Verna and Bob's Weblog

Female Northern Cardinal

Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Cardinals are year-round residents in parts of Arizona, especially in desert riparian areas, mesquite thickets, and backyards with feeders (like the one in your photo). Wickenburg and surrounding areas in central Arizona fall within their range, though they’re more localized in the Southwest compared to the eastern U.S.

They are sometimes confused with the Pyrrhuloxia (a close relative sometimes called the “desert cardinal”), which is rarer in Arizona. You can tell them apart because female Northern Cardinals have a thicker, more reddish-orange bill and more blackish facial markings, while Pyrrhuloxias tend to have more gray tones and a different bill shape.

Above quotes from SUPER GROK – we have now subscribed and will be using the AI to enhance our postings here and on Capnbob & the Damsel.

  • Image (cropped) Northern Cardinal Female on Seed Feeder
  • Camera: Canon EOS R10
  • Program Mode: Normal Program, 1/400sec, ISO 250, F 7.1
  • Lens: RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM @210mm

Image: Copyright(C) 2026, Click to view enlarged.

June 1, 2026 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography 0

Saguaro Flower Season

We have already had a couple buds open on the big Saguaro out front, but this nice example was open today on the smaller cactus across the yard from the big one. Since the cacti are so tall, and the flowers generally are facing upwards, it’s sort of hard to get a full top view of the flowers. Fortunately, some of the buds on the side of this cactus are facing east, and I might be able to get a face-on shot when some of them open. Stay tuned.

Click on the image to enlarge.

May 31, 2026 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography 0

Red Tailed Hawk

I asked GROK why the tail isn’t red in my photo. This was the answer:

The tail isn’t red because this is almost certainly a juvenile (immature) Red-tailed Hawk.

Why Juveniles Lack the Red Tail

Age-related plumage: Red-tailed Hawks do not acquire their signature brick-red tail until they are about 1–2 years old, during their first major molt into adult plumage. Juveniles (first-year birds) have brown tails with multiple dark horizontal bars/bands.
In your photo (taken from below while soaring), the tail shows this typical juvenile pattern — brownish with barring — rather than the solid or mostly rufous/red color of adults.

This is one of the most reliable ways to age them in the field. Adults usually show a bright reddish tail from above (and often a paler reddish tone from below), though lighting, angle, and subspecies can affect how vivid it appears.

Photo information:

  • Camera – Canon EOS Rebel SL3,
  • Exposure – 1/400 sec.,
  • Aperture – F7.1,
  • ISO – 100,
  • Focal Length – 155mm,
  • Lens – Canon EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM.
May 16, 2026 by Arizona Critters Photography 0

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

An Astrophytum Flower

As the weather continues to warm as it is wont to do in late spring, more flowers are opening. This astrophytum (star cactus) flower opened in all its glory this afternoon in our cactus garden by the courtyard. Click on the image to enlarge.

Beltane

Today, we celebrated Beltane, a traditional Celtic holiday but with a definite US twist by having what amounts to a New England Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. Everyone enjoyed the meal and the ancestral atmosphere.

May 2, 2026 by Arizona Climate Flowers Holidays Home & Garden Photography

Avalon 1998

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