In the Desert It Either Pokes, Stings, or Bites!

There is a saying I have heard expressed in various ways about the desert, and that is - Everything either pokes, stings or bites. I have hiked in the desert enough to know that this is basically true. However, you learn to be careful and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.

Our Sonoran Desert can be found in southeastern California, southwestern and southern Arizona and northwest Mexico and it is full of plants that poke.

Desert creatures find ways to survive using their prickly surrounding.

New life waiting to emerge from a well protected home.

           In the springtime there are always beautiful surprises surrounded by all those needles!

The Beauty of the Cactus Flower

Today I visited the Tucson Botanical Gardens with my plein air painting group. We came on a perfect day to see cactus blooms. Before I could sit down to paint, I wandered around looking at and photographing some of the beautiful flowers.

Even the cactus buds are beautiful!

The flowers in these last two photos and the first photo are about the size of an adult's hand.
They were breathtaking!

The Sandhill Cranes of Whitewater Draw, Arizona

 It is very exciting to come to Whitewater Draw, southeast of Tucson, Arizona, to see the Sandhill Cranes fly in for a landing. We actually made this visit in late January. In the photo below you can barely make out waves of Sandhill Cranes. In the early morning they fly out to the farmers fields to feed and then start returning in the late morning.
They begin collecting in small groups. These gradually flow into other groups until there is a huge gathering of birds. It is a unique experience to close your eyes and listen to them.

There are other wonderful birds to be seen at Whitewater Draw. Besides the ones pictured below we saw Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and Northern Pintail. 

Small flock of Snow Geese

Northern Shoveler

Great Egret

American Bittern

The Tongue of a Giraffe

I love visiting Reid Park Zoo and feeding the giraffes. This particular giraffe has come right to me and is very interested in getting the carrots I am holding.

He is just starting to reach out with his long tongue.

Did you know that a giraffe's tongue is 18 - 20 inches long? The end of the tongue is black, blue or purple with the base being pink. The general belief is that the dark coloring protects the tongue which is frequently exposed to the sun while eating.

He wants the carrot!

Delicious!

Visit the Giraffe Conservation Foundation for more interesting facts on this beautiful creature at 

giraffeconservation.org

Baby Anteater at the Zoo

Words can't describe what I felt as I watched this anteater with her baby at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona. The baby's name is Zola. She was born on September 2, 2012.     

                       

Sabino Canyon's Saguaro Cacti

A few mornings ago I was birding at Sabino Canyon located in the northeast corner of Tucson, Arizona. My attention was immediately drawn to the breathtaking beauty of the desert.

Besides seeing many beautiful birds and other wildlife, I meet a lot of very nice people. Below we have spotted a young Cooper's Hawk. Unfortunately he was too far away for my camera.

American White Pelicans in the Desert!

Recently my daughter and I visited the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona. We had heard on the Rare Bird Alert for Arizona that there were American White Pelicans there. We joined up with 2 other birders and set about searching the ponds for them. Were we excited when we found them! What a beautiful sight they were as they moved in unison around the pond.

The Gilbert Water Ranch consist of 7 ponds and a small lake. It is a perfect place for migrating birds to stop on there way to far off places. Tucson also has a riparian preserve called Sweetwater Wetlands. Both serve as environmental education facilities and habitats for birds and other wildlife.


Below are some other birds we saw. This is a great place for birding!

Long-billed Dowitcher

Northern Pintail

Osprey

Neotropic Cormorants and Great Egrets