I hung out the goldfinch feeders last week in hopes of attracting goldfinches. At first, there were lots of house finches (with the red heads), but, finally, over the last couple of days, the goldfinches have arrived. This is three of them on one of the two finch feeders on the hill above the RV Drive. Click on the image for the full field of view.
The two Curve Billed Thrasher chicks have (apparently) fledged from the nest. There is still a matter of an unhatched egg in the nest. We’re not sure if this is a newer egg or if the old one simply did not hatch. We’ll keep an eye on it since I’m almost sure the Thrashers still visit the nest. Click on the image to enlarge.
One of the three red bird of paradise shrubs in the courtyard has a flower stalk with several pods. This morning, I saw the first pod had opened and I snapped this image of the very colorful red bird flower. This shrub is also known as the “Pride of Barbados” but I think it’s the pride of Verna. Click on the image to enlarge.
We were standing at the courtyard wall watching the Curve Billed Thrasher nest, when a parent bird returned to the nest to feed the chicks; they are toward the bottom of the frame with their beaks wide open. Click on the image to enlarge.
A few weeks ago, we discovered a nest in the cholla cactus in front of our house. We saw that there were some eggs and that the nest belonged to a curve billed thrasher. Today, I took this photo of the nest where two thrasher chicks and an unhatched sibling are living. Both the Mom and Dad thrasher tend to the feeding and incubating of the chicks and egg. Click on the image to enlarge.
Dormant for almost a year now, the first couple of gazania flowers are in bloom. I expect to have lots more as summer approaches. This gazania plant is behind the house where it doesn’t get the punishing high-noon Arizona sun. Perfect for producing lots of these pretty flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.
