August 18 -- The Faranuf Bird Buffet Has Guests...

But first, here's sunrise over the Peloncillos, the range in New Mexico to the east of the Chiricahuas --

I plan to go hiking there soon -- it's remote and little-visited, but I've heard that it has Indian ruins -- and the last jaguar seen in the US was spotted there in 1997; the fellow who saw it even got a good photo of it. You get the feeling that you can see pretty much ANYthing here...I've set up some of the backyard bird feeders, but I need more shade trees; it starts getting sunny and hot there by about 11am. It appears that I have a resident Black-throated Sparrow -- and a juvenile; I'm assuming the BTS is a female as "she" was feeding the juvie. Here's the missus -- 

And the young one -- 

I certainly hope they stay -- and they will so long as I supply them with bird seed.. There's also a Canyon Towhee with a juvenile, and a Say's Phoebe who goes to the front yard's porch in the evening, perching on a railing -- could be to get out of the wind, which can blow in the afternoon, especially in the back yard. But there were some "new" visitors to the buffet, including this Lark Sparrow, nicely fluffed-up -- 

And a Chipping Sparrow -- 

There have been about 5 hummingbirds at the feeder -- and they're quite territorial, chasing each other all over the place if one gets too close to the feeder. I try to keep it in shade on the back porch as the nectar solution I make (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) can spoil in the heat. I think most of the hummers I've seen so far have been for the most part Broad-tailed; here's a "bad" photo of one, but good enough for ID purposes -- 

And here's a view from the back porch, showing my Canon 7D MK II and 500 f/4 + 1.4x TC lens on a tripod, and the yard with its feeders, and the background of Cave Creek Canyon --

I have yet to see a rattlesnake -- or any snake -- on my property (I have 4 acres, but most of it is overgrown with grasses both native and invasive and mesquite) -- but there's always the chance that I'll come upon one when I least expect it. For instance, I opened the well house for the first time; I couldn't find the key to the padlock, so I was hesitant about going inside, thinking there was a possibililty of a snake being in there, making itself at home. After finally finding the right key, I opened the well house -- and no snakes or other creepy crawlies were inside. Inside is the well pump, water softener, and supplies on shelves, so I'll have to learn how to maintain things as, for instance, the water softener system is serviced by a company in Tucson -- about 179 miles away, one-way. You really have to become self-sufficient out here as there are times when no one is available to help you. I borrowed a long ladder from my neighbor Helen, my personal guru, friend, real estate agent and wildlife biologist, to get access to the roof; there are nails that are pulled-up on the back porch, and a missing shingle on Faranuf's roof (it's composite; the best type of roofing material for this area is metal, because of the periodic high winds). But by the time I got the chance to get up on the roof, it was early afternoon and too hot, so I got out the generator (a Yamaha 2000-watt) and fired it up, which hadn't been done since the beginning of this year. It was stubborn, but I eventually got it going. I was thinking of attaching it to the house in case the power went out, which it does on occasion  here -- but Helen said I don't need one as the power isn't out that long, and the only appliance I'd have to worry about would be the full-sized freezer. But I moved most of the frozen food into the refrigerator's freezer, thus cutting back a bit on the electricity bill (Faranuf is all-electric). As you can tell, you REALLY have to be on your toes to maintain both house and property, and it's just me...Helen also suppled me with a pack rat trap; there's a possible rat "abode" in a pile of wood and rocks not too far from the house. And speaking of irritating critters -- there are wasp nests in the eaves. I knock them down after sunset, when the wasps are at their most lethargic and thus less likely to attack, but Helen and I noticed BIG nests right on the front porch. So, as my continuing insomnia means I'm up by around 1AM, getting only about 3 hours of sleep, I went outside, armed with wasp spray that shoots out a steam about 27 feet, and soaked the nests. But the prevailing breeze was blowing in my direction, so I got a bit of the spray on me. Luckily I was wearing goggles, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants, so I just threw them in the washer after. I'll check the nests when it starts getting light this morning. All in all, it was another productive day, and it ended with another cloud display, not as spectacular as the night before, but impressive to this former LaLaLander, where there is NO weather -- 

This is looking northeast, with the Peloncillos in the distance. Today is another day of errands, and bird watching at the Faranuf Buffet..