![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXJ420NuH6IzqVUP7t67ZRI7kVtSRV28NT0gxwPd6kTeyhcJFWH4ZhXkTj_mzIGi6IgqunDPdxkVkKYToSg2Y9rVYKe4ZI-5FUJa1YhuZ-3sdtiC919nogqxLqCdoUGI5s9h69Wfvb8mALqVoA2cK-T2acqF8la79tSxY_BXPSR3hOXmzqXGOUpftlBG5/w400-h261/Ocotillo%20Redux%20001.JPG) |
Tortugas and the Organs
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Willow, Frio and I hiked out to the same ocotillos that were flowering yesterday to see if we could find hummingbirds frequenting the blossoms. We stayed for a long while, and, at first, it seemed there'd be no hummer joy. Just as I was about to encourage the Heelers to move on, though, two hummers showed.
But I never got a chance to get a photo of the birds sucking nectar because they were engaged in a battle royale, chasing each other from branch to branch in an effort to vanquish the other from taking possession of the flowers. I did photograph each hummer, neither image being a good one.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlrmdjHrAEllPpE4cwvke4p8CuT3QZeA_a_6y9fopzEsOxDWHJPu94IEVMQrsxKnILC2G-FGKwKLr1iIH7OrRF1CRXNMQA7muWBg66QgmbXTZpifYbXPsrKVeu8aK-RW-gzCJABaBs9X7hZF2cyuv0Dsh5_3CCHyrRqwfLp5_N_-nVTC_qlxdB8eyNh9r/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20027.JPG) |
Willow and Frio
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuxtMpzQnavl2_8gX6Ld1ru10hr71dpCxn0QgOaMfWkw_BZ-n-wEDxYAYHOqb1rZNfdI4_YNiQCzJfE8vbmkpUVRdW2VXR7nOAXxwOVrFFLo-nzWmoZ_FEMOla8un0SL1Z9rgPIWJf7WEIaNlAVk4bfFlvhryCSHEltHxQlckI2v_B2ZKjXuKc4I3tKlh/w400-h339/Ocotillo%20Redux%20010.JPG) |
House Finches
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And then Frio, Willow and I finished the rest of our trek.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1L4gZmNmoWHfd3QXQVbg61XDi3Cm0WHVR1kjkO0cNU_RZfONGrROScwzDVzPdRzwW-q2nNbOPYAb1q7QgkJ5wLXvk4zpUmSCJElfIthR5kqt20Vrzqm61g53OpRwPAQaOgR1Ou0_mxQSqkWm9x8TJSyVwYoBCUGEbua0XzFIwn8DNK6mCFxg_SfPh7_s/w400-h266/Ocotillo%20Redux%20002.JPG) |
Tortugas and the Organs
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLpiMCPrVMPIDoku8iunAKek1nYjAN6lu5y7RRJl6LScJIJ5j0i64sOUuvxeWOX0B1bLcYUtJ1jkWWx8RXJJtC0MRFAeHkRc1WdWhDtdqZCcmrTegNv5VpEkIrtiaJKFsAIfDAj4XcbgTCwOegLlNDRu9SRRft0qhZvHB-7fu9lsBFJm_YEPm1zKf_d61/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20003.JPG) |
On the hill just east of LDR-A
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FqeP5sveukoPfofhRXfpfn4P0QO5xVP3M2xDjoSH_xqaW42aPTPxZJ-KRVS2HARa3a_udOH7VXjyHC9Emwm9MEMFJ8-nxq8sQbuDYjmXEVosxFoBot8Is6EFIp8RdgbbozpuAKfCKtfoegi_wSI05OxikzYb88I9LZNca3Onm4Y6L2fKpFnWZR3IZYTu/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20005.JPG) |
Morning sky
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2NLZYftfCD8JpXRzfd7vFN3gzDqtZMMVA20-CXdiAnhBrzbepe57uoO_rQWPhyphenhyphenkkekfu9w8lyAuOB1gNiqZTpvm8iVlOZRafRhAQzR28FtbXMT3tnwASMyG4GpF9y_DiIOVUwkfCMofaq_UUEyEsnUzEKxhOrr75crLqWZ7vcnS9pjWaL66Jfi77VBlC/w400-h221/Ocotillo%20Redux%20006.JPG) |
Tortugas and the Organs
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQAhgJ9j03fpwhat6x4-ItQzCmv090TqtO9GpCRn7KMvN-zBgdUq_x7LvEg8YRwkTHuKjGUyAh0nHu9jD95Mpjm022c7M3JTu9RtioAHBU6KbxG7DvfhC1eSg6WE_S0pgH8Lxo2sC6WNYcgxaA18C714RafQG1ZyJrOtua0pmVDmkfj2I8BfddJlq-AMD/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20009.JPG) |
Soaptree Yucca
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtU4mdr3tF4ItB7EEJLnAPBmGyuSEQFB2SE4I5mRirgQJFJtI72yDZfQKHp__6LcGXsdb4irgazV14LWsp9HXe4UDEL4QwcadVh3ggyRxiCjBm_xtwGtOVxDlz2mAS4THVh6zxeJ-EEwDT1fOPBMipXzrFWyFqAJ79c2V51A2cjubtkWng36_OraXEF3k/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20012.JPG) |
Creosote, Soaptree, Ocotillo and the mountains
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4FBM2i9m9MYHn2_kwhhr_oTHOUi62kvZlbi50ZIyzesfOo1Gw8jbsHja7Nsdj2gc97VMD967jf5AfpA7-lIjJWXHDNIDTXPk6sXNfFTsU92YWcGvZL0eBzhgD-TG4sFGRXXd3lgEB9eKQVCY0Vtc30RK6uNmrg024lwEw1V_AJgyPc4x6k4fePoXVPyR/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20018.JPG) |
Ocotillos |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj_Io7zx4wxCzVToeki8_igvakvOfvzcuR4oF8v7DXJZZ4kIp7EsrD0wfY1WtyYNh1o9Vu-D05doNYucsWFUyvX63L2a9thjBTqyICm8XN6aKeo1mOAeEyx40sfhcPa0vnK7UsYnsAgdZZtRc2x5S2kfUYpj1l-a2Dla7szx_CR56Xqc9-Xp11L_PhMH2/w400-h339/Ocotillo%20Redux%20021.JPG) |
One of two hummers near the still-blooming ocotillo
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINjLE62VOD9SaBQ2eP261VsKWgLiPHQRrKSQLrRm3_mtHiiTOY-jG2m2_maAVjQkKb0mFKgXp9mdwzi0zp9zXDmD3-uTUjGrrN0Zy-5Fi3jeVztP_ycrXwRrSMcFzUWvA69ir_VSlq4JkNlbuk3uHbAdx7LmbsyXdl5SKsGh4_PAcRrd-cYz4x0KvN63w/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20023.JPG) |
Second hummer
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixONFV0pXzsY0JMyvOwiW2VQ4x8UErOWfC160OOGKrRSp68nf2KQeXVQ1nC0PE4vig5ckDYwpPCjkdp-B3-8QHozHc2lLjhZJevmggZmHpxFGVSBui43rcjtMLuovoE66w95pB_AS6iNLk1ntwGSgMYjn6hQkA2aRAsOJA3SwMsQbVwSBAFDvSP9WVmGM/w400-h300/Ocotillo%20Redux%20024.JPG) |
Ocotillo flower
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