AZJoe

A peak into the beauty and wonder of

the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix, Arizona

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Mistletoe blooms

I can only remember seeing these flowers this one time. I find them quite striking, like a ball of shooting stars.

Mistletoe is the only plant-predators in The Park. They prey on trees, mostly Palo Verdes.

Mistletoe is a parasite. They attach themselves to a limb and the suck the life out of it. Most of the time it only kills part of the tree, though sometimes it takes the whole thing down.

Mistletoe is spread by birds who eat its berries. How do they do this? By landing on other trees and pooping on them. The seeds that come out with the poop are viable. They stick to the branch where they can spread.

I wonder if the tree feels pain from the life-sucking activity of this plant.

A lovely killer...

Chuckwalla hanging out under a rock

This lizard was well hidden as I strode by. I only saw him because his front foot was sticking out from under the rock a little, and he moved it.

These reptile spend a lot of  time in crevices and under rocks like this. They seem to feel most comfortable in situations that would seem way too tight for most other animals.

I love how they seem to take on the color of their surroundings. It almost seems like they can do that Chameleon thing. Not sure if they can change their coloration even a little.

I have another idea of how they have such genius camouflage. I think that they stay in the same areas for generations. The first ones in slowly adapted their coloration to match their particular surroundings.

Same Chuckwalla hanging out under a rock

When I first saw him, all I could see was that front foot. It is considerably darker than the rest of the leg, so it stood out some.

If you click on the photo, the large version better shows the wonderful camouflage abilities of this critter.

Chuckwallas can have a wide range of color variations, even in the same area. Some are brightly colored while others are very muted, like this one.

I wonder how much this species has changed in the past 1 millions years. Maybe that is a short time in the history of this critter.

I do love our reptilian brother and sisters...

Anna's Hummingbird and her lovely Ocotillo bloom friends

The Hummingbirds sure love these particular cactus species. It is lovely to watch them work each of the blooms, with precision and speed. I get the feeling that the nectar from this flower tastes amazingly good to these fearless flyers, kinda like the bear and honey.

They also use the ocotillo branches for perches quite often.

The 'thorns' of this cactus are not thorns at all, but leaves that are rolled up tight. These have gotta be some of the sharpest leaves around!

I love it when I see contrasting colors working together in The Park...

Mexican Poppy, Feb 24, 2008

What a glorious spring we had back in 2008. There is nothing like a great abundance of Poppies.

From afar, they look pretty much the same. Looking closely at them, many of them were drastically different from the others. Some, like these, were orange, while most of the others were yellow.

Oh what a time that was...

A pair of Ash-throated Flycatchers

These birds are one of several different types of Flycatchers in The Park. They are elegant and acrobatic flyers, and are a lot of fun to watch.

Long yellow Caterpillar

These critters were out in force on 9/08/08. I must have seen thousands of them. They were around for a few days, then they were gone, and I haven't seen them since. They were about 3.5 inches long.

I haven't been able to identify them yet. I sure am curious to know what type of moth these turn into. I am thinking it might be the Rustic Sphinx Moth that I posted a few below.

The coloration is impressive. The light use of red against the yellow and black is really beautiful. I would love to know why they developed such a complex color pattern.

I printed a 6 foot long photograph of this critter, and it is on display at the North Mountain Visitors Center.

He looks good big  : )

Such a sunset, 8-12-08

Looking back through the archives for images to share, I came across this beauty, just over 3 years ago.

We sure get our share of brilliant 'paintings in the sky', either first thing in the morning, or at the end of the day.

I love the way the colors change as the seconds tick by. Brilliance fades to muted...delicate colors mixing and blending.

How lucky are we...

Antennae socket

This is one of the most important parts of this critter; an eye and an antennae socket.

What kind of critter is this?

It is a Rustic Sphinx Moth, about the size of a closed fist.

There is an image below for scale.

This is the only time I have seen this critter, and boy did he stick out.

Click on the photo to see the fine detail.

Fun...

Rustic Sphinx Moth

This is certainly the biggest moth that I have ever seen.

It was hanging out on one of the light poles by the Rangers Station.

I love the myriad of designs on his back. It get even more intense the closer in you go.

More info on the Rustic Sphinx here: www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Manduca-rustica

Gray Fox

This is the only Gray Fox image that I have captured in The Park. It does look a lot like the Ring-tailed Cat photo below, with the black face. I am now less certain that the below photo was indeed a Cat (certainty=77%)

I love the fact that these 2 species roam The Park at night. Whether or not they live here, or just visit, is beyond my knowing. I like to think that they do indeed call The Park home.

Thank you for gracing us with you magnificent presence.

This is the only Ring-tailed Cat encounter that I have been able to capture images of. There were 2 of them making their way around the picnic tables. (1-08-10, 9pm)

The way that they walk is so beautiful, so elegant, so flowing...like from a different planet, or something. Those tails are so long and expressive...mesmerizing.

I hope to capture some clear images in the future, but for now this is what I have to show. There sure are a lot of interesting characters that make up the whole of this incredible space.

How lucky am I...such an experience

Tiny Ants doing their thing

These are some of the smaller ants, about the size of a small grain of rice. They are some of the busier critters in The Park. One of their main jobs is cleaning up messes left by other animals. Here they are taking in the remains of an odd gelatinous mass that I encountered...I am not sure what it was or who was responsible...it was a new site for me. It was on a rock and was about the size of a hot dog cut in half. When I came back later, it was gone, and I then photographed the ants. It seemed like something that an animal ate, then it came back up, was left out, then was eaten again. My best guess is a coyote.

The Park is full of mysteries  : )

Just like their snake cousins, Gila Monsters use their forked tongues to smell the air for potential food opportunities.

Sometimes they will flick their tongues rapidly, and one can sense their excitement of a possible meal lurking nearby.

Click on photo to see the split tongue more clearly.

Cottontail

This furry beauty was cooling off and relaxing during the late afternoon.  I love how he just flops his feet back behind him, getting his whole under-region in contact with the earth.

Speckled Rattlesnake

I encountered this beauty just before 8:30 pm in the middle of June. I am fascinated by how these long and narrow creatures can blend so magnificently with the surroundings. Even when I am walking slowly and looking for them, I will often miss seeing them until I get too close. Then they either move or rattle, or both.

Most of my encounters have been peaceful, without any rattling at all, or just a tiny bit. Now and then I will come across one that is all worked up, and I will get an earful of rattle even when I am a good distance away.

I always feel privileged and honored to have a rattlesnake encounter. There is something mystical about them.

Common Side-blotched Lizard

I love getting low perspectives of the desert's ground dwellers. It throws the scale way off, and can make them appear more as dinosaurs than as common critters. I am still amazed at how fast these four-leggeds scamper, and how well they climb.

Lizards seem to be plentiful this summer. This is a good sign, as these reptiles are a key food source for many of the larger birds, like the Road Runner, American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and more.

Velvet Mite    

The Velvet Mites are quite the mysterious characters. They only seem to come out after the rains in the summertime, and only sometimes. I didn't see them at all last year. After the big rain we had the other day, they made an appearance, yay!a

Notice the tiny 'glass' eye...there is a reflection off of it. I tried to get better shots of the eyes, but this critter doesn't like to stay still.

Click on the photo for a larger version. recently, alas they made an appearance.

Velvet Mite 

Here is a short video clip of the Velvet Mite above. In an isolated view like this, one can envision this critter on another planet...making way through his day.

I find it curious that the color is so bright. These bugs really stand out against the desert floor. Why the need to have such a 'screaming' color? Maybe they are somehow yucky to the usual predators, and the red color makes that clear.

 Something more to explore...

I encountered this handsome bird a few blocks from my house, where The Park juts out to the north. I never realized how fully patterned the breast is, completely covered in brown designs...they look a bit like they are swimming downwards.

I love the eyes of the predator birds. They seem so wide opened, taking in so much of what is going on around.

It looks like this bird spotted something, and is taking a step to set-up for take-off. Maybe lunch today will be a quail, or a dove, or...maybe it will be a Spiny Lizard, sitting out in the open on a rock, like the one below...

There seems to be an abundance of lizards out this summer. That is a good thing for the ecosystem, for two reasons in particular. They eat a bunch of bugs, which helps keeps them in balance. They are also eaten by larger animals, like the Cooper's Hawk below. I bet they are also a dining favorite of the Road Runner, 2 spots below.

I have been wanting to capture this particular action for some time now, and today was the day. I heard a pair these speedsters clacking this morning, but couldn't see them. After about 12 minutes I noticed them atop a rocky knoll. Just as I saw them, one flew down into the west. I was sure the other was about to follow so I started recording video. After about 9 minutes of this, this great bird took off and glided down, in the opposite direction of the other.

Of all the times I have seen them fly, almost all have been gliding down like this. One interesting note; the wing-flapping at the beginning looks like the flapping of the Mockingbird, who happens to be the star of the next video.

Mockingbirds seem to love to relentlessly harass other critters. This is the first time I have ever seen this done to a Coyote. It looks like that bird nipped the canine in the butt several times. I wonder the reason  for this behavior. The Mockingbirds seem unable to help themselves when an opportunity comes along. It sure is fun to watch, though I feel a bit cringy for the coyote, who looked a bit stressed to begin with.

These 4 young Ravens got a surprise visit when a female Anna'a Hummingbird came along. It looks like she thought that red color in one of the mouths was a flower. I wonder...if the bird would have stuck her beak in, would the baby have chomped down on her, thinking she was food from Momma? I figure the quick Hummer would have avoided that easily..

This is another example of how fun and interesting it can be when 2 different species come together.I find such interactions magical.

How many wonderful such situations are taking place throughout The Park on a daily basis. Imagine the different possible combinations of animals coming together, face-to-face.

This is a magical place...

These youngsters spent their formative weeks just under the highest point in The Park. I have been told that they open their mouths to let out heat, as well as the eating thing.

I enjoy watching and capturing images of the Dancing Moon...seemingly prancing along and down the profile of the mountain, being caressed and held by the rocks and cactus as she does. I love it when the celestial and the earth meet...something deeply calming and peaceful.

click any image for larger version

Here he is again, old yellow eyes. Not sure what kind of worm or caterpillar that is in his mouth...that squirmy is a part pf a whole other world that exists out in The Park; the bugs and the micro organisms.

These tiny critters are crucial to the lives of the wildlife throughout The Park. Preserving their habitat  is essential for the wildlife that The Park supports.

We had been hoping to see another Kestrel, so it was with excitement that we photographed this beauty. She was busy flying around the desert looking for something to eat. She did capture a tidbit, but we were unable to identify what it was. We have seen them eat a caterpillar and a lizard before.

These are the smallest falcons in North America, about the size of a White-winged Dove.

click on any photo to see a larger version.

Well, the Blues are still with us. It has been 7 weeks since our first encounter, and they still seem to be loving it here. It makes us wonder if they have set up shop in The Park, with nests and all.

I love getting 2 different species in the same shot. There is something about the contrast and compare, especially when they both have some nice color going on.  The Finches and the Sparrows seem to enjoy having the Bluebirds around...often times we will see them hanging out with the colorful visitors.

They have arrived, and they seem to like it here. It has been a few weeks now that the Robins have been running around The Park.

The American Robin is normally found in the higher elevations, so we are glad that they decided to visit, and to hang around for a while.

This looks to be a couple, with the male on the right and the female on the left. As with many bird species, the male has more color than the female.

Thanks for visiting us oh flitty ones...

What a beauty. Such delicate feather patterns on her head and breast. She almost looks frosted. Click on this image to better experience the intricate beauty

Here is another of The Park's great beauties. You can tell he is a male by the red face paint. All 3 varieties of woodpeckers in The Park use red to mark the males, with the Gila and the Ladderback marking the top of the head.

This guy was busy pecking on this snag. I can't figure out why. It didn't seem like he was doing it for insects, more like he was just doing it to do it. Maybe it helps keep his beak ready, or maybe it just feels good. I think it is because it feels good on his brain. Anyway, it was sure great to watch and hear him go about it.

Below is a video clip of the pecking in action.

Here he is again, just after take off.

In this shot it is easy to see why they are called Gilded, with those magnificent golden color on the underside of the wings.

Here he is, doing that thing that woodpeckers do, peck.

I love how fast they do it, like a jackhammer. I wonder how it works. One thing that I do know is that I love watching and hearing it go on.

Today provided quite a treat...an encounter between a couple of raptors that live in The Park.

First we saw a large Great-horned Owl perched in a snag. All of a sudden she(?) started fluffing up and squawking loudly. At first I thought it was because of us, then we spotted the real cause for the ruckus; a Cooper's Hawk had flown into the same snag. Apparently the Owl had come a bit too close to the Hawk's territory, likely close to the nesting area.

Here is a photo of the two of them in the tree...the Owl in the lower left corner and the Hawk in the upper right corner.

Here is the Owl getting all worked up because the Hawk just landed in the same tree. The owl started making a bunch of noise, but the Hawk didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, the Hawk flew in closer to the Owl.

Here he(?) is, about to move in closer to the owl. His tenacity on driving the Owl out was most impressive.

The Hawk ended up chasing the Owl out of the snag and about 100 yards away. A bit later the Owl flew again, with the Hawk right behind. This happened several times.

Here is a short clip of one of the chases. It looks like the Hawk actually touched the owl here. We did notice on an earlier chase where there was definite contact.

These chases kept happening till they were finally perched in the same Palo Verde tree, several hundred yards away from where it all started. After a few minutes in the tree, the Hawk flew away, leaving the Owl in peace. Apparently the Owl was far enough away to put the Hawk at ease.

What a fun day in The Park.

It has been great fun watching and observing the pleasant Western Bluebird these past 3 weeks. One of the best parts is when they fly. That's because when they fly away from you, all that blue on their back side lights up, at its maximum. Experiencing such a dynamic flash of blue in the winter desert is quite a tasty treat.

This photo illustrates the amount of blue on the back of the male. When he takes off, he appears to be saturated with blue.

click on the photo for larger version

It is always a treat to come across one of these beauties. The Ladderback is one of 3 woodpecker species in The Park. These are especially active, and spend a lot of time on the ground.

Ladderbacks have one of the most interesting pattern designs of any critter in The Park. There is the swirly face paint, which reminds me of the middle of a rolled ice cream cake. Then there are the delicate white spots on the front of the red cap, like paint splatter from a fine brush. Then there is the back...so much going on there...the stripes, the dashes, and the spots...oh my!

What an impressive and fascinating outfit you are wearing Mr. Ladderback!

White Crowned Sparrow 

The White-crowned Sparrow sure looks regal. They are common in The Park, but I rarely get a good shot at one, so this was a treat.

We experienced a Blue invasion today. About 15 Western Bluebirds rolled through The Park, and we were fortunate enough to be there. They were great models, seemingly posing for us, and glad to let us get pretty close. What a great addition this is to our list of wonderful critters found in The Park.

The top bird is a male Western Bluebird, and the bottom bird is a male Mountain Bluebird. I hear that it is quite rare to see a Mountain Bluebird in the desert. It was very interesting how he was flying with the Western Bluebirds, like somehow the Blues like to stick together.

What a beautiful experience. So much color and such a presence. We are hoping to get a few more such experiences , but this may have been it.

Thank you blue beauties, for stopping by and for being so friendly.

Here is a link to a site with some nice Bluebird information: Arizona Birds

What a fun encounter this morning when we came across a pair of beautiful Coyotes meandering along. I can't remember when I have had such a relaxed experience with this canine species. After Joel and I happened upon them, they slowly walked off, without the usual alarmed trot that we normally get.

The bottom one had one of the richest coats that I have ever seen. He(?) even has a fox-ish look to him.

It was great to see two healthy and seemingly contented Coyotes in The Park. It is a good sign that all is well with the eco system.

Thanks for taking your time with us today.

This is the first Harris's Hawk that I have seen in The Park. At first I thought it was a Zone-tailed Hawk, the only other black bird that flies the way a hawk does. Later it was pointed out to me that it is most likely a Harris's, and was later confirmed.

I am glad to be able to add this magnificent creature to the list of animal images captured within The Park.

Thanks for the show.

Harris's Hawk

Here is a photo of the Hawk from the video above.

This Thanksgiving was full of predator sightings. First off was a nice pair of coyotes. We were tipped off to their arrival by a couple of jackrabbits that were running along in an unusually speedy fashion. The coyote in the photo stood up on the rock hoping to get a glimpse of them, but they were out of sight by then. The coyotes moved quickly down the mountain to the flat areas, and were soon out of sight.

The male American Kestrel was perched inconspicuously on a branch several hundred yards away when Joel caught a glimpse of him. We tried to get close enough for some good shots, but he was having none of it. I was fortunate to capture an image of him just after take off. He flew a long way, well out of our range to follow. Still, it was a pleasant sighting.

The Cooper's hawk came along towards the end of the day. He(?) flew right in front of us, and landed somewhere behind some trees. We tried to find him, but nada. Then he flew right in front of us again, staying low over the wash. He landed on the snag in the photo. I was fortunate to get off several shots before he moved on and out of sight. They have some of the 'brightest' eyes around.

The red-tailed hawk came flying towards us just as we were finishing it up. We were able to get some decent shots as she(?) circled overhead. I love that red tail of hers.

So that is what Thanksgiving morning held for me and Joel, and it was a very nice one indeed. We have had a rich year of wildlife encounters in The Park so far this year, including 3 desert tortoises, 3 long-eared owls, and 2 Gila monsters, to name a few highlights. We saw none of those today. No, today was ruled by the these 4 wondrous creatures, further enriching our lives and deepening our love for The Park.

Thank you to all the animals who live above, on top of, and below this magnificent Sonoran Desert landscape. Thank you for giving us glimpses of the great wonder and beauty that exists in the world of wildlife. Thank you for showing us what it means to have a deep connection with the earth, and for demonstrating what a balanced life is really like.

Click on any of the photos for a larger version.

Here he is again, good old 'No Ears', this time in video.

There is nothing quite like having a good stare with a Great horned Owl. I think they have the most potent eyes in The Park. These are especially so, with the engorged pupils.

I love the way that he sometimes blinks both eyes at the same time, and sometimes only one. I also like his head movements, how precisely he moves when he looks up and back down...like a magnificent machine.

We haven't seen this fellow in the park lately, and very few Great Horneds, for several weeks now. Maybe they moved to another part of The Park after depleting the local squirrel and mouse population.

I encountered this creature during his final struggle with life. He(?) had lost two legs on the right side...not sure how. He was expending great effort to do what was easy for him before. To make things worse, he  kept flipping over, and would take desperate trials to flip back.

I hung out with the little guy for about 10 minutes. I was very impressed with his exceptional strength and persistence...two admirable qualities in any creature.

I love learning from and being inspired by the wildlife in The Park. From the awesome Red-tailed hawks and Great horned owls that rule from the air, to the ancient Gila Monsters and Desert Tortoises and lug on the ground, all the way down to the crawling bugs, there are lessons to experience, life to revere. It is simply a matter of taking the time and the humble perspective to let their light shine on me.

Thank you for sharing your lessons, and some of your last moments.

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