Verna and Bob's Weblog

Backyard Critters

Each morning I get up and take Tucker out for a walk in the vicinity of our house. After he does his thing and goes back inside, I usually go back out with one of my cameras to opportunely catch some of the wildlife in the area on digital. This week, I took these photos below of some quail chick juveniles, a cactus wren in the ocotillo and an antelope squirrel getting one of the several peanuts I toss out to them.

Photos below:

We know that we already post a lot of photos of the critters, but we never get tired of seeing the wildlife around our little paradise as they flourish around us.

Click on any image to enlarge.

July 23, 2026 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography 0

20th vernabob.com Anniversary

It has been 20 years since we started our blog. We started it when we were still in California and now continuing (since 2010) in Arizona. We don’t get that many readers, but we enjoy posting things here as our Digital Diary.

I took these on my morning walk today. The weather mostly cloudy no rain (yet):

Curve Billed Thrasher:

Desert Cottontail Rabbit:

Click on either image to enlarge. Both taken in our back yard.

July 17, 2026 by Blogosphere 0

Chicken and Shrimp Louie Salad

Chicken and Shrimp Louie Salad – image (C) Bob

I don’t often Cross-post here from our Food Website, but this was an exceptionally good Sunday treat for us. Shredded Chicken and Jumbo Shrimp in a green salad with Louie dressing. All home made and delicious.

This is a short post since I wanted to share the salad but have to get back to other matters. Click on the image to enlarge.

July 12, 2026 by Food and Dining 0

Happy Semiquincentennial!

The Founding of the United States of America
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, formally declaring the 13 American colonies free from British rule. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the document proclaimed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and listed grievances against King George III. This bold act of separation led to the Revolutionary War, which ended with victory at Yorktown in 1781 and formal recognition in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The foundation was solidified in 1787 with the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, creating a federal republic with a system of checks and balances. These events marked the birth of a new nation dedicated to freedom and limited government ideals that continues to shape the world today.

Happy 250th Anniversary, America!

July 4, 2026 by Holidays 0

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 the photo 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.

June 21, 2026 by Critters Photography

Avalon 1998

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