Experiencing Arizona
We went to the Desert Botanical Garden again a few days ago. It’s not quite time for the wildflowers to begin blooming but it’s always a pretty place to walk. No new birds either but I’ll keep trying…
Cactus Wrens, Arizona State Bird
Gilded Flickers
Curve-billed Thrashers
Gila Woodpecker
We last went to the Verde River in early December 2017 when the fall colors were far more vivid. I guess we went a little too early this year and the birds were not cooperative either. We didn’t even see horses like we did that time. Oh, well, can’t complain too much because it was still very pretty…
Fall in Phoenix
Fall in South Bend, Indiana
I just got back from a week in South Bend. The only time I was able to get away to a park I forgot my camera and had to use my cell phone! Fortunately, I did not see any good birds while there…
Ugh, after living in Arizona for 45 years and going out in the wild fairly often, I finally saw my very first tarantula lumbering along a path we were on at Seven Springs. Interesting yet creepy to this arachnophobe. Of course, we did not get in its way.
One of my friends said she saw her first tarantula in the wild at the same place several years ago. Just a little earlier, I had mentioned to Tony that I thought the area seemed “tarantula-y.”
Red-tailed Hawk
Not a very birdy day.
Variegated Meadowhawks
Trees of Phainopeplas
Woods Canyon Lake, east of Payson, that is. It’s one of our favorite places but we hadn’t been there yet this year. It didn’t disappoint and the temperature was 70°! We saw some areas of the lake we hadn’t seen before.
Some of the animals appreciated the peanuts (and a little popcorn) we brought for them.
Gray-collared Chipmunk
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Chipmunks have stripes through their faces, squirrels do not.
Hermit Thrushes (last one is a juvenile)
Okay, I’m sorry, I have way too many photos of the following birds but they were so loudly excited about the peanuts and so pretty that I couldn’t stop. I still have way more; maybe a post featuring just them will be forthcoming:
Steller’s Jays
Almost as raucous as the jays were several of these guys:
Common Ravens
Gilded Flicker
A Hint of Fall
Awesome, as always, to be back in the woods.
