This year's baby "bandits"....

I glanced out on the deck earlier and there was mother raccoon with two little ones.  Mom always cuts and runs and doesn't even care about what happens to the kids.  

 the little ones always panic and run up the tree to "hide" rather then run down the tree and run away home.  So funny to watch them.

 Here they are both trying to scramble up the tree.  One stopped on the first branch and the other is trying to scramble past him.

 How can you not love that sweet little face.

Number two on the higher branch trying to be invisible.

Since this mom.....or a different one each year....always comes by with at least 2 babies, I always wonder what happens to them all.  They obviously move on somewhere....or get killed.  I don't want a bunch or to have them around permanently, but they are cute when they first show up.  I'll have to cut back on bird seed and the outdoor cat's food so there will be no tempting treats for them each evening when they usually come around.

Odds and ends....

I feel I need to post something so you all know I am still here.  So I will just choose an assortment of photos that I have taken this spring in no particular order.

 I love this turtle and his reflection

 Another one of the many turtles at the wetlands.  The water has been high with all the rain we have so they don't have a lot of logs to sit on right now.

 Probably why we have this pile-up :-)

A Red Admiral posing for me 

 One family of Canada geese with 8 babies.

 A big flat soft-shelled turtle

 Little snake in the water. 

 In the shot below I couldn't decide if it has something in its mouth or if it is just crossing over something.

"I see you, too, but I forgot my camera"

Back at home....the Mockingbird at the feeder 

 Red-bellied woodpecker

An upside down Chickadee. Today I saw a baby chickadee in the front yard with the parent but haven't downloaded those photos.  I don't think I got any good shots of the baby anyway, but I was sure glad to see it. 

Pair of Mourning Doves 

One of the springtime visitors....the Rose-breasted Grosbeak male.  I've had one pair of them hanging around. 

 Another Red-bellied Woodpecker high up in the maple tree.

A swallow at the local park

 We went up north for a couple of days to Turkey Run State Park and the area around it.  There are many covered bridges in the area and we hunted up 4-5.

 Some more baby geese

 Some beautiful wildflowers.  Keep meaning to look up the name of the red ones.

 There are Amish in this area, too, so I caught a few shots of the farmers plowing their fields with the horses.

A nice old Martin house 

Another covered bridge 

 Skink

 Chipmunk at the nature center

A trip to Henderson found a few waders and another goose family

Two little birds in Tucson...

I really need to get more of my photos posted from Tucson.  I spent a lot of time in Dorothy's backyard trying to get decent photos of two of the little birds.....the Verdin and the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.  Both were very active in her trees while we were there, and both seem to move constantly.  The little Kinglet likes the suet but also the oak tree flowers.  The Verdin likes the oak tree flowers and also the flowers on the Tangerine vine that is growing through the Hackberry tree.

 When I first saw the Kinglet flitting around, I thought it was the Verdin because they are about the same size and move similar....always on the go.  My sister hadn't seen it in her yard before, so she was happy we got some photos of it.

 He wouldn't show us his red spot on the top of his head.....kept it hidden all the time.  In a couple of back shots, I can just barely see a tiny bit of red where it is located.  It is amazing to me that they can hide a bunch of feathers like that.

He really liked the suet cake so most of my photos are near it.

Fortunately the day we went to Sweetwater looking for birds, I happen to see a Kinglet there also and it did display its red spot!  My photo is a bit out of focus....he's fast.  I didn't even know what bird I was taking a photo of at the time....just a quick little bird flitting around in the tall grasses.

 My other little favorite is the Verdin.  Since I didn't have my favorite small birds from home to watch....the chickadee and the titmouse....I decided this little guy would take their place for the week.  

He constantly bounces from one branch to another or stops to scratch and twitch. 

 When the sun is bright, his little yellow face shows up nicely.  

 He liked the Tangerine Vine flowers

 I like this one because it shows the little red spot on his shoulder.

 Any flower was fair game :-)

 Well, you all know I like rodents as much as birds :-)  One of the little ground squirrels under the feeder.

There are always a few bunnies around in the grass.   

I thought this yellow wasp was interesting.

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I'll try to get more stuff posted soon.  We went to the Grand Canyon and up on Kitt Peak as well as a couple places where I took duck photos....Sweetwater and Aqua Caliente.