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!) 

Sunset Serenade

This Thrasher decided to join me for sundowners. He perched atop the nearby dead saguaro and sang a beautiful song to celebrate the end of the day. I am so lucky to have such lovely neighbours.

Gawky Teenagers

It seems to have been an exceptionally good year for the bird populations around our land, everywhere I look there are the avian equivalent of gawky teenagers. They are no longer sweet little chicks but they have a ways to go before they look like their parents. The entertainment factor is pretty high watching all their goofy antics.

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.

Playing With Other Peoples Toys

I have mentioned before that I was more than a little skeptical about the concept of a hummingbird swing but clearly I don't know what pleases hummingbirds and I should just keep my opinions to myself.

It seems that there maybe a potential niche in the market that has not yet been catered to though, a Thrasher swing!

I Know the Feeling!

This Thrasher was just waking up from a night of sleeping securely in the centre of a cholla. He looks just like me when I first wake up! All bleary and ruffled. I almost wondered if I should offer to make him a cup of tea :)

All Grown Up Now

This is the last picture I took of the Thrasher babies in the nest, the next morning the nest was empty. I did check around the nest for signs of predation and found nothing so I have to assume (and hope) that they flew the nest. I did notice a pair of adults coming to the feeders during the day and flying back to the same hackberry bush so I suspect that they were still feeding the fledglings.

We're Hiding!

A couple of weeks ago I did a post of a nest I had discovered in a cholla. Well look what we have now! I had heard loud cheeping every couple of minutes as the frantic Thrasher parents rushed back and forth bringing food so when I had seen both parents leave I hurried in, took a quick photo and hurried away again so that neither parents or babies got too stressed. Aren't they sweet?

A Secure Residence

I had noticed a pair of Thrashers working hard carrying nesting material into a cholla so when they flew off for more building supplies I quickly sneaked in and risked loosing large quantities of flesh to capture a shot of all the hard work. One thing is for sure, if the Thrashers do decide to use this nest, they will be very well protected from potential predators!