Central Ohio NatureA Little Southwest of Columbus, part 3 of 3.
The first stop on our recent trip to the American southwest was Tucson. The weather, when compared to Columbus Ohio in February, was perfect, 40’s during the night and mid 70’s during the day. Great for hiking and exploring nature. Our friends David and Joyce were gracious enough to let us stay with them while there, so no camping.
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It take two and a half days of deliberate driving to get to Tucson from Columbus. Much of it is not that exciting so we tried books on tape but our selections weren’t any better than some of the scenery so we resorted to taking an informal survey of the birds of prey perched along the highway. One day we counted over 60, mostly Red tails.
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Below is a photo collage of some of the things seen while we were in Tucson. Highlights were visits to Saguaro National Park, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Sabino Canyon, and Madera Canyon. If you enjoy the desert and biodiversity this is a great area with a greater variety of cactus than just about anywhere in the US.
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Catalina State Park Landscape
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For us the birds always seem to be the most exciting part of the adventure.
Verdin, Sabino Canyon. Now if I could just arrange for the light to be on the right side of the bird!
Curved Billed Thrasher, Saguaro Natl Park
Ladder Backed Woodpecker, Sabino Canyon
Gila Woodpecker, Desert Museum, (Donna)
Cassin’s Vireo, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Cassin’s Vireo with bug, Madera Canyon
Cassin’s Vireo, Sabino Canyon
Black-throated Sparrow, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Black-throated Sparrow, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Painted Redstart, Madara Canyon, (Donna)
Mexican Jay, Sabino Canyon
Phainopepla, Sabino Canyon
Black-chinned Hummingbird, Tucson
Anna’s Hummingbird, Desert Museum
Anna’s Hummingbird, Desert Museum
Anna’s Hummingbird, Desert Museum, (Donna)
Cactus Wren, Sabino Canyon
Cactus Wren and nest, Sabino Canyon
Bob and Donna, Madera Canyon
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But we were pleasantly surprised by the flowers. A recent rain may have been responsible.
Unknown wildflower, Sabino Canyon
Unknown wildflower, Sabino Canyon
New Mexico Groundsel, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Desert Globe Mallow, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Donna along the trail, Sabino Canyon
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Of the plants, the cactus was by far the most interesting. Walking through the natural areas around Tucson was like walking through an arboretum.
Saguaro Cactus, Catalina State Park
Saguaro Cactus mutation, Sabino Canyon
Eagle claws Cactus, Desert Museum
Organ Pipe Cactus, Desert Museum
Santa Cruz beehive cactus, Saguaro National Park
Saguaro skeleton, Saguaro National Park
Arizona Barrel Cactus, Saguaro National Park
Silver cholla, Saguaro National Park
Young Saguaro under the shelter of a tree, Saguaro National Park.
Christmas Cactus, Saguaro National Park
Teddy bear cholla, Saguaro National Park.
Bob and David, Sabino Canyon.
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When we don’t see a bird we might just see a butterfly.
American Snout and Fairy Duster, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Grey Hairstreak and Fairy Duster, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Painted Lady, Sabino Canyon
Black Swallowtail, Sabino Canyon
Texan Crescent, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Gulf Fritillary, Sabino Canyon
Queen, Sabino Canyon
Sabino Canyon trail.
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Then there were a few other living things/critters that grabbed our attention.
Sonoran Desert Tortoise, Desert Museum
Century Plant, young and old, Desert Museum
Desert Landscape, Saguaro National Park
Common Side-blotched Lizard, Sabino Canyon, (Donna)
Rock Squirrel, Saguaro National Park
Jack Rabbit, Saguaro National Park
Along the trail, Saguaro National Park, (Donna)
Sabino Canyon Landscape
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Thanks for looking in.
Great photos and what a variety of species!
Thanks, it was truly amazing!
Thanks.
…seem you guys had good time there. I like the painted redstar.
Ba
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 13:19:42 +0000
To: bahuynh@hotmail.com
The Painted Redstart was a real treat! From: Central Ohio Nature To: motobobp@yahoo.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2015 12:56 PM Subject: [Central Ohio Nature] Comment: “A Little Southwest of Columbus, part 3 of 3.” #yiv5803518542 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv5803518542 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv5803518542 a.yiv5803518542primaryactionlink:link, #yiv5803518542 a.yiv5803518542primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv5803518542 a.yiv5803518542primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv5803518542 a.yiv5803518542primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv5803518542 WordPress.com | | |
What a great variety of interest your trip had. Excellent bird pictures and impressive cacti too.
Thanks, we had a lot of fun exploring.
That’s a trip I’d love to go on. You brought back some excellent photos that show the real beauty of the place. I think my favorite is the Saguaro skeleton. That’s something you just never see.
All in all it’s much greener than I imagined.
Recent rains had greened things up. Only disappointment was that we missed out on the flowering cactus.
You managed to catch quite a few different species of birds in a short time! The cacti were interesting, but I wouldn’t want to run into any of them, and being a klutz, I probably would. 😉
I did have a few too close encounters.
Remarkable collection. Thanks for the beautiful images. M:-)
Glad you enjoyed them.