No surprise. Red is at the top of my list. I was getting a little worried. Mrs. and Red didn’t show up for most of the week. I sent my husband to the hardware store for sunflower seeds. Their favorite. Voila! They both arrived, although separately which makes me believe there is something going on in the nest.
Mrs. made a few appearances. The sunflower seeds did the trick!
Red sharing his favorite rock with a quail. Did you notice I caught a bird in flight? It’s a blur in front of the saguaro.
A male quail keeping watch over his family. Momma and baby below the bench.
A Cactus Wren on a cactus! This is the state bird of Arizona.
What a surprise. Yesterday two cacti bloomed.
Aren’t these gorgeous flowers?
This cactus is next to our driveway.
I had to get photos of the flowers because they only last for a day.
We planted a few bougainvillea. This one is purple and the others are pink. I can’t wait to see how they grow throughout the years
The bougainvillea add such a nice touch of color.
One more favorite photo of Red.
Do you have a favorite photo? If so, which one is it?
Any exciting plans for the weekend? We’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary!
I love how the wern is balancing on the cactus.
I do too. I spotted it across the yard. It’s enjoying cactus seeds.
Great capture
Thank you! 😊
You’re welcome ☺️
💕
I like the single red flower but that’s my thing….all shots great! Happy anniversary!! I’m going to Morgan library to see Jane austen exhibit with my tea group and my goal is to see a movie
Thanks! I like that flower too. This morning I went outside and they have all died. I’m glad I got the photo when I did. That sounds like a fun weekend.
It seems cruel that cactus blossoms only last one day. They’re so pretty.
And as always.. I love your quail.
💕
All the flowers are shriveled up this morning. I am hoping that they go to sleep at night and will open again — but that’s just a sad hopeful thought. I’m glad you enjoy the quail. They have such fun personalities.
Red the Cardinal is quickly becoming the star of this blog. Soon he’ll be demanding his own blog, you just wait and see. 😜
Ha! I was so excited that he returned so I could get more photos. I get thrilled when they come out sharp and in focus. It’s almost as though he knows he’s posing for me.
I bet he does know. He has a fashion model’s heart.
Yes! This morning he showed up and stood and stared at me. He held the same pose until I took a bunch of photos, then he changed his pose.😅
Happy Anniversary! 40 years is such an accomplishment. Congratulations!
I’d say Red and Mrs are getting better at modeling, but I know it is your photography kills that make them look like such pros. 😉
Thank you! We feel old to hit the 40 year mark! I feel so excited when I get sharp in focus photos of Red and Mrs. I like the details of their feathers.
Happy Anniversary EA! The quail and Red on the rock is great! The quail unconcerned about you and Red literally leaning around the sculpture to make sure you get his photo 😉
Thank you! I thought that was so funny, too. Red kept staring at me until I got the shot. I got good news today. I’m officially out of the boot and have an ankle brace to wear for the next month for walks.
Oh that is such great news, congratulations! Life can be 95% normal again 🙂
Also, she said I can be in the pool kicking! Woohoo!
Bonus!!!
I’m so thrilled. I just got out of our pool. It’s been hotter than 100 degrees (up to 107) and I wasn’t able to get in until the surgeon said yes today. Also, I’m allowed to drive!
It just keeps getting better!
I’m on my way to a near normal life!
I like them all Elizabeth. The quail is always a favourite. The two together makes a great photo.
Over here, we were advised not to feed sunflower seeds exclusively to birds as they contain too much of the wrong type of oils than aren’t good for their digestion.
I use a wild bird mix especially for the parrots I give them a little most days
The flowers are lovely as well
I usually use a mix that says for Cardinals on the cover. I’ve never heard that about sunflower seeds before. That’s a good bit of advice!
I found this
“try to avoid high-fat oil seeds such as sunflower, canola and safflower seeds (or only provide them sparingly). While these are very popular with birds and readily available, they are very high in fat and protein and may cause a range of health issues.”
The stripped sunflower seeds are better than the black seeds
Thank you for the info! I haven’t seen it here. I’m thankful we rarely feed sunflower seeds rather than the mix and know what to do on the future.
Great photos, Elizabeth! The balancing act of the cactus wren is amazing!
Thanks! I found out the red flowers on top of saguaro are not flowers but seed pods. Looks like the cactus wren is enjoying cactus seeds.
The cactus wren and quail are treading on Red’s territory. He’s not going to like this, taken away some of his spotlight. Ha, ha.
I had to not give up photography all together while he was in hiding 😅
The cactus wren is an awesome shot! 👌
Enjoyed them all.
Happy Anniversary!! ❣️ Enjoy celebrating! My parents 66th anniversary is today. 😊
Thank you! Congrats to your parents!
You are very welcome, and thanks! 🥰
Happy anniversary!
I like how you captured the cactus wren balanced on the two buds.
Thank you! I couldn’t tell what kind of bird it was until I downloaded it to my laptop. It helps to see things full screen!
Happy 40th! That’s amazing! We celebrated 36 in January. 🙂 I love the male quail and the wren doing a balancing act on the cactus. Also, I see the bird in flight! They’re all great!
Thanks so much! 40 years is a milestone but makes me feel old! Our oldest child is 31, so we had lots of years together before starting our family! I think that has made our years together strong.
You’re welcome! We were married in our late 20s and started our family two years later. So our daughter is 33 and our son is 30. Talk about feeling old! Time is ticking, for sure, but you’re not old! Let’s at least stay young at heart! 🥰
Time is definitely ticking. Especially during recovery now during my broken ankle and surgery. I’m so thankful for my children although it took us some time. Also for those years we had together alone together for the bonding through hard times.
I love the capture of the quail and Red with the bird flying above them. I didn’t notice the flyer until you pointed it out.
I recall all of the bougainvillea when we lived in AZ; they love it there!
I didn’t notice the flyer at first, either. I’m excited to watch the bougainvillea grow. We had one beautiful plant over an outside seating area in Palm Springs. We planted more but it never did well. The yard had too much shade.
Ooops, happy anniversary. Forty years is a huge feat in this world!! Cheers!
Thanks! It makes me feel old, but it’s also amazing.
These are amazing !
Thank you!