The latest BUC-EE’S opening happened today in Goodyear, AZ, just off of I-10 at Bullard Road. We watched the video of all the activity at opening time, and it was insane. Enjoy the video below. Run Time under six minutes.
Summer Quail
First day of summer – 06-21-2026 – Wickenburg, AZ.
I snapped this photo this morning in the little wash behind our lot. These are Gambel’s quail, a female adult and three juveniles running across the open area back there.
Taken with a Canon EOS R10 camera with a 55-210mm lens.
Gemini AI:
The birds captured in 20260621 quail and chicks.jpg are a family of Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii), a signature desert species native to the American Southwest.
Breakdown of the Group
- The Adult (Left): This is an adult female Gambel’s Quail. She features the characteristic blue-gray plumage, chestnut-and-white streaked flanks, and a prominent, dark, comma-shaped head plume (topknot). She lacks the stark black face mask and black belly patch of the adult male.
- The Chicks / Juveniles (Center and Right): These are older, semi-mature chicks (often called juveniles). By June, earlier spring hatches have grown quite large but retain their mottled, buffy-brown camouflage plumage. If you look closely at their heads, you can see their small, spiked topknots just beginning to develop.
Behavior in the Desert
Gambel’s Quail are famously ground-dwelling birds that prefer running over flying. They form tightly knit family groups during the summer breeding season. At this stage, the chicks are highly active, foraging alongside the adult for seeds, vegetation, and insects under the desert brush.
Juvenile Male Cardinal
I asked SuperGrok to identify this bird:
This is a juvenile (first-year) Northern Cardinal, likely a young male.
- Age: The bill is dark/grayish, which is a key juvenile trait. Adults have bright orange-red bills. Juveniles also tend to have slightly looser plumage and less intense colors overall.
- Sex: Young males often show more red in the crest, wings, and tail than females at this stage, and they’re starting to develop the warmer reddish tones seen here. Females stay browner longer. The amount of red on the crest and body in your shots points toward male.
These birds molt into more adult-like plumage over their first fall/winter, so this one is probably in that transitional “formative” stage right now in mid-June. Cardinals at the feeder are always a treat in our Arizona garden!
If we spot this bird after the first of next year, he will probably look like his Dad (below), seen “hiding” in the nearby mesquite tree out back. Click on either image to enlarge.
White Tailed Antelope Squirrel
I took the above shot this morning when this little guy came out to beg for a peanut. Here’s what the SuperGrok Lite AI had to say about him:
That’s a great close-up shot of a White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) in your Wickenburg backyard! These are classic Sonoran Desert residents, and your high-desert location (around 2,100–2,500 ft) is perfect habitat for them.
Key Identification Features (matching your photo):
- Size & Build: Small, about 7–8 inches long (head to tail tip), weighing around 3–4 ounces. They have longer legs than many other ground squirrels, giving them a nimble, jerky running style.
- Coloration: Grayish-brown or buff back with fine grizzling, white or cream underparts, and a distinctive white stripe on each side from shoulder toward the tail. The most diagnostic trait is the pure white underside of the tail, which they often flip up and curve over their back while running — creating a flashing “antelope-like” signal.
- Face & Eyes: Large dark eyes, small rounded ears, and a somewhat pointed snout. They look a bit like chipmunks but lack the bold head stripes of true chipmunks.
Your photo nicely captures the grizzled fur texture, alert posture, and those strong claws for digging.
Photo details:
- Camera: Canon EOS R10
- Exposure: 1/400sec
- Aperture: F7
- ISO: 250
- Focal Length: 210mm
- Lens: Canon RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM
- Copyright: (C) 2026 VBI All Rights Reserved
Click on the image to enlarge.
Palo Verdes in Bloom
Image: Close up of a Palo Verde flower – Camera: Canon EOS R10 Lens: Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM
Our Palo Verde trees are all in bloom again for the third time this spring. This is not unusual according to literature on this species of tree (Parkinsonia microphylla). There are two trees out front and one on the west side of the property – all are having open flowers.
This Palo Verde blossom is a perfect example of why these trees are so beloved in the Sonoran Desert. The vibrant yellow petals with that beautiful red-orange speckling in the center (around the stamens) is classic for the genus Parkinsonia.
For the above image – Camera: Canon EOS R10 Lens: Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM for which Grok proclaims the following:
Why this lens nailed the shot:
- Close focusing distance: The RF 16mm STM focuses down to about 13 cm (5.1 inches), letting you get right in tight on the flower for that macro-style detail on the crinkled yellow petals and red speckles.
- Wide field of view: Even at close range, you get nice context with the stem and blurred background bokeh, which works great for desert flower photography.
- Lightweight & stabilized: Perfect for handheld work in the garden, especially with any breeze moving the blossoms.
The R10’s subject detection and Servo AF probably helped lock onto the flower center nicely. The color rendition and contrast look spot-on too—those yellows really pop against the blue sky hints in the background.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Portrait of a Desert Cottontail Rabbit
Desert Cottontail Rabbit
With the advent of camera phones photos popping up everywhere, we think it’s refreshing to see a Real-camera™ image once in a while. Given that Camera-Phones® do some seriously good work from time to time, we feel that stand alone equipment, such as our Canon EOS R10 and/or Canon EOS Rebel SL3 with assorted lenses and equipment, perform better and more reliably than the pocket-sized phenomena.
Case in point: I took the above photo this morning with the R-10 and its 55-210mm lens (@210mm) of a young rabbit in our desert back yard. The subject was some 10 meters away from me and posed quietly as I snapped this shot. Only one take was needed and I can see the details of the little guy’s whiskers, eyes, the detailed veins in his ears, and mottled fur as if it were only three feet away.
I usually carry one of my two Canon cameras in the morning walks, and often get a good enough photo to post online or show to the wife, etc. We’re very satisfied with the equipment and accessories. In the near future, I need to swap out lenses and do some more dabbling into various modes of photo taking. We have multiple lenses suitable for astro telephotos to macro close-ups and everything in between. Stay tuned. Both Verna and I will be posting our work here and on the CapnBob website.
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