What a Difference a Day Makes

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Red has been missing in action for a few weeks, but finally showed up again this week. I also spotted Mrs. but she flew away before I could get a photo. My only disappointment in seeing Red was that my Bird Buddy bird feeder didn’t capture his picture or video. I think Red is standing outside the camera’s range. He’s sneaky that way!

I’m not sure if it’s all the rain that has kept the birds, including Red, at bay. I have heard Red chirping several times, but I wasn’t able to spot him. Also, his adopted fledgling, a Brown Headed Cowbird, is no longer hanging out with Red or Mrs.

I say “what a difference a day makes” because Red’s feathers are grown in. He’s back to his beautiful self.

This photo is from early September when Red was molting. Poor thing. Maybe he was embarrassed to being seen and photographed until his feathers grew back!

But in typical fashion of Red, when I fill the bird feeder, he’s once again the first bird in. He likes to stop by early in the morning and in the evenings. Mrs. is never too far away.

What are your plans for the rest of the week?

A Flicker, Sparrow and Goldfinch Flew Into Our Yard…

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There were a few bird photos I took this weekend that made me smile. I never know what I’m going to get until I connect my memory card to my laptop and open up Adobe Bridge. That’s the program I use to view my photos. If I like the image, it gets exported to my laptop. It dawned on me that I should backup my photos on a thumb drive! I have a bad track record with backups. Once I lost an entire novel’s manuscript because I didn’t back up my laptop and files started disappearing. I contacted Apple and they couldn’t recover my files and they suspected it was a hardware issue.

The photo above is a Gilded Flicker and it made the cut.

This House Sparrow at the birdbath was a saver, too.

Here he is getting a sip of water after a rainy day.

I had another visit by a Lesser Goldfinch. I wrote about them for Bird of the Week after my first encounter with this tiny little bird. Here are a few more photos:

This photo gives perspective of the size of Lesser Goldfinch next to a House Sparrow. Prior to seeing Lesser Goldfinches, the sparrow was one of the smaller species we had in our yard.

The Lesser Goldfinch is getting ready to make her move!

There she goes!

I hope you enjoyed my photos today. I welcome your feedback.

Which ones did you like and why?

A Bright Sunny Day

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With a break from rainy days, I took my camera across the street to the nature’s preserve to get some photos. I marveled at how green it is in the desert.

The Octotillo look very happy.

Then I slowly walked around our yard to observe the beauty. This bee was busy with a fairy duster plant in our front yard.

The Pyracantha white blossoms have disappeared and been replaced with fruit.

A cactus in bloom.

The Honeysuckle is blooming, too.

The Fire Stick plant is huge and topped with new growth.

Even the Aloe seems healthier with all our rainy days.

One last look at the greenery in the desert.

Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans?

Another Tale of Waffles

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Waffles the pug in our backyard in Palm Springs.

I recently wrote about a weird thing that happened with Facebook. Somebody commented on a five-year old photo of Waffles needing emergency surgery. Then the post got more comments and my 94-year-old dad even called to find out if Waffles was okay. I couldn’t figure out why that old post was making the rounds, because it didn’t come up as a memory to me and I didn’t share it with anyone.

I wrote about that HERE.

Well, wouldn’t you know it! Waffles had emergency surgery yesterday! My daughter wondered if there was a connection to the FB post and Waffles back in ER. Was there something with the vibes or was he jinxed because of that post?

He got sick shortly after that and wouldn’t eat and if he drank water it came right back up. My daughter had a sleepless week but through subcutaneous fluids and several trips to the ER, Waffles’ tummy finally settled down. During this process the vet took an X-ray to make sure there wasn’t a blockage.

Waffles, my daughter's pug, at the Utes pool.
Waffles, my daughter’s pug, made it on “We Rate Dogs” a popular pupper site. Eventually it had more than 75,000 views. This photo was taken at the University of Utah pool. Waffles became the swim team’s mascot and sports marketing posed Waffles for social media posts.

The X-ray revealed his bladder was filled with stones that could be life threatening. I was worried about a 10-year-old pug going through anesthesia and surgery. They don’t have the best noses for breathing and are at risk with anesthesia. But as the parent of a 30-year-old, I didn’t have any say so or monetary involvement.

Waffles is home today with my daughter in the Bay Area post surgery and it all went well.

Here are two more Utah Swim Team photos of Waffles:

A Fun Waffles Tale:

When our daughter graduated college, her first job was in Scottsdale, Arizona and she lived in Tempe. I was visiting her and Waffles (from Palm Springs where we lived then) and we took a walk across the Tempe Town Lake pedestrian bridge. We were halfway across when a woman we had never met stopped us and asked, “Is that Waffles?” We were stunned! It turned out the woman was married to a Utah swim coach who took a job with ASU’s swim team and is now the head coach. She definitely was familiar with Waffles!

Do you have a favorite of these Waffles photos? If so, which one?

Do you think it’s a weird coincidence with the old FB post showing up and Waffles having surgery again?

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