Senora Grackle

The grackles are such an important part of our bird life, I couldn't resist giving this lady a page of her own.  Such irreverence, such unladylike behavior.  She is absolutely a woman who knows her own mind. 
To learn more about her and her family, click here.

White-winged Dove

Latin Name:  Zenaida asiatica
Spanish common name:  Paloma Aliblanca


Without the white-winged doves, Perote would be a very different place.  They wake us in the morning with their incessant cooing; they rigorously patrol the vineyards throughout the day; and they provide some of our very best R-rated entertainment.  If you have never seen two doves trying to have sex on a limber twig, you haven't seen anything. 

These birds are truly lovers of the pecan grove shade.  In the heat of the day they are found high in the branches of the pecan trees and they roost there at night.  Although their main food source are tiny seeds they find hidden in the grasses, they absolutely cannot resist a tasty pecan - especially if I crack it open for them.  

To learn more about these prolific birds, click here.  

Barn Swallow

Latin Name:  Hirundo rustica erythrogaster
Spanish common name:  Golondrina Ranchera

Our life is so peaceful in Perote!  We have an evening routing that we try very hard not to break.  It begins with hummingbird antics followed by The Swallow Dance. 

During the day, the swallows come out sporadically, but every evening as the sun goes behind the mountains, they come in groups of twenty to one hundred to dance across the sky, play, and court - but mostly they come to feast on the tiny insects that fill the sky as sunset approaches.  This dance may last as much as two hours.  The birds chatter constantly as they make their long swooping flights across the sky.

As they are satisfied, they drift away and there is a noticeable stillness in the air.  This is a good time to hear owls in the distance as they talk to one another about the upcoming hunt.  Then, as darkness falls, the bats arrive.

At some point, we have started the grill and by now supper is ready.  We probably need a sweater.  The stars are coming out.  Another Perote day is closing.

To learn more about our swallows, click here.

Cave Swallows

Latin name:  Hirundo fulva
Spanish common name:  Golondrina Peublera


These birds doesn't come to our garden, but I know them very well.

When you walk into my friend Estela's house, you pass through a small covered entry.  To the left is the receiving room and dining room.  Straight through the second door - an open archway - is the patio from which all the rest of the house is accessed - the kitchen, bedrooms, and the garden area. 

This nest was built years ago, just above that arched door and each year a pair of cave swallows show up to occupy the nest and vigilantly guard the entrance to Estela's house.  They have indeed become a part of her household. 

When the front door is open, they fly in and out with the rest of us.  When the front door is closed, they fly through the archway and up and out into the open sky above the garden area.

To learn more about these beautiful sentries, click here.

Lesser Goldfinch

Latin name:  Carduelis psaltria
Spanish common name:  Dominico Dorsioscuro

When most folks think of goldfinches, they think of sleek little birds clinging to a white sock diligently pulling out the thistle seeds, their very favorite food in all the world.. When I realized we had goldfinches, I brought a year's supply of thistle seed from the United States to try to lure them in closer.  I needn't have bothered.

These scrappy little desert birds like pecans.  While dutifully ignoring my offerings of thistle seed, they delighted me for hours watching them attack broken pecans they found under the tree.  As you can see, they really get into their work.

Taking a break from their pecan harvest, they like nothing better than to flit among the leaves of the giant pecan and chatter to one other.

To learn more and hear their sing-song, click here.

Bewick's Wren

Latin name:  Thryomanes bewickii

Spanish common name:  Saltapared Bewick

What a ruckus these little guys can make.  They start singing early in the morning and either sing or scold one another all day long. 

Difficult to photograph?  I'd say they get a score of about 12 in a range of 1-10.  They NEVER sit still and flit from one perch to the next before you realize they've moved.

It's hard to tell just how many of these birds we have., but there must be at least a dozen that make their home in the arroyo below our garden.

One of the most entertaining of their antics is their ability to climb up walls and walk across the ceiling upside down. 

They are quite acrobatic!

To learn more click here.

Scaled Quail

Latin Name:  Callipepla squamata

Spanish common name:  Codorniz Escamosa

I really don't know very much about these birds except they are absolute experts at staying out of sight.  I know this because we rarely see them.

Today, I was actually watching the arroyo for a little fox I had seen yesterday.  My trusty, loyal dog was by my side.  Solo Vino saw the quail and took off like a shot - scaring them enough to make them run, but not nearly enough to make them fly.

They were a long way from me so you will have to look closely.  I was able to magnify one of them enough to get a fairly good look.  It appears Solo Vino and I caught a whole covey of young scaled quail.

To learn more click here.

Update on the Turkey Vulture

After commenting that we did not need the services of either the Black or Turkey Vulture, I found, to my dismay, that we did!

Four of them were in the pecan grove this morning, cleaning up the untidy remains of what appeared to be a feral cat. 

I enjoyed watching this bird take flight.  They may be as ugly as sin up close, but in the air they are pure grace.

Greater Roadrunner

Latin name:  Geococcyx californianus

Spanish common name:  Correcaminos Mayor

After considerable effort, I had not been successful in  photographing our beautiful roadrunner.

Then, I discovered the secret.

Wait until he gets thirsty. 

Mr. Roadrunner is frequently seen around the garden area.

He can disappear faster than you can imagine; hates to fly; and can look at you with a gaze that absolutely asks: 

Just who are you and what are you doing in my desert?

For more information click here.

Northern Mockingbird

Latin Name:  Mimus polyglottos leucopterus

Spanish common name:  Cenzontle Nortena

 After enduring four summers of mockingbirds that specialized in

car alarms and "Pretty Bird," it is such a treat to finally have a more musical group.

This year's birds must have spent the winter outside

an opera house because they are singing some very special

arias.

This one gave us a personal performance one evening at sunset. 

He sang for almost half an hour non-stop.  His stage was carefully chosen.  He was perched on a vineyard post behind the only cholla that was in bloom at the time. 

To learn more click here.

Golden Fronted Woodpecker

Latin Name:  Centurus aurifrons
Spanish common name:  Carpintero Frentidorado

You can always tell when this guy is around.  Every time he moves from one place to the next, he has to tell everyone about it.  Once he gets there, he's almost sure to start pecking away at the tree (or the adobe wall, as in the second picture) looking for insects.  He doesn't feed entirely on insects; his diet consists of almost as much fruit and seeds as bugs. 

To learn more click here.

Pyrrhuloxia

Latin name:  Cardinalis sinuatus

Spanish common name:  Cardenal Desertico

Pyrrhuloxia, the Desert Cardinal, is an unmistakable bird.  Once you see him, you know what he is.

He certainly adds a spash of color and drama to the garden.

To learn more about him and hear his sounds, click here.

Great Horned Owl

Latin name:  Bubo virginianus
Spanish common name: Buho Cornudo

OK, OK!  I didn't take this picture.  However, this is what our owl looks like.  We hear him many evenings, usually up the arroyo, but from time to time he is very close.  One night, we saw him sitting on our outdoor oven.  From that distance, he was very loud!

To learn more click here.

Great-Tailed Grackle

 Latin name:  Quiscalus mexicanus
Spanish common name:  Zanate Mayor

 The great-tailed grackle is one of the most entertaining birds in the garden.  One particular grackle is determined to keep us laughing.  He loves to look at himself in the mirror of

Stanley's truck, making a continuous stream of comments.

The sounds he makes are enough to crack me up.

Another one of his hobbies is bathing in the

irrigation ditch.  He is quite thorough!

I haven't been able to catch it with my camera, but I will one day.  Watch for it.

To learn more about Mr. Grackle, click here

Vultures

Latin Name:  Cathartes aura
Spanish common name:  Aura Cabecirroja

 

The Vultures are our favorites in the garbage disposal area. Since we keep the garden area fairly clean and free of dead animals, we have no need of their services, but we see them often as they fly to the east in the late afternoon like commuters headed to the suburbs after a long day in the factory.


We watch the Turkey Vultures as they effortlessly cover great distances without flapping a wing.  The Black Vultures flap more, but their flight still looks lazy to me.  From far below, it certainly seems less stressful than the average commute here on land.


The bird featured in the photograph above is a Turkey Vulture. 


To learn more about the Turkey Vulture click on the name.
To learn more about the Black Vulture click on the name.


To answer a question you may be asking:  Yes, the sky really is that blue. 

Black Chinned Hummingbird

Latin name:  Archilochus alexandri

Spanish common name:  Colibri Barbinegro 

It isn't spring in Perote until the black-chinned
hummingbird comes buzzing around.
We were concerned this year because it
seemed they were late and we were
afraid they might have had a hard
time surviving the cold winter temperatures.
We shouldn't have been concerned.

A single male arrived one day.
I put out the feeders the next morning.
By evening, there were three.
The next day, we knew there were four -
maybe more.
The next day, they looked more like bees
than birds around the feeders.

I caught this one as he was feeding on
cactus blooms.

For more information click here.