Pine Grove Campground near Flagstaff

Phoenix Botanical Garden

Native to Moluccas, Sula Is. and Aru Is. to New Guinea and NE Queensland. Long-tailed, dark songbird. Adults glossy blackish with strong metallic green-blue sheen above in good light, bright red eye. Immatures dark above, pale with short, dark streaks below. Nest in large colonies, typically seen in very large flocks that fly fast and low. Inhabits forests, parks, gardens.

Large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent, New Zealand and New Guinea. 

Found in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, and southern Thailand. 

This bird was part of a show at the Phoenix zoo. Grandson Jay, was right up next to the elevated stage and the bird reached out and pecked at his face. The crew was now very worried and made sure that there was not going to be any litigation. Jay was scared but fine. Still has all his ears, nose and eyes. I was scared too but didn't cry (much). This guy makes a living at eating flesh every day. I am sure from now on there will be changes with the Phoenix zoo show.

Great-tailed Grackles are partial to water and so without the expanses of watered landscapes and agricultural fields these birds would be rare in the Sonoran Desert. One common foraging tactic they use is to catch worms and bugs that are forced out of the soil during irrigation. But these are very adaptable birds that can adjust their tactics to take advantage of human-altered habitat. For example, at dawn every day they gather to feed on grasshoppers and other insects beneath parking area and billboard flood lights. Garbage cans and scraps from outside restaurant areas are another important food source for urban grackles. Dairy cattle feed lots attract hundreds if not thousands of these birds. http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/vertibrata/quiscalus_mexicanus.html 

Phx Zoo

Feeding on the fruit of a Trichosereus spachiana or Golden Torch Cereus plant.

This mourning dove is common in Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are large for doves, with a white edge on their wings. Their call sounds similar to the English phrase "who cooks for you". 

They nest in residential trees and native cactus plants. They eat mostly grains, but also includes pollen and nectar, especially from the saguaro cactus. They also love eating my garden tomatoes.

It is hunted for food and sport, being the second most game bird in the United States. 

Crescent Lake Railroad Trail 47 Lower Dam Rd
Port Angeles, WA

750 Scenic Rd, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

American White Pelican or
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

American White Pelican or
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Snowy egret or Egretta thula

Snowy egret or Egretta thula

White-crowned Sparrow or
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Northern Shoveler or spatula clyoeata. It used to be called Anas clypeata

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Green Heron or Butorides virescens

Black-necked Stilt or Himantopus mexicanus

Canada Goose or Branta canadenis

Cinnamon Teal or Anas cyanoptera

Has orange bill and black feet

It has the distinctive white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield with a yellow bill tip

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

double-crested cormorant  or Nannopterum auritum