Squirrel of a different color....

For years we have had dozens of Fox squirrels to watch and for me to photograph, but now at our new residence, I also have a little Gray Squirrel.  They are smaller and I think their coloration is very pretty.  I'm thrilled to get to watch this little squirrel.  I still have Fox squirrels and they are aggressive, so they tend to chase this one away from the feeders, but I got some good shots the other day right outside my window.  See my previous post for the difference in the two squirrels.

 I hope it has a mate and that I will see more of it.

 I like the ears :-) and the delicate tinges of color.

Squirrel Sunday...

It's been a long time since I have posted here or done a Squirrel Sunday post.  We moved in May and I'm happy to say that I've got just as wonderful selection of birds in our new yard as we had before and maybe even a new Squirrel Sunday star :-)  This little acrobat has been coming every day and hanging on the ball feeder.  She? must have terrific belly muscles.  I should try her exercise program perhaps.....or maybe not.  Anyway....just thought I would post a few squirrels and birds from the new place.  I mostly just post birds and stuff on Facebook now unless we take a trip somewhere and we have been too busy for that this year with moving and settling in a new place.

"Hmmmmm.....nobody looking.  Time to crack this so-called squirrel-proof feeder."

"Don't know how to get the top off...."

 "Hanging will work....maybe."

 "This takes all my muscles and I still can barely get the seeds out"

 "I hope my toe nails don't get stuck in this thing, or I'm going to look pretty silly hanging here by one toe."

"Sigh......You could just put some seed on the ground and save me a lot of work."

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A few of the recent birds

 "Don't look now but I think someone is right behind you."

Happy Bird

 watching!

Tucson, once again....

Well, we just got back from our semi-annual trip to Tucson to see my sister and to enjoy all the nature that the west has for us to see.  I have posted most of my photos in Facebook, but wanted to put some of the nature shots here as well, for those that don't look at Facebook.

Red-brested Nuthatch, which I can see at home, so I don't know why I put it first! 

 White-winged dove.

 Curved-billed Thrasher.  The eye on the other side of its head is badly scared and possibly missing.  We saw it at Sabino Canyon and I didn't get very good shots.  It was bobbing around under the trams.  

Cooper's Hawk stopped in for a drink from the fountain 

 The female Phainopepla

 House Sparrow nesting in a cactus hole.  He was lining the nest with fibers pulled out of palm trees.

The botanical gardens had a "Origami in the Gardens" exhibit, so I had to include a couple of my favorites. 

Can't ID any of these exotic butterflies that were in the butterfly exhibit, but this large one has blue on the top side of the wings and they were flying all over the exhibit.  Very large butterflies! 

More butterflies.  They were beautiful to watch! 

A local Butterfly that was not on display.  Not sure of ID 

 Had to put in at least one cactus picture.  I took lots!

Round-tailed Ground squirrel

Verdin eating the flowers ... which does not make my sister happy 

Lesser Goldfinch...hiding 

Phainopepla guarding the top of the tree.

Dove talking to the donkey :-) 

One of the hummingbirds....very colorful, but hard to capture the color when they are way up in a tree.  Broad-billed Hummingbird. 

 Quail male

Thrush....Hermit's Thrush, I think 

Pronghorns.....new for me to see in the wild! 

Herd of Pronghorns in the wine country area. This area is really different from the other side of the mountains around Tucson.

A warbler ....not sure which one

Abert's Towhee....a very colorless bird.  Very dull looking.  Like a washed out Cardinal. 

 Bunny in the yard.

There are lots of House Finches and the color ranges from the usual pinkish red to orange and yellow.  This one is eating the buds on her tree. 

One of the two hummingbirds I saw.  It had a twig it liked to perch on and I got hundreds of shots of it there, but the light wasn't right to pick up the color of the face mask....which is purple.  This is a Costa's Hummingbird.   In the photo below if you bring it up large you can just see the purple a little bit.

Phainopepla male. These are around my sister's yard every day and are territorial.  Sort of like I have cardinals every day at home in my yard.  They seem to think they own the yard and chased away a lovely Black-headed Grosbeak that I had never seen before and wanted a photo of.  It never came back. 

Gambel Quail male in the tree 

Verdin....I love this little yellow faced bird 

White-winged dove.  Larger then the Mourning doves 

Harris Antelope Squirrel

Gila Woodpecker male
Well, I think that is enough of the Tucson wildlife!