I apologize in not posting lately, but I’m in the middle of cataract surgery and it’s now somewhat difficult for me to see my computer screen even with cheaters. I’ve also had a medical procedure on my hand and until recently typing has been difficult and it generates many errors.  But some of my best Palm Springs photos came in our last couple of days there and I’m getting to some of them now.

These are a couple of characters you’ve seen in prior posts… a female and male Anna’s hummingbirds.

And a couple of other birds I’ve shown previously, Verdin…

One morning when walking around the parking lot at the resort I spied a pair of Say’s phoebes… making a living fly-catching.  I was frustrated because they kept landing on man-made structures… light poles and shades over parking places.  I finally photographed one in a tree… and then it flew down to a rock, where I obtained a couple of additional  photos.

However, the best was to come.  As I watched the phoebe hopped down from the rock and grabbed a large preying mantis, and I was able to obtain about four photos of the bird with the preying mantis in its beak!  This was a photographic triumph beyond my wildest expectations.

Here’s a little bonus… a birding lesson.  How to differentiate between a crow and a raven while they are in flight.  The raven has a diamond-shaped tail (as seen below) while the crow has a fan-shaped tail.

Finally, a little good news for all of us.  I had to send my good birding lens to Nikon for repairs at a cost that I’m too embarrassed to mention.  However I have had it back for a couple of weeks and my new results with the lens that was “returned to factory standards” are what I consider exceptional.  So after maybe one or two more posts from the birds of the greater Palm Springs area we’ll be back to some very nice photos of birds in the old home turf.

I want top mention first that on February 3, 2016, we had a Bewick’s wren competing with House sparrows for a feeding port on our hanging sunflower feeder1

Now back to California…

Here’s a male Ruby-crowned kinglet putting the stare on the camera and me…

This Common raven was photographed in Joshua Tree National Park…

This was my first known observation of a California thrasher.  Unfortunately this was the best photo I could obtain…

This was an Orange-crowned warbler, in what as a non-horticulturist I believe to be a bougainvillea bush,  just outside the condo in which we stayed.  There was one just outside our door for each of the four days we stayed at the location in Desert Springs.

This is a bird I’ve long wanted to photograph… a Verdin.  The Verdin is a bird of the desert and drier areas, but I have seen one just outside Fredericksburg, Texas (not quite a desert area… yet!) on a friend’s ranch.  This bird builds a hanging sock-like nest somewhat akin to the Bushtit’s.

And finally, a life-bird for my non-existent life list… a male Nutttal’s woodpecker.

There’s yet more Palm Springs area to come.  But perhaps the best news is that I have been notified by Nikon that my lens will be back in my hands next week… just in time to benefit from the cataract surgery I’ll have on my primary eye next week!

First up is this not-so-great photo of a male House finch.  I included it because I have a little observation to include with it.  I saw this bird land twice on this cactus.  I was curious as to whether or not the cactus spines represented a threat to the bird. My guess is that they do, because in both landings the bird spent a considerable time fluttering above the spines determining exactly where to place its feet.  I’m not sure what it was seeking to eat on the cactus, but personally I don’t think I would accept the risk!

Here’s a photo of a male Costa’s hummingbird feeding on one of the bushes around the golf course where we were staying.  The bushes had very prolific blooms.

Another male Costa’s hummingbird defending “his” bush from intruders.

And two photos of presumably female Costa’s hummingbirds, the first feeding on what I knew from Texas to be a Bottle bush and the second standing guard duty.

Moving to the outskirts of the Palm Springs area, here is a Western Scrub jay, a magnificent bird.  Those of you who follow my blog may remember that we had one in our yard this past year!