Golden Hour

Now that the days are shorter, I have a hard time getting any shots on weekdays. I either have to leave work a little early (which seldom happens) or stop somewhere close to work before going home. Or wait ’til the weekends.

The above shots were taken in the late afternoon light at home, a little office complex lake by my house, or the Franciscan Renewal Center. This is the Franciscan Renewal Center’s motto below, which kind of sums it all up:

Halloween Bonus

(Click on photo if it isn’t animated.)

Expert Birders

I share an interest with our cats, maybe on a slightly different level, but we do have a common pastime. Meet the Birding Team:

The indoor researchers: Marbles, Google, Jessi, in the top row, left to right, and the field team: Ebony, Ivory, and Edie (the Triplets), in the 2nd row, and Svengali, Stripey Laurie, and Winky, in the 3rd row. Click on photo to see how exceptionally cute they all are.

Here are some birds I’ve seen in this last week since returning to sunny Phoenix, in my yard, my ‘hood, Papago Park, the Franciscan Renewal Center, and a small lake at a nearby office complex.

Black Phoebe

Cactus Wren

Canada Goose

Green Heron

Mallard Hybrid (I think)

American Wigeon

Northern Mockingbird

Gambel’s Quail

Anna’s Hummingbird

Sparse Leafpeeping in Indiana

I just got back from northern Indiana and, disappointingly, the leaves were just beginning to change on most of the trees. It’s a very late fall. It was also cloudy and raining most of the time I was there…

It was even foggy one morning, something rarely seen in Phoenix.

Now that’s what I wanted to see more of, above.

Behind those marshy grasses, above, is a little pond where ducks hang out. This girl is the only one who came out to greet me this year wearing her leaf necklace.

She’s a Mallard hybrid which I confirmed with one of my knowledgeable birding buddies.

I was hoping to see some Cardinals, Robins, Blue Jays, something…I heard birds but never saw any close up.

This guy did not seem to want his photo taken as right after this shot, above, he started chasing me. So I left.

Just not as dramatic as I had hoped for… 😦

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Fall Flutterbyes

Giant Swallowtail, above.

Queens, above.

Skippers, above.

Painted Lady, above.

The last photo is actually from earlier this year of a Painted Lady but since the one from the other day was not really in focus I’m including this better one from last February.

Birdwalk at the DBG

To go with my praying Mockingbird in my last post, here is a female House Finch in prayer at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Every Monday they have a birdwalk there but I’m usually at work. Last Monday I was off so I went. It was kind of a slow bird day, in my opinion, as I often see more in my own yard but a few made an appearance. Those are Gila Woodpeckers, above.

This is a Curve-Billed Thrasher which is in the same songbird family as Mockingbirds (Mimidae).

You can see the similarity:

Our state bird, the Cactus Wren.

And, of course, we saw a few non-birds like this Spiny Lizard.

From afar, I saw a Gilded Flicker.

When I left the DBG, I stopped in at the Papago Park ponds close by and saw this American Wigeon, above, as well as a colorful Common Gallinule showing off.