Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis
The Gila Woodpecker is most abundant on the desert mesas of southern Arizona’s Sonoran desert, but their range as year-round residents extends into Mexico’s west coast and Baja California. There are reports showing the population has dropped by half from 1966 to 2014. We believe habitat losses from human development and nesting competition from European Starlings to be the chief causes of the decline.
When Gila Woodpeckers excavate their nest holes in a Saguaro cactus, they will wait at least two months, or even one year before occupying it. The cactus produces a sticky sap to seal the wound, and when the sap dries, it forms a hardened shell called a “boot.” We know less about their nesting habits in locations such as southern California’s Imperial Valley, where there are no Saguaro cacti. Large Cottonwood (Populus fremontii), Willow (Salix gooddingii) or Sycamore (Platanus wrightii) must then provide the structures needed to excavate their nest holes.
Taxonomists classify three subspecies of Gila Woodpecker. They are all nonmigratory:
- M. u. uropygialis lives in the southwestern USA from southeastern California and southern Nevada east to southwestern New Mexico, and western Mexico.
- M. u. brewsteri lives in southern Baja California (Mexico).
- M. u. cardonensis lives in northern and central Baja California (Mexico).
While I’ve been fortunate enough to meet these woodpeckers in the Imperial Valley, they have become scarce, or even endangered in California. Southern Arizona provides more readily available opportunities for meeting these birds than California.
38 Photos
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Adult female in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 11:08 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD_2673GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Adult female in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 13:26 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 550 mm, f/8.5, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD_2688GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Adult female in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 12:53 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 550 mm, f/9.5, 1/350 |
File Name: JCD_2678GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Planet Ranch bosque on the eastern side of Bill Williams NWR in Arizona. North of Parker, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2015:04:29 12:44 |
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Location:
Planet Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X8396-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Adult female in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 10:14 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/400 |
File Name: JCD_2616GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Cut-out image of an adult female in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 13:08 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 550 mm, f/10.0, 1/500 |
File Name: Cut-JCD_2685GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Adult male at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson, Arizona USA 2008-11-28. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:28 12:11 |
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Location:
Aqua Caliente |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD2884GilaWoodPecker |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Female at the nest hole in Sabino Canyon Reserve in Tucson Arizona USA 2008-11-25. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:25 13:43 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: jcd2162GilaWoodPecker |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: The cienega at Arivaca. Part of the Buenos Aires NWR in Arivaca, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:28 14:20 |
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Location:
Arivaca |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 380 mm, f/5.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D722774-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:22 9:04 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D721566-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:21 16:12 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D721461-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:20 14:19 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721411-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: This bird is resident at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 8:32 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6803 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: The cienega at Arivaca is part of the Buenos Aires NWR and over the years, one of my favorite birding destinations. Arivaca Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:27 10:12 |
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Location:
Arivaca Cienega |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X5409-Arivaca |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: The cienega at Arivaca is part of the Buenos Aires NWR and over the years, one of my favorite birding destinations. Arivaca Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:27 10:08 |
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Location:
Arivaca Cienega |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X5372-Arivaca |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:21 15:54 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D721429-GilaWoodpecker |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: A resident bird at the cienega in Arivaca. Part of the Buenos Aires NWR in Arivaca, Arizona USA 2017-05-03. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:03 16:25 |
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Location:
La Siesta Campgrounds |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0097 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: A resident bird at the cienega in Arivaca. Part of the Buenos Aires NWR in Arivaca, Arizona USA 2017-05-03. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:03 16:24 |
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Location:
La Siesta Campgrounds |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0080 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Arivaca in rural south-central Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:03 16:22 |
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Location:
La Siesta Campgrounds |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0058 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 14:03 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X7185 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: I first thought these birds were preping the nest hole, but then saw they were eating ants from inside the hole. These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 9:49 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0658-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: I first thought these birds were preping the nest hole, but then saw they were eating ants from inside the hole. These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 9:51 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0710-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: I first thought these birds were preping the nest hole, but then saw they were eating ants from inside the hole. These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 7:25 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/8000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X9748-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Gila Woodpeckers, so common in Arizona, are less likely to be seen in California, except in the Imperial Valley. I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:23 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6361-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Gila Woodpeckers, so common in Arizona, are less likely to be seen in California, except in the Imperial Valley. I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:34 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6479-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Gila Woodpeckers, so common in Arizona, are less likely to be seen in California, except in the Imperial Valley. I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:39 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6500-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Gila Woodpeckers, so common in Arizona, are less likely to be seen in California, except in the Imperial Valley. I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:40 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6525-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: I spent an early mid-November morning at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona, where I found a sap tree made by a Red-Naped Sapsucker. Several other species were reaping the benefits of this food source. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:16 10:41 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0885-BoyceThompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: I spent an early mid-November morning at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona, where I found a sap tree made by a Red-Naped Sapsucker. Several other species were reaping the benefits of this food source. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:16 11:22 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X1367-BoyceThompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Cottonwood Wash drains from the north slopes of Mount Graham near Pima Arizona. On this, my 2nd visit, I found newly arrived summer birds, full-time residents, and winter visitors nearing their time to head north. |
Date Taken: 2023:04:09 10:16 |
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Location:
Cottonwood Wash |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_ZX90321_CottonwoodWash-Pima-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Cottonwood Wash drains from the north slopes of Mount Graham near Pima Arizona. On this, my 2nd visit, I found newly arrived summer birds, full-time residents, and winter visitors nearing their time to head north. |
Date Taken: 2023:04:09 10:16 |
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Location:
Cottonwood Wash |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_ZX90286_CottonwoodWash-Pima-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Patton’s, in Patagonia is legendary as a ‘must see’ birding destination in southeastern Arizona. Yet, this was my first visit. I spent almost two hours there, and those few hours were delightful. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:21 11:22 |
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Location:
Patton's |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_ZX93354_Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: Familiar desert birds I found while birding during a Thanksgiving visit to a friend's home on Cottonwood Wash, outside of Pima Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:27 13:44 |
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Location:
Bear Springs |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X1899-PimaArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Familiar desert birds I found while birding during a Thanksgiving visit to a friend's home on Cottonwood Wash, outside of Pima Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:27 9:53 |
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Location:
Cottonwood Wash |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X1598-PimaArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: I spent an early mid-November morning at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona, where I found a sap tree made by a Red-Naped Sapsucker. Several other species were reaping the benefits of this food source. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:16 10:41 |
|
Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X0890-BoyceThompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: Gila Woodpeckers, so common in Arizona, are less likely to be seen in California, except in the Imperial Valley. I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:34 |
|
Location:
Cattle Call Park |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_D5X6470-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
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Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 17:26 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_Z9X3978_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gila Woodpecker(Melanerpes uropygialis) |
|
Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 15:37 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: GilaWoodpecker_Z9X3403_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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