Going to the birds

I was worried when we moved to Arizona from Massachusetts, there'd be too few birds - after all, our house was sitting against the woods and we were simply surrounded by trees. But there ARE plenty of birds here. We frequently see hummingbirds, and I've had one out in a tree YELLING at me once when I was out doing something in the yard... I had no idea they even made noise!

The pigeons love our pool, we have a waterfall and a beach entry, both perfect for bathing. Sadly, also perfect for pooping, or so the birds think. So we've occasionally put out a plastic owl to scare away visitors. Too often they think of it as a tall, stiff friend and find him fine company to come hang out with. (I am not the only one who thinks of the pigeons as flying rats - dirty, vermin-ridden, and leaving their droppings everywhere.)

We've seen quail run through, they're always so funny to watch. My friend got to observe a family of them in her yard, with papa heading a line of TINY fuzz-balls all in formation behind him, and mama taking up the rear. They tried to get them to maneuver around the yard, up steps, etc. When the sliding door was opened quietly for a closer peek, the parents knew immediately and shooed their babies into a bush, then flew up on the fence to shout and scare off the humans. It worked, my friends were kind and went back inside.

I find the noisy Grackles here in the yard all the time, they are hysterical to watch. They strut around, and stretch their beaks up to the sky, and they also often wash their food in the pool before eating. I think there must be a nest in a nearby tree because they'll sit up and scream at me as I attempt gardening, etc, out in the yard. They fly from tree to fence to roof, perching and yelling at me.

We've also seen an occasional road-runner come thru, but I've never heard it go beep-beep and have yet to see a pile of bird seed with an anvil hanging above it. I guess Wile E Coyote doesn't frequent these parts, at least not my yard.