I have, other than a couple of short sessions, taken the past couple of days off photographically speaking. At least in terms of the actual act of making images - I have had my nose buried in the computer moving over (reluctantly) to some new software for processing images.

One interesting observation yesterday morning was I learned that, like their cousins the Red-bellied Woodpecker, male Gila Woodpeckers like to hear themselves make noise, too. Back at the old home a Red-bellied would sometimes bang on the speed limit sign on the property. At the RV park yesterday the Gila was pounding on the rooftop air conditioner on somebody's trailer. It was pretty early and may have made for a pretty rude awakening.

Hummingbirds tend to be pretty territorial and a male Black-chinned took possession of the feeder I put up here. This afternoon I watched him chasing others away for some time - including a male Rufous, a species with quite a reputation for being feisty and taking on all comers. He did, however, welcome a female by going into his courtship routine where he flies back and forth in a "U" pattern. I don't think she bought in though because later in the day he was chasing her off again.

Of course I have known forever that hummingbirds would come to feeders and for the past several years that orioles would also. Recently I learned that some woodpeckers do, too, but today I was surprised to see a pair of House Finches come to mine (and I learned why I was finding the bee guards on the ground - the finches were doing it).

This female at the feeder represents the first of our "oddities" and all involve House Finches. While it may be a trick of the camera angle, it appears to me that she has a slightly crossed/deformed bill. Here's a tight crop so you can see what I mean.

This feeder is at San Pedro House, visitor center for the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area and the female at my feeder has nothing on this one. Her bill is seriously malformed, yet she certainly seems to manage the task of eating. The upper mandible, flattened at the end, seems to cross over the lower, which is elongated and somewhat tubular or round in shape.

Finally - and this was also at San Pedro House - I saw this male House Finch with an eye injury or infection.

I have to think it would be quite unusual seeing all these, not only in one day, but all involving the same species and with 2 of the 3 in the same location while the third was only about 10 miles away. . .