Mike Humphries Photography

Last day in Quartzite I caught a few photos and a goodbye sunset...

The Benson area has so much to offer that I decided we would come back for the Sand Hill Cranes this winter. So we left Benson and headed back to Quartzite, AZ to stay a couple of days before going home. We camped along Palm Canyon Drive in BLM area.

The few birds I saw in the San Pedro area were the Northern Cardinal, Vermillion Fly catcher, Black Throated Sparrow.

While in Benson, AZ we drove to the nearby historic town of Fairbanks to pick up the trail. The San Pedro Creek trail is a 4 mile hike in direct sunlight and it was hot. There are 4 pictures of the trail. This played havoc with Valerie's low BP and she fainted whenever she tried to rest and the area did not have good logs or rocks to sit on. I am quite proud she finished it however it did make photography difficult. Theres a few pictures of the buildings and graveyard in Fairbanks.

From Mesa, AZ we headed to Benson, AZ to expore the Riparian reserve along the San Pedro River. We camped in a KOA in Benson. The camp owner told me of the Sand Hill Cranes nearby and suggested I check them out as an early pre-sunrise excursion. I got up early one morning and did not find any nocturnal animals but I did catch this Sunrise.

I thought I would post an update on some of the projects I have been working on. The latest project was the creation of a video to be used as a virtual concert to raise money for the Opera Ensemble directed by Rhona Klinghofer . Each singer sent 2-3 videos selfies of them singing. Each segment was then assembled into an hour long concert that was aired on Thanksgiving Day thru Eventbrite.

A few photos I took in my neighborhood including my house. The first 3 photos are of a Merlin that has been frequenting my area. Red Flame Dragonfly in my backyard. The little bird is a Bushtit (my front yard) and they are really hard to get a photo because they bounce around alot. A male and female House Finch on a cactus bloom (my house). A House Finch acting goofy and a Hummingbird. In between the house construction I still manage to keep up with the nature photos..

Back in late June/July, Barn Swallows, who had taken up residence under my eaves, hatched new barn swallows. In 2-3 short weeks afterwards, there were 6 Barn Swallows flying in loops in the front of my house. No sooner had she finished when I noticed her sitting on the nest again. In early August the next set hatched. Once the chicks get big in size, they make quite a mess on the driveway. I put a piece of tile just below them and periodically I clean it. I think its interesting how packed they are in the nest and especially during the heat wave.

In my previous post on the Whydah bird (Pin-Tailed Whydah) I mentioned that they drive out the smaller birds and take over their nests. Here's some intimidation in action against the local sparrow.

We ventured out of our neighborhood into an adjacent neighborhood and we were excited to find some Whydah birds! These birds like to scare away other birds and take over their nests.

Colourful eyes! Your favorite? I think mine is the green.

A few of the more interesting bird pictures I have taken in the last 2 months. Some from a trip to Bolsa Chica in May and the rest from my neighborhood. Ever popular Hummingbirds, Long Billed Curlew, Egret, Blue Heron, Merlin, Hood Oriole, Least Tern, and a bird being scolded for bad behavior.

My first two weddings both on the same day.

Even though I have been quiet on Facebook So have been busy. Wedding number 1 in June.

Two weddings in a one day! Beautiful brides, handsome grooms, a tired photographer and assistant. So much love in one day.

Some of my favorite bird pictures from around my neighborhood. European Starling, Allen's Hummingbird, House Finch, House Sparrow, and Swinhoe's White Eye.

A tribute to health care workers all over!

If you like birds, check out the galleries in this link. More are being added daily. https://mikehumphries.smugmug.com/LandscapeNature/Birds