Pyrrhuloxia

Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus 1-29-09

Pyrrhuloxias, also know as Mexican Cardinals, are seen in Sycamore Canyon year round. They are distinguished from the similar looking Northern Cardinals by their gray coloration and stubby yellow parrot-like beaks.

The Male Pyrrhuloxia has red around its beak and eyes as well as a red crest and red running down the belly.  The female is almost all gray with little to no red except in the crest, wings, and tail feathers. She also has a stubby yellow beak while Northern Cardinals have a red cone-shaped beak.  The female cardinal is over-all brown and not gray. Female pyrrhuloxias are very shy and often only come to my feeders at dusk and dawn.

Like their Northern counterparts, Pyrrhuloxias are seed eaters. They love peanuts and sunflower seed and will also come to suet in the winter time.

Male Pyrrhuloxia 6-11-07

This juvenile male is already starting to get the red around its eyes and on its wings. Though still downy, you can see the beginning of the red on its belly. It already has the yellow beak of an adult.

However, this juvenile (7-20-10) still has the gray beak of a nestling. However, you can still see that distinctive stubby beak shape.

Juvenile Pyrrhuloxia 7-5-10

 

When seen from the front the pyrrhuloxia takes on a comical, cone-shaped silhouette. This picture was taken May 16, 2008 in my own yard on Vermillion Sunset Dr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, they can relax their crests and often do. 7-5-10

Pyrrhuloxia sightings in	My Yard (1st sighting of each month only
Vermillion Sunset Dr	July 18, 2007
	January 31, 2008
	February 15, 2008
	May 1, 2008
	June 25, 2008
	October 4, 2008
	November 27, 2008
	January 29, 2009
	March 3, 2009
	April 1, 2009
	June 10, 2009
	September 19, 2009
	November 9, 2009
	December 5, 2009
	January 1, 2010
	February 13, 2010
	April 1, 2010
	June 21, 2010
	July 1, 2010

 

Juvenile Pyrrhuloxia 7-5-10

Pyrrhuloxia sightings in	Sycamore Canyon
Location:	Date:
Harrison Rd	May 3, 2007
	March 18, 2008
	February 13, 2010
Sienna Bluffs Trail	February 24, 2009
	March 6, 2009
	June 11, 2009
	March 3, 2010
	May 20, 2010
	July 14, 2010
Sycamore Canyon Neighborhood Streets*	March 4, 2009 June 11, 2009
Sycamore Canyon Park	August 4, 2009
	September 4, 2009
	February 12, 2010
	June 30, 2010
Azure sky Trail	January 27, 2009

*I have defined this area as the junction of Rustling Leaf Trail and Sycamore Leaf  in all directions for about 1/4 to 1/2 mile.

Adult Male Pyrrhuloxia in Sycamore Canyon Wash 2-16-09

Location:	Date Seen:
Sycamore Canyon Wash	April 15, 2008
	April 23, 2008
	May 10, 2008
	June 14, 2008
	January 29, 2009
	February 16, 2009
	March 24, 2009
	July 29, 2009
	September 25, 2009
	December 27, 2009
	March 4, 2010
	April 13, 2010

As you can see, Pyrrhuloxias can be seen practically anywhere in Sycamore Canyon at anytime of year. All data for these sightings comes from my eBird record with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Baby Quail!

 “I sure am hungry!”

“Do you think we can eat this whole thing?”

“Perhaps if we start at the top and work our way down!”

More and more quail babies are starting to arrive here in Sycamore Canyon.  I had 3 families here on Thursday when I took these pictures. I couldn’t resist a bit of humor when I saw the photo of the 2 looking up at that large seed block.  Gambel’s Quail are seen in Sycamore Canyon year round and in all locations.

Blue Grosbeak

  Blue Grosbeak outside my window 6-1-10

Blue Grosbeak, species 91 for Sycamore Canyon. I woke up this morning and opened the shutters only to see this beauty sitting on the quail block!  I have never seen this species in Sycamore Canyon before and I personally have never had such a close and clear look at this species of bird.  Grosbeaks are in the same family as cardinals and eat insects, seeds and fruit. Their range is from east to west coast in the lower 2/3rds of the continental United States during summer. The female of the species has the same general shape but is much duller with hints of blue in the shoulders and tail and paler chestnut wingbars.

Spring Orioles

 

Hooded Oriole in Sycamore Canyon 3-23-10

With the arrival of spring migration has begun and we are seeing all sorts of new arrivals.  Some of the brightest birds are the male orioles.  I have seen Scotts and Hooded Orioles so far this week, both in my yard and in the surrounding desert and neighborhoods.

The male Hooded Oriole is distinguished by his bright orange-yellow body, orange hood, black back and face mask with a thin, pointy black beak and white lesser coverts on his wings. 

 

Orioles are actually members of the blackbird family, called the icterids, and they are insect and nectar feeding birds. for this reason one must be very careful in the use of pesticides when these birds are around. As you can see, Orioles will come to your hummingbird feeders.  There are also special oriole feeders you can buy.  they love fruit and you can attract them by putting out sliced oranges or other fruit.  Some people even put out jar lids filled with grape jelly.

 

Male Scott’s Oriole 3-23-10

This male Scott’s Oriole showed up the same day as the Hooded Oriole.  the cold and rainy weather drove it to a high energy food source-suet.  However, I have seen this oriole and others drinking nectar from our native flowers as well as the flowering bushes we have all planted in our yards. The day before this picture was taken I saw a Scott’s Oriole feeding from the blossoms in my Cape Honeysuckle bushes.

 

Notice the bright yellow belly, black head and face and black back of this species. Also note the white wing patches.

Scott’s Oriole

Scott’s Oriole Sightings for	Sycamore Canyon
Location:	Date:
Vermillion Sunset Dr.	3-16-08
	3-22-10
	3-23-10
Sycamore Canyon Neighborhood	3-24-10
Sienna Bluffs Trail	3-24-10

  Hooded Oriole

The female of these oriole species are very similar in coloring and shape. They can be very difficult to tell apart. Add in our third species of oriole, the Bullock’s, and it gets even more complicated.  The bullock’s Oriole is orange and black with large  white patches on its wings.  It has an orange face with a black crown and a black line running through its eye from its beak.  I have not seen one yet this year but I am sure we will be seeing them soon!

Hooded Oriole Sightings	Sycamore Canyon
Location:	Date:
Sycamore Canyon Wash	4-15-2008
	9-25-2009
Vermillion Sunset Dr.	4-12-09
	7-15-09
	8-16-09
	8-28-09
	3-23-10
	3-24-10

Bird sightings tables are generated with information from eBird an online resource administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This information is taken form data I have submitted to eBird as a Citizen Scientist since moving here in 2007. Anyone can participate.  Click on the link to learn how.

Costa’s Hummingbird

Immature Male Costa’s Hummingbird at my backyard feeder 9-30-2008

Costa’s Hummingbirds are one of our most unique birds to be seen here in Sycamore Canyon. I have documented their presence here year round. The males are unmistakable with their purple “helmets,” those iridescent feathers that go from their throats up over the tops of their heads. Costa’s are one of only two helmeted hummingbirds to be seen here in the USA. The other helmeted hummingbird is the Anna’s which has a rose-red gorget and a much plumper body. It can also be found here in Sycamore Canyon.  The male Costa’s purple gorget is separated from the back of the head by a white patch.  Note also that the feathers go past the neck like streamers.

 

Male Costa’s Hummingbird in Sycamore Canyon 8-9-2009

While the males are much easier to distinguish from one another, the female can be much more difficult. In many hummingbird species the females look so much alike that it is difficult for even a professional to distinguish them in the field, but here are a few helpful clues:

Female Costa’s hummingbirds are shiny green above with gray bellies. They have a light grayish cheek patch, a short, slightly down-curved bill and they constantly pump their tail while hovering like Black-chinned hummingbirds. However, the Black Chin’s tail is much longer and the body is sleeker than the Costa’s. While Costa’s are here year round, the Black Chin is most likely to be seen in late summer and early fall.

 

Female Costa’s hummingbird in Sycamore Canyon 8-17-2008

February to March is the breeding season for Costa's hummingbirds in our area. Sometimes you will hear the males whirring feathers as he goes into his display flight. The male flies 75 feet high into the air and dives down in an arc where his spread tail feathers produce the sound you hear. For the first time ever I observed a male doing his shuttle dance in front of a female in my back yard. The female perched on a low tendril of my blue passion vine while the male hovered in front of her shuttling from side to side to gain her favor. I do not know if they ever mated and I have yet to find a nest here in Sycamore Canyon but I know they are out there! The clutch size is usually 2 eggs and the incubation period is from 15 to 18 days. The nesting period is from 20 to 23 days according to Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds.

 

Immature male Costa’s Hummingbird 8-10-2009

• Here is what I do know:
• Costa’s hummingbirds are here year round.
• They like to perch on a horizontal twig with few obstructions but some cover.
• They are subordinate to all other hummingbirds.
• Thrashers and roadrunners will eat hummingbirds, so do not put suet or seed near your hummingbird feeders!
• To attract hummingbirds to your yard, you can put up hummingbird feeders or plant hummingbird friendly plants such as penstemmon, chuparosa, honeysuckle, salvia, and other tubular flowers.
• Hummingbirds like native Velvet Mesquite trees.
• If you want to attract hummingbirds to you yard, DO NOT USE PESTICIDES! Hummingbirds eat tiny insects and spiders and use spider web to construct their nests. The use of pesticides can poison these and other birds and lizards that live here in Sycamore Canyon.

 

Male Costa’s Hummingbird with 3 females at my feeder 1-22-10

 

Costa’s Hummingbird first sighted in Sycamore Canyon on 10-2-2007

Birds in Sycamore Canyon

Male Costa's hummingbird in backyard 1-22-10

photo by Kathiesbirds