Red and Mrs. have reappeared in my yard after taking off for eight days after our vacation to Northern California. I was so distressed, but now relieved that they’ve returned.
Here are a few of my favorite photos that I took this week:
Mrs. at the birdseed block with doves and a sparrow.
A Roadrunner has been hanging out in our backyard. He prefers to hide in a pot or hang out in a tree.
He spends an inordinate amount of time grooming himself and gets all fluffy in the process.
Our state bird, the Cactus Wren took over the birdseed block.
A Gila Woodpecker hangs out upside down foraging for insects. Look at the tongue!
I have only seen Red and Mrs. a few times since we got back home from Hawaii for the New Year. I was disappointed with the photos I took. They were blurry, fuzzy and altogether not good. While I was taking photos of my quail, Red showed up and posed for me on the pink flamingo. I kept trying to snap photos, but my camera wasn’t cooperating. There was a large “E” on the screen.
Then I exchanged the camera battery, thinking that might be the issue. It wasn’t. I glanced back at my laptop to see the dongle plugged in with a card reader. The SD card wasn’t in my camera. No wonder the photos of Red weren’t going to happen.
Red flew away. I had to be content with quail photos.
A female quail acting as “look out” in the tree. This is normally a man’s job.
A male doing his job.
Then he flew up into the tree from the rock.
While in Hawaii, I received an email from my photography professor. He said the class is no more. I had registered for Spring semester which was to begin this month and run until May. There were five others in the class along with me. The class is by invitation only, so there’s no signing up if the professor didn’t think you’d be a good fit for the class. He told me before I joined that everyone is dedicated to learning and improving in photography. That everyone is on the same learning curve, just at different points along the way.
I’m sad the class won’t continue. But in the meantime, I’ll continue working on my learning curve, wanting to improve my photography. What’s really sad is that professor said after 26 years of working at the college, he was sent an email coldly telling him he was no longer employed.
I’m starting off the New Year with a very light calendar. No more ladies’ group, newsletter, photography class. Even the neighborhood coffee has ended. With all this free time, I’m going to get back to my focus on writing. I have several projects and manuscripts that need my attention.
What would you do with a cleared calendar?
Is there a project you’d like to start on or continue?
Saturday four Harris’s Hawks flew in and out of my backyard. I enjoyed getting their photos, but unfortunately never captured them taking off. They are so dramatic in flight, but I’m too slow with the camera.
I noticed they were panting! I’ve never see a bird pant before. You’ll notice on several of these pictures that their tongues are hanging out! Maybe they cool off just like dogs do through their tongues.
They are such majestic, beautiful birds. And no little birds were bothered during their recent visit.
Along with the top photo, this hawk was panting.
This guy looks like he’s posing for me!
Another panting hawk!
This was the last guy left in my yard. Then he flew on the neighbor’s chimney. Unfortunately, I missed the flight from our fence to the roof.
I had to look up if the Harris’s Hawks were actually panting — or if it was some other type of behavior. Here’s what I found:
Yes, Harris’s hawks do pant. Panting is a common avian behavior used to regulate body temperature, especially in hot weather or after exertion. Harris’s hawks, like other birds, rely on panting to cool down when they overheat, according to the National Audubon Society.
There you have it. Harris’s Hawks do pant when they get hot. We’ve had temperatures hovering around 110 degrees. Yes, I’d be panting too if I was out of our AC.
Have you heard of birds panting before?
What other animals do you suppose pant when they’re hot?
Two baby quail with poppa. They are the tiniest I’ve seen. I think they just broke out of their eggs!
I missed Red hanging out in our yard for three full days. I was so worried he’d abandoned us. Or, perhaps he thought I’d abandoned him. I honestly believe we had a bond, because when I’d go outside, he’d show up. I’d drive up our driveway and he’d sing to me from a nearby tree. I was inside for two full weeks, post surgery and Red disappeared. Fortunately, I had a Red sighting on Monday and heard him singing while I sat outside — now that I’m able.
Red taking off for who knows where! Below, I spotted Red near our feeder across the yard.
I caught a Gilded Flicker in flight. That made me smile.
Here’s a Gila Woodpecker and below is a Flicker.
Getting my Nikon out with my telephoto lens after more than two weeks of not using it — also made me smile. I used it for all the photos above, looking out my casita window. The photo below, I love for the morning light.
I’ll finish this post about what made me smile with a selfie I took with my iphone. It’s a goofy photo of my new look taken in the reflection of our sliding glass doors.
I’ve spotted the bobcat at our house two days in a row. I watched him leap over our fence and also walk along our windows on our patio like he owns the place.
When the bobcat arrives our yard is deathly silent. Gone are the squawks of the quail and woodpecker. The bees stop buzzing and the beautiful song of a cardinal is nowhere to be heard.
Normally our backyard is alive with sounds. I’ve spotted baby quails when I’m walking around the neighborhood. I put out seed on the ground outside the casita this week. I was thrilled when a family of quail visited our yard! They are the tiniest, cutest little things. The babies follow mom and dad in a line.
Here’s a video of the quail family eating the birdseed.
Mom and dad with seven or eight babies.
Another joyful sight was a cardinal who is enjoying the seed I put out. He is so gorgeous and his song is beautiful, too.
Our beautiful scarlet cardinal.
I had stopped feeding the birds last year because a hawk flew into a window with a plump quail in its beak. The window was broken and it scared me to death. I got a bill for $600 to replace the double-paned window. The quail and hawk survived, though.
But I’m back to putting out seed a year later. I hope I don’t have a repeat of the hawk incident. I’m enjoying the bird and bobcat watching. It’s truly wild!
Do you enjoy bird watching where you live? What types of birds do you have?
