I decided to drive to LA to visit family instead of fly because who doesn’t love a road trip?
(I do know some who don’t)
I immediately knew that I wanted to take a long detour through Southeast Arizona on the way. And I decided to not straighten the horizon.
I went in through New Mexico then crossed over into Portal in the east, staying in Sierra Vista and Patagonia, and ended the detour in Madera Canyon.
Here are some of the amazing birds I saw and a few other things thrown in for punctuation. Enjoy!
Saw many Gambel’s Quail. Handsome guy.
Gambel’s Quail.
Female Gambel’s Quail.
Broad-billed Hummingbird.
Violet-crowned Hummingbird.
Many of the lodges in the area have bird feeders, particularly hummingbird feeders. There are 15 or more different species of hummers in Arizona.
Rivioli’s Hummingbird (left) … used to be ‘Magnificent.’ Large for a hummer.
Costa’s Hummingbird.
Costa’s Hummingbird.
Whiskered Screech Owl.
Two Does.
Javelina. Of course they ran into the brush before I could capture the group.
What lovely undertail coverts the Phainopepla has.
Male Summer Tanager close up eating jelly from orange peels.
Black-headed Grossbeak, male.
One of the many and ever-so-cute Ash-throated Flycatchers (I’m still working on trying to sort out all the flycatchers! There was a lot of variety … and a lot of blurry photos.
Yellow-eyed Junco. Shocking to someone only familiar with the dark eyed kind. What a difference eye color makes.
Yellow-eyed Junco.
Mexican Jay.
Mexican Jay.
Elegant Trogon (male). Never saw the female.
This bird was right in the wooded area behind the lodge I stayed at in Madera Canyon.
Elf Owl.
Elf Owl.
Roadrunner.
Cooper’s Hawk with prey. I’m still sorting through my hawk pics … most of which are less than exciting.
Prickly pear blossom.
The dark edges of the Inca Dove’s feathers makes it look scaled.
Abert’s Towhee.
Lovely spiny lizard .… the blue is amazing. Not sure the exact type but a good foot long.
Last but definitely not least, the gorgeous Vermillion Flycatcher.
—jill bell
Flommist Jill Bell is a lettering artist and type designer. Copyright © 2018 Jill Bell.
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