Photo Walks

Checkerspots are highly variable in their coloration, size and appearance. I spotted this one walking through the gardens at the Arizona/Sonora Desert Museum.

Walking at Sweetwater Wetlands I was able to get a good view of this Orange Crowned Warbler early in my visit. It thankfully sat still for about 15 seconds and allowed me to take several shots before vanishing. The orange crown that these birds are named after is rarely seen and photographed even less but I have a couple of photos that show it and if I can locate one I will add it here as it is quite beautiful to see.

Female hummingbirds are very hard for me to identify but I think this one is a Costa's. She came very close to me and stayed put so I got over a dozen chances to get a decent picture. I'm fortunate to live within a few minutes of the Desert Museum and I frequently go to their hummingbird aviary and hang out with these marvelously tiny creatures.

This picture is of a male Anna's Hummingbird that I have photographed a number of times. Due to it's fluorescing neck and head the camera most always makes it look fake or super saturated. This one came out fairly accurate and is a fair representation of what an Anna's looks like.

I take my camera with me on most of my morning walks including trips out to places like Madera Canyon which we visited yesterday. While we were there I shot the photo of Elephant Rock that is currently at the top of my blog. I plan on doing a post on Madera in the next couple of days so stay tuned.
I rotated this photo because I felt it was hard to distinguish upside down. Love the color, especially the plant.