Bird Hide And Seek | Adventures in Nature

Birds can be very fast and they can also be great at hiding. The Arizona desert experienced a rather cold, by our standards anyway, and breezy few days so I headed out with my camera to find a deserted patch of nature to explore. Whether it was due to the cool weather or the wind, the birds seemed especially difficult to spot on this particular morning and provided me with a game of sorts and lots of smiles.

This guy was hiding in a tree. He was a rather large bird and the branch didn't seem to hold him as well as he would have liked. His head swayed back and forth as he fought to keep his balance and each time his head came forward, it was rather like a game of peek-a-boo. This little "game" didn't last very long as he completely lost his balance in a fluff of feathers and flapping and then circled back to land next to the water.

On I ventured and heard a good deal of noise in some reeds. The noise ended up coming from sparrows who quickly decided to fly away however I spotted this female thrasher who was sitting very still. She was so well balanced and while she certainly didn't blend in with the green reeds, her stillness would have caused me to walk right by if the sparrows hadn't drawn my attention. I have to say that she seemed very serious and when I looked at my photos at home, I would venture to say that she was not in the mood to have her photo taken.

This last guy was a heron, I believe, hiding in plain sight. His utter statue-like stance and the fact that he blended into the rocky background almost caused me to walk past him. I stood for quite a long time watching him and I didn't see him move at all. The wind would come up and rustle his head feathers but he seemed completely unbothered by the breeze or my presence. He didn't even glance in my direction though I am thinking that he could see me just fine without moving his head and was just biding his time until I left. As soon as I was out of sight I imagine he spread his wings, shook himself, and let out a sigh of relief that I was finally gone.

Duck Trio Photo Birds on Calm Water Lake Animals Acrylic Tray

Duck Trio Acrylic Trays Available in My Zazzle Store
by natureinfocus

Having nothing in mind except to explore, gives me a thrill each time I head out to spend a little time with my wildlife friends. They provide me with stories, smiles, and plenty of photos that I hope captures their beauty and with a little luck their unique personalities.

Comments

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates Last week, I talked about the hungry sparrows feasting among my jujube trees. Apparently many have not heard of a jujube or red date before and are curious what to do with them besides just eating them from the tree. Just to recap in case you have not read my previous post, when mostly yellowish in color they taste a little like a dry apple. They get sweeter as they turn a reddish color and as they turn completely red and start to wrinkle slightly, they are closer to a raisin or a date. No matter how you eat them, don't forget that there is a pit in the center. I find that cutting them close to the pit around each side is the easiest way to rid the fruit of the pit. The Varied Uses of Jujubes The light green to yellow jujubes are easily shredded and used any time apples are called for. I have used them in breads, muffins, and mixed with pear or apples for a fruit crisp when shredded right from the tree. ...

Thorns, Needles, and Spikes Thrive in Arizona

When most people think of Arizona they tend to think of desert and cactus. Southwestern cactus bring to mind long needles and plants that can be admired but steered clear of. While we do have a huge variety of cacti in our state, cacti are not the only plants to use needles, thorns, or spikes to protect themselves. Barrel Cactus Pillow Available in Our Store by southwestcreations So why does a cactus plant have needles? The obvious answer is to protect themselves but why do they need so much protection. Cacti are made up of a huge amount of water. The mighty saguaro for example can be caused to topple from too much water. A cactus will soak up water and store it allowing it to get through our long periods of drought. Animals seek out water and so a quick meal on a cactus pad can provide needed water for animals. While the needles keep away some animals, there are others that are very adapted to life in the deser...

Monterey California Sea Glass Adventure

I was recently "organizing" my collection of sea glass which basically means that I was taking time to explore and admire my collection. I began collecting sea glass many years ago when on South Padre Island in Texas and I found a piece of beach glass and pottery at the waterline. I didn't even realize that pottery or glass became so weathered and smoothed by the ocean until that point and I was hooked. On my many trips to a beach point since my first find, I am on the lookout for the gleaming piece of glass lying in the sand. After I began looking for glass, I would find one or two pieces on most trips to Southern California but on my last trip to the Monterey Bay area of California, I brought home almost four pounds of glass. Most of my finds were common glass colors of green, white, and brown but there were several rarer finds of blue, milk glass, or pieces that have clearly been tumbling for close to 100 years. If you are interested in findi...

AZ Nature In Focus

Search This Blog