November 2025 photo dump
This has been a particularly warm autumn, even for the desert southwest. But temperatures started to cool down a bit this month, allowing for some great birding adventures.
Verdin
I was walking in a park around mid-day in the late fall desert heat, so there weren't a ton of birds around. I was feeling a little deflated, like maybe I had wasted a trip by skipping the morning when it was cooler.
Then this verdin came fluttering out of some thick brush, as if to investigate whether it wanted to leave or go back. It hung around the outskirts of the brush long enough for me to snap this photo, which is one of my favorites I've taken so far.
Northern Mockingbird standing on thorns
Mockingbirds are everywhere in my city, so I don't often stop to photograph them. But this one was standing on a sharp, thorny plant. It's amazing that it either couldn't feel the thorns, or didn't care.
White-crowned Sparrow
House Sparrows are common where I live, so the White-crowned Sparrows really stand out with their zebra-like head. This one was feverishly foraging around the brush, popping its head up once in a while. If I could caption this moment, "lost in the sauce" sums it up pretty well.
Anna's Hummingbird
This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I was walking along a path, looking for birds, when I heard something whiz by me. I looked to my right and this hummingbird was about 2 feet away from me, just hovering and looking at me curiously. Once it determined I wasn't predator or prey, it moved to the firecracker plant next to me, still within just a few feet. I only had my 75mm-300mm lens for long-range shooting but since it was so close, I needed to take a couple steps back in order to view it, but I didn't want to spook it. I moved back and it didn't care about me at all, so we hung out for a while. It was awesome.
Costa's Hummingbird
I was tracking this one for a while, waiting for it to sit still for more than 0.001 nanoseconds. It finally fled into a tree to rest, huffing and puffing but still not down for the count. After just a few seconds, it zipped off again.
Pied-billed Grebe
I spotted this grebe having fun splashing around in the water. It's a grainy photo, but one of the few water-reflection shots I've taken so far, so I'm fond of it.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
It was a darky and stormy day... I went out on a rare day in the desert southwest: a day with clouds(?) and a slight chance of rain(??). This warbler perched in a perfect spot where I could capture the weather for the day.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
I really wish I could've snagged a better photo of this one, but it found a comfy place in the shade to perch and watch for prey, despite the sun being directly behind it (making for a heavily backlit shot). My favorite thing about this bird is the stripes on the tail.
White-antelope Squirrel
Often in my quest to find birds, I come across other creatures that are worth photographing. But I didn't spot this family of squirrels. I spotted someone else, an older woman, who was watching something intently on the ground. Sometimes the best way to find creatures is to pay attention to where other people are looking.
There was a group of about six squirrels. They were running around retrieving food and taking it back to their perch on the rocks. Sometimes they just ran around in circles chasing each other. It looked like they were having fun, and it was fun to watch.
After a while, I walked over to the woman and started chatting. She said she's retired and visits this park often, but always stops to watch this group of squirrels. She was very kind and pointed me in the direction of some other critters further down the path.
I loved this experience because it taught me that sometimes, there's beauty in places we don't look. As a birder, I'm always looking up for birds. If I hadn't noticed her or stopped to investigate, I would've missed a great experience.
