Verna and Bob's Weblog

Critters

Cinco de Mayo

We enjoyed mini tacos after our trip today in honor of the Cinco de Mayo day. Click here.

We are having a comparatively light duty week as compared to the first quarter of the year. We did have an appointment with the Nephrologist down in Surprise today, which is the first of two such visits to the valley suburbs this week. The next one will be on Friday with the radiation therapy team. More about those later.

The trip today was without incident and we were back home before 1 pm even though we shopped at Safeway in town before home. Lots of puffy clouds today. Verna kept the camera going, but nothing worthy of note to post here.

I did get a nice photo of a Black Chinned Hummingbird during my morning walk. Click to enlarge.

May 5, 2026 by Arizona Critters Holidays Photography 0

Cabela 2008-2026

Just short of her 18th birthday (in August), Cabela crossed over the Rainbow Bridge this morning to be with all the other frolicking denizens of the other place. She passed peacefully in her sleep while napping on the loveseat sofa.

We’re already missing her.

There are a lot of posts referencing her in our weblogs and some photos of her from her stay with us in the past several years. Click here and here

Happy frolicking, little one . . .

May 3, 2026 by Critters Family 0

Candid Critters

Here’s a trio of shots taken in the last couple of days:

First, the squirrels seem to like the peanuts (not indigenous to AZ) we toss their way.

Cardinals are quite visible in the desert. This guy was singing to his mate a while back from the top of a nearby utility pole. It looked like a red whistle way up yonder.

This Collared Dove is the third most frequently seen of the doves that visit; first the Mourning Doves and then the White-Winged Doves followed by the Collared.

30 Apr 2026: Squirrel and another Peanut:

Click on any image to enlarge.

April 12, 2026 by Arizona Critters Photography

Spring Cactus Wren Activity

During my morning stroll with the camera, I walked behind the big RV to check stuff out on that side. Lo and behold, a cactus wren was perched just above the back wall on one of the cholla there. I got this photo before it flew away. It and another (several 3-4?) were tending to both cactus wren nests they have established there.

I continued my walk over the usual places I go in the mornings and when I looked back toward the cholla, a couple of wrens were on the top nest with strings and feathers, ostensibly to embellish the nests for the coming spring. Yes, that is dental floss being used for some of the nest material. We recycle ours in the backyard explicitly for this sort of purpose.

Click on either image to view enlarged.

March 14, 2026 by Arizona Critters Photography

Thrasher and Peanut

We get a lot of these Curve-Billed Thrashers in and around the yard. Today, this bird found a peanut that I threw out for whomever wanted it. The bird took it after this photo and delivered it to wherever. Love the wildlife here.

The curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) is a medium-sized desert bird common in the Sonoran and other southwestern deserts, including around towns like Wickenburg and Phoenix. It’s mostly gray-brown with a long down-curved black bill and bright yellow-orange eyes, and has faint round spots on its underparts. They forage on the ground, flipping leaf litter and digging with their bills for insects, fruit, and seeds. Their distinctive call is a loud, whistled “whit-wheet” that’s often heard in desert brush and suburban yards. These thrashers readily use cholla and other native cacti for nesting and adapt well to human-modified landscapes with desert vegetation.

Click on the image to enlarge.

February 27, 2026 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Groundhog Day 2026

So, we don’t have any groundhogs (captive or not) in our corner of the Sonoran Desert, therefore, a Ground Squirrel will have to do. The little guy saw his shadow and the resulting forecast is for six more weeks of Arizona Awesome.

Alexa‘s take on today:

Groundhog Day is a quirky North American tradition celebrated every February 2nd, where a groundhog (most famously “Punxsutawney Phil” in Pennsylvania) emerges from its burrow to “predict” the weather. If the groundhog sees its shadow, legend says we’ll have six more weeks of winter; if not, spring arrives early.

Origins & History

The tradition traces back over 2,000 years to ancient Rome, where people observed hedgehogs on February 2nd to predict spring’s arrival. German immigrants brought this custom to America in the early 1800s, switching from hedgehogs to groundhogs since hedgehogs weren’t native to Pennsylvania. The official Punxsutawney celebration began in 1886 when a local newspaper first acknowledged the tradition.

The Prediction

While the ceremony remains wildly popular, scientific studies show no consistent correlation between shadow-sighting and actual weather patterns. It’s pure folklore—but that’s exactly what makes it charming! The tradition connects to “Candlemas”, a Christian festival where clear weather was believed to foretell extended winter.

It’s essentially a delightful excuse to embrace winter whimsy and hope for spring—regardless of what Phil actually “sees”!

Click on the image above to view “Arizona Andy the Antelope Squirrel” enlarged.

February 2, 2026 by Arizona Climate Critters Holidays Photography

Avalon 1998

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