ARIZONA 2011 : The Sonoran Desert

I have just returned from a wonderful week in Southeast Arizona where Jane and I spent time photographing hummingbirds. Late summer is the peak of migration and we got to see thirteen of these wonderful diminutive avian aerial masters.

We began west of Tucson, on the border of the Saguaro National Park, at the outstanding Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum.  Though temperatures in the desert foothills soar to triple digits, there is so much here to see amongst the natural landscape that encompasses the museum, and never enough time!

As we entered, a Cactus Wren (above) was very confiding as she collected grasses to build its nest in a cholla cactus. Even though the entrance is a long narrow chamber visible on the side of the nest the thorns on the cactus provide ample protection from predators.

The beginning of the monsoon season starts in July and these short rains usually give species a second chance to breed. In the grasslands Cassin’s and Botteri Sparrows are singing to attract mates while in the thornscrub we found a Pyrrhuloxia (above) atop the largest cactus in the US, a saguaro.

Our eyes were always on the lookout for well camoflagued reptiles in the stony landscape. Though much searching did not yield any snakes, their were a number of really cool lizards including Zebra-tailed and Regal Horned (above).

The fruit of the Prickly Pear Cactus is a favorite amongst a number of species including Harris’s Antelope Squirrel (above), wrens, Gila Woodpeckers and House Finches, many of whose beaks were covers in purple juice!

Though there were few hummingbirds encountered in this desert habitat I was pleasantly suprised to find several Costa’s Hummingbird (above) with their distinctive brilliant purple crown and gorget flairing out the side of its neck.