Tools of the Trade

It is hard work making a living in the wilderness. It is a constant battle for survival, an arms race. Your weaponry is the only thing that keeps you from starvation.

Golden Eyes

This little beauty seemed to be just as fascinated with me as I was with him as he peered through the kitchen window at me. I wonder what he was thinking.

My Neighbours are Making Me Lazy.

My neighbours really do spoil me. I can sit in my living room and watch a Bobcat and I can stand in my kitchen and look into the eyes of this beautiful Coopers Hawk. Life doesn't get much better than this.

Death Amongst the Branches

The cycle of life is not always pretty. Predator and prey in a constant series of maneuvers. Sometimes the prey escapes and sometimes the predator gets to eat.

Open to All

I recently bought a hanging birdbath which I placed near some of my seed feeders outside my kitchen window. I wasn't sure if the birds would take to it but it seemed to meet with their approval rather quickly and has now become the avian equivalent of the water cooler.

One morning I looked out to see the birdbath was a lot fuller than usual but considerably less crowded..................

Happy Halloween

Here are this years selection for the Halloween theme. Of course, you know me, I don't think any of these beauties are scary or spooky. The only species I find to be the stuff of nightmares are homo sapiens and thankfully there aren't any of those in my yard (yours truly excepted, and hubby too!) 

This Hunting Business Is Hot Work!

I felt bad for this young Coopers Hawk, he had had two unsuccessful attempts at grabbing a quail in the yard and was obviously feeling the heat. He sat on the ground, wings half open, panting away in the shade of our carport for a good ten minutes before finally getting his breath back and moving on to continue his hunt for lunch.

Rain! And Lots of It.

A couple of weekends ago we had almost two full days and nights of rain, a rare thing indeed in the desert. We expect the occasional rain shower at this time of year but it usually over in a matter of minutes so this was quite the talking point as you can imagine.

There is a fine line between good rains that set us up well for the coming hot season and too much rains that cause the various desert plants to start to rot! We will see if we managed to stay under that line in the coming months.
One thing is for sure there were some rather soggy looking characters around during this downpour.

Cool Down.

The debate continues as to whether this is a Coopers or a Sharp-shinned Hawk that frequents the trees outside my kitchen window but either way it is a beautiful creature. I was lucky enough to catch it cooling down the other morning - perfect photo op.

Easily Distracted

No one could ever accuse me of being a domestic goddess, doing chores in the kitchen is just not on my list of favourite things. It certainly does make doing the dishes easier when I can look up and see this right outside the window though.

Somebody's Watching..............

You know that feeling, when you are doing something and you suddenly get the feeling that someone is watching you? I was washing dishes at the kitchen sink and I suddenly got that sensation. I looked up and there were a pair of very fierce eyes staring in at me. No wonder I never get jobs finished in the kitchen!!

The Best of 2013

Better late than never, here is my traditional 'Best of'' post for 2013. As usual I was completely incapable of selecting one critter for each category but I guess that just means we saw lots of cool stuff throughout the year which can't be a bad thing.

So first off, the wonderful plants that surround us. During April and May the desert bursts into bloom in an entirely flamboyant way. Each sub-species of Prickly Pear produces a different colour.

 

In August it is the turn of the Barrel Cactus to stun



And as if the blooms weren't beautiful enough, the fruit are not too shabby either.



In the Invertebrate section, an old favourite puts in another appearance, we seemed to have so many tarantulas this year, we love having them around.



From a slightly higher elevation, this outrageous Caterpillar made quite a dramatic appearance. It will eventually turn into a Hubbards Small Silkmoth but this is most definitely it's 'big moment,'



There was one particular amphibian who demanded to be acknowledged this year. The diminutive Red-spotted Toad has a HUGE voice and this individual set up shop by our pool this summer and made his presence known every night, very loudly. So it only seems fair that he should represent the amphibian group.



A group that I don't usually include but, lets face it, is hard to ignore, I will call 'scenery.' And my goodness, is it dramatic!



If you have a moonrise, it seems only logical that a sunset should be part of the deal too.



We have had some lovely mammals around this year. The Rock Squirrels decided to overcome their usual shyness and move into our back patio area to raise there babies.



And it is always a huge treat when a Bobcat drops by to say hello.



We have had a great reptile year with all kinds of firsts, not least of which was this magnificent Western Diamondback that curled up peacefully beside our house one evening



I had a long chat with this next reptilian visitor. How could I not when presented with such an expressive face? Another very relaxed encounter which allowed me to take numerous photos...



Of course, by far the largest group of photos belongs to our avian friends. I just couldn't decide which were my favourites. Well lets face it, they all are!
For imagery this Cardinal really got himself set up perfectly.

But not to be outdone, his close relative, the Pyrrhuloxia used the same technique to ensure inclusion in the year end review.



For sheer entertainment it is hard to beat the goofy Roadrunner with its crazy antics. This one sat in a tree next to me, chattering and scolding me while I took its picture.



This Great-horned Owl however seemed rather less engaged in his photo session!

Our resident Coopers Hawk, never fails to provide a little drama at the unfortunate expense of numerous quail and doves.



But the loss of life is balanced by the creation of new life and it was a delight to watch a pair of Thrashers raise this pair of chicks in a Cholla Cactus.



But before I finish the bird section, I couldn't possibly move on without including 'the boss.' Twigman continues to rule the land with a steely glare and a fearsome chatter. Ignore him at your peril!!



And so on to a new year. Lets hope it is filled with 'all creatures great and small.'
Happy New Year everyone.