finch, or the little Gamble Quail chicks.....they are just amazing to have around. Yesterday I went on a search for hummingbirds....I'm working on a series for the blog called the Chuparosa Challenge. I went to find the Lucifer Hummer and found a Magnificent instead....I absolutely love the detective part of this birding game. Take a right on the dirt path...and left here.....and go straight there....near the Willow tree by the little red brick on the path.....seriously exciting stuff. I love Thrashers. We have two on the property, but I've never seen a baby...they are one of my favorite birds to have around on the property. Wait until you see the Boobie Chicks tomorrow.....adorable. Nest after nest on that island. And then you say things are only heating up???!!! I thought winter was the highlight???!!!! What should I be looking for down here? The Purple Gallinule? That would be cool....and an Elegant Trogon would be the cherry on top of the Banana Split....and while I'm at it, maybe seeing an Allen's Hummingbird:) Is that too much to ask for?? I have been on the trails down here and I have a TON of pics to share....lots of cool finds. But alas, it's back to work again tomorrow:( Oh weekends why do you have to end???!!!

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    1. I'm looking forward to all your coming stuff Chris. I've got a back-log of photos too. finally I have more stuff than time to organize and present it--that's never happened before.

      There' so much down there in SE AZ, I really don't know where to begin with all the Flycatchers and Finches and Sparrows. Hummingbirds are a good place to start. You've got Elf Owls and Whiskered Screech and Spotted Owls down there too yeah? The Elegant Trogon is still a big target bird for me--I'm hoping to finally see one at some point this summer, if I can fit in a couple days down south.

      I know what you mean about the detective games. I enjoy them too, though sometimes when you can't solve the mystery it can be pretty frustrating.

      Thanks for stopping by Chris. Have a good week.

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  6. You must be positively swimming in Bullocks Orioles from the looks of your recent posts. It makes me miss the Spot-breasted Orioles we left behind in South Florida. It's an introduced population, but they're established and reliable enough through parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties.

    I'm super jealous that you get to see (free) quail chicks. I've seen them on a couple of occasions, but always penned up in aviaries at zoos.

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    1. In a couple weeks there will be Quail chicks everywhere. Perhaps I'll box some up and send them to you (though I guess this wouldn't solve the problem of seeing them within some confinement).

      I didn't know Spot Breasted Orioles were introduced. It's nice you all got to see them though. With such a limited range, the opportunities are few and far between short of residing in that area.
      Hopefully there are more to come this summer. I haven't seen Scott's yet this year, and you never know when a Streak-backed might show up...

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