BirdingPI.com’s entomological team is back from August holiday with this fine set of recent shots along the Gull Point Trail, Presque Isle State Park. #more_insect. Also seen: lots and lots of biting flies. Bleh.

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First up, a great sighting of lovely Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella), close to the Gull Point mud flats tree line:

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Next up, Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae) on Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria):

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Lovely Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) butterfly on what’s probably Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum):

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Still plenty of Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) activity:

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What better way to conclude a post than Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly on Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot or whatever it is?

Despite challenging conditions (shrubbery + morning light), some rather excellent shots of Cooper’s Hawk outside Tucson, AZ.

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Bonus hummingbird: Costa’s Hummingbird (m).

Back at La Cima Middle School outside Tucson, AZ, early Saturday, with birds x chain-link fence.

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Lovely Cooper’s Hawk, in for a landing, then departure:

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Following are all juvenile female Vermilion Flycatcher. Happy for the distinctive plumage to ID both sex and age.

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And, lots more hummingbird, probably female Anna’s Hummingbird:

Yes, here it is. A hummingbird engaging in “excretory system behavior:“

Only BirdingPI.com brings you hummingbirds engaging in excretory system behavior! #nature #heavy_hitting_nature_journalism

More from El Rio Preserve, Marana, AZ!

Beautiful male Vermillion Flycatcher perched + flight:

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Great exchange between an unexpected American Kestrel and a Cooper’s Hawk:

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A bit later, another unexpected visitor – juvenile Peregrine Falcon:

Falcon vs. Cooper’s Hawk:

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Thanks to Tucson Audubon for another great Birding Festival outing!

Great place for birds in the desert southwest: anywhere with watered/green grass + shade trees, e.g., city parks or schoolgrounds. These shots from an early Saturday morning @ La Cima Middle School, Casas Adobes, AZ. (Apropos: “Home of the Cardinals.”)

Hummingbird photos probably Anna’s Hummingbird (f).

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HIF (hummingbird in flight) photography is tips: (i) ‘perch-and-flight’; or (ii) pre-focus for hover. Former involves focusing on a perched bird w/ continuous shooting as the bird takes flight; crop out the perch in post-production if needed/desired. Latter (inc. all the shots in this post) involves birds hovering at least occasionally, e.g., eating bugs; pre-focus @ expected shooting plane/distance (approximately), then fine/re-focus if the targe cooperates, + fast/continuous shooting.

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Two of beautiful American Kestrel:

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Great outing last week with the Tucson Audubon SE Arizona Birding Festival @ El Rio Preserve in Marana, AZ. Fascinating spot nestled between a residential neighborhood/desert and the Santa Cruz River.

Originally the result of river flooding into open space/parkland, the pond’s now maintained via a dike on one side + surplus agricultural water.

Excellent spot for birding/nature – raptors, flycatchers, Roadrunner, ducks, etc. Surprise of this outing: Ruddy Duck (m & f) in breeding plumage. (See below.)

Surprise pair of Ruddy Duck:

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Unclear if it’s siblings engaging in play behavior or a territorial/other dispute, but here’s a lengthy/fun sequence of a Cooper’s Hawks chase:

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Beautiful Greater Roadrunner on a wall @ adjacent subdivision:

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Coming up soon: Part 2, with lots more Vermillion Flycatcher! Also more hawk and other/surprise raptors!

Continuing coverage from the southwest United States of America, here, beautiful/yellow Hooded Oriole @ Molino Basin, Mt. Lemmon, outside Tucson, AZ.

More male Hooded Oriole:

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Bonus shots of beautiful (& significantly less yellow) Canyon Towhee at that same location:

A few fun, if shady, shots of amazing/large White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) hawk moth (a.k.a. hummingbird moth), outside Tucson, AZ. Absent close inspection, easily mistaken for a small hummingbird!

#3 of the “Top 10 reasons to visit the desert southwest for birding:” the amazing Greater Roadrunner. These pre-dawn shots at El Rio Preserve in Marana, AZ.

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Tips for seeing Greater Roadrunner in the Tucson, AZ area: (i) drive long enough anywhere around Tucson; (ii) drive around the agriculture/dirt road area west of Red Rock, AZ (i.e., ‘Santa Cruz flats’)/NW of Tucson; (iii) visit El Rio Preserve in Marana, just outside Tucson.

Dateline: 13 August 2023

Checking back in at Presque Isle State Park with an interior ‘spot check’ along the Pine Tree Trail Sunday afternoon. Bird activity remains mostly ‘summer normal,’ e.g., Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, various woodpecker species, American Crow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, various flycatcher species, GBH, Canada Goose, Field Sparrow, Gray Catbird!, Black-capped Chickadee, Warbling Vireo, Purple Martin, American Goldfinch, etc.

Three shots of beautiful Great Crested Flycatcher:

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Surprise of the day, a beautiful/uncommon (at Presque Isle) Carolina Wren! ID ‘double check’ confirmed via Merlin.

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