Arizona pics

So almost 2 months ago I was in Arizona for my honeymoon. We stayed in Sedona for a while enjoying the scenic canyons and visiting the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Parks. I did not manage any digiscoping on that part of the trip but we then went to SE Arizona for a few days and I did much better then. This White-eared Hummingbird was phonescoped thru my binoculars. It is amazing what one can do now with the availability of cameras everywhere. I am just waiting for the day when I find a rarity and can send the picture to a group of people moments after seeing it for verification and notification.


White-eared Hummingbird- Miller Canyon

I was able to take this shot at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum of a female Broad-billed Hummingbird sitting on her nest. It was right next to the walkway and allowed quite close views. In my experience, it seems that females are quite approachable when on the nest.

Broad-billed Hummingbird- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Those of you who live in se. Arizona are truly lucky when it comes to hummingbird variety. We were lucky enough to find 11 species of hummingbird with the highlights being 2 White-eared Hummingbirds, Lucifer Hummingbird, and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds. I digiscoped this gorgeous male Broad-billed Hummingbird coming to the feeders at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon.


Broad-billed Hummingbird- Santa Rita Lodge

Acorn Woodpeckers were also a treat to see in Madera Canyon. They reminded me a bit of Red-headed Woodpeckers back east with their flashy white patches against all the dark. It was fun watching such a communal bird storing acorns in holes they made all over the place.


Acorn Woodpecker- Santa Rita Lodge

For the trip we managed 163 species with 70 of them being lifers for me. It will be hard for me to ever do a trip in the ABA region and get that many lifers again, maybe even impossible.