Birds of the Desert

_{All Photos by Candy Dorsey © 2019 All Rights Reserved Do Not Copy or Remove}

Information Source:  Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds Who Steal Things!

Cactus Wren and House Finch - Both Caught in the Act

I know it's impossible to identify from this picture, but this is a female House Finch. She is destroying the window screen on my house by shredding it and probably using it to build a nest somewhere. As if there aren't enough twigs and branches in the desert for her to gather. The arrow is pointing to shredded screen clenched in her beak. My screen is ruined!

Rarely in flight the Gambel's Quail walk or run to their destination. When they do fly it's very short distances with their wings flapping furiously. The male quail's face is black as seen here, the female is light gray. The male has an orange band on his head and a large black spot on his underbelly, the female does not have that coloration. Both male and female have a crest protruding from their head.  They always travel in pairs, male and female, with the same partner for life.  Sometimes I'll see one running around in circles making a lot of noise until their mate joins them.

Of all the birds that I've seen in the desert, the Great Horned Owl is my favorite in sheer beauty. I was able to capture photos of an adult and a baby in a nest. These pictures were taken in the daytime, I always thought that owls only came out at night.

Usually the Mourning Doves line up on the telephone wires making a coo-cooing sound while waiting for me to put out their birdseed. When they are in flight their wings and tailfeathers appear to be scalloped. It's a pretty sight.

I have a few very small feeders to attract the smaller birds.  On this day I noticed a House Finch snacking on the seeds.  The males have a red bib and red in their tailfeathers while the females are all gray.  This one is a male.