Three Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii) flowers opened today on the little cactus by the mailbox. These have been reliably opening on various of the native cacti around the property ever since we arrived at our retirement paradise nearly fifteen years ago. Click on the image above to view enlarged.
It’s not a big deal in the Arizona Desert to see Saguaro Cacti with flower buds in the springtime, but this is a first for our transplanted Saguaro in the front yard; the local cactus farm planted this cactus in our yard thirteen years ago when the cactus was only about four feet tall. Now, it is thirteen feet tall and currently sporting, for the first time, numerous buds which will bring forth the gorgeous Saguaro blossoms in a few weeks.
We had one other cactus planted at the same time across the driveway to the west that has had a few buds over the last couple of years, but nowhere as numerous as this cactus, as can be seen in the image above. We will update the website with photos of the flowers when they become available. Click on the image to enlarge.
I have been observing a cactus wren nest in a cholla cactus by the west fence for a few days. I frequently see one of the wrens attending to the nest as though there may be hatchlings in it.
Today, I was lucky enough to see one of the wrens coming out of the nest. I had my Canon EOS Rebel SL3 with me on my morning walk and got the photo above. Canon Normal Program Mode with EF55-250 lens set at a focal length of 250mm.
Click on the image to enlarge.
A male cardinal “hiding” behind dead cholla branches:
A pair of cactus wrens on the block feeder:
A house finch looking at the camera:
Finally, a white-tailed antelope ground squirrel foraging:
Click on the images to enlarge.
During the morning walk, I saw several small birds flitting about up where the feeders are located in back of the house and RV drive. I took a photo of one of them perched on a rosemary shrub back there and another photo of three up in the denuded mesquite tree where some of the feeders hang.
I looked at the photos after downloading them and saw that the birds were House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). There are usually many of these birds present around the feeders most of the time during the day unless there is a predator about.
More about the House Sparrow at All About Birds:
House Sparrows aren’t related to other North American sparrows, and they’re differently shaped. House Sparrows are chunkier, fuller in the chest, with a larger, rounded head, shorter tail, and stouter bill than most American sparrows.
Male House Sparrows are brightly colored birds with gray heads, white cheeks, a black bib, and rufous neck – although in cities you may see some that are dull and grubby. Females are a plain buffy-brown overall with dingy gray-brown underparts. Their backs are noticeably striped with buff, black, and brown.
Clickable photos below . . .
Camera – Canon EOS Rebel SL3 with EF-55-250 lens at 250mm. (P)rogram Automatic camera mode, autofocus. Images cropped and resized. Click to enlarge.
Congratulations to Tucker who is about four years old today. Congratulations to us for adopting him on March 11, 2022. He has been a wonderful, affectionate and downright cute li’l guy for three years in this household.
Named “Mr. Tuxedo” by the Humane Society (for apparent reasons), we changed it to “Tucker.” He happily answers to that name now.
We hope to keep him around for a long time to come. Happy Birthday, Tucker! Click on the image to enlarge.
