Patio Decor

How plain would my planter look if it didn't have this charming Ground Squirrel ornament?

Nom, Nom, Nom.

I will never tire of the antics of the Antelope Ground Squirrels. They are especially cute at this time of year with their extra fluffy winter coats.

A Regular Favourite

The Antelope Ground Squirrels make a very good living from the seeds that fall from the bird feeders and yes, I'll be honest I usually 'spill' a little for them too. How can I resist those stuffed little cheeks?

Familiar Friends

I have done lots of 'new yard species' posts of late but that doesn't mean that I have forsaken the old favourites. How could I possibly ignore these guys? The Harris's Antelope Ground Squirrels are way too appealing to be ignored.  

Snack Time

The Antelope Squirrels continue to provide me with hours of entertainment. Not content with merely sprawling out in the shade of our patio, they now bring snacks with them too so they don't have to disturb their siesta time!

Hot!

We managed to get all the way through May without a 100 degree day but as soon as June 1st clicked round the heat was on. Of course all the native species are more than capable of dealing with the desert environment but some are just a lot more expressive about it than others. None more so than the wonderful Antelope Ground Squirrel who sprawls as flat as possible against any remotely cool surface, in this instance, a shady spot of my patio. Maybe I should offer him a cocktail?

Delicious!

I have had prickly pear fruit ice, candy, liquor, relish and numerous other forms and have enjoyed them all so I can totally understand why all the creatures around my yard enjoy feasting on these beautiful fruit. In fact I love seeing these voluptuous, colourful fruits so I never pick them, preferring to watch the wildlife enjoy the juicy treat.

At this time of year there are a lot of animals going around with pink, sticky faces! I try to ensure that the various bird baths are kept full and fresh so that they can clean themselves up when they have finished their feast.
The House Finches just can't seem to get enough.................

The Antelope Squirrel climbs carefully around the spines and teeters precariously on the edge of the cactus pad to get to the sweet fruit.

And ends up wearing juice and fruit on face and feet!

The Thrasher with its huge curved beak really digs into the fruit and definitely ends up with a pink flush.

Umm, it tastes so good!

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods.

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.

Monsoon Memories

In spite of one, most welcome, unseasonal deluge a couple of weeks ago we are now firmly in the grip of a toasty desert summer. I am not looking for sympathy, I love my desert home but sometimes when the thermometer threatens to go past the highest digit it is quite soothing to think of cooler, damper times.

For a desert in a typical year we get a relatively high annual rainfall, in fact almost the maximum amount (10 inches) allowed to still classify as a desert. Death Valley we are not! And like my previous home in Africa the build-up to the rains and the joy when they finally arrive is shared by all species.

The build-up can be cruel, weeks and weeks of dark clouds and rumbling thunder without a drop of rain falling but finally it gets to us.

This little guy sat on an agave throughout an entire heavy rain storm without moving, seeming to revel in the sensation. I was fascinated to see at the end of the storm his feathers were barely damp, the tiny drop on his beak is the only clue.

Not satisfied with just the raindrops, some beautiful Lesser Goldfinches found one of our downpipes and really went to town having a full-on shower!

So as we swelter and all the animals hide from the heat, we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Or should that be rain at the end of the rainbow?

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods

New Kids on the Block

They are sold as Quail Blocks but I sometimes wonder why the quail don't register a complaint under the Trades Description Act. The Mourning Doves enjoy eating it


And it is unusual not to see the Antelope Squirrels grabbing a snack from it


The Thrasher chisels away at it with that fearsome beak


And the Round-tailed Ground Squirrel just can't get enough of it.


And the new kids on the block? Well that would be the Rabbits who have recently discovered this yummy delicacy!



Just occasionally the poor old Quails get to dine at the Quail Block, or should that be the Dove, Squirrel, Thrasher, Ground Squirrel, Rabbit, Quail Block?! What a good job the Quail are prepared to share.


Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods.

The Best of 2011

The whole point of this blog was to only photograph flora and fauna that ventured onto our land and despite a number of temptations I have stuck to it. To close up the year I have picked out one or two favourites from the last twelve months.
To start the ball rolling we will do Reptiles, this was a tough one but in the end I had to go with this glorious male Desert Spiny Lizard that I spotted sleeping in a tree one night during the monsoons.


A natural progression from here of course is to Amphibians, something I really didn't expect to find in the middle of the desert but again the rains provided and the monster that turned up in our yard was truly impressive - A Sonoran Desert Toad.


Next the Mammals and, despite some serious and far bigger competition, there could really be only one - my favourite cheeky little visitor, the Antelope Ground Squirrel :)


And on to Birds (sorry no fish!) Again I have gone for attitude rather than scale and so the 'mighty' Broadbilled Hummingbird is the avian representative.


The Invertebrate lovers amongst us will cry foul but I am not going to do a representative from every group, two stars will suffice, for colour the Flame Skimmer is my choice.


And for grand scale the somewhat daunting Arizona Blonde Tarantula


I couldn't possibly do a 'best of' without some Cactus representation and the king of them all is the mighty saguaro. Rather than the classic arms akimbo shot I went for something a little more intimate


I love photographing cacti when the sun is sinking, the soft light against the severity of the spines is such a great contrast and none highlight that better than the fearsome cholla


So animal, vegetable or mineral (they are all gems after all!) these are some of my favourite sights from 2011.
Happy New Year everyone.

Who could resist?

If you follow this blog you know I have a soft spot for the cheeky Harris's Antelope Squirrel. It is the single species that has the most posts but that being said I realized that I haven't posted any pictures of them for a while. Well I just had to rectify that situation didn't I?




Can you see why I find them so charming now?

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods

How You Feelin'?

Hot, hot, hot!
In this weather it is important to keep well hydrated.

Phew!

I guess it has been a little warm here today..................