Flickr Lounge: Wish You Were Here!

I've seen the red-shafted northern flicker several times in Arizona, and kept looking for it, but on this visit I only saw the gilded (which I'd never seen before). It's a beautiful bird and I can hardly complain! This shot was taken at the Superstition Mountains. Very few saguaro were in bloom, so I was looking for the ones that were.

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Flickr Lounge: Wish You Were Here!

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61/100 bird life and action, 1/10 nesting birds

I was in Phoenix at just the right time to see lots of nests, including my third hummingbird nest. I saw the mother flying with nesting material, likely spiderweb, and a walking companion saw her land on the nest. She shaped it a bit, inserted the lining, and flew off again. Explore #388.

Tags:   hummingbird nest hummingbird nest bird nest nesting season Arizona

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A childhood favorite. As a pre-teen and teenager I used to sit out on a low wall in our backyard and watch small flocks of this little dove walk around our backyard, sometimes coming within four or five feet of me. I also sat in a mulberry tree in our front yard and sketched young doves within their nest. The species was on my wish list, but Arizonans shocked me by telling me it is hardly ever seen in Phoenix or Tucson now. So I was delighted to find one bird. Just one.

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Flickr Lounge: vertical

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