Patience was rewarded (1 Viewer)

Yesterday, Crispy and I were rewarded for our patience. We had heard of a rare visit of the Varied Thrush to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Besides being very shy they are not usually seen in this part of the country. It was quite rewarding to finally catch glimpse of a female late in the day, high in a pistacio tree. The leaves were a bright gold in the fading late afternoon light. As I caught sight of her soft rosy breast, high above me I also noted her neck streaks and size. This was not the little Hermit Thrush that was so prevalent around us. As I mentioned her with hushed excitement to Crispy, wanting his evaluation of her, I turned my binoculars to another movement on my left. There was the beautiful gray and orange male, flitting excitedly among the amber leaves. As I lowered my glasses I pointed, whispering urgently. Crispy got a clear look at him before he dove into the distant brush. We waited for a few minutes but we only saw the female again. Our hours of hiking through the gardens and waiting by the Pistacio trees had paid off. What a beautiful bird.
Besides this rare sighting we also spotted some other favorites that frequent this desert garden: Gila Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladderback Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Black Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Western Scrub Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a female Phainopepla, Spotted and Abert's Towhees, Northern Cardinal, White crowned Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Anna's Hummingbird and Inca Doves.

There were also many butterflies drifting drowsily among the flowers: Queen, Monarchs, Sulfers, Desert Skippers, Pipevine Swallowtails, Snouts, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and a few others.
The black and orange Tarantula Hawks were busy hunting for spiders.

It was a beautiful time to be in the desert.

Beautifully written too, Arwen.

Sounds wonderful.

Andy.

That's it... I'm visiting!

We actually logged five lifers over the weekend. But, it didn't seem all that fulfilling to me since the first three we saw before we finally spotted the Varied were rather drab brown birds: Canyon Towhee, Canyon Wren (both on Saturday at another locale - in a canyon of all places!) and the Hermit Thrush. As the Brits might say, not exactly "cracking" birds. Sure it's nice to get these locally common birds on our life list, and we all love birds of all colors, but we were hoping to see something with a bit more... panache. We certainly got that with the Varied Thrush. Nice way to top off the weekend!

Sounds like a great day. Congratulations on the sighting.

Canyon Wren drab! Come, come! They're marvellous characters!

And living in incredible places too, the only one I've seen was in a cave in the wall of a fabulous gorge over 500' deep, sheer walls, and less than 30' wide in places (in northeast Mexico)

Michael

Here's where I saw my Canyon Wren.

Didn't know what it was at first, but when I looked up and saw what it was, I thought 'That figures . . . "

Michael

Heh, yeah, go figure on the choice of name for the critter. Our sighting was of a very unanimated critter, who wasn't up to performing for us - unlike the Bewick Wrens and the Cactus Wrens who could hardly be more showmanlike if they wore top-hats and carried canes.

Awesome pic, btw!

Actually, I just like any excuse to get out into nature. I look forward to seeing the birds and butterflies but I get just as much of a charge out of seeing and touching the trees and the flowers. I am a tree hugger, after all. If I saw the same birds I wouldn't be disappointed. It's more fun for me to see the attitudes and behaviors of animals, the dramas that go on all around us and making a rare connection with a wild thing. I'll never forget watching a pair of Shrikes hassling a perched Kestrel. Or the time I whistled at a flying Kestrel in a canyon in Santa Barbara. It turned and flew right at me and I ducked as its feet nearly grazed my head. Or the time I watched a large gopher snake strung across branches, its head deep inside of a large rat's nest. The adult rat sat a foot away from the snake, frantically rattling its tail on the branch. That's the only time I've ever seen a rat rattling its tail. What drama! And I had hiked the trail many times before I encountered such a sight. You just never know what you may see in the wild. That's what I love.