Corona de Tucson
May 30, 2022
Today is Memorial Day. It is the day set aside by our country to honor our fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation and our freedom.
I figured it would happen...Joe has also tested positive for Covid. But unlike me, he has had NO fever, headache, achy joints or stuffy head. His only symptom to date is a lack of energy. We are still home bound and patiently waiting. This too shall pass! Being home means more patio time. If we had been out and about, we would have missed a lot of activity in our backyard.
Patio time this week has been a true delight. Four of the regulars that visit the feeders had little ones tagging along.
Gila Woodpecker males are arrogant and domineering. This dad, with juvenile in toe, flew right to the oranges as if they were there just for them.
Curved-bill Thrashers are great surveyors of their territory. Dad and juvenile flew to the bush just on the other side of the fence. I didn't realize it was a juvenile until the dad took a butter bite and flew back to the bush. I saw the little one's mouth open wide and dad fed him. I missed the focus on that picture. This was right after and just before the little one was lured into the yard.
Soon after, he (she) was exploring.
House Finches are found in noisy groups in almost all areas of the U.S. and our backyard is no exception. I prefer to say they are busy, have a nice song and always seem happy. They come in waves to enjoy a few tasty morsels until the other birds swoop in and take over.
Cardinals are one of few species of birds in which both the male and female sing. The male Cardinal is responsible for feeding the young of the first brood while the female builds a second nest. This dad took his job very seriously.
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| This lucky boy got several pieces of orange and quite a few butter bites. |
When male cardinals become adults they are about 12 months old and are thoroughly red. The black beaks of both genders slowly turn to the orange-red color as they age.
I can only assume this is a juvenile female because there are no red patches or it could be a younger male than the one in the above photo. Maybe I missed something, but during this photo session this baby was on its own.
I have never noticed the detail on their feet...and what long talons they have !
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| According to instructions from the nursery, the cacti are watered once a week when temps are 90+ degrees and fertilized once a month during spring and summer. |
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| What a face ! |
It was inevitable! My friend texted this morning that she was positive after a week+ of caring for her significant other who has covid. When you live that closely with someone I think it is just going to happen. Wishing you both better days ahead. The bird photos are awesome--I love the last three--taking a bath!
ReplyDeleteThank you Janna. I’m just so thankful Joe symptoms are not as bad as mine were. Hope to get a negative test result later this week.
DeleteI'm sure Joe will recover quickly, but he might not want to. Your back yard is a perfect spot for being entertained while self isolating.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff. Joe tested negative this am….wahoo! We love the backyard!
DeleteYou "chose" a great time to be at home with some cooler temps which makes patio time so much better. Hope you are both out and about soon. Boy, you've hit the jackpot with the babies. Loved seeing all the action and feeding. The final birdbath photos are so adorable. When we returned from our spring trip, I noticed a huge drop in our birds on the hill outback. The neighbors religiously throw seed every morning and everyone comes rushing in. But, I have noticed two new members and not friendly ones. We have several Great-tailed Grackles that fly back forth across the back, and we have a road runner that has appeared every morning recently. sneaking around behind the rocks. Research told me both breeds feed on young and eggs. I've only seen one quail baby. These nasty birds must be the reason our birds aren't around. The other birds that are here move out when the Grackles sit on the hill. We've always had several large quail families in May. I'm so disappointed.
ReplyDeleteQuail babies are the cutest ever! Hopefully the Roadrunner and Grackles will move on and the Gambles will have a second brood. We have had lots of adult Gambles in the yard, but no babies yet. Fingers crossed…
DeleteI had thought you were going on a spring trip, but I never saw any posts on your blog. I always enjoy John’s posts and your adventures.
The Grackle are still here. However, the male quail with one baby chased the roadrunner up and over the hill and then return to his family. It was so funny because the quail was right on his tail.
DeleteWe did go a spring trip here in Nevada. We were gone for a little over three weeks. We did a loop through Beatty, Tonapah, Caliente, and Alamo. We explored some the many ghost towns and did several petroglyph trails. It was great fun and so much cooler since we were over 6,000 ft. John wasn't motivated to blog but I did extensive info and photos on FB and Instagram. Are you on either site?
WOW! What fun Pam. Exploring ghost towns and petroglyphs (and ancient ruins) are always at the top of the list. I had an instagram account years ago when grandson in SC was born, but his mom closed her account and I have not been on that site since. I decided I spent way too much time on FB and the blog and made the choice to drop FB. I continued the blog as we have family back east who enjoy reading it. I probably would not do it either if it were not for Joe (who uses it for a reference) and family…
DeleteYour extended patio time sure gave us some wonderful glimpses of the birdies' antics! Love all the water play :-)
ReplyDeleteThose babies are just too cute Jodee…I sure had fun watching them Jodee and taking photos.
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