Wednesday Wings

Time to share some recent winged wonders! Hummingbirds are gone for now, and I miss them. I still have photos of them to process, so you may see some photos soon. We have so many other birds to watch here, and it's been wonderful. Lots of photographic challenges, too:-)

A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) who was actually out in the middle of the road eating roadkill rabbit. There were a pair, and I think they were taking turns flying in and eating. I think they were eating it there because they didn't kill it, so perhaps didn't know how to carry it off the road (just a guess). Made for a cool sighting, though. Can't believe the way s/he was able to perch here!

This is a little Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus). We've put up thistle feeders for the first time ever, and have attracted lots of these little cuties. They're just about as fierce as the hummingbirds, though, always squabbling and fast movers. However, they really don't like leaving the thistle, so I can get pretty close with my camera.

A female White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) atop sagebrush.

From this summer, a Northern White Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum).

Not a great shot, but this was taken through a window on a dark, rainy/snowy day. Believe s/he is a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) who landed in the tree for a breather.

Finally, this is the last butterfly that I photographed this year, a West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella). I was so surprised to spot her, because I hadn't known these beauties were in Utah, too. Maybe she followed us from Cali;-)

Southwest Splendor - Fall Foliage

When you think of autumn colors, you probably don't think of the high desert Southwest. However, we get some gorgeous fall foliage here! I love photographing the leaves as the sun shines through them. I also love that it gives me a chance to do more abstract photography, which is a definite change for me. Most of all, I just love fall, and the changing of the seasons:-) Hope you enjoy this little leaf journey.

P.S. The last photo is a visitor that we've had around the property recently - a truly awe-inspiring sight! The photo was taken through a window angled down through slats into the shade, but I think you'll get an idea of the beauty...

Taken at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was our first time visiting, absolutely gorgeous and amazing even though it wasn't the best photo time.

Sunday Snake

I tell you, there's nothing like an unexpected sighting, especially when it happens right outside your door! I had mentioned to my mom that she should toss the fresh corn husks from our dinner out for the critters here. She went out the back door, tossed one over the railing, and the wind took it down. She happened to look where it landed, and realized she'd hit this snake with it, lol! He froze, she called me, and we stood on the deck trying to determine what sort of snake it was, since half of him was under sagebrush. After some minutes, he finally moved, and we could see he was safe (well, except to all the little critters who are coming to get the seed). I believe he's a Great Basin Gopher Snake. He slithered off, I went inside, but then thought I'd check one more time, and was lucky enough to catch him again. Had one chance at a sunlight shot, which is the last one here.

It may sound strange, but it was an honor to watch him in his stillness. I've written about snakes here before, Snake Medicine, and was quite happy to have one show up in my life again:-) And while the idea of him hunting the little creatures who come here for seed isn't as appealing, I feel it's all part of the circle of life, and he needs to eat, too.

Evolution of a Sunset

No Wednesday Wings this week, but I wanted to share a recent sunset with you. I'm so happy to see the gorgeous sunsets and cloud formations here in southern Utah again! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Not only that, but I also have an addiction to photographing the skies here. I haven't done much landscape photography, but something about the clouds and cliffs here compels me to keep trying to capture them through my lens. This sunset was last Sunday. I was outside a little early for it, but was fascinated by the clouds. I had a feeling there might be a good sunset, and didn't want to miss it. So, this is the evolution of that sunset. From start to finish, it was only 26 minutes - some of the most dramatic color changes were only three minutes apart. Mother Nature paints really fast:-) Hope you enjoy!

More Wednesday Wings

Is it really Wednesday again? ;-) Here are a few of the winged creatures I've met in Utah so far. If any of the id's are incorrect, please let me know.

"Petal Wings", Variegated Fritillary (Sphaeralcea coccinea)

"Suspended", Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum), a familiar sight in Cali, too:-)

"Tip Top", Northern White Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum) on Globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea)

Wednesday Wings

Juvenile Black-throated Sparrow? Spotted today, I think s/he thought they were hidden (my camera thought so, too, lol!).

Western Meadowlark with goodness knows how many bugs in his mouth! Yet, he was still singing:-)

Happy Fourth and an Update

Scarlet Gilia or Skyrocket, Ipomopsis aggregata, happened to see the light through these beauties against the dark background - so striking!

Happy 4th of July!!! It's been ages since I've posted, I know. However, the past couple of months were filled with some major changes. Almost four weeks ago, we moved back to southern Utah:-) It was something we'd been thinking about on and off for a while, and things just suddenly came together and made it possible for us to do it. If you've been following my blog, you know that it was a very unhealthy area where we were in central California. We'd moved there to reconnect and help my grandparents, who'd passed in '08 and '09, respectively. We'd been a bit stuck on how to to move forward after they passed. We had a home, but not one where we wanted to live, so it was definitely a mixed blessing. We kept thinking about different areas, trying to decide what would be best. As much as we love the Pacific Northwest, the idea of moving somewhere again that we didn't really know anyone held little appeal. Plus, we weren't sure if we could do the long, dark, wet winters anymore. At the same time, this area, where we used to live, kept sticking in our minds. We know people here, and it's peaceful and beautiful. Having lived here for four years, we know the pluses and minuses. It's a weird little town in some ways, but we're not exactly the most normal people;-) Most importantly, it felt right. So, when an opportunity presented itself, we finally decided to go for it!

We're still settling in, but I have been taking some photos (like the wildflowers here). I still have lots of photos to process from our Cali foothill drives, too, so plan on sharing lots of different things. I'm looking forward to getting my blog going again, and hope you all will come along for the journey!

"Carefree", Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Argemone munita. Caught a flash of bright white as we were driving, and had to back up and see what it was - looks like the original tissue paper flower:-)

"Beauty in Blue", I believe this is Low Larkspur, Delphinium nuttallianum (nelsoni). This particular stalk was bent over, and I loved the way the flowers were looking up - also love, love, love this blue!