Hacienda del Sol - 6 (Fauna)

Quail family on our balcony

New Hummingbirds in the Desert Springtime

These baby hummingbirds are in a nest in a friend's side yard in mid-town Tucson. She invited me to photograph the nest a couple of weeks ago. I took the photo from a fair distance away, because I didn't want to upset the mother. In fact, I didn't realize there were birds in the nest until I enlarged the photo. I didn't see the mother, but my friend believes she's either a Costa's or an Anna's Hummingbird. It's a beautiful nest. I love the decoration around it.

2007 - Birds on the Feeders - Hummingbird

Family life's been complicated in this part of the Old Pueblo recently and I haven't yet been able to pursue any of my 2007 goals, one of which is to study digital photography in a systematic, disciplined way. But I don't want to lose touch with my friends in the blogosphere, so I thought I'd try to take some photos of the birds at our feeders and post them on my blog. It's not an easy task. Robin Andrea, endment and others seem to walk freely among the birds in their environment, talking with them and making friends. Most of those who frequent our patio fly off the moment I step outside the kitchen door. The only feeders that are near enough for me to capture any real detail of their visitors are the hummingbird feeders outside the dining room window.

Yesterday, this little female broadtail was happily flying back and forth - sipping from the feeder and then off to a high branch in a nearby privet hedge to digest the sweet nectar. I was captivated by her golden back as it reflected the low western sun.The Gila woodpeckers come frequently to the patio these days. There's plenty for them to feed from - a seed block, a suet block, a peanut butter holder, oranges and clementines, but still they seem to think there's something special for them at the hummingbird feeder. Here's one clinging to the feeder:and here he is after his drink. Do you think he's looking a little guilty or maybe just a wee bit defiant?