Yardbirds on an Overcast Morning (part 1)

I spent some time on my back porch in November

Late in November I felt like sitting on the porch one cool morning just for fun. I saw a very nice sampling of desert birds visiting during that time. Here is a look at some beginning with almost everyone’s favorite, the male Northern Cardinal. His perch in front of the green arms of a cholla provides some seasonal color.

A female was nearby and stopped in for some sunflower seeds too. She rested on a limberbush on her way in.

Not to be outdone, a male Pyrrhuloxia came by a while later. When looking at the similarities and differences between this bird and the male Cardinal, always be aware of the difference in shape of their bills.

And of course the female Pyrrhuloxia wanted her time in front of the camera as well. She was on the same green cholla that the male Cardinal had been on.

The little Verdin is a classic Sonoran Desert species. Its small size, yellow head, and shoulder patch set this bird apart.

Verdins are always active and always seem to be aware of the presence of people but it doesn’t seem to slow them down. You can barely see a glimpse of the shoulder patch in the photo below but it’s there. AllAboutBirds describes the shoulder patch color as “chestnut”. Adult male and female Verdins look alike so it makes the ID of this species a bit easier.

A small desert woodpecker is the Ladder-backed Woodpecker. The males have what is described as a “mostly” red cap.

The female Ladder-backed Woodpecker looks just like the male but with a black cap. Notice how she uses her tail feathers in a typically woodpecker manner. Those stiff feathers are used as a third leg or brace to provide stability when they climb and while they chisel into wood.

Here is another look at the Ladder-back which I personally think is a very cute bird. You may have noticed that I have a few dried cholla skeletons placed around my yard to serve as perches for birds when they come into the yard in search of bird feed. They serve a nice purpose both for the birds and to enhance the images of the birds I shoot. There are other natural perches around the yard as well.

The Gambel’s Quail come through my yard regularly. Usually they arrive in a group. This male was in a rush!

The female Quail was working her way down the rocky slope into the yard. Notice something different about her feathery topknot? All adult Gambel’s Quail have a topknot that is made up of six feathers. The female’s feathers are shorter than the male’s. This particular female is in the middle of molting her topknot feathers and is missing a few. The others will grow out soon and she’ll be looking her finest in time for spring!

There were many other birds and species in that short time I was out there. Stay tuned for the next post!!