Every morning I can count on the usual birds at the feeder: lesser goldfinches, sometimes 8 at one time. Usually at least 1 gila woodpecker; however, once that bird starts calling there will be others arriving. Trying to find their time at the feeder will be the house finches. They do not eat from the feeder used by the goldfinches. The house finches wait their turn when gila woodpeckers are not in the neighborhood.

Other visitors to the backyard are hummingbirds at the desert willow, curve-billed thrashers at the feeder used by the woodpeckers, and mourning doves and Gambel’s quail looking to eat what seed drops onto the ground. However, when I had put some food out, not in a cylinder, there were young quail hopping on to eat it. Now their food is what falls onto the ground as I like the cylinders for the seed.

Every so often we have a roadrunner scooting through our backyard. The only bird I missed photographing in our back area was a gnatcatcher. I really wanted to get a photo to know for sure which one it was; another time!