Desert Museum Two

We were not sure about going to the Desert Museum again just a couple days after Christmas as I thought it would be super busy.  Ted thought it would not be.  Turns out we were both right.  When we first got there, at opening, there were not that many people, so we were able to find more wildlife that were not on display like squirrels and birds.

One of my two favorite areas to take pictures is near the bear, wolf, deer, and mountain lion enclosures.   There are about a dozen round tail rock squirrels that live in this area and there are usually some birds around as well.   Early in the mornings, the deer are usually out feeding and you can see them better than mid-day when they are seeking shade further in and are out of sight.

The Mexican grey wolves are similar, either actively pacing the enclosure or sleeping somewhere.   There are 3 in the enclosure and they are all sisters.   I have tried to get a good picture of them a few times and have not had a lot of luck since they are usually either pacing behind the trees or sleeping facing away.    I was lucky enough to get a nice picture this trip though.   They were actually hunted to extinction here in Southern Arizona and have in recent years been reintroduced to the wild with some success.

I also learned on this trip that there are over 100 round tail rock squirrels on the grounds.   They can be found all over if you look for them, and if you are quiet, you can actually get pretty close.   On another trip while I was just sitting in one area taking pictures of them, I had one get within just a few feet of me.

After spending some time in this area I decided to make my way to the hummingbird enclosure to see if I could get some pictures of the group that live right outside of it.    I was not disappointed as there was a Costa’s hummingbird that was sitting in the ocotillo just outside.    It would rest for a minute and survey the area, fly down and feed from the flowers below, then always return to its perch.  I got several nice shots of it and even got a picture of it going into the flowers to feed.

While sitting here I was also graced with the presence of a verdin.   I am not sure if it was feeding or trying to gather materials for its nest as it was trying to pull bits of petal off the flowers.   I got a few pictures of it that I really liked in the 15 minutes or so it spent just a few feet away from me.    Sadly, a large, loud group came down the path, and ran it off.

The husband had decided to play with a macro lens to try to capturing images of flowers, bugs, and such most of the day.   He got some wonderful shots while I was off chasing birds.

We met back up at the hummingbird enclosure and decided to head out, as more and more loud groups were arriving with less and less wildlife in the area due to this.    On the way out, we came across a couple of volunteers that were showing off a species of green parrot that lives in the Sonoran Desert.   The parrot was super sociable and while it did not talk, it loved to do acrobatics on its branch to show off for people, and getting rewarded with treats from the handler.

This is something I think is super neat that the desert museum does.    They rescue injured birds and other animals and provide care and a home for them as they would not be able to survive in the wild due to injuries or medical conditions they are found with.    Once they have recovered, these animals are given a choice if they want to leave their enclosures to interact with people.  A volunteer that is trained to handle birds will enter their enclosure with a birding glove on and put it out.   If the bird decides it wants to go out, it will land on the glove.    Should it not feel sociable, it will not and they will be allowed to stay in their enclosure.

After spending some time with the parrot, we decided to call it a day.   Much to our surprise, we came upon another bird out being social on the way out.    We did not stick around too long to hear its full story as there were a lot of people gathered around, but the kestrel was too pretty for us to not stop and get a few pictures of it.

Having been here many times, I had seen the placard pretty much every visit, but for whatever reason it spoke to me more this time.   Many times, I have taken the road less traveled and while it has not always ended well, it has always left me with memories, lessons learned, and experiences that many will never fathom.   I had to take this picture to keep handy as a reminder that taking the road less traveled is not a bad thing!  (Even if the full poem eludes to regrets taking the road less traveled.)