A Rare Gila Monster Trackway, Dazzling Birds, and Strangeness Among the Saguaros
Early summer in the Middle San Pedro Valley has brought us some uncommon sights. One of our nation’s most dazzling – and sneaky – songbirds is the varied bunting. No larger than a small sparrow, varied buntings often appear black unless they are viewed at just the right angle in favorable light. They occur in small numbers here; we typically see only one or two of them in our bosque every summer. They are sneaky because we never know when they will appear, which is infrequently at best. A beautiful male will drop from the mesquites to grab a quick drink of water from our bird pond, then quickly disappear into the depths of the woodland, not to be seen again for days or even weeks.
My wife Kathleen photographed this male varied bunting through the kitchen window just days ago. When viewed from an elevated position (like our kitchen window), a blazing scarlet patch can be seen adorning the top of the male bunting’s head. This is no accident. Birds often view one another from above, so bright patches of identifying color on the top of their heads help them to keep track of who’s who. Photo by Kathleen Waldt. An even rarer sight here in Cochise County, Arizona comes in the form of another bunting species, the painted bunting. When this female landed at our water dishes in May, Kathleen identified it immediately. The males are among our most brightly colored songbirds, but females are far more subtle. The softly colored green back gives this one away.
Last week, a rare find presented itself in the form of a fresh Gila monster trackway etched into the fine dust along the side of our shop building. The only other animals that can leave similar trackways here are turtles, but a close look at this trackway leaves no doubt as to its maker.
I discovered this trackway less than an hour after it was made, but try as I might, I could not locate the Gila monster that made it. Finding Gila monster tracks is uncommon; finding an entire trackway like this one is downright rare. The animal that made these tracks was a young individual, roughly 9 – 11 inches in length. A closer look reveals distinctive footprints and a drag mark left by the lizard’s tail down the center of the trackway.
The month of May brought the expected blooming of saguaros, but this year the huge cacti did something very strange. Instead of crowning the tips of their trunks and arms with halos of blossoms, they grew flowers both on the tops and down the sides of their heavy arms. I had never seen this phenomenon until this year. Locals are saying that this is a response to the severe drought we are experiencing in the desert southwest. I want to know why the plants are behaving like this.
A very rare sight! Flowers extending far down the sides of saguaro arms. Normally, they are located only at the tips of the arms and atop the crowns of saguaros. Photo by Kathleen Waldt. Another rare sight in the form of a cristate saguaro. Like its neighbors, this one had blossoms sprouting down the sides of its arms.
8 thoughts on “A Rare Gila Monster Trackway, Dazzling Birds, and Strangeness Among the Saguaros”
Hey Ralph,
Long time.
Stresses, such as drought or other, can trigger some plants to make as many babies/seeds as possible for best chances of continuation. That would mean lots of flowers.
Hi Bill,
It is great to hear from you. Your thoughts on the unusual saguaro flowering make sense, biologically.
The drought here is severe and we are hoping for summer rains next week. It will be interesting to see how the saguaros fare in coming years.
Haven’t seen the Gila’s up here yet, but we usually do after the monsoons start. It looks like they walked through soft sand, a patch of what Jim likes to call “bug dust”. It’s great fun for me when I walk my dog early in the morning to check out the tracks between our houses because there is so much dry soft dirt on the sides of the road.
Great bird photos, such color! And when I took botany, many decades ago, what you refer to as cristate, was called monstrose by my instructor and he insisted that the cresting and twisting is caused by a fungus. Do you know anything about that?
Thanks for your comments, Bonnie. Yes, the local dusty roads and trails render such fine detail in tracks! I also check out the tracks along the road every day and in our driveway, too. There are always stories to read, everything from giant centipedes to black bears.
As far as I know, no one has yet proven what causes the deformity that is currently called “cristate” in saguaros. If I had to venture a guess, fungi would be the first candidate. Whatever the “infection” might be, it does not appear to harm the cactus. Cristate saguaros continue to grow and produce viable seeds for many years.
The birds are cool, but what got me was the saguaro. Very strange…I wonder what the long term effects will be..
Good question, Rick. At least there is a strong crop of saguaro fruit coming in this year. Due to the extended drought, here has been very, very little to eat on this landscape for most wildlife until now. A wide diversity of birds, mammals, and reptiles feed on the juicy, sugar-charged fruits. I have been noticing saguaro seeds during the past few days appearing in animal scats, and our raven family has been plucking fruits from the tops of the saguaros. It is a major ecological event when these cacti fruit, and this event should be followed by this summer’s crop of mesquite pods, which are fattening in our trees now.
Ralph,
Nice pictures of the Varied Bunting, they are difficult to film, way to go Kathleen. I’ve never seen the greenish female Painted Bunting. Have yet to see a Gila Monster in the bosque, they are one of my favorite critters. The Saguaro fruit seemed to ripen quickly this year, would the drought cause them to do so?
Yes, they are very difficult to film! As for the saguaro fruit, I do not know if drought
causes early ripening of their fruits. The ravens are loving them.
Hey Ralph,
Long time.
Stresses, such as drought or other, can trigger some plants to make as many babies/seeds as possible for best chances of continuation. That would mean lots of flowers.
Hi Bill,
It is great to hear from you. Your thoughts on the unusual saguaro flowering make sense, biologically.
The drought here is severe and we are hoping for summer rains next week. It will be interesting to see how the saguaros fare in coming years.
Haven’t seen the Gila’s up here yet, but we usually do after the monsoons start. It looks like they walked through soft sand, a patch of what Jim likes to call “bug dust”. It’s great fun for me when I walk my dog early in the morning to check out the tracks between our houses because there is so much dry soft dirt on the sides of the road.
Great bird photos, such color! And when I took botany, many decades ago, what you refer to as cristate, was called monstrose by my instructor and he insisted that the cresting and twisting is caused by a fungus. Do you know anything about that?
Thanks for your comments, Bonnie. Yes, the local dusty roads and trails render such fine detail in tracks! I also check out the tracks along the road every day and in our driveway, too. There are always stories to read, everything from giant centipedes to black bears.
As far as I know, no one has yet proven what causes the deformity that is currently called “cristate” in saguaros. If I had to venture a guess, fungi would be the first candidate. Whatever the “infection” might be, it does not appear to harm the cactus. Cristate saguaros continue to grow and produce viable seeds for many years.
The birds are cool, but what got me was the saguaro. Very strange…I wonder what the long term effects will be..
Good question, Rick. At least there is a strong crop of saguaro fruit coming in this year. Due to the extended drought, here has been very, very little to eat on this landscape for most wildlife until now. A wide diversity of birds, mammals, and reptiles feed on the juicy, sugar-charged fruits. I have been noticing saguaro seeds during the past few days appearing in animal scats, and our raven family has been plucking fruits from the tops of the saguaros. It is a major ecological event when these cacti fruit, and this event should be followed by this summer’s crop of mesquite pods, which are fattening in our trees now.
Ralph,
Nice pictures of the Varied Bunting, they are difficult to film, way to go Kathleen. I’ve never seen the greenish female Painted Bunting. Have yet to see a Gila Monster in the bosque, they are one of my favorite critters. The Saguaro fruit seemed to ripen quickly this year, would the drought cause them to do so?
Yes, they are very difficult to film! As for the saguaro fruit, I do not know if drought
causes early ripening of their fruits. The ravens are loving them.