Wednesday, May 18, 2011

More Desert Beauty

Whenever a nice day happens, I try to do something outdoors. Phil, Barbara and I went on another hike by the Superstition Mountains, this one starts where FR78 (First Water Rd) meets AZ88.


You can walk right up to the base of the Superstitions.


I just love this area - you never know when you're going to see a cowboy on a horse! He'd look better with a cowboy hat on though...


Lots of cactus were in bloom, again with no shortage of pollen.


But I'm still trying to get a good picture of a saguaro bloom. Unfortunately, they're all at least 20 feet in the air.


Pretty good, but I'm still not happy. But don't worry, I won't give up!


This guy's waiting for the show too. I think this is some kind of Thrasher - anyone know for sure?


Back home, there are lots of Gambel's Quails running all over the park. I'm surprised I haven't seen any babies.


And I finally got a picture of a male hummingbird. Most of the time the males won't land on the feeder.

Believe it or not, I'm actually getting ready to leave town and head for higher elevations. About time, huh?

19 comments:

  1. Great photos as usual. Looking forward to seeing shots of your new location.

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  2. Don't go too high. There's snow on the mountain tops here in NV.

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  3. We loved that park. We were there in January of 2005 with a tent! Just about froze! One day we'll get back there, but with the motorhome...

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  4. Gret looking hike Diana..and what you got there is a curved bill thasher! They seem to enjoy being on the saguaro...So where are you headed to next--I'll go along virtually of course--happy travels.

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  5. If the cactus won't grow short for you, you'll just have to grow a couple of feet to reach those blooms :-)))

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  6. I saw a whole flock of quail babies at Jojoba about a week ago. They were so tiny and cute! But I only saw them once, so I think most, if not all of them were a tasty snack for something. Ah, nature.

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  7. Don't understand why you didn't just shimmy up that catus to get that flower closeup you've been seeking... ;c)

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  8. The quail are cute! Hey Diana thanks for the encouraging e-mail.

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  9. Higher elevations eh? Have safe travels :o) Love the pictures and is your friend leaning on that cactus? or is it a trick of the camera or eye? LOL

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  10. Great Hike you'll get that picture just hang in there.
    thanks for the post.
    Dan

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  11. It always amazes me when I see birds perched on cacti. Their eyesight must be pretty awesome to so confidently swoop in and land in between the thorns.

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  12. Another hike added to the list. Can hardly wait to see where you go next.
    Cowboys..who looks at their hats? :-)

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  13. Where are you headed to? Don't come too far north because it is cold and rainy and snowy up here. Yuck. Should have stayed in AZ a couple more weeks.

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  14. Beautiful photos... I wish I had gotten to see cactus in bloom last year. We saw a few but nothing like what you've been blogging!
    Have fun & travel safe
    Donna

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  15. Love those quail! We are not seeing as many of them in the neighborhood this year. I hope the fox didn't get them.

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  16. HEY LADY, CHECK OUT DAN AND SUES EXCELLENT ADVENTURE..CACTUS KITTY.WOW WHAT GREAT SHOTS!! I PUT ONE OF THEM AS MY DESKTOP BACKGROUNDS.
    UPRIVERDAVID

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  17. Diana, You help keep me in touch with nature and I sooooooo appreciate it! Your pics give me views of things I've never seen. You'd like Decorah, Ia's live eagle cam. This one and your's are the sites I check daily. Of course, I check yours to see what you are up to, too, and for the info you provide. Right now I'm anxious to see where you land!

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