Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Critters

Butterfly and the Red Bird of Paradise

ButterflyAmong the main reasons I wanted the Red Bird of Paradise shrubs in the courtyard was to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. I am not disappointed since both species frequently browse the flowers of not only the red birds, but the sage flowers as well, when they are present. With second spring coming, the sages should also have more flowers to attract the critters.

In addition to the hummers and butterflies, this year we began noticing Sphinx Moths, also sometimes called “Hummingbird Moths” browsing both the red birds in the courtyard and the rosemary bushes out back. Interesting little critters, they are about 1/3 the size of hummers but act quite the same in that they hover and sample the nectar and move on to another flower.

I photographed this encounter with a very pretty black butterfly about to descend upon one of the clusters of flowers on the red bird closest to the middle of the courtyard. Click on the image to enlarge.

02 Sep 2014 by Arizona Critters Flowers Home & Garden Photography

National Dog Day

The Dog Park

We didn’t know it when we took Beethoven and Cabela to the Wickenburg Dog Park today, but today is National Dog Day. I discovered that it was dog day while browsing the book of face after we got home.

The dogs really enjoy running around the dog park. They don’t generally get off their leashes when outside, but they run around sniffing everything and, as usual, give us an opportunity to clean up after them. Today, they enjoyed it so much that they took an extra lap around the park perimeter and didn’t seem to want to get on their leashes until after that.

After I discovered it was National Dog Day, I searched for it on the internet and found Holiday Insights:

National Dog Day has two goals: to honor dogs, and to rescue dogs from homelessness and abuse. It’s an opportunity for us to recognize and appreciate the value and importance of dogs in our lives.

This day is intended to honor dogs for all that they do for us. In addition to giving love and companionship, dogs help us out in countless ways. They are watchdogs for our safety. They lead the blind. Dogs aid in search and rescue, and they seek out bombs and drugs.

The second goal of National Dog Day is to rescue dogs in need. On occasion, dogs need us to save them from homelesness and abuse. The goal of the National Dog Day foundation is to rescue 10,000 dogs a year. Lend a hand to help a dog in need today, or any day.

26 Aug 2014 by Arizona Critters Holidays

Curve Billed Thrasher Eating Saguaro Fruit

Saguaro Fruit

This is a curve billed thrasher helping itself to the fleshy fruits growing on our giant saguaro in the front yard. We were walking the dogs and heard the bird’s distinctive “weet-witt-weet” call, which made us look up to the top of the saguaro where the bird was feasting. I did not have my camera, so Bob grabbed the little pocket camera and got this shot. Click on the image to enlarge.

We found a reference (sorry, no link) to the saguaro and seed propagation:

The saguaro is the largest columnar cactus found growing naturally in the US and bears the state flower of Arizona. This magnificent cactus represents the botanical symbol of North American deserts for many people around the world. These unique plants are tall, long-lived cacti that occur naturally and only in southern Arizona, northwestern portions of Sonora, Mexico, and sparsely near the lower Colorado River in California. Saguaros can live to be 200 years old, grow 50 feet tall and weigh as much as 20,000 lb. Saguaro roots radiate out from the base up to 50 ft and close to the surface of the ground. The shallow roots allow saguaros to absorb as much water as possible, especially from light precipitation events, which they store for several years if necessary. Flowers bloom in late spring (late April through early June) and fruits ripen about 37 days after flowering. Saguaro flowers are large, elongated, and bloom nocturnally allowing both night (bats and insects) and day foragers (birds, bees, and other insects) to feed on the nectar and aid in pollination.

29 Jun 2014 by Critters Home & Garden Photography

Lurking

LurkerIf you look near the bottom left of this photo, you will notice a Greater Road Runner (Geococcyx californianus) who, at the time, was being very still. The finch feeders above the bird are usually populated with several goldfinches and/or house finches and, as you can see, there are none present.

We have seen this behavior before, where the road runner will lurk near he base of the feeders and wait for a finch to come. The larger bird will then leap and try to catch one of the smaller birds. We have yet to see it score a finch, but we’re not looking all the time.

Wickipedia has this trivia about the roadrunner’s diet:

It mainly feeds on insects, fruit and seeds with the addition of small reptiles, small rodents,tarantula hawks, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, small birds, their eggs, and carrion, including roadkills. It kills larger prey with a blow from the beak—hitting the base of the neck of small mammals—or by holding it in the beak and beating it against a rock. Two roadrunners sometimes attack a relatively big snake cooperatively.

Click on the image to enlarge.

24 Jun 2014 by Arizona Critters Environment

Snake Season

KingsnakeLast night, one of the dogs discovered a kingsnake under on of my planters outside of the patio. I pulled him away from it and walked elsewhere while he did his business. Tomorrow would be soon enough to check out if it was dead or had slithered away.

When we went out this morning to inspect the snake, it was still there – dead. Bob took a pair of garden tongs I use for handling cacti and tossed the snake up into the west part of the lot. Something will dispose of it, we supposed.

Turkey BuzzardWe supposed correctly. A bit later in the afternoon, a pair of Turkey Buzzards were flying low over the area while another landed over in the area where the snake carcass had been tossed.

We did not actually see the buzzards removing the snake, but an inspection of the area where it got tossed showed no sign of snake remains. Desert nature at work. Click on the images to enlarge.

03 Jun 2014 by Arizona Critters Photography

What the Heck Is It?

Red-Headed Lizard

I saw this lizard clinging to the patio screen outside today. I walked out to get a photo of the little red-headed guy. We later tried to look up on the Arizona Lizard website, but couldn’t find a match. It looks like the spiny lizards we see around here once in a while, but this is the first time we have seen a red-faced spiny lizard. Click on the image to enlarge.

Update: Hat tip to Glenn B who points out in comments that this is likely a female spiny lizard whose head has turned red for breeding season.

31 May 2014 by Arizona Critters Photography

Quail Brood

Quail Brood

We stopped at the last rest stop in Arizona before crossing into California on our way out to the old homestead today. We have to stop in order to (as Bob says) “Californicate” our carry weapons. You know, unload and lock the guns away where they are of no use to us for self defense purposes. But, enough about the unconstitutional state of Kalifornistan.

At the rest stop, a family of quail, a mama and papa and their brood of seven chicks were browsing the area just as we were leaving the rest stop. I took several images of these cute little birds as they made their way to wherever they were headed. Click on the image to enlarge.

27 May 2014 by Arizona Critters Environment Photography Second Amendment

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