The Arizona Cardinals football team is out of the playoffs, but this Arizona Cardinal (the real thing, cardinalis cardinalis) paid us a visit this afternoon. He was perched in a mesquite tree immediately behind our drive-through RV pad.
We have never seen cardinals at our old California home, so this sighting was especially nice for us. What a colorful, handsome fellow! Click on the image to enlarge.
I think this is a pyrrhuloxia or cardinalis sinuatis, according to an image I see in my “Birds of Arizona” booklet. I wonder why ornithologists come up with all those gigantic, unpronounceable names for pretty little birds like this one?
The colorful little bird, let’s call it a Casandro Cardinal for now, perched briefly in the creosote by the road before flying down to get some of the wild critter food that I put out this morning. We also saw cottontail, jackrabbits, desert chipmunks, quail and a couple of days ago, we saw a mule deer bounding through the rear of our lot.
Last night, the coyotes serenaded us with howls and barks. Quite a change from the South Bay suburbs. I like it!
Footnote from Cap’n Bob:
This morning, the Site Meter ticked over 400,000 visits. Thanks to everybody for reading us over the years.
Yesterday, we spotted a huge jackrabbit on the road near the new house. I swear as big as a medium-sized dog. We didn’t see him today, but we did spot this smaller one.
We like our new neighbors – peoples and critters alike. Click on the image to to see the big picture.
The semi-rural nature of our new house allows us to observe wild critters in or near our lot. I like the little quail, cottontails and squirrels that frequent the premises. So, to encourage them to come around. We place some “Critter Crunch” on the ground near our back patio.
I put some down the last couple of times we were in Arizona. It will be interesting to see who and what comes around now that the weather is a little cooler in December. I’ll try to get some pictures of our shy little critters when we’re there over the Christmas holiday.
Click on the image to enlarge.
The dogs usually get us up before we’re ready to wake up. They have to do their business though, so we get our slippers on and take them for a walk.
When I went out the door this morning, this nice image of sunlight streaming through a mesquite tree at the rear of the hotel property caught my eye. I stepped back into the room to get my camera and got this shot of it. Click on the image to enlarge.
We stopped to check the progress of our home on the way into town two weeks ago. I walked out front and looked down into the little wash that runs through our lot and spotted several quail down there pecking at the ground. I hoped that quail would come around – I think they are really cute. Click on the image to see the expanded picture.
What a beautiful fall day here in Southern California! We have waited all summer for the weather to be as agreeable as it is in our new Arizona home. It was sunny and warm, about 88° on our patio. I took this photo of Cabela relaxing on the patio swing with “Daddy.” Click on the image to enlarge.
