February 29 -- Leap Year Day. I'd heard on my iHome internet radio (KING FM in Seattle, classical music station) that Giacomo Rossini, writer of operas like The Barber of Seville and William Tell -- think "The Long Ranger" -- was born on February 29, 1792 so that would make him 50 years old today. That put an interesting spin on things for what proved to be an interesting day....First, after a few days of cloudless skies, I looked out the window as it started to get light and saw some clouds to the east. I got my cameras (17-55 f/2.8 and 100-400 f/5.6) and took them outside in the predawn light. Here's a closeup taken with the 100-400 --
And a wider view with the 17-55 --
While I was at it, I decided to take a photo of the waning moon. This was with the 100-400 with the 1.4 teleconverter added --
As the sun hit the high cliffs of Silver Peak, they were lit up in the infrequently-seen Red Glow --
Along with the tops of the mountains to the southwest --
Well THAT was a good start to the day, and it wasn't even 7am yet. I was planning on doing the hike up the Greenhouse Trail as far as the overlook to Winn Falls, which is in full spate now, but I was feeling a bit "off" that morning, so decided instead to take it easy as I was to volunteer at the Visitor Information Center again on Tuesday, so after breakfast I relaxed and watched the backyard birds. The action seems to go in waves; one moment it's frenetic, with birds zipping all over the place, then the next minute they're all gone. And it isn't because there's a raptor around; perhaps they're practicing their "fleeing" in case one does show up. I think some of them are getting used to my presence, even when I'm in the back yard refilling the feeders; the Pine Siskin remain at the nyger sock, and a certain Black-throated Sparrow, a Faranuf Resident who's pretty much on the same branch in the morning, ready to launch himself off to the same tray of seed, isn't bothered by me, either. It's nice to think I'm gaining their trust, or they feel somewhat safe in my back yard. (Though I can't help the occasional Cooper's or Sharp-shinned visit; they too have to eat.) Spring seems to be around the corner as some birds are pairing off, such as this Mr. and Mrs. Lesser Goldfinch --
The Pyrrhuloxia are also a couple, and the Black-throated Sparrow, well, I can't tell the difference between male and female. After about an hour of watching the action I get tired of my inaction and decide to finish trimming the mesquite along the sides of my driveway. This is a good time to do it before the snakes come back out, which my friend Helen says they're already starting to do as she saw "slither tracks" in her driveway. While cutting the mesquite with my Fiskars loppers (can lop branches up to 2 inches in diameter) I see a small bird nest a little further in. When Helen came by later -- she had been giving a talk on owls at the Apache school, one of the few one-room schoolhouses left in the country, and it has a "whopping" 8 kids in attendance -- she said it could be a Canyon Towhee nest from last year, or one for a Black-throated Sparrow, though those tend to be lower to the ground. (It's a constant education here.)
While I'm cutting mesquite near Discovery II, I see a butterfly flitting about, which gives me enough time to go into the house and grab my camera with the 100-400 lens. It doesn't allow me to get too close, so I photograph it from a distance.
It looks like some type of Swallowtail -- I'd seen them at the South Coast Botanic Garden. Later I check online -- and it's a Black Swallowtail, a common yet still beautiful butterfly. Then I see a "ladybug" on one of the cut mesquite branches --
Hmmm...I'm used to seeing the red ones back in LaLaLand. So I go online (what a great resource!) and discover it's a "Chilicorus Cacti" or Cactus Lady Beetle. Are the butterfly and ladybug signs of spring? Helen says not necessarily; both are seen off-and-on throughout the year here.
The mothballs seem to be doing the trick in the well house! No new mouse droppings, and I'd swept up the old ones the day before so when I opened it up, the floor was about as clean as I'd ever seen it. I wonder if it will keep lizards, spiders and snakes out, too....In the evening, I sit out on the front porch to see the sunset looking east, as the skies were clear to the west and Cave Creek Canyon. Then I looked at my trailer and thought, "why not climb to the top, and see the view from there?" So I do, and it's fabulous as it's over the mesquite; you can see the "lay of the land". I think this will be my main spot for sunrises and sunsets. And from my perspective from up top I see a pack mouse scurry out from a hole at the bottom of the heating/cooling unit. (Remember to cover that hole up.) The sunset wasn't as dramatic as I've seen it in the past, but now I'm over the mesquite and can get an unobstructed view of the Peloncillos --
Yes, this perspective will do very nicely...Tomorrow, March 1, will be spent manning the Visitor Information Center again.
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