Verna and Bob's Weblog

Arizona

Cardinal and Cottontail Sharing Shade Under Cholla

Cardinal and Cottontail

I was standing with my camera near the retention wall at the bottom of the little wash when I saw the red cardinal in my peripheral vision. I turned the camera toward the redness and was surprised to see the rabbit in the viewfinder.

I see cardinals in my periphery due to their color. In order to see a rabbit or other critters that blend in with the surroundings, they have to exhibit some movement. I was lucky that the rabbit was in this shot because it was motionless and didn’t get my attention until I saw it there with the cardinal through the viewfinder.

The critters were about 20 or 30 feet away from where I took this photo. I had the lens set to its maximum focal length of 300mm. Both critters were kind enough to remain in my field of view while I took several images at 1/400 sec, ISO 200, F6.3. This was the best of them. Click on the image to enlarge.

June 3, 2015 by Arizona Critters Photography

Red Bird Flowers Soon

Buds

Maybe tomorrow the first of my courtyard red bird of paradise flowers will open. The flower buds are growing larger and the lower ones that typically open first are showing the colors of red and yellow already.

We get these all summer long, so expect to see a lot of photos with red birds. After all, they are my favorite desert flowers. So pretty. Click on the image to enlarge.

UPDATE: Just as we thought, the first of the flower pods opened this morning.

First Red Bird Flower

June 2, 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Tomatoes Coming Soon

Tomatoes Coming Soon

My tomato vine in the courtyard garden has had several tomato blossoms, one of which produced this one-inch green tomato. I am hoping that there were be several of these growing on the vine soon.

I have had varying success with growing vegetables in the courtyard; some of the plants simply fail in the desert conditions, while others are eaten by varmints like squirrels and rabbits. With the new courtyard gate at the rear of the wall separating the yard from the rest of the property, I am hoping that the pest problem will be minimized.

We shall see. Click on the image to enlarge.

May 31, 2015 by Arizona Food and Dining Home & Garden Retirement

Filling the Spa

Filling the Spa

Now that virtually all of the dust-generating construction is complete, we decided to fill up the spa for the summer season. In the image above, the water level is nearing the three hundred gallon level, which is the nominal capacity.

This year, we’re using salt, rather than chlorine, as the clarifying agent. Salt is composed of sodium and chlorine, but the odor and harshness of the agent is eliminated.

May 30, 2015 by Arizona Leisure Retirement

A Juvenile Cardinal

A Juvenile Cardinal

This little guy was feeding on seeds from the bird block and bell we have up on the hill behind the RV drive. This photo is of him on the ground under the feeders as he crushes seeds in his beak. Click on the image to enlarge.

There seems to be several pair of reproducing cardinals in and around the vicinity of our house. Wikipedia cites the Northern Cardinal as being of the least concern when it comes to endangered species. It is estimated that there are more than 100 million individual cardinals in their North American range of over 2.2 million square miles.

May 28, 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbird Feeder

I went out behind the patio and was immediately greeted by this hummingbird gathering nectar from one of Verna’s feeders. It didn’t seem to be disturbed by my presence because it repeatedly poked its beak into the little yellow plastic blossoms on the feeder.

The feeders are recent replacements for the old plastic ones which became quite weather worn in our harsh desert environment. The new feeders (other than plastic blossoms) are all glass and metal construction and should last longer than the ones we had before.

The Canon SL1 photo parameters: F6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 1000, 300mm Focal Length. The bird was approximately fifteen feet away.

May 27, 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Avalon 1998

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