Tag Archives: Gila Woodpecker

Bird of the Week

Posted on by
12

Bird of the Week: CLXVIII

Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis

  • ORDER: Piciformes
  • FAMILY: Picidae
  • SIZE: The adult is 8 to 10 inches long (20-25 cm) and weights 3.5 oz (68 gm).

We have several Gila Woodpeckers in our backyard. The males (photo above) have a patch of bright red feathers on top of their heads, while the females do not.

I had to get rid of my hummingbird feeder because the Gila Woodpeckers would attach themselves to it and drain it in an hour. The hummingbirds never got a chance.

Normally, they eat insects, berries and cactus fruit. They also like the birdseed I put out for my backyard birds.

They live in the deserts of the southwest US and Mexico. They make their nests in Saguaro cactus digging out a hole and allowing it to dry out for several months before moving in. That makes a solid casing around the nest.

This is a saguaro in our back yard with several nests made by Gila Woodpeckers. After they are done raising their young, they abandon their nest and other birds will claim the cavity nest as their own. Those birds include elf and pygmy owls, flycatchers, Cactus Wrens and other species.

Here are a male and female hanging out on a tree. Gila Woodpeckers are monogamous and mate for life. They have strong head and neck muscles so they are able to withstand the shock of pounding their bills into trees and other materials. Often we hear them pecking the metal top to our fireplace.

With their black and white zebra striped back and their loud call, they are easy to spot or hear.

Here are recordings of their call from All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gila_Woodpecker/sounds

The birds in my backyard use the pink flamingo as a perch.

Scams, Scams Everywhere Scams

Posted on by
52

A Gila Woodpecker in our backyard. This photo has nothing to do with my story today, but I thought you might enjoy it.

I received a strange envelope in the mail with a black and white flyer inside. It said, “Thank you! Thank you so much for your purchase! We truly appreciate your support and hope you enjoy your product.” Then there was a logo and the company name, which I didn’t recognize.

I looked through my Amazon orders to see if I purchased anything from them. I did not.

I went to their website and didn’t recognize it. It had a variety of tabs across the top for products, shopping, etc. I wanted to know what products they sold, so I clicked a tab and nothing happened. Then I clicked on another. A scary thought dawned on me. Maybe they sent me the strange envelope and flyer to get me to visit their website and click! I used my map app to look at their address. It didn’t exist.

I called my brilliant son and thankfully he answered in the middle of his work day. I explained, while freaking out, what I had done. He googled the company and said it came up as a known hacker site.

I told my son I had purchased Malwarebytes to scan for malware. He said I also needed to use a password manager, which he has been telling me for years. He did set one up for me years ago but I must have made a typo in the master password and I was never able to use it.

By using Facetime, my son accessed my computer and took over. We spent the next three hours on my computer updating passwords. He had me practice the last hour and I’ve spent the better part of the weekend working on this tedious but well-needed project. Next, he’s going to take over hubby’s computer and help him through the same project.

I read a page on USPS.com about scams. Usually the scammer mails merchandise to the unsuspecting victim. The person who receives the package knows they didn’t order whatever is in the package and wants to return it to the sender. The scammer uses the recipient’s name and address to create a fake “verified buyer” account, posting glowing reviews to boost their product ratings. USPS says to throw the stuff away or keep it. Buy do not engage with the sender. They call this scam “brushing.”

My husband said he’s so thankful he’s not the one to click on a potential dangerous site, but that it was me. That’s because we’ve always been wary that he would click on an email or link that he shouldn’t. It’s been a running joke in the family.

My son says AI is going to bring scams to a new level and that as boomers we are targets.

Needless to say, I’m behind in my reading and commenting on blogs. But as this project winds down, I’ll catch up!

Have you heard of my scam or been scammed yourself? If so, what did you do?

The Curve-Billed Thrasher at the bird bath.

I thought of this song when I wrote my title for today.

Count Your Blessings

Posted on by
49

I noticed a squirrel sitting on a rock across the pool in the morning sun. I like how the sunlight highlights his fur.

Count Your Blessings was how our weekly zoom call ended. Every Thursday, I have a zoom call with about a dozen other people where we discuss the world’s geopolitical problems, religion, local politics and news. We were on a dour note talking about how the world has changed from when we were young whippersnappers and how on earth our country is going to survive with 38 trillion dollars in debt.

Then one member of the group, who is a former history teacher and Jewish, said some insightful things, like there’s nothing new under the sun. If we think things are bad now, remember our country survived the Great Depression, World Wars and people of his faith faced the Holocaust.

He said to count our blessings. He said he looks forward to every Thursday morning to have an in depth discussion with a group of intelligent people who want to make a difference. He reminded us that none of us are homeless, we’re in good health, we have our families and our homes. He said in the Jewish faith they say blessings all day long. His favorite blessings are for bodily functions. He gives blessings that God has given him a miraculous body that still works!

I googled blessings because this was something new to me. I learned that people of Jewish faith aim to say 100 blessings a day.

We left the zoom call with positive feelings and gratitude for the important things in our lives.

A squirrel on a bench in our backyard.

I’m grateful for my family, my home and the wild creatures around me.

I spotted a Gila Woodpecker feeding somebody in the Saguaro Cactus nest.

He’s been going in and out the past few days. Maybe he’s preparing the nest, or there’s already babies in there.

I scared him away with my camera.

What are you grateful for today? What do you think of counting your blessings?

Gilded Flickers, Gila Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves and Red

Posted on by
55

This video from my new Bird Buddy feeder begins with a female Gilded Flicker. Then a male, with the red markings on his face, takes over. I see Gila Woodpeckers more than these larger woodpeckers. The flickers have spots while the Gila Woodpeckers have similar colors but a black and white pattern on their backs.

The new Bird Buddy has a longer battery life than my old one. I do have them both up and running, but I have to charge the older one more often — which I did yesterday. The birds seem to prefer the new feeder or maybe it’s the placement? I turned the feeder around because I was getting photos of my neighbor’s house. I don’t know the neighbors to the left of us, but somehow I doubt they’d want me making videos of their yard and posting them on my blog!

This video captures a Gila Woodpecker so you can compare it with the Gilded Flickers above. There are also House Sparrows and Mourning Doves taking their turns. The first two videos are from the new feeder.

These battling Mourning Doves are from my first Bird Buddy feeder. You can notice a difference in the quality of the video. Or maybe the camera needs to be cleaned?

Since I’m in Arizona, I’m keeping track of the missing Nancy Guthrie story. I hope the family gets answers soon!

Red and Mrs.also paid a visit to the new feeder.

What are your plans for this weekend? Are you rooting for the Seahawks?

My backyard wilderness

Posted on by
47

This is a view of our backyard with flamingos, doves on the fence and a bright red spot in the cholla cactus on the other side of the fence. That red spot is Red! It’s where I believe Red and Mrs. have built their nest.

Here are a few photos of my backyard wildlife:

A bevy of quail appear every time I put out some birdseed.

This sparrow was all fluffed up when we had seven days of rain! I put a rain gauge in the backyard and we got more than three inches. That’s a lot for the desert.

The Gila Woodpeckers are the bullies of birdseed. They also can hang upside down. Look at the grip this guy has on the Beavertail Cactus art.

Here’s looking at you, kid!

My backyard bunny and friends.

Harris’s antelope squirrel making his move toward the birdseed. I bet it’s not a coincidence that our hawks are Harris’s hawks. Any bets the squirrels must be named after the same guy?

A little out of focus but a better view of Red on the nest.

Happy Thanksgiving! Is anyone traveling for the holiday?

Squirrel!

Posted on by
33

I had three squirrels running around the birdseed block yesterday. It turns out they like the sunflower seeds and run quickly to get their fair share. Here are a few photos of them, plus a description of the type of squirrel:

Harris’s antelope squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and in Sonora in Mexico. They are adapted to hot weather conditions. — Wikipedia

I had Red, Mrs., quail and a gila woodpecker hanging out as well.

Here’s Mrs. on a firestick plant.

This gila woodpecker likes to hang upside from time to time.

A handsome poppa quail keeping an eye on his family.

Red also likes the firestick as a perch.

I’m waiting to find out my son’s surgery date and when I’ll return to Northern California with Waffles.

Plus I need to prepare a presentation for my photography class about a photographer or photos that I’d like to share with the class. I’ve selected Inge Morath who was married to Arthur Miller for 40 years after he was married to Marilyn Monroe. I’ll share more about her with you — after I’ve done my homework and selected a few photos of hers.

What’s on your agenda for this week?

Birds Plus More Surgeries

Posted on by
42

I was so excited to capture this photo of Red taking off the Ocotillo!

I’m going to the Bay Area to take care of my daughter post shoulder surgery. She has a repetitive use injury from swimming from kindergarten through college. Her practices in college added up to 12,000 yards of swimming per day.

I’ve been especially nervous and haven’t been sleeping well. There’s a back story to that, besides the anxiety and worry. (Ever since our last thunder and lightning storm our house alarm has been going of at 3 a.m. Now that I figured out how to get it to stop, my body is programmed to get up at 3 a.m.) Once awake, I worry about my upcoming trip and my daughter.

Mrs. giving a side-eye to another bird at the birdseed block.

I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon to take a last look at my ankle. I discussed my other foot with the doctor. My first visit to her was about the left foot, but she discovered my “sprain” was a break in the right ankle — and I was scheduled for emergency surgery.

Now we’re back to the original issue and I’ll have surgery after taking care of my daughter!

Here are more photos from my backyard buddies:

Gila woodpecker taking a turn on a flamingo.

I learned my chipmunks are really Harris Antelope Squirrels! Who knew?

Red’s turn on the flamingo.

The Beavertail sculpture is another favorite perch for Mrs.

This father quail keeps watch over his flock from the tree.

Red ignoring both flamingos and other backyard birds.

I’m afraid I’m at that age where my future will be lots of doctor visits. Hopefully no more surgeries.

Which photos do you like?

How is your week going?