Arizona

Saguaro Flower Season

Saguaro Flowers and Buds

This is the time of spring when our Arizona State Flower starts showing up on the saguaro cacti. The image above is of a saguaro crown up the road from us. Flowers are also beginning to appear on our big saguaro out front.

We love our springtime cactus flowers, both in the wild and in our cactus garden. Click on the image to enlarge.

Juvenile Quail Spotted at the Bird Feeders

Juvenile Quail

We saw a brood of six to eight spring quail chicks with the parent pair up by the bird feeders on the little hill behind the RV Drive. These look scruffy as chicks, but will be molting into their mature feathers soon. Click on the image to enlarge.

Photo information:

Canon EOS REBEL SL1, 1/400 sec, F6.3, ISO 320, Canon Zoom Lens @ 300 mm

Why Cardinals Don’t Hide Well in the Desert

Cardinal in a Mesquite Tree

We were on our after Dinner walk today when I heard the courting songs of a cardinal somewhere in the trees along the road. As usual, when hearing cardinals, it is not too difficult to find them because of their bright coloring; definitely not the most discrete critters in the desert foliage. Click on the image to enlarge.

Saguaro Cactus Flowers

Saguaro Cactus Flowers

This is a saguaro in our neighbor’s yard. It is really busy making spring flowers, some of which are open. The saguaro in question is about five hundred feet east of us near the paved toad. Click on the image to enlarge.

Desert Camo Cactus Wren

Desert Camo Cactus Wren

After I went up on the little hill behind our RV drive to reload the bird feeders up there, I hung around the back of the patio with my Canon EOS to see if I could get some photos of birds that come to feed. It took a while, but eventually a cactus wren showed up and took a nut from the trail mix block; the bird retreated to some underbrush to deal with its prize. I captured this image as it posed with the nut in its bill.

Photo details: Canon EOS Rebel SL1, 1/400sec, F7.1, ISO 100, 300mm Telephoto lens.