Cloudy/gloomy again today in Erie, Pennsylvania, colder, w/ a light-but-steady “wintery mix.” Time to return, even if only mentally, to warmer climes. Here, Sweetwater Wetlands on 31 July 2023 in Tucson, Arizona.
Here’s a lovely Verdin working on nestbuilding. (Due to the multiple layers of tree branches + twigs, very tough situation for camera auto-focusing.)
More Verdin nestbuilding:
Never could figure out specifically what bird this is. Some sort of flycatcher probably + feeding behavior on mesquite pods.
More Sweetwater Wetlands coming up soon, but bringing this post to a close with a long series of Tropical Kingbird duo ‘food chase.’ This is a known/occasional location for this bird, + lack of white side tailfeathers (white side tailfeathers = more common Western Kingbird).
Later this week or next, more Kingbird, including a great Arizona quartet of Tropical, Thick-billed, Western, and Gray-hooded*!
[Editor’s note: * formerly Cassin’s Kingbird.]
The drama of the Kingbirds in flight is amazing!