Springs Preserve

Upon arrival in Las Vegas the first bird I saw was this Northern Mockingbird. It was gathering food and stuffing it into the mouth of a youngster who was tagging along, hungry but not yet motivated enough to forage for its own meals.

Cyndi's Dad treated us to a visit to Springs Preserve, a nature center and botanical garden and environmental education facility. I had a great time finding birds and enjoying the botanical exhibits.

This lizard ran across the gravel pathway.

I thought the Horsetails made a nice pattern. They remind me of bamboo.

And these yellow flowers caught my eye as well.

There were warblers in the bushes, like this MacGillivray's.

From above, the black cap of the Wilson's Warbler stands out.

We have Western Kingbird in Idaho, too ... and it was nice to recognize a familiar kingbird after trying to sort through so many kinds in Arizona. It is the white outer tail feathers that make it so recognizable.

There were Verdin here, too.

And, this Black-chinned Hummingbird posed perfectly against a blue sky. If the light is just right the black gorget will shine a deep dark purple color.