Ten years ago I was looking back on my summer vacations before we had kids. I’d visit my home state Washington and schedule way too much stuff using a Daytimer to keep track. I also posted photos from our 2016 beach vacation and noticed how much more relaxed I was.
You can read that post HERE. I was contemplating whether I should swim in the ocean with several sightings of great white sharks. Yikes.
We’ll be heading to the beach later this week. I’m ready to get out of this terribly hot summer in the desert and enjoy some fresh air!
We had a new bird visit our yard last week. I’m grateful this Brown-crested Flycatcher stopped by because I had run out of birds for Bird of the Week.
Scientific Name: Myiarchus tyrannulus
SIZE:
8 to 9 inches (21 to 23 cm) long, with a wingspan of 12 to 13 inches (30 to 33 cm). It weighs roughly 1.1 to 1.6 ounces (32 to 45 grams).
RANGE:
Brown-crested Flycatchers are large flycatchers who range from southwestern United States to Argentina. They are migratory birds.
NESTING:
Brown-crested Flycatchers nest in woodpeckers’ holes in Saguaro and Organ Pipe cactus. They choose the former nests of larger woodpeckers like the Gilded Flickers and Gila Woodpeckers, which are common where we live. Smaller species such as the Ladder-backed Woodpeckers have nests with too small of holes for the flycatcher. They will also use woodpecker holes in forests, brush and along streams and in large suburban trees.
The male and female flycatchers stay together for a season only, but often return to the same nesting area and may even use the same woodpecker hole again. They line their nests with fur of rabbits, rats, opossums, badgers, horses, and cattle, as well as feathers from ravens, nighthawks, White-winged Doves and chickens. They also have been known to use snake and lizard skins.
FOOD:
Their primary diet is insects including large ones like cicadas, beetles and grasshoppers. They also fly and catch flying insects such as butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Other bugs they eat include caterpillars, spiders, ants and termites. Their diet includes berries and wild fruits.
They catch flying insects mid air as they fly or forage for insects as they perch on trees and plants.
The Cactus Wren is the state bird of Arizona, where we live. I was curious why. If it was up to me, I’d have selected the beautiful bright red Northern Cardinal.
According to Arizona State Parks, the Canyon Wren became Arizona’s state bird in 1931 because it embodies the unique spirit, toughness, and beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
SIZE:
It is the largest species of wren:
Length: 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm)
Weight: 1.1-1.7 oz (32-47 g)
COLOR:
It’s a speckled brown bird with a white stripe across and above red eyes, to the sides of the neck. They have light cinnamon sides and their backs are brown with heavy white streaks. Cactus Wrens have white chests with dark speckles. Males and females look alike, but juveniles are slightly paler and have brown eyes.
PERSONALITY:
Cactus Wrens are not timid and love to perch on cactus or forage for food out in the open. I often have a Cactus Wren perching on a chair outside my window. He stares at me unafraid as I’m on my laptop.
FOOD:
They mostly eat insects, seeds and vegetable matter such as fruit pulp. They don’t need to drink water but get their hydration from cactus fruit and insects.
NESTS:
They weave football shaped nests with one entrance from grasses and twigs inside the safety of cholla cactus or other protective bushes. The male may make several “dummy” nests and the female will choose one to lay her eggs. They mate for life.
CALL:
I have heard the loud gravelly sound of Cactus Wrens months before I saw one.
We have had a true Monsoon week with thunder and lightning storms every few nights and an abundance of rain. Thanks to the rain, we have cactus blooming again in beautiful pinkish red.
Here are a few photos of the buds and blossoms:
Then of course there’s my bird buddy Red:
Red with a mouthful of millet.
Red found a new perch, a little table next to a covered chaise lounge.
Size: They measure 11 to 12.5 inches (28 to 32 cm) in length, possess a wingspan of 19 to 23 inches (48 to 58 cm), and weigh between 4.5 and 6.5 ounces (125 to 187 grams).
White-winged Doves are very common birds in our backyard. The Mourning Doves outnumber them, but White-winged Doves are a close second. Their coloring is either brownish or gray. They have very noticable white tipped wings, bright blue eye-shadow and bright orange or red eyes. When they are in flight, their white wings are more prominent.
Diet: They are frequent visitors to our bird feeder and eat sunflower seeds and millet. In the wild, they eat seeds from desert willows, ocotillo, agave, as well as cacti fruit. They can fly up to 25 miles in the Sonoran Desert to look for water, plus get moisture from Saguaro cactus fruits.
Range: White-winged Doves have been seen as far north as Alaska, Maine and Ontario Canada, but are mostly found in the Southwest.
A White-winged Dove in our backyard tree.
Nesting: A female finds a location to build a nest such in vines, in thick desert brush, a clump of cactus or a tree limb. She builds a nest out of sticks that the male bird will bring to her. They are known to use their nest from a prior year, or they will reuse a nest from another bird. They are not monogamous for life, but more likely to stay together for breeding season.
A Harris’s Hawk landed in a tree in our backyard. We haven’t had one stop by for months, although I see them soaring overhead. I could hear his call and I spent a bit of time trying to spot him behind branches. The link is to a Youtube video of Harris’s hawks in flight with their sounds. I wouldn’t want to mess with those claws or beak!
This is a compilation of my favorite photos that I took this week.
Papa quail shares the birdseed block with a few of his babies.
A White-winged Dove perches on a flamingo buddy.
Bully bird Curve-billed Thrasher lands on the cactus statue before scaring everyone away from the birdseed block.
An adult House Finch feeds it’s juvenile.
Red watches over the rain meter during a Monsoon week.
House Sparrows are one of the most common birds we have. Their success in the wild is a result of their close relationship to humans. They are found in backyards, cities and throughout North America and most parts of the world. The House Sparrow was introduced in Brooklyn, New York in 1851. By 1900 they spread to the Rocky Mountains. They originated in Eurasia and North Africa.
Here’s a map of their range in North and South America:
This is a female House Sparrow on the birdseed block.
They are a small bird that has an average length of 16 cm and a mass of 24–39.5 g. Females and young sparrows are pale brown and grey, while males have brighter black, white, and brown markings.
They eat mostly seeds but will also eat insects as well as left over fast food from people or bread crumbs.
A House Sparrow visiting our birdbath.
They nest in manmade objects like eaves of houses, light boxes and planters. They also take over other birds nests in trees. A typical clutch size is three to four eggs and they may have several broods per year.
Three male sparrows splashing in the bird bath. House Sparrows are my most frequent visitors to the bird bath.
