Desert Living

One of the things I love about living here in the Sonoran Desert is the Gambol's quail.  Check out this quail family.

There are four on the patio looking for food.  See the lookout on top of the fountain?  And there is another one on the low wall between the saguaro and the sage.  Four of the quail were nearly mature babies.  Pop is on the fountain standing guard and will warn of any danger approaching.  Mom is on the patio.  Had to wonder if the one on the low fence is learning how to be a future guard for his own family someday.  Click on the picture to enlarge it and see the quail a little better.

I actually spread out a little bit of bird seed for them last week.  I don't do that very often.  But I do love to watch them scratch around (like chickens) in the rock and also walk around looking for seed.

Outdoors with my camera

On my way home this afternoon from Merchant Square, I found these beautiful flower displays.  Just had to stop and take some pictures to share with you.

Yellow pansies and deep purple petunias . . . .

Pink bloom on a cactus . . .

Yellow daisy-like flowers on a bush . . .

I love this time of year here in the desert.  Pleasant temps and loads of beautiful flowering plants.

The weekend finds . . .

I can tell that spring is approaching here in the Sonoran Desert.  The temps have been in the mid-70's, it has rained more than usual (thanks El Nino!), and now my lavender is in bloom.  The bees are also busy getting pollen from the blooms.  I need to pick some of this and dry it!

Last week I met some friends in Mesa for coffee and conversation.  Afterwards we wandered down to Domestic Bliss to see what goodies they had on sale.  Domestic Bliss is rearranging their store and getting rid of some old items at great prices.  Check out their blog here for the latest news and items.  Here is one of my purchases:

Speckled eggs!  And these are real eggs.  The insides have been removed -- remember how you used to blow out eggs for Easter dyeing??  I do!  I think they may be quail eggs, but am not sure.

I found this tiny wood cage several weeks ago and decided to add a small nest, some of the speckled eggs and tiny roses trim.  Cute spring display!

Here's a peak inside to see the eggs I tucked in there.  This little display piece will be on sale in Merchant Square in a day or two.

Rainy Days at Thanksgiving

I heard on the radio this morning that this Thanksgiving Day is the first time in 20 years that it has rained on a Thanksgiving Day in Phoenix. How wonderful! Those of us who live in the Sonoran Desert relish the days when the weather is different. Today is no exception!

This was taken on Wednesday, Nov. 26 after the rain showers had moved to the east and the sun came out. I knew there would be a rainbow, but a double rainbow was unexpected! I hope you can see the faint second rainbow to the left of the visible one.It has rained most of the night and finally stopped early this morning. Now that the sun has come out once again, the rain drops on the palo verde tree look like diamonds! What a beautiful morning! I am so thankful I got to see this!

Musing on my backyard

As you know, I love my backyard space and the wildlife that lives there. Today I am going to share some pictures with you that I have taken over the past few days.

Monsoon rains come to the Sonoran Desert. Beginning last Thursday night, we have had a LOT of rain here. Since Sky Harbor Airport is the "official" site for Phoenix rainfall, their measurement for rain is at 3". Now that may not seem like a lot, but it is! Normally, the airport gets 3" for the entire monsoon season. This year's season has just begun! Here in Chandler, we have had at least 3 inches so far. Sunday afternoon there was a flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by the loudest crack of thunder I have heard in years! It must have stuck nearby. About 3 minutes later the sky opened up and poured rain for about 45 minutes! The sky was black!!This morning I saw this mama quail and three of her babies. They were out getting a morning snack among the lantana bushes. One of the little ones was hopping through the lantana and cannot be seen here. But the other two are visible and so cute! They are such fun to watch. If something frightens the little ones, they run for cover under mama's wings and she crouches down and spreads her wings slightly to cover them up. Precious!

This is a new batch of baby quail. The batch I photographed several weeks ago has dwindled down from 7 to just a few but they are much larger than these cuties.