Image

Image

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Keeping Cool

Of course it can get very hot in the desert but all the animals are designed to handle it. Most of the birds will pant with an open beak to cool down. This young Coopers Hawk hid out in the shade of a Mesquite Tree during the heat of the day.



The Cactus Wrens don't seem to slow down when the temperatures rise, they continue to scold anyone and everyone!


The Roadrunner whiles away the hottest hours under the shade of our car port with all his feathers fluffed up to assist with cooling.


But the winner for chilling out and enjoying a siesta is this sweet little Antelope Squirrel who carefully dug himself a hole in the soil, just deep enough to get down to the moist earth, under the shade of a tree.


Where he sprawled out with his belly touching as much of the damp soil as possible and dreamed away the hours. Do you notice something next to him?


Well being a highly organised little guy, he had even remembered to bring along a snack so he didn't have to go out into the sun when he got peckish. He has definitely got things well sussed out!


Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods.

16 comments:

Warren said...

that's great sequence of pictures on "keeping cool"

Carole said...

Wonderful photos! I also like to watch the quail dig into the cool soil. P.S. The captcha words are very difficult to read! Hard to prove we're human.

Rambling Woods said...

How cute Celeste..here is it hot and dry and we are seeing the same behaviors..I love the term 'peckish'. I remember first hearing it in the story 'Winnie'the-Pooh' and it is so perfect that I use it sometimes...Michelle

Anonymous said...

Wonderful group of photos, The little squirrel is so cute.

eileeninmd said...

I really enjoyed your cooling off series. The roadrunner and the cute wren are my favorites. Great post.

Leora said...

Wow - great birds, and watch that smart squirrel in action. He knows how to handle the weather.

Donna said...

Celeste you show the beauty of a very natural world. I went to ASU for grad school and my family moved the PHX area. Too crowded and hot for me but I love the natural world around the sprawling cities..the deserts and forests up North...what gorgeous images you have captured especially the squirrel.

Celeste said...

Thanks Warren, and thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Celeste said...

Hi Carole, Thanks for visiting. I spend hours watching the quail too - aren't they fun? I have removed the captcha, thanks for letting me know about it :)

Celeste said...

Hi Michelle, I sometimes forget that I use weird English phrases until someone looks bemused and asks what I mean :) I love that you are a fan of Winnie the Pooh :)

Celeste said...

Thanks Bailey-road. He is cute isn't he!?

Celeste said...

Thanks Eileeninmd, the squirrel certainly does have it down doesn't he? I could take photos of the Cactus Wrens all day but they never stay still for more than a split second :)

Celeste said...

Hi Leora, he is a clever little guy isn't he? I was laughing so hard as I was watching him :)

Celeste said...

Hi Donna, thanks for dropping by. I love this area, we are lucky that we are far enough out of town that my backyard is a constant parade of creatures. I treasure every day :)

Kathie Brown said...

Well, isn't that just the darnedest thing!

Celeste said...

Isn't he funny Kathie? I was so delighted to catch him during his siesta.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...