Pinyon Pines and Birds in Arizona
/Two topics today - both from Arizona: pinyon pines and birds.
Pinyon pines are part of the landscape of the Grand Canyon. I have always been fascinated by their cones. They are short and squat and often full of sap. I learned that the hard way on a trip across New Mexico in a new car 30+ years ago. I picked up some pinyon pine cones and put them on the dash of the car - enjoying their wonderful smell as we continued our road trip. The sap stayed on the dash for years! I am enjoying the pictures I captured this time. The first picture is of a cone that has already lost its seeds; the second and third are developing cones.
I accidently took some good bird pictures in Arizona. They were accidents in that I was not set up to photograph birds; I was just being opportunistic. The varied thrush was in the parking lot of the Petrified Forest Visitor Center! The bird is a little out of normal range according to allaboutbirds.com.
The next three birds were in the alleyway outside my son-in-laws research greenhouse in Tucson (I was waiting outside after getting too hot in the greenhouse). The mockingbird kept an eye on every move I made but rummaged in the pebbles for food. This bird lives year round all of the US but they are usually too nervous for me to photograph.
The curve-billed thrasher felt secure on the electrical line. The wind ruffled the feathers periodically making the bird look rather scruffy.
The white-wing dove was also overhead on the lines. The red eye outlined in blue and the white tips on the wings are distinctive….and the ruffling of the feathers by the wind is too.
I am learning to always be prepared for bird photography in unlikely places!
