Home Again

My new cactus garden 5-10-10

Home Again.  What a nice sound.  I have been so busy the last two months. Eventually it all caught up with me and I was overwhelmed. The pace has slowed but it still hasn’t stopped. I’ve been birding with friends, then I went to Maricopa to take care of my adopted grandchildren for a few days.  I returned home in time to take Gus to the airport for his first trip home to Maine in two years! Before I left for Maricopa we started to landscape our side yard as a cactus garden. What fun we had selecting cacti and succulents to plant. We knew some of the plants we wanted but discovered others as we went along.

I have yet to even learn all the names of the cacti but I really like this little one. Though small and hairy looking it displays a lovely flower. Once established, these cacti will need little to no water which is very important here in the desert.

With Gus gone to Maine, I spent the next few days cleaning house like crazy because on Saturday, May 8th I had a women’s club meeting here at my house.  Not only was I hosting the meeting, I also gave a bird presentation to the club. I took the PowerPoint presentation I had used for the middle school program I did a few months ago and adapted it for this one.  Gus helped me hook up my laptop to our TV so I could show the slide show there.  Everything went very well and I was pleased. On Saturday afternoon I finally got a break and took a nap.  I spent Mother’s day watching my grandson Xavier while his daddy worked and his mom studied for her college final exams.

This morning I was out the door and ready for a walk. Though I have seen birds in my yard as usual, I wanted to see what is in the neighborhood.  So, up the road I travel into the new Sombra neighborhood. It is a one mile hike from the gate to the cul de sac at the top.  At first I wasn’t seeing much but as I travel higher and higher up the side of the mountain I am starting to see more birds.

Right now the desert is blooming. So far we have had a very cool spring and I am quite comfortable in my sleeveless shirt and capri’s. With our recent spring rains the desert has come to life in shades of  lime, sage, yellow and orange. The ocotillos reach high towards the sky waving their orange plumes to the heavens. A red-tailed hawk soars above me.  Cactus wrens and gilded flickers call from the desert. I hear a curve-billed thrasher sing and then I catch the motion of a tiny yellow bird low in a creosote bush. I am surprised to see a female Wilson’s Warbler gleaning insects from the leaves and I almost doubt my eyes to see this species here in the desert so far from water, but then her mate flies in with his jaunty black cap and the identity is confirmed.

All around me I see flowers blooming, many which I do not yet know the names of.  My frustration in not knowing their names only drives me to want to learn more about this exotic place I live in. I catch the flash of black and yellow in the twigs of a mesquite tree.  I see black streaks on white flanks and realize I am seeing yet another warbler.  The yellow throat and yellow rump confirm the Audubon's variety of a yellow-rumped warbler.  Then, on the opposite side of the road I see another.  This has turned out to be a very productive walk with 22 species seen in this one mile stretch of road. It has taken me an hour to cover it with all the stops I made to observe the birds, but I am so glad I came. Now it is time to head home again and water that cactus newly planted garden!

 

I love this new succulent flower I discovered called purslane. The magenta colored poppy shaped flowers rise above the rosette of thick leaves below.  I initially bought one plant but liked it so much that I went back for 2 more! More pictures to follow as we continue to work on this area, but already I can tell that the birds are loving it! I hope to catch up with all of you soon and finish the rest of my “Birding From Dawn to Dusk” posts! Right now its time to cook dinner before Gus returns tonight from the airport!

 

Birds seen on my walk this morning:

Location: Sycamore Canyon-Sombra
Observation date: 5/10/10
Notes: Took a walk to the top of the Sombra neighborhood where the pavement ends. At fisrt I wasn't seeing much but the farther I went up the more birds I saw. Was quite surprised to see the warblers!
Number of species: 24
Gambel's Quail 5
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 2 one soaring, one perched on a saguaro
White-winged Dove 16
Mourning Dove 2
Gila Woodpecker 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Gilded Flicker 4
Say's Phoebe 1
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Western Kingbird 1
Common Raven 1
Verdin 2
Cactus Wren 6
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 5
Phainopepla 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Wilson's Warbler 2 foraging together in a low bush
Canyon Towhee 2
Black-throated Sparrow 4
Pyrrhuloxia 1
House Finch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Skywatch Friday: Pomegranate Sky

The new leaves on my pomegranate tree open like the promise of spring with all the colors of the fruit contained within. 3-4-10

Skywatch Friday

My World: For the Birds and Butterflies

Mourning dove and mesquite 3-19-09 by Kathie w/Nikon D80

My World is a world of birds and backyard landscaping. We started buying plants last weekend. We planted late in the evening on Sunday. It was dark by the time we finished and we fell into bed exhausted, but by 4 a.m. Monday morning we were wide awake waiting for the sun to rise so we could see out new plants. All week long we continued to plant and this weekend we added some more. Once again it is late in the afternoon on Sunday before we return from the nursery and get started on planting once again. Once again it is dark by the time we finish, and we will have to wait for dawn.

Morning haze on Mt. Fagan 3-23-09 by Kathie w/Nikon D80

This morning we are awakened by the sounds of construction across the wash. A cool breeze wafts through the open door along with the noise. I roll my stiff body out of bed and pad over to close the door against them both. The outdoor thermometer registers 46 degrees. The temperature has dropped significantly from the high of 86 yesterday. I glance through the curtains at all my happy plants out in the yard. I need to dress and go outside and welcome them to their new home.

A white haze sends diffuse light across the slopes of Mt. Fagan. In the mesquite trees the birds are singing amidst the lime-colored and feathery new leaves. The new leaves will darken to a soft green-gray as they mature providing shade and shelter to the many birds that visit my yard.

One Favorite View 3-19-09 by Kathie w/Nikon D80

In the corner under the mesquite tree we have planted a Cherri Berri Pyracantha to provide food and shelter for the birds as well as winter interest for us. Right now the small viny shrub is putting out clusters of tiny white blossoms. After pollination they will develop bright red berries loved by birds. If the birds don't eat them all, we will have clusters of the bright red berries set against the evergreen leaves deep in the heart of winter, when the mesquite tree is naked and scratching the winter sky with its thorny branches. It will be a restful place for my eyes when all else is brown.

Orange blossoms by Kathiesbirds 3-19-09

Of course, I have yet to learn what will be in bloom or not in winter with all these new plants. The orange tree is still perfuming my yard with its blossoms, and I see some tiny green swellings in the middle of the petals. Are these the baby oranges? I think so!

Dark Blue Plumbago by Kathiesbirds 3-19-09

We have filled the planting beds with flowers to brighten out day and attract butterflies. Blue Plumbago is planted in the corner of the hill to climb the wall and cascade down the slope behind the Palo Verde tree.

Mr. Quail keeps watch from the fence on a daily basis.

In the backyard the Lady Banks roses climb the wall. We've bought and installed trellises since this photo was taken.

Our newest addition is a pomegranate tree. We've planted it in the corner by the gate. As it grows it will drape over the wall and provide beauty, privacy and fruit.

Already the tips of its branches are reaching for the sky. How long will it take for it to grow and fill this space?

We've also planted asclepia curassavica to attract the butterflies. We only bought one of these plants, but as I look at it in the light of day, I am liking it so much I think I will buy another. The plant, commonly called butterfly weed, will provide food and shelter for butterfly eggs and caterpillars and nectar for adult butterflies.

I always think that plants are happy to get their "feet" in the ground. To me, mine seem to be positively beaming, while across the wash the construction continues to eat away at my view. Well, we are solving that problem by creating a new view right here in our own backyard, A view for the Birds, the Butterflies and us.

Mesquite Tree and Blanket Flowers 3-23-09 by Kathiesbirds

What we have planted in this past week:

1. Butterfly Weed Asclepia curassavica
2. Blanket Flower gaillardia x graniflora 'Arizona Sun'
3. Purezza Lady Banks Rose "The Pearl"
4. Blue Bouquet Passion flower (vine)
5. Purple leaf Japanese Honeysuckle lonicera japonica 'pupurea' (vine)
6. Pink Jasmine jasminum polyathum (vine)
7. Bougainvilla (vine)
8. Cherri Berri Pyracantha (vine)
9. Heavenly Bamboo nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream'
10. Dark Blue Plumbago
11. Lavender Spice poliomintha maderensis
12. Sago Palm cycas revoluta
13. Cape Honeysuckle tecomaria capensis
14. Pomegrante Tree 'wonderful'
15. Butterfly iris, aka Fortnight Lilly dietes bicolor
16. Pincusion flower scabiosa columbaria
17. Tangerine ice plant lampranthus ambiguous 'orange'
18. Dew drop ice plant
19. Butterfly iris morea
20. Blue Lily of the Nile agapanthus orientalis
21. Whirling Butterflies or Wand Flower guara lindheimeri 'white'
22. Salvia greggii 'lipstick'
23. Dwarf Valencia Orange Tree (planted March 7, 2009)
24. Desert Museum Palo Verde (April 2008)
25. Velvet Mesquite Tree (May 2007)

Photographer's Note: All of today's photos were taken by Kathiesbirds with the Nikon D80 over the course of the past week.

Please click on the button at the top or this link to see more views of MY WORLD Tuesday.

Thanks My World Team!

Addendum: It's 2:00 P.M. MST time with temperature 62 degree F under hazy skies with light wind. I saw my first butterfly in the yard when I went outside for lunch. I didn't have my camera with me and I don't know what kind is was, Doug, but I'll try to get a photo if it comes back!

My World: Art Fair Experience

Kathiesbirds spot at Civano by Gusto with Cannon Powershot SX10IS

I went to bed late and awoke early on Saturday morning with butterflies in my stomach. I had loaded the car the night before and now Gus and I drive north to Civano Nursery for the Artisans Fair. We wait in line to unload, then set up our new folding display table amidst flowers and pots. A chorus of birds sings to us as vendor after vendor takes their spot and waits…and waits…and waits…

Kathiesbirds magnets by Gusto! Cannon Powershot SX10IS

It is a slow day in the garden center. Traffic is slow and no one is selling anything. A few people stop by to say hi and look at my paintings. I sell 6 jars of jelly—four to people who work at the nursery! We arrived by 7:30 a.m. to set up, but the nursery didn’t open until nine. Somewhere around 1:30 p.m. an adolescent boy comes by. He notices the magnets made from some of our nature photography. While most are birds, I also added a few of butterflies, lizards, and toads. He has a pet lizard and he was attracted to the magnet of the Desert Spiny Lizard. My youngest son, Alex used to have lizards, snakes and turtles when he was a boy. When I made this particular magnet up I thought of him and I thought to myself that some young boy would buy one of these. Now here he is, like a thought coming true. We chat about reptiles and I take the $2.00 his mother handed him. This is my only “artistic” sale of the day.

Gus and I watch the sky growing darker to the south as a wind comes up and blows our paintings all over the ground. A heavy charcoal colored cloud sinks lower as the wind continues to blow its warning. Vendor after vendor packs up their stuff and leaves. Gus and I follow suit and soon we are on our way home, exhausted and debating about whether to return again tomorrow. After all, “Tomorrow is another day…” and the weather is suppose to be better.

On Sunday morning I arise long before Gus and drink my tea in restless unease. I spent a fitful night in bed, wanting to believe today would be better but fearing another long day of tedium. We do not have to be there quite as early today. I wake Gus around 9 and we arrive by 10:00 a.m. On the long drive there we discuss what to do. Neither of us wants to sit there another day. Gus is willing to support me in whatever I choose, but I don’t know what I want. I am pulled in 2 directions and it’s wearing me out. I feel responsible to give it a good try, but I am dreading sitting there all day almost as much as a trip to the dentist!

We park our car and walk to our spot. A few vendors are here again, but many have not returned. I stand where my table stood yesterday and glance around the nursery and decide I would rather be doing anything than this. I would rather be doing than sitting. I would rather be experiencing life and writing than all this waiting!

New Plants by Kathiesbirds with Nikon D80

Gus and I walk off down the garden aisles together and start searching for plants to go in our newly filled planter beds, complete with irrigation lines. Yes, in the midst of all the craziness this past week we had the backyard landscaping completed to the point where we can now buy plants! We left Civano with three guara, also known as Whirling butterflies or Wand flower and three Cape Honeysuckle tecomaria capensis. The rest of the day is spent in a joyful search for plants to complete our backyard habitat. We continue our search at various box stores in town as we add plant after plant to our cache, each one chosen to attract birds or butterflies. It is late in the evening by the time we return home with all our plant purchases of the day. We line them up on the patio and reach for our shovels. Let the planting begin!

Gus' Paintings

Copy of Madame Matisse The Green Line by Gusto! 1999 Acrylic on Canvas

Pond Sunset by Gusto! 1999 Acrylic on Canvas

Yes, Gus can paint also, though he hasn't in a long time. These are two of his paintings from an art class we took together in college back in 1999. His style is quite different than mine. He also did the lighthouse painting you can see in the first photo.

Photographers Note: We recently purchased a Cannon Powershot SX10IS so Gus and I can both take photos at the same time. All the photos on this post today that were taken by Gus were taken with that camera.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And Thanks Klaus, Ivar, Louise, Wren, Sandy, and Fishing Guy for all you do!

Yard Views

Ever since we moved to Sycamore Canyon almost two years ago I have enjoyed eating breakfast on the patio. When we first moved into our house the neighborhood was only partially finished. As a result, Gus an I have enjoyed a certain amount of privacy and unobstructed views from our yard. As the months and years have passed the neighborhood has filled in, and bit by bit we have lost little pieces of the sky and segments of the mountain views. All this time the five lots across the wash behind us have remained empty as well as the two lots across the street from them. A recent Skywatch Friday post featured the sunrise as seen straight out my backyard looking east across these vacant lots.

On March 3rd I am enjoying the gorgeous weather by eating outside once again. With my bowl of cereal, my tea, binoculars and camera, I am prepared for everything as the mesquite tree fills with birds swarming the nyjer feeder. I smile at this bright male Lesser Goldfinch watching me watching him when suddenly I hear it, the roar of a tractor motor.

I jump up to see it has started, the excavating of a new foundation in the vacant lot across the wash and across the street. The Rincon Mountains in the distance are the same ones I photographed on fire last year. I know that with a new house over there I will soon lose this view and with it, my backyard privacy. What to do? What to do?

Within two days the footings and pipe are laid. It won't be long until the framing goes up. And after that, the next lot and the next will sprout houses like mushrooms in the night.

As soon as Saturday arrives Guys and I take a trip to the new Ace Hardware store in Corona de Tucson. I saw something here on Friday when I came in to buy some safflower seed. The salesman tired to warn me that this type of tree will not only produce fruit, and grow fast with lots of thick foliage, but it will also attract birds! Oh my, now you are speaking my language! What you see as a detriment, I see as a selling point! This is exactly what I want, so we bring it home and prepare the site. I have always wanted one of these, especially since moving to Arizona. Presenting...

...my new dwarf Valencia orange tree! I cannot believe the lovely fragrance the orange blossoms have. I can't wait for it to make fruit, for I love to make fresh squeezed orange juice. I hope it will attract lots of birds...

...and grow fast and green to make a screen before the next house goes up behind me.

Landscaping update

Here's where it all started.

This is the job part way done.

And now, the finished product!

Well, the hardscape is done.

Hopefully the plants will be next, though we may do the front yard first and wait to plant in the autumn when things are cooler. On Tuesday the masons finished up the backyard courtyard. We were hoping to start enjoying it the next day, but a cold front accompanied by thunder kept me inside. Gus was working major overtime and didn’t get home until dark. Still, he would turn on the light and go outside and sit for an hour or so each night. Friday morning was glorious and we sat outside for breakfast before he had to leave for work. We anticipated a fun weekend relaxing in our backyard, but at 4 a.m. Saturday morning I awoke to a crash. I jumped out of bed thinking the cats had knocked something over in the house, but a quick search revealed nothing broken. When I finally turned on the back light and opened the slider I found one of my potted plants smashed on the brick when the wind toppled it over. I decided it could wait until daylight to be picked up. (Notice the flag full out in the photos.)

When I opened the curtain at 7 a.m. Saturday one of the new chairs was toppled over and the cushions were threatening to blow away in the wash as a full gale force wind blew in from the south. It stayed that way all weekend with a brief lull on Sunday evening, when I was able to capture this picture of the sunset as seen from our new "balcony." So, I sit inside and look out at my new yard with anticipation and delight.

Today the wind is howling again, though not quite as fiercely. The morning low was 60 degrees Fahrenheit but this afternoon it is pushing 95F. When I walked the dog this morning, I noticed the ocotillo and hedgehog cacti are in bloom. Palo Verdes are budding out with a few blossoms already opened to the sun. Desert willows have new leaves all over as well as mesquite. Creosote bush has blossomed and is already going to seed, their tiny yellow flowers turning to miniature dandelion-like puff balls on the bush. The guara I planted out front have started to grow and some are already blossoming. I call them “Whirling Butterflies,” but they are also called “Wand flower.” They are one of my favorite plants since they are low water use and pretty. The flowers bloom along the slender stems and whirl about in the wind or breeze. Tomorrow my friends from Audubon are coming early to bird the wash with me and I am anxious to see what we will see.

I had a bullock’s oriole on a firecracker penstemmon in the wash just last week but of course it flew off before I could get my camera. I saw my first white-winged dove of the season here on Tuesday and my first swallows on Friday evening. Perhaps the purple martins are back. Perhaps I will find out tomorrow. Kathryn of Out With Ari wrote about the smell of snow in a recent Blog Post, well, here in Sycamore Canyon the predominate smell lately is of dust. It’s a dry and sand-like smell. The scent seems to dry your nose out even as you breathe in. We are heading into dry summer, May and June, the two hottest and driest months of the year. I am starting to see more insect activity as well.

A Backyard Overhaul

My son called form Presque Isle, Maine just as I was starting to write this post to tell me he had to climb out a window to shovel all the new snow away from his front door so he could open it! This is further reinforcement of why we now live in Tucson, AZ. While they are breaking records for the winter’s snow fall up there, we are basking in 80 degree sunshine down here! This insect showed up on my stucco this morning. Apparently it is enjoying the warming temperatures also. I'm sure all his buddies aren't far behind! (What is he Doug?)

All my plans for going to Coolidge and finishing my mural went down the tubes on Wednesday when the landscapers showed up at 7 a.m. We’ve had a plan drawn up by Robert from Magic Gardens Nursery on 22nd street in Tucson. After discussing our ideas with him he tweaked our ideas and came up with what we considered the perfect plan for our backyard. Work wasn’t supposed to start until around April 1st, but another job they were working on was delayed, and thus I found myself in an unexpected frenzy.

The night before I moved most of my bird feeders and the bird bath to the side yard in anticipation of the coming chaos.

I snapped off some quick pictures of what it looks like before the transformation begins.

Sure enough, shortly after 7 a.m. on the 19th my backyard was full of 8 to 10 men using jackhammers and shovels to dig trenches for the footing for the intended sitting walls. The noise, hustle and bustle continued all day until 3 p.m. when they left for the day. However, the gas plumber came right as the masons were leaving to move our gas line for the gas grill. This needed to be done so the drain lines could be laid so the masons could finish their work the next morning.

At 7 a.m. on March 20 the chaos started once again. Further progress is made as the drain lines are laid and the footers for the raised patio are put in place. The block walls built yesterday are covered in stucco that will cure for a about 10 days before the workers return to put a texture on it and lay brick in a herringbone pattern for the patio floor. There will be plants in raised beds along the perimeter and a brick patio covering the entire area from doors to sitting walls.

In this area we will have a raise patio to put a bar height table and stools on. This will allow us to sit and look over the wall into the wash beside us as well as watch the summer sunsets. In the evenings we will be able to see the lights of Tucson in the gaps between the houses. We are doing the work in stages with the masonry going in first, and the plants later as the budget allows. Finally, when it is finished we will have a fountain where the birdfeeder pole is located right now.

New Bird, New Tree

A wild wind is howling over the desert today. After days of warmth, it has turned chilly (for us) again, and I have turned the heat back on. Our new Desert Museum Palo Verde tree was delivered this morning. I can’t wait to get it planted. It didn’t take long for the birds to start landing in it, planted or not. We had a landscaper stop by on Friday to listen to our ideas for the back yard and draw us up a plan. We went to hear his presentation yesterday, now we just need the quote. We hope to have the backyard landscaped soon.

While others spend their weekends malling, Gus and I like to troll the nurseries for plants. This yard is so much smaller that we won’t be adding too many trees to it, but we planted over 40 on the third of an acre we had at our previous house in Utah. We did purchase a four foot saguaro though, and we hope to bring it home and plant it soon. Saguaros are a protected species and you have to have the proper permits to plant one in your yard. The nursery we purchased it from is still working out the paperwork with the state. It’s gardening time again. Photos soon to follow!

Saturday was such a warm and sunny day here. Gus and I ate breakfast outside, then I did some housework with the windows thrown wide. The songs of lesser goldfinch and house finches wafted in the open windows. Mourning doves puffed their chests as the males started their courting behavior with the females. The girls don’t seem too interested yet, but soon there will be babies coming to the feeders once again. As Gus and I were rushing to leave the house I heard so many birds in the backyard that I stopped to look at the thistle sock with my binoculars. To my utmost surprise there was a new bird there--a Lawrence’s goldfinch! In his handsome gray waistcoat, his yellow lapels and his black face mask he hung with the lesser goldfinches. I ran to find Gus in the garage where he was loading stuff into the car for our excursion that day. “Where’s your camera,” I gasped?” He came hurrying in but the bird was gone, and though I’ve watched diligently for the last 2 days, I haven’t seen it since.