A Barking Bird!

Madera Canyon held a few more surprises for us during the few hours we spent there.  You'd think an Elegant Trogan, a Painted Redstart, A Bridled Titmouse, an Acorn Woodpecker, and dozens of Mexican Jays would be more than enough for any birder - especially since every one was a life-lister for both of us.  But soon after the Trogon left I heard what sounded like loud barking coming from high in the trees above.  A moment later I caught sight of a HUGE bird in the tree, and whatever kind of bird it was, it was definitely the source of the barking!

By the time I saw a second monstrous bird hidden in the foliage, my mind was jumping to outrageous conclusions at the speed of sound.  "it must be a Crested Caracara,' I thought, 'or something else equally exotic and rare!'  After all, it was a MASSIVE bird that was making the strangest and loudest sound ever heard!  Imagine my surprise to finally get the bird in focus and discover it was a very familiar looking Wild Turkey.  Evidently the Wild Turkeys in Arizona don't make the 'gobble gobble' sound we're used to hearing in Massachusetts.  In Arizona, the turkeys BARK!

There were other familiar birds that acted much more normally.  We saw plenty of finches.

We saw a nuthatch or two.

And our last life-lister for the day was a Lesser Goldfinch.  This isn't the greatest picture of one, but I can personally attest to the fact tat they are much smaller than regular goldfinches.

And throughout the day we had to marvel at the unparalleled beauty of this gorgeous place.  It was pretty close to being in paradise!

Ever since I left Arizona, all I can think about is going back!

Arizona Mexican Jay

Most New Englanders recognize the familiar blue and white blue Jay, and some think that's the only Jay there is. In fact, there are many Jays, all of which are members of the Corvid family.  The handsome bird pictured above is a Mexican Jay that we saw in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

If you look carefully, you can see some similarities between the Mexican Jay and the Blue Jay. Both are primarily blue-and-white, for instance. If you ever saw a Mexican Jay in real life, however, the similarities would overwhelm you.

The two species of Jay behave very much the same. Both are intelligent, aggressive, and very loud!  Even a New Englander like myself instantly recognized Jay behavior!

Mexican Jays, like the Blue Jays I'm more familiar with, are very large birds that are hard to miss.  Both species will sound an alarm if there's a predator near, although in this case the Jays didn't appear to think we were predators.

These stunningly beautiful blue birds are just one more reason to make a trip to Madera Canyon in Arizona. Not only are there birds galore, but it might just be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Arizona Canyon Rarities

This incredible bird is sometimes called a 'Clown Woodpecker'.  Can you see where he may have got such a name?  What you're actually looking at is an Acorn Woodpecker, a very interesting bird in all respects!  For one thing, the Acorn Woodpeckers spend an inordinate amount of time finding and storing acorns for future use.  The whole family unit often stores acorns in a single tree, which could have as many as 50,000 acorns stuffed into every available space!


Acorn Woodpeckers also eat insects and tree sap.  They absolutely love acorns, though!

I was so excited to catch a glimpse of this exotic looking bird - mostly for it's incredible little clown-face, if the truth be told! 

My son captured this acorn-filled tree a bit ago.  Now that is something I would have loved to have seen myself!


This little fellow should look sort of familiar to new England birders; but it's not a bird ever seen in New England!  This is a Bridled Titmouse!  Very similar to the Tufted Titmouse we know and love, but with an adorable bridled face!

Both of these beauties were just some of the life-lifters we saw in the breathtaking landscapes of Madera Canyon! And there is still more to come from this spectacular location!