The ride in from New Mexico took less time than I had anticipated and we arrived at our next destination south of Tucson early yesterday afternoon. This gave me a head start on my shooting since I had sort of planned on Wednesday being a wash as far as getting any done. The Pond at Elephant Head is a location set up primarily for bird photography, though there are a few other possibilities, too (see below). Birds that dwell in the Sonoran Desert are the main attraction, with some migrant species that should be showing up Spring as spring progresses (some hummingbirds are already arriving) and, in addition to the pond, there are changeable feeding stations with lots of natural places for birds to perch before they hop down to the seeds to eat.

I have featured a pair of Pyrrhuloxias with this entry - the male above and female at right - but there are House Finches, Northern Cardinals, Gambel's Quail, Verdin, 3 or 4 Sparrow species, Gila Woodpeckers, Greater Roadrunners, and Curve-billed Thrashers to name just a few. The hummingbirds present include Broad-billed, Rufous, and Black-chinned. "The Pond" is a short drive from one of Southeastern Arizona's world renowned birding "hotspots", Madera Canyon and my host, Bill, also has a location in the canyon across where I will have a chance tomorrow to shoot some montane species: Arizona Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Bridled Titmouse, and more. Plus, if it is a really lucky kind of day, maybe a Painted Redstart will make an appearance for me.

In addition to the birds at The Pond, I have had a few mammals drop by while I was in the blind. Round-tailed Ground Squirrels and Harris's Antelope Squirrels have both visited and, in true squirrel fashion, gorged themselves on bird seed. Pictured is an Audubon's Cottontail (aka Desert Cottontail); several of them are around (including some juveniles) . Bill tells me in the summer folks come out to photograph bats using a system he builds, Phototrap, that employs senors which trigger the shutter on a camera enabling photographers to get shots that would otherwise be nearly impossible to get.