BajaNomad

Life in a Cholla

DianaT - 4-23-2013 at 09:10 AM









They are my morning entertainment as the big cholla is right out my window --- unfortunately, they are very difficult to photograph out the window. I cannot put the lens flat--- but I will keep trying and any handy hints would be appreciated.

And no, from the outside, I will not stick my body and camera into the cholla; I have walked too close to it too many times! It amazes me how these wrens can fly in and out with no problem.

So next time near a cholla, take a closer look -- well not too close. :biggrin:

Russ - 4-23-2013 at 09:25 AM

Excellent! That is the most unhappy baby face I've seen in awhile
I had a pair of cardinals visit this morning. Only saw a flash of red and the male was gone but the female posed next door for me. As did a quail the day before.




bkbend - 4-23-2013 at 10:19 AM

Great shots both. I was amazed the first time I saw a nest in a cholla but realized it makes sense for protection. I've started looking around whenever I'm wandering through the desert and they're quite common. It's nice you get to watch the family grow.

Frank - 4-23-2013 at 02:51 PM

Number 4 is my favorite Diana. Framed perfect, great back light or is it a hair/feather light?:lol:

If you can use so gaff tape to seal off the light coming in from the sides of the lens, it should cut down on the reflection from the window. Think of a remote camera on the back board behind the hoop at a NBA game. Lots of gaff tape to cut the glare down.

I like #3 Russ. Spot on focus on the quail, nice exposure, back ground thrown just out of focus, and he/she is looking right into the lens.

Martyman - 4-23-2013 at 03:01 PM

Is that a wren? The first shot looks like a house finch.

DianaT - 4-23-2013 at 03:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
Excellent! That is the most unhappy baby face I've seen in awhile
I had a pair of cardinals visit this morning. Only saw a flash of red and the male was gone but the female posed next door for me. As did a quail the day before.


Thanks Russ, and I love that quail shot. It is super sharp with beautiful detail. ! We have a covey hanging around, but I can't sneak out quiet enough to get a picture, or one of the dogs gets out in the morning and tells them to get lost! Love that quail picture.

Quote:
Originally posted by bkbend
Great shots both. I was amazed the first time I saw a nest in a cholla but realized it makes sense for protection. I've started looking around whenever I'm wandering through the desert and they're quite common. It's nice you get to watch the family grow.


Thanks! It really is fun to watch them. We are being very protective of our little family. We have a shade on that window that we are not closing as it scares them, and we walk a very wide circle around the cholla when we are outside. I have been reading some interesting theories as to why the birds are not bothered by the nasty thorns.

Quote:
Originally posted by Frank
Number 4 is my favorite Diana. Framed perfect, great back light or is it a hair/feather light?:lol:

If you can use so gaff tape to seal off the light coming in from the sides of the lens, it should cut down on the reflection from the window. Think of a remote camera on the back board behind the hoop at a NBA game. Lots of gaff tape to cut the glare down. .....


Thanks for the tip, Frank. This nest is almost in direct line with the bottom of the window. There is another nest above it and a neighbor told me it might be a fake nest. But another couple have been hanging around it, so I hope there will be more babies --- easier to shoot. Meantime, I will play around with your tip.

And I call number 4 her glamour photo-- yes head thrown back with her shiny feathery hair/feathers falling into the back light. :biggrin:
Quote:
Originally posted by Martyman
Is that a wren? The first shot looks like a house finch.


I really don't know. A neighbor told me it was a wren, and I do not know????

DianaT - 4-23-2013 at 06:59 PM

I cannot believe how fast they are changing! They have lost a lot of their fuzzy hair since this morning! And they are beginning to look crowded. :yes:

bajacalifornian - 4-23-2013 at 07:30 PM

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing . . .

Cactus Wren or house finch?

Whale-ista - 4-23-2013 at 07:34 PM

These look like house finches to me. I've had several make nests in my patio the last few years. I have photographed the chicks and they look just like the ones in your pictures- Definitely not very attractive as youngsters.

To see photos and listen to Finch calls try this website

Just noticed that their Latin name is Haemorhous mexicanus!

They also Build auxiliary nests. I have three or four under the eaves of the house and patio. They like to go in and rearrange things even though they only actively nest in one.

The male is the bright red colored one and he helps feed the chicks also. But when it comes to building the nest I've noticed it's mom doing the work, While dad watches from nearby singing loudly and proudly.

I don't know if you can hear the chicks through the window. Mom actually starts talking to them before they hatch. One of the nests is right outside my patio door. Last summer I heard the mother making little warbles and soothing noises and that's when I realized the eggs were going to hatch soon. Sure enough within two or three days there was a nest full of chicks.

Enjoy!

[Edited on 4-24-2013 by Whale-ista]

[Edited on 4-24-2013 by Whale-ista]

DianaT - 4-23-2013 at 08:30 PM

Bajacalifornian --- thanks. :saint:

Whale-ista --- love all the information, and the link. THANKS!

However, I have become very attached to these little guys so I think they are BEAUTIFUL even with those wild hairdos. :biggrin::biggrin:

Ateo - 4-23-2013 at 09:36 PM

Perfect capture of a split second of our reality.

Love it.

Udo - 4-24-2013 at 09:46 AM

Thanks for sharing, Diana. I've never seen one of those birds up close. But they seem to have found a safe heaven in the Chollas.

Mexitron - 4-24-2013 at 05:37 PM

Nice pics Diane and Russ!

danaeb - 4-24-2013 at 07:13 PM

If you want to attract nectar-eating birds to your garden, cut a couple of oranges in half and place them on a tray within viewing distance. I've spent hours on my deck in La Paz watching house finches, gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens, orioles, verdins and other not so common birds. Oranges are so plentiful and cheap in Baja; it's a great way to see the birds up-close-and-personal. The verdins are so sociable they'll come perch on a chair next to me to let me know when the oranges are sucked dry.