Pic of the Day

Arizona Woodpecker, Picoides arizonae:

Santa Rita Lodge; Madera Canyon, Arizona

     A slow shutter speed was used captures an Arizona Woodpecker in the middle of a strike on a tree trunk.  Why do woodpeckers not get concussions when they strike a tree with a force of almost 1,000 times that of gravity? According to Live Science, 

     “Researchers had previously figured out that thick neck muscles diffuse the blow, and a third inner eyelid prevents the birds' eyeballs from popping out. Now, scientists from Beihang University in Beijing and the Wuhan University of Technology have taken a closer look at the thick bone that cushions a woodpecker's brain. By comparing specimens of great spotted woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major) with the similarly sized Mongolian skylark, the researchers learned that adaptations in the most minute structure of the woodpecker bones give the skull its super strength. 

     Notably, the woodpecker's brain is surrounded by thick, plate like spongy bone. At a microscopic level, woodpeckers have a large number of trabeculae, tiny beamlike projections of bone that form the mineral "mesh" that makes up this spongy bone plate. These trabeculae are also closer together than they are in the skylark skull, suggesting this microstructure acts as armor protecting the brain.”

To read more on this story go to Livescience at:  http://www.livescience.com/19586-woodpecker-skull-concussions.html

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/15 second @ f/7.1

Pic of the Day

Broad-billed Hummingbird shot at the Santa Rita Lodge; Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Pic of the Day

Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus: Immature Male

     I typically shoot hummingbirds using five, flash unites to stop some of the wing motion and to light an artificial background.  But this bird was shot without flash while approaching a feeder at the general viewing platform at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon.

     As I watched the hummingbirds zip back and forth to the feeder the strong backlighting illuminated the wings, making there circular motion visually apparent.  I was mesmerized by the swirling, helicopter like motion of the wings, and had to get a photo.

     As the hummer zipped to the feed to lap-up the sugar water it would feed for a moment, then back away for a few seconds.  As it backed away from the feeder I shot a burst of five or six images.  This image captured the figure eight, front to back and up and down, motion used by hummer as they hovers.

     Though I used a 1/250 second shutter speed the lower body is blurred as well, while the head and bill are relatively sharp.  This shows that the body itself is also in rapid motion as well. 

  

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/250 sec. @ f6.3, Gitzo Tripod, Arca Swiss Monoball head.

Pic of the Day

     Botteri’s Sparrow; Peucaca botterii – Madera Canyon, Arizona:  A bird of the Mexican grasslands, the Botteri’s sparrow barely crosses the border into the United States in Texas and Arizona.

In June, while photographing hummingbirds at the Santa Rita Lodge I drove out of the canyon to the Proctor Trailhead parking lot to photograph the sunset. 

     The shoot was a bust, because low lying smoke from nearby forest fires turned the horizon gray.  After the sun had set I packed up my gear and headed back to my car.   As I approached my van a woman who had pulled in the paring lot while I was shooting the sunset called out and asked, “are you taking photos of the Botteri’s,”  I promptly replied “no,”  and feeling ignorant I asked, “what’s a Botteri?”  She then told me about the Botteri’s Sparrow that is found there in the parking lot.  About that time a Botter’s began singing and within seconds I was seeing a Botteri’s in the evening twilight.  It was a lifer for me!  The evening was not a bust after all, though it was too dark for a photograph.

    The next morning I was at the parking lot before sunrise with camera in hand.   As the morning grew lighter the Botteri’s began singing and moving from perch to perch in a grassy area within the confines of the barking lot.  After watching the bird move from perch to perch I was able to find a spot to get the shot.  Not only did I get a lifer, but I got the photograph as well!

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/500 second @ f 5.6, Bean bag used for support

Pic of the Day

     Mexican Jay – Santa Rita Lodge; Madera Canyon, Arizona:  The Mexican Jay is a common species found in pine-oak canyons of the southeast Arizona mountains.   I photographed this Mexican Jay at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, a world renown birding hotspot.  I typically travel to Madera Canyon to photograph hummingbirds, but the Santa Rita Lodge is a great place to photograph acorn woodpeckers, black-headed grosbeaks, blue grosbeaks, house finch, lesser goldfinch and Gould turkey.  The best time for hummingbirds is after July first, but I like late June as well, as the other species are in prime breeding plumage.   If you have never been birding in southeast Arizona, it is a trip worth making.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4,  1/60 second @ f7.1

Pic of the Day

   Acorn Woodpecker – Santa Rita Lodge; Madera Canyon, Arizona:  The Acorn Woodpecker is a striking woodpecker with an interesting propensity for storing acorns.  The Acorn woodpecker not only gathers acorns for immediate use, but also gathers acorns to store in a larder for future consumption.  Too store the acorns the woodpeckers drill holes in to a tree and insert the acorn into the hole.  The holes can not be to big or the acorn would fall out or would be easily removed by another bird or small animal.  If the hole is too small the acorn would break apart when the woodpecker hammers the acorn in to the hole.  Acorn Woodpeckers are very precise!  The trees used for the larders are usually called “acorn trees” or granaries.

     This  image was shot at the Santa Rita Lodge near a feeder that the woodpeckers continually returned to feed on suit.  To learn more about Acorn Woodpeckers go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Woodpecker

Nikon D300, 500mm f/4, Digital Capture ISO 200

See previous post on Madera Canyon or Santa Rita Lodge dated: September 15, 2010; September 12, 2010; May 19, 2010; and May 17, 2010.

Pic of the Day

House Finch – Santa Rita Lodge; Madera Canyon, Arizona: The House Finch is a common bird found at feeders across most of North America. Originally the House Finch was a bird endemic to the western United States. In the early part of the twentieth century House Finches were capture in western states and sent to New York city where they were sold in the illegal pet trade as Hollywood Finches. In 1940 pet store owners in New York City got word that wildlife officials were going to raid their stores for illegal trafficking of native species. To avoid prosecution the owners released the birds.
The small number of House Finches that were released began breeding and spread across the eastern half of the country in less than fifty years. Now, east meets west and House Finches are inhabitant of most towns across the United States except for those in the prairie states. It is likely that the bird will eventually inhabit all cities in the country.
As always this is not a happy story of introduced species. House Finches are aggressive birds and have now replaced the eastern endemic Purple Finch whose numbers have been drasticly reduced in much of its range.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 500 f4, Digital Capture, ISO 200