Name that Rat!

Arizona Cotton Rat

No, this isn’t a quiz with photos of the entire George W. Bush administration, although I do see some resemblance to Scooter Libby here.

But this rodent I discovered along a trail a few miles from home has given me an excuse to research a family of animals I know little about. I fist saw a pair of these rodents along this trail on Friday morning, 5/29/09. One quickly disappeared from view, but the other stayed mostly in view on the edge of a small grassy opening and I managed to get a few shots of it.

I returned this morning 5/30/09 and found one rodent out in the same small area not far off the trail, and I was able to watch it until a large loud mower came along the nearby road.

I turned to Mammals of North America, by Nora and Rick Bowers and Kenn Kaufman – one of the volumes in the Kaufman Focus Guides from Houghton Mifflin. The guide includes 120 species of small rodents, and points out that “the majority of these species are active only at night…most are hard to observe…they are even harder to identify.”

After studying my photos and the field guide descriptions, I’ve tentatively called this an Arizona Cotton Rat (Sigmodon arizonae). But I’n definitely not an expert and if anyone has other suggestions on the identity I’d really like to hear from you about it.

Arizona Cotton Rat

In this second image “Scooter” is using his back foot to scratch, and that’s giving us a better view of his light belly. And, as usual, I’ve tried showing my subject in habitat in case that helps anyone else with the ID.

Cormorant (on a stick)

Neotropic Cormorant

As I’ve said many times before I like to show my subjects in typical habitat, so normally I’d be shooting this Neotropic Cormorant chasing after fish in the water. But they are a lot easier to photograph when they perch on a branch, and there are a couple of favorite places they always spend time at the Gilbert Water Ranch. So I take photos of them even if they are just “on a stick.”

I happen to like this shot from this morning’s walkabout for its clean graphic look (I’ve talked about liking strong graphics in my photos before as well), and there’s nothing like limiting a composition to the minimum elements against a solid color to bring out the graphics.

I also like how the cormorant has turned its head perfectly for the light to catch the eye and give life to the image. And the light is directional enough to bring out some texture and help with the graphics.

Neotropic Cormorant is a southern species that has been expanding its range northward as long as I’ve lived in AZ (since 1994). It has now become common at the GWR, making Double-crested Cormorant less common. This bird has a well developed white border at the base of the bill, and note how the yellow-orange comes to a point (the double-crested lacks the white border and the yellow is blunt).

Nikon D200, 300/2.8 with TC20E (2x), ISO 200, 1/320th at f/10, full frame, 5/218/09.

Oh, why not? Here’s a Neotropic Cormorant on the water (i.e., in habitat), also from the Gilbert Water Ranch.

Neotropic Cormorant on the water

Nikon D70, 300/2.8 plus TC20E, ISO 400, 1/25oth @ f/14, 2/02/08.

Shrike on a stick, and on my car too

Loggerhead Shrike

There’s just something about shrikes that fascinates me. Maybe it is there understated black/gray/white plumage that appeals to me, shown here on this Loggerhead Shrike from the Gilbert Water Ranch. Or perhaps it is their unique place in the world of birds – they are officially songbirds but they live the lifestyle of small raptors actively catching insects, lizards, mice, and occasionally other birds (the Lenni Lenape indians called them Little black-and-white singing hawk). Or it could be their mostly solitary ways and limited numbers. Whatever it is, I’ve been interested in them since I saw my first one back in my birding days in New Jersey where they are rare and declining.

When birding became my primary leisure activity I marked the event by getting a personalized license plate (aka Vanity plate), like many of the most active birders in NJ and surrounding states proudly display on their cars.

NJ Vanity Plate

And when we moved to AZ in 1994 I carried on the tradition (something I see a lot less of here than I did in NJ) with this custom plate.

AZ Vanity Plate

See all my vanity plates on my web site.

Song Sparrows

Song Sparrow singing adult

I don’t have a lot of images to show for today’s time out looking and shooting. Most migrants have already passed through central AZ, and most of the wintering birds (like White-crowned Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler) have departed. And the brutal heat of the AZ summer keeps creeping closer, so there’s not much time left to enjoy being outside locally.

But there are always Song Sparrows, like the two birds shown here today. This is a highly variable species over its very large range in North America, and the birds I find at the Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ, look somewhat different from the ones I’d gotten used to in 24 years of birding in New Jersey. So, I get to enjoy them as both familiar friends and new birds at the same time.

The image on top is an adult singing from a favorite perch. This bird-on-a-stick composition isn’t my normal style, but it has its place in any portfolio. This natural perch is higher than I’d like for the shot, but the height is one of the reasons the sparrow chose it so who am I to ignore the bird when it is singing from it?

Song Sparrow juvenile

About 20 feet away from the treetop singer I also found this juvenile bird. At first glance I almost marked it down as a Brewer’s Sparrow based on the muted look to the face. But the gape (the pale yellow area where the upper and lower mandibles meet at the face) tells me this is a very young bird, which should rule out Brewer’s at this elevation and time of year.

This messy setting appeals to me a lot more than the boring blue sky of the top image. I like the mix of greens and tans, and all the textures of the various twigs. But I know my tastes differ a lot from the majority of viewers on this.

If anyone has a different ID for the second bird I’d like to hear what it is and why, so don’t be shy and add your thoughts a s comment.

Both images: Nikon D200, 300/2.8 plus 2x, ISO 200, as metered, cropped to about 60% of the frame.

Avocets in bad light

American Avocets in bad light

I’ve not been out to shoot so far this weekend, so here’s a pair of American Avocets taken Friday 5/22/09 at the Gilbert Water Ranch. That was the same outing for the sunflower images posted here the pervious two days.

I’d broken two self imposed rules on Friday: 1) I’d gone hoping to photograph a specific subject (an Indigo Bunting seen earlier in the day); 2) I’d gone out just after noon. I didn’t find the bunting, nor much else in bird activity. Nor did I see many other people out at that time of day.

The only birds that caught my eye were this pair of avocets within camera range of the path I was on looking for the bunting. I liked the one-legged stanch of each bird, and I liked the “mug shot” positions that gave me a side view and a front view.

There was cloud cover that helped with the contrast, but it took its toll on the water color (reflected sky, of course). I added a small amount of fill from my flash, but I’m not sure it made any difference in this instance.

Nikon D200, 300/2.8 plus 2x, ISO 200, 1/500th at f/9, fill at -2.7 ev