Turns out owls aren’t all that interesting in infrared. The desert, though, makes up for it.

I spent a lot of time trying to get a photo of this little one. Like many small birds, it was very skittish and wouldn’t let me get a clean shot until, finally, it moved to a place where it wasn’t occluded.

Still no idea what kind of bird it is.

Burrowing owl that just notised a typo in this caption.

Hummingbird engaging in debate.

Woodpeckers aren’t restricted to only eating insects. The gila woodpecker also eats berries.

I had hoped that this was one of those that hoarded acorns, storing them in holes they pecked into the trees, but this is apparently not the case.

“Quack”

There is a one-bird-per-perch rule in the desert.

Negotiations are in progress.

This raven can fly high and quietly, so he can observe you cheating at Monopoly, and be disappointed.

Just another flying owl

Some birds don’t so much fly as slowly drift, borne aloft on winds of whimsy.

These little guys fly *fast*. It’s really hard to get a good shot of them.

I got lots of shots of just their tail feathers, but this one worked.

Just another bird in flight.

The weird thing on his tail is a transmitter so the museum can find him if he gets distracted and leaves the area. Some birds can fly, but aren’t equipped to survive in the wild, and it’s not good when they get lost.