Feather and Flowers - BTA

 Lori and I have been doing a few day trips now that most of our activity partners are gone. Boyce Thompson Arboretum has always been a favourite place of ours and we have always got annual memberships when we arrive.  2 visits and the membership pays for itself and we have been there 6 or 7 times this year with at least one more visit planned before we leave.  

BTA is always a good place to see many different varieties of birds and this time of year the plants, especially the cactus, are starting to bloom.  

Cactus are so hard and prickly but their flowers are so soft and colourful

We have hung a number of prints of my pictures in our park model this year but Lori says we have room for one more.  Not sure what we do next year as the wall space is getting pretty full.  

We have decided on the scene below however can't quite agree on which of the 2 compositions we like best.  If anyone wants to weigh in to help us decide leave a comment whether your choice would be #1 or #2.   

#1

#2

Pretty little caterpillar.

These little lizards are everywhere and most of the winter they are only 1-2 inches long.  They seem to be growing.  5-6 inches is not uncommon now.

Tried to get some pictures of the red cardinals however they can be quite elusive.  What we commonly refer to as black cardinals however were sitting pretty for me and I got some good shots.  Their actual name is phainopepla.  That's why we call them black cardinals.  

Here is a female

Here is a male.  Love the eyes.  

Arizona Chipmunk.  Colouring is a little different than at home but otherwise pretty similar.  

Root system of a tipped over eucalyptus.  Not sure how long its been here but it creates a dramatic backdrop.  Next time I'll have Lori stand in front to get some scale.  

A cactus creates a wonderful home.  In some cases a cactus can have a number of holes up and down its main trunk creating, in effect, a high rise condo.  

Now that's a big flower. 

Butterflies are everywhere but hard to find in the viewfinder and focus before they are off to pollinate another flower.  

I've got more but that's it for today.  

Owls at GC

Pretty much every year we have stayed at this resort a pair of owls have nested in one of the palm trees.  The first year it was right next to the swimming pool.  The next year they were across the street by the pickleball courts.  While the location varies they are always a key attraction.  

The search for the nesting tree starts in early January as residents turn their gazes skyward and start the watch for a pair of owls circling above and eventually settling on a specific tree to make their home.  We are not sure if the same pair returns each year or if perhaps the babies from one year return a few years later to nest in their birthplace.  One year the mother was found dead on the golf course.  A victim of poison, a hawk attack, we are not sure but it was a sad day for us owl watchers.  

This year we were fortunate that the owls chose a tree only one street over from us so watching their progression was very convenient.  We have also watched as a team of 3 Harris Hawks have repeatedly conducted a coordinated arial attack on the mother owl and the nest.  So far their attacks have been turned away by the owls with the help of the neighbourhood watch which consists of a number of residents on the street that come out to yell and clap to scare the hawks away.  

Here are a few pictures of our owl family which consists of 3 owlets plus mom and dad.  Mom is on the nest most of the time with dad off hunting but now that the owlets are getting bigger the nest is often unattended for large periods of time as feeding 3 fast growing babies takes lots of successful hunts.     

You can see the back of 2 owlets heads plus the biggest baby in profile.  They are starting to lose their white fluff and being replaced by feathers.  Soon all that will be left will be an empty nest.  

One of the smaller owlets.  Eyes closed and mouth open.  Perhaps calling for mom.  "I'm hungry.  Feed me"

Mom returned to the nest with dinner.  Junior is peeking over her shoulder wondering what's for dinner. 

Mom stuffing fresh meat down the owlets throat.

Mom holds the kill in her feet and then tears off chunks for the owlets.  I have another shot of the foot of whatever unfortunate animal became dinner.  Based on the foot I saw its another bird.  

I have been dropping by everyday so hopefully I get a few more good shots to post. 

Globe road trip

The RV park is eerily quiet as most people have headed home.  It's getting pretty hot  most days so anything we do has to be done early.  We skipped our usual morning walk and instead we took a drive to Globe to take in their Poppy Festival.  The festival was a little underwhelming but we did stop in at a neat little shop called Pickle Barrel Trading Post and Lori found some must have items.  Rather than drive home we decided to take a drive up to Rosevelt Lake and loop around by way of the Beeline Highway.  It was a nice drive with beautiful scenery and we ended up at BJ's for a great burger.  Then we headed home for a cold beer and a nap in the recliner in the shade out back.  

A few shots from the Tonto National Monument.  We just drove up to the parking lot and took some shots from there.  

The cave housing the ancient dwellings can be seen just above the building.  Its a steep but paved trail up to the dwellings.  I've been there a few times already and we didn't want to pay the admission or take the hot walk up to the cave.  

A shot from the highway looking back down the lake.  Not a super bloom year but still lots of colour.  

Not a bad way to spend a relaxing day.