Desert Critters

Late afternoon:

rabbits resting in the shade

standing squirrel

ground squirrel with mesquite pod

Sharing with Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen.

Happy Weekend!

June Skies

Hello! These are some recent sky pictures:

Visit Skywatch Friday to see more skies from around the world.

Have a very nice day :)

June Birds

Hello! Here are some backyard birds:

cardinals, roadrunner, house finch, house sparrows,
ash-throated flycatcher and Gambel's quail

The pair of cardinals usually visit the feeder at dawn and dusk when it's too dark for pictures, but this time I caught them on the chair at midday.

Linking with Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen.

Purple Martins

  

These snapshots are from the first week of June.

Have a good day!

June Birds

Greetings!  Here are some more birds on saguaros from June:

curve-billed thrasher

Gila woodpecker

brown-crested flycatcher

house finches

verdin

white-winged doves

pyrrhuloxia

Hasta la vista...

Sweetness

 

It's time for the ripe saguaro cactus fruit to split open allowing birds to feast on the juicy pulp and dark seeds inside.

The desert looks and smells as if the saguaros are blooming all over again, this time in rich shades of red rather than white.

Red ripe saguaro fruits are a sign that the rainy season will begin soon.  Moisture is always welcome in the desert.

June Sky Snapshots

Just a typical early morning stroll to see what's happening in the desert:

 Looking east at 6:00AM, sunlight starts streaming into the canyon

 6:45AM an agave welcomes the warm morning sun

 Bees love agaves

 Heading south at 7:00AM past the waving saguaro

 This cactus still has sweet smelling blossoms

Mr. Quail calls, "Chi-CA-go-go" over and over.

See more sky pictures from around the world at Skywatch Friday, hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.

Backyard Birds

zzz...

June Morning Shadows

Here are some shadow shots from my walk in the desert yesterday morning.  In June, it is so bright and sunny at 6:00AM, I have to adjust the exposure bias on my camera to -2/3 or else the highlights blow out.  That makes the image on the LCD screen dim, and with sunglasses on I can barely see what I'm shooting.  Luckily, the bunny and squirrel were standing still like statues, so I was able to picture them.

See more shadowy images at Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by Tracy.