Brown Creeper chick
Trying to get away from the crazy lady with the camera.
Brown Creeper back in the safety of his cactus home. Haven't been around Hayes house much in the last month. I was off to Arizona again to see my daughter and Maisie. This time there was no long car trip, I flew--almost as long though by the time I stopped in El Paso and Vegas.
The mountains were incredible. I thought the picture I got the last time of the shadows and blues was a one time thing. It is not though. The shadows and colors in the mountains around Tucson continue to amaze me. They are constantly there moving and changing.
While taking care of the flowers and plants in Erin's yard while she was at work, Maisie and I noticed some birds in one of the cacti. At first I thought they were three young Roadrunners, but after snapping a few pictures and sending them to Jim, he identified them as "Brown Creepers" members of the Nuthatch family. Trust me--I don't make these names up! And there were not three babies--only one. The other two were Mom and Dad.
The baby, after careful observation, was not nearly as adept at flying. He ended up plopping down on top of the A/C unit right beside me. I even ran a finger across his downy back--only once because Mom and Dad started to dive bomb me. I left seeing the three of them fly back into the safety of the cactus by the fence. I spotted the three of them the next day in the cactus, one more time before I left.
The mountains were incredible. I thought the picture I got the last time of the shadows and blues was a one time thing. It is not though. The shadows and colors in the mountains around Tucson continue to amaze me. They are constantly there moving and changing.
While taking care of the flowers and plants in Erin's yard while she was at work, Maisie and I noticed some birds in one of the cacti. At first I thought they were three young Roadrunners, but after snapping a few pictures and sending them to Jim, he identified them as "Brown Creepers" members of the Nuthatch family. Trust me--I don't make these names up! And there were not three babies--only one. The other two were Mom and Dad.
The baby, after careful observation, was not nearly as adept at flying. He ended up plopping down on top of the A/C unit right beside me. I even ran a finger across his downy back--only once because Mom and Dad started to dive bomb me. I left seeing the three of them fly back into the safety of the cactus by the fence. I spotted the three of them the next day in the cactus, one more time before I left.
I continue to be amazed by all the wildlife in the desert. It seems there are more birds there than anywhere else. We also spotted a huge lizard. He was too fast for the camera, but was about 8 inches long. When he saw us he started to bob his head up and down and the bump on his throat turned a beautiful shade of teal. The huge Saguaro by Erin's house is a virtual condo of wildlife. I think I could sit and observe it all day.
