Rainy Days on Mondays…

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We’ve had several rainy days with thunder and lightning including today. I spotted a few hearty doves on the fence in the rain as well as one hanging out on a Beavertail Cactus.

This dove took advantage of the wet feathers to do some grooming.

The dark clouds were interrupted by a few bright blue spots and sunshine yesterday.

The pool bar floods when we get more than an inch of rain, but it dries up pretty quickly. We also get a river running from the wash down the side of our house. But it’s outside the fence in the NAOS. What’s a NAOS you ask?

Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) is a permanent, recorded land easement in Scottsdale, Arizona, that keeps a portion of private property or community land in a natural, undisturbed Sonoran Desert state

Another view of the pool bar with a bit of rain building up.

Another view of the fluffy Mourning Dove in the rain.

I don’t mind the rain at all. In fact, I love it. We do need the rain and the desert is so green this year. When I get a break in the weather, I’ll walk down to the nature’s preserve across the street to get more photos of green desert landscapes.

A quail mom braved the rain standing on a bench to watch over her kids at the bird seed block.

I love the Carpenters’ music, may Karen RIP.

What your weather like this week? Are you a Carpenter’s fan?

Squirrel!

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I watched this little Harris’s Antelope Squirrel, who looks like a chipmunk, romping around the yard. First he was on top of the waterfall in the pool. But by the time I grabbed my camera he moved to the outdoor fireplace.

We also have Harris’s Hawks, so I decided to find out more about this Harris guy. This is what AI told me:

Both animals are named in honor of Edward Harris (1799–1863), an American naturalist, philanthropist, and horse breeder from New Jersey.

He was a close friend and financial supporter of the famous ornithologist and artist John James Audubon. Harris accompanied Audubon on two major wildlife-gathering expeditions: one along the Gulf of Mexico in 1837 and another up the Missouri River in 1843.

To thank him for his friendship and financial help, Audubon named several newly cataloged species after him, including:

  • Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)
  • Harris’s Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii)
  • Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula

FYI, this is a photo of a Harris’s Sparrow from the website All About Birds. They aren’t found in Arizona, so I’ll be out of luck taking a picture of one here. They are found in the middle of the country from Texas all the way to Northern Canada.

I have been able to get many photos of Harris’s Hawks.

Back to my Harris’s Antelope Squirrel:

Here is the Harris’s Antelope Squirrel posing in front of a little fireplace ceramic statue of a chiminea on the mantel of the real fireplace. I learned the word antelope is in its name because it often carries its tail curled up over its back revealing a white rump like an antelope. Who knew?

He spent the afternoon getting settled into his new home.

Happy Friday!

What plans do you have for the weekend?

This week went by so quickly for me. How about for you?

Bird of the Week — Lesser Goldfinch

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This is a female or juvenile Lesser Goldfinch who paid a visit to our birdbath yesterday. This is the first time I’ve seen one. I was pleased to have a new bird for Bird of the Week.

Lesser Goldfinch – Spinus psaltria

I learned that this goldfinch is called “Lesser” because it is smaller than its close relative the American Goldfinch. In North America, It’s the smallest goldfinch and one of the smallest finches.

COLORING:

While the males have black caps and white patches on the wings, the females and juveniles look just like the photo above with dull yellow underparts and an olive back. They also have two white wing bars.

SIZE:
Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)

LOCATION:

Lesser Goldfinches can be found in deserts, mountain canyons, weedy fields, in the brush of open areas and urban areas.

FOOD:

They mainly eat seeds from thistles and the sunflower family. They are attracted to backyard feeders especially with hulled sunflower seeds. Birdbaths are also a plus because of their diet of seeds. The Lesser Goldfinch needs hydration.

NESTING:

They do not mate for life, but stay together for breeding seasons and find a new mate the next year. The female chooses an area for a nest in trees or bushes. The nests are built four to eight feet off the ground in a protected area by leaves or branches. While the female builds the nest, the male watches.


She uses leaves, bark, cocoons, grasses and spiderwebs and weaves these together into a cup. The female lines the nest with hair, feathers, wool and fibers. Nests are about 3 inches wide and an inch deep. They have one brood per year with three to six eggs.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Goldfinch/sounds

One Year Ago….Birds Plus More Surgeries

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I like looking back on what I was focused on in the past through old blog posts. Sometimes I feel I am doing the exact same things at the same time of year. I looked back on what I was doing last October. It’s eerily the same as this year.

Ever since my ankle and foot surgeries in the past year and a half, my kids and my husband have been urging me to get back to PT. They say they see a difference in my balance and strength. They are right. I’m weaker and I hesitate when climbing stairs or scrambling over a rocky trail at the beach.

So I did it. I went to PT last week for an evaluation. The physical therapist told me to see my orthopedic surgeon. That’s where we are starting in this quest for balance and strength. I’m having pain in my left foot that then makes my knee hurt. She said that’s why my balance is off. Hopefully, I need new orthotics, different shoes and not another surgery. The therapist said she wasn’t going to push me and make my foot hurt worse until I see my ortho. Appointment made for later this week and I’ll find out what’s up.

This is what I wrote last year from a post October 2025:

I was so excited to capture this photo of Red taking off the Ocotillo!

I’m going to the Bay Area to take care of my daughter post shoulder surgery. She has a repetitive use injury from swimming from kindergarten through college. Her practices in college added up to 12,000 yards of swimming per day.

I’ve been especially nervous and haven’t been sleeping well. There’s a back story to that, besides the anxiety and worry. (Ever since our last thunder and lightning storm our house alarm has been going off at 3 a.m. Now that I figured out how to get it to stop, my body is programmed to get up at 3 a.m.) Once awake, I worry about my upcoming trip and my daughter.

Mrs. giving a side-eye to another bird at the birdseed block.

I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon to take a last look at my ankle. I discussed my other foot with the doctor. My first visit to her was about the left foot, but she discovered my “sprain” was a break in the right ankle — and I was scheduled for emergency surgery.

Now we’re back to the original issue and I’ll have surgery after taking care of my daughter!

Back to 2026:

Hopefully my kids won’t need my help in October 2026 because of new ailments or surgeries!

How was your weekend? What are your plans for the upcoming week?

It’s All About the Quail

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A young female Gambel’s Quail walking past the cactus statue.

We have two types of birds that visit every day. Quail and doves. I enjoy quail more than doves, because with their top knots they look like clowns and have tons of personality.

I caught this sharp photo of a male quail alone on the bird block.

This female quail strikes a pose on a backyard bench.

Papa quail is looking a bit round. I can tell the difference between the adults and juveniles who are entering adulthood by their size. The ones who hatched in the Spring look skinny in comparison to this guy (see the first photo for a young one.)

A female quail caught mid step on a bench (above) and a male below.

Wickham Works Cards Update:

It’s been a couple days since my website went live for my photographic greeting cards. I mailed out my first order to a fellow blogger. Thank you!

I went out to dinner with women I used to volunteer with to raise money for a residential facility to rehab sex-trafficked victims. Our group is defunct, but we still get together socially. One of those ladies looked at my cards and asked for custom stationery featuring her name and flowers.

Yes, I can take custom orders, too! I hadn’t thought about that before.

If you get a chance, visit my website: https://www.wickhamworkscards.com/

One of my cards with the star named Red.

Happy weekend! What are your plans?

Creating a Website

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I did it! My website featuring my photography greeting cards is live! Two friends of mine who were graphic designers I worked with during my PR days in Palm Springs, pre kids, suggested I turn my nature photography into greeting cards. We live within a few miles of each other all these years later. They’ve been very supportive and full of ideas for me.

I jumped in and applied for a business license. I signed up to create a website. I ordered a few test cards of Red. I fiddled with different weights of card stock and finishes. I liked the look of glossy cards, but as a left-handed person, my writing smeared. I tried to order a card that I could write on and have my penmanship legible. Lots of little tweaks and more ordering cards.

Then I tinkered with the website itself. Lots of revising, editing and more editing. Deciding what photos I wanted to create cards with. I used Squarespace for the first time and the learning curve was doable but not foolproof.

When I finally published my website this week, I placed a test order. It didn’t work. I spent several hours with their AI chat bot. I followed all the directions, but nothing happened. Then AI said they’d send me to a real person! Woohoo! It took them less then two minutes to figure out my issue and now I’m in business.

The next step is to go in person to local gift stores with a few packets of card to see if they’ll accept my cards for sale. Yes, that makes me more than a little nervous…

When my son was in middle school and high school, he created and managed our swim team’s website. Back then, when he’d make a change he’d have to upload the whole site which would take six to eight hours. Now I can make a change to and it’s done instantly.

You’re more than welcome to check out my website HERE.

https://www.wickhamworkscards.com

Busy Bee

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I spotted this blossom bursting from the side of a cactus. It was so unusual and when I took my macro lens to take photos of it, a bumblebee was buzzing around.

Here’s another shot of the bee and you can see the cactus in the background. I used AI to identify the type of cactus. It said “Peruvian Apple Cactus.” Whether this is correct or not, I’m not sure. Do any of my blogger friends know for sure? It did say the blossom would last one night. It was blooming in the daytime, but wilted by the next day.

Our pergola created interesting shadows in the background on a stucco wall.

Here are a couple other photos I took while I had the macro lens engaged:

One final fun photo:

I hope you enjoyed my photos today and have a great week!

What are your plans this week?