once upon a pond

Tweets from the Northwest

2011-06-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

Last year I had to say so long to my home in the Desert. I've been adjusting life in the Pacific Northwest this spring, along with its bounty of beautiful songbirds. I recorded this song this morning, but some how screwed up on the frame rate, so it plays low and slow. Bummer I only have DSL now and it took forever to upload. I'll have to fix it later. Enjoy some of Southern Oregon's finest tweets.

Honey Nuggets

2010-05-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

There's no better way to enjoy the transition from spring to summer than to watch the quail chicks head down to the pond for a sip. I shot some video of the little darlings this morning. I like to refer to the chicks as honey nuggets. So I titled this clip "Honey Nuggets". The music is played by Jon Sayles who is dedicated to the preservation and sharing of early classical music from all over Europe. You can listen to many delightful samples over here.

Spring Visitors

2010-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little animated gif I created of a Roadrunner. I'm posting it for Illustration Friday's weekly topic "Early". The early bird gets the worm. Yet in this case just he would get just about anything. Roadrunner's will eat whatever crosses their path. I've seen one eating a finch. I don't mind when a hawk swoops down and scoops up a bird and fly's off. However the Roadrunner will eat its pray right on my patio, leaving me to clean up the aftermath....yecch.

In the last few weeks I've spotted some species I've yet to see before. I've caught brief glimpses of this Western Tanager, yet never had a chance to get a shot of him until just the other day. He sure is handsome.

This is a first spotting for this bird as well. I believe he is a Lazuli Bunting.

The Turkey Vultures around here are huge! This one looks big enough to fly off with a golf cart. I'm hoping to get a shot of him with some background other than just sky, for a better size reference.

The Wild Irises are in bloom. When I first moved in I was told they were Lily's. I may have even referred to them as Lily's in earlier posts. I'm not really sure what species of Iris this is, but I really enjoy their beautiful flowers.

Vermilion Flycatcher

2010-04-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

This morning a Vermilion Flycatcher stopped by. Right after I got the camera set up, he came in a little closer and landed in a young Palo Verde tree.

Linking for Illo Friday

2010-04-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

This weeks "Illustration Friday" challenge is "Linking". I had a visit from a Bull Snake the other day who inspired me to do a snake motif for the challenge.

Hmmm...I wonder what this Bull Snake has got a hankering for?

Things are really starting to bloom down at Wild Desert Nursery. Deb alerts me when the time is ripe to venture down with my camera. Some of the blossoms are simply spectacular.

We had a visit from what appears to be a young Oriole.

I really need to be mindful of where I leave the bird seed. This critter had better watch his back, because there is a big ass bull snake patrolling the yard now. I've cut down on the amount of seed I give to the birds at any given time, to keep these rodents from getting out of hand. I would love to see the Bull Snake stick around and patrol for Rattlers as well.

The Chipmunks Chagrin

2010-04-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

I’ve been trying to come up with different ways to keep the Chipmunks off of the seed block and out of the bird feed. I decided to slap a little bit of salad oil on the pole and it seems to be working pretty good already. I got some shots of an extremely tenacious rodent trying to shimmy up a greased pole. I added some clips of a few birds splashing about in the pond. I found the music from a creative commons source. The Song is called “Waterbound” and it from a band called “Shake that Little Foot. This is where you can find the song....I guess they block links here, so you will have to type in the three w’s and the dot first then the rest of the address is as follows.
archive.org/details/Shake_that_Little_Foot
As always, thanks for stopping in.

.

Skinny Dip

2010-04-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

I did A portrait of the Coopers Hawk and put it on the cover of my website. I decided to give the site a face lift and add some new animated GIF's, and a motion graphics reel. I'd love any feedback on the site. Unfortunately Go Daddy is not playing fair over letting go of their url, so the link to one of the most recent site designs is currently comatose. I've grown so fond of the Hawk and have been nursing a yen to slap her in the middle of a madala for quite a while. So now she's finally done. Henerietta the dipping Hawk. My new portfolio is over at...www.pixeloosa.com

I really started feeling like a dip sh*t; for calling this majestic hawk "Henery".
Come to find out Henery is really "Henietta". He is actually a she. The female is much larger than the male, so I guess that's how I got confused. She loves taking long dips in the pond. A couple of posts back I uploaded some great video footage of her taking a long dip. That post is over here...http://onceuponapond.blogspot.com/2009/12/leslies-friends.html

Meet the Coyote that's been running throughout the wash. I call him Sabicus.

Leapin Linkin Lizards

2010-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

This image is inspired by Illustration Friday's weekly topic "Wilderness". Most of the wild things in these parts have feathers and scales. We have seen coyotes, bobcats, javalina, deer,
and plenty of other furry critters in the wilderness around here. Yet the the birds and reptiles seem to dominate the scenery in my little wild backyard. Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you enjoyed the lizard motif.

Leslies Friends

2009-12-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

I had a couple of young friends over the other morning. They gave me a hand in filming some of the birds that stop by for breakfast every morning. I added some footage of "Henery" the Coopers Hawk. Thank you for your help with this video Tristen and Kayla.

So Long Agave

2009-12-04T04:58:00.001-08:00

Sadly the Agave did not survive the snout beetle feast. It was sad to have to see it go. I decided to replace it with a very cool mutant Barrel cactus, and a couple of Cholla's. They really seem to ad a lot more color to the pond area. Clicking the image will get you the zoomed in version. Thanks for peeking in!

Home Is Where the Hawk Is

2009-12-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks have been good for getting pictures of Henery. He sat on the rail and let out a screech while preparing to pounce on a finch.

He is getting more brazen and less bothered by the paparazzi everyday.

He loves to park his tail feathers in the pond.

I guess while hunkered down like this in the water he must feel somewhat camouflaged enough to surprise a feathered morsel coming in for a drink. And there he will sit for up to an hour at a time watching the yard like a .......hey.......I guess he's doing his job and watching the yard like a Hawk. Oh Henery your simply awesome thanks for beautifying my yard.

Breakfast Interuptus

2009-09-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Early in the morning my yard is totally abuzz with all kinds of winged visitors. That is of course until Henery the Coopers Hawk swoops down to see what the breakfast special of the day is. He came down this morning sending all of the quail and doves fleeing in every direction. The finch and sparrows however duck for cover into the ruellia bush. There must have been at least fifty finches and sparrows huddled in the bush this morning when I snapped this shot of Henery licking his beak. I kept trying to move in slowly for a closer shot, but I did not want to send the finches fleeing, as surely one would have been nabbed. As Henery stared down into the bush, you could see the bush trembe and shake. As I tried to position myself for a shot, Henery decided that I was probably more trouble than a little finch breakfast was worth, so he took off.

Under the feeder and over the pond,

we gathered together to sing so long,

to the Agave on which we love to rest.

That brutal snout weevil,

is one hell of a pest!

That was my little Ode to a sick Agave. A sad occurrence has landed in my yard. My large agave (pictured here) is in critical condition, and may not survive. That horrible agave grub infestation in Mexico that has driven up the Tequila prices, has made its way up here to the outskirts of Tucson. I just lost two Yuccas as well. Some websites say that once the grub gets inside and the leaves start dying, its all over for the plant. Yet when I spoke to a specialist at Mesquite Valley Nursery, he gave me a bit of hope, as he said that after treating the soil there is a chance the Agave will survive. We will just have to wait and see. This pic looks way better normal size so click on it. Thanks for stopping and popping on in.

Toad Lickers Caution

2009-08-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

This weeks Illustration Friday challenge is "Caution". The poison toad in my last post gave me the idea for this animated illustration. I was wondering what type of hallucinations would go through a Colorado River Toads mind if he gave himself a bath like a cat. Use every ounce of caution you can muster up around these toxic toads.

Toadlicker's Treasure

2009-08-24T08:10:00.001-07:00

The folks around here are pretty familiar with this guy. He's a Colorado River Toad. These toads have a toxin in their skin that can be fatal to dogs, or any other animal who tries to make a meal of them. Humans however have been know to lick these toads to reach some psychotropic state. Me, I think I'll pass thanks.

Speaking of psychotropic states. I think I heard stories of folks ingesting Jimson Weed for a mind bending experience. I'll pass on that buzz as well. This little patch of Jimson Weed invaded the middle of my yard last year and I cut it way back to nothing last fall. I allowed it to come in again this year, as its blossoms are so beautiful.

Spectacular Sunsets

2009-08-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Monsoon season is definitely my favorite time of year.

The thirsty desert drinks in the rainfall...

and I drink in the beauty of the multi-colored skyscapes.

Enjoy.

Summer Roundup

2009-08-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

Well, looking back on my last post date, it appears that this blog has been become rather stale from sitting on the back burner for so long. I’ve had my hands full of all kinds of stuff. I figured I’ll jump back in and post a bit of a summer roundup. I dug through the shots I took over the last couple of months and picked out a handful to share.
This place got pretty wild earlier this season. A friend of mine was walking her dog across the wash behind my yard when they were attacked by a small pack of Javalina’s. My friend escaped unscathed, but her dog succumbed to an infection from a puncture wound. The dog was given antibiotics, yet he still sadly passed. It was a sad note for starting off the summer. Then one late afternoon I was sitting out on the patio when I saw a Bobcat mosey on by right on the other side of the fence. I t would have been awesome to have had my camera with me at the time. The cat later decided to prowl about in a neighbor’s yard who managed to get some shots of the varmint before he disappeared. A few days later I gazed over towards the golf course and some big critter caught the corner of my eye. At first glance I knew it was too large to be a dog. At second glance the next critter that came to mind was “moose” (flashbacks from life in Alaska, I guess). Then after getting my eyeballs targeted in I realized I was watching a family of deer out on the green. I think they wanted to play through.
I bought a couple of bird feeders, and have been tossing out seed every morning around the crack of dawn. Now the word seems to have gotten out to every bird in the valley that breakfast is getting served up here daily. Mornings now remind me of a few of the scenes from Alfred Hitchcocks “The Birds”. It’s pretty much been the usual cast of characters, and the baby Quail chicks are as darling as ever. I think Henery found a spouse. She parked out on the wall long enough for me to get a shot. I call her “The Bride of Henery”. I’ve also been getting more frequent visits from an Oriole. Any how I hope you enjoy your visit and some of the pics. Click on the deer shots if you want to see their larger version.

Here is the Altamira Oriole stopping in at the waterfall.

I did some poking around, but I could not identify this bird who explored my patio. I'm wondering if it is some sort of Flycatcher.

Oh Deer!

More Deer!

Even more Deer!

I'd like to introduce you to "The Bride of Henery".

About a week and a half ago, up popped the tallest thunder head I ever did see.

Its anvil covered a huge chunk of the sky.

A really cool looking Dragonfly was gracious enough to sit still while I got off a nice shot.

A pair of Morning dove fledglings decided to make my bakers rack their little home away from home. The shelves are not to far underneath their nest, and the pair of youngins decided to spend the better part of the afternoon checking out the backyard from their little balcony. They did not freak out from my presence. In fact they did not even get flustered when I moved a pot a bit closer to one of them so he could chill in its shadow.

When Henery the Hawk swoops down to see whats on the menu, all of the birds, reptiles, and other critters, either bolt, or freeze. He swung down the other day and this little squirrel hit the deck and froze till he figured the Hawk threat had passed.

When he's not frozen in terror, he can be seen literally "hightailing it" throughout the yard.
Well that's about it for the summer roundup so far. I drew the illustration of the Daylily at the top of this post in honer of the pot full of Lily's blooming outside as we speak.
Thanks for popping in!

Faux Falls

2009-05-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I need to completely dry out the pond to clean it out. I worried about cutting off the water supply to all the critters who drink out of it throughout the day. The last time I dried it out I made a couple of small watering holes with garbage bags and gravel. Last week I found this little self contained artificial waterfall at a garage sale, and figured it would be a nice auxiliary water source. It took the doves and quail a little while to try it out, but the finches and woodpeckers adapted instantly. I shoved a bunch of natural rocks up in and around it to make it look more natural for the thirsty visitors.

When I moved out here I figured I'd traded in all my squirrels for rabbits, but I had a squirrel in my yard a couple of weeks ago.

One of the fledglings from the nest above my back patio, took his first decent into the world below today. I was out on the patio getting ready to set something up on my shelf, when I noticed this little guy using the shelf as a launch pad. I didn't spook him because he's kinda used to peering down at me from the nest. I'm happy he sat still long enough to pose.

Here is a shot of a Quail sitting atop the faux falls.

This is the second time I've spotted a Coachwhip in my yard. These have the most beautiful coral colored scales. Their body is mostly a combination of black pink and white, while their heads are mostly black. I was able to get a shot of the same species year before last. He was about twice the size of the one posted above. I posted a shot of him over here. Although they are not venomous, you don't really want to tangle with these. From what I hear they can be quite aggressive when trying to defend themselves. They are extremely swift, hence the name "Coachwhip". Oh yeah, also I posted a larger version of this image, just click on the picture for the larger version. Thanks for visiting.

Let Me In!

2009-04-29T08:52:00.001-07:00

I was just fixen myself a cup of coffee when I heard a rapping on my window. I think this guy was checking up on me to make sure I was brewing "shade grown coffee".

This little guy decided to knock as well. The batteries on my camera had gotten low, so I missed the shot when he was up scratching on the window trying to get in. Silly wabbit!

April Roundup

2009-04-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Whew! Its been a long time since I've posted anything here. I've gotten pretty far behind. I've been deeply steeped in left brained endeavors, and up to my eyeballs in javascript and css. Not only has my blog been neglected, but I have not had enough time to pay a visit to all of my other favorite nature blogs. Perhaps this weekend.
I uploaded a bunch of shots taken around the yard in the last couple of weeks. This morning I looked up on my plant shelf and spotted a dozen dinky freshly hatched Praying Mantis's. These guys are only about the size of a sunflower seed.

I wonder how long they will make it before the tweets catch on to them and have them for lunch.

In an earlier post, I mentioned leaving the old dead honeysuckle wood up in tact for the little visitors. These Finches seem to be pleased with the decision.

A handful of my Lilly's have bloomed. This is a shot of a bud fixing to unfurl.

Here is a pair of Lilly's that have bloomed already.

The Mexican Primroses are in full bloom to.

This is my favorite Opuntia. They call it a "Dinner Plate Opuntia". Makes sense, as the pads are so big and nearly perfectly round.

Here is a close up of the Opuntia's blossom.

I'm not certain what species this bird is. Its not a real common visitor to my yard.

Here he is getting ready for a sip.

I sure wish this shot came out a bit better, but then again I'm happy to have it at all. I believe its a Vermilion Flycatcher. I was able to get a shot of one way back when I started my blog. I think it was in my very first post.
As always thank you for your visit.

Oregon Blooms

2009-04-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a trip up to Oregon to visit with the kin folk and celebrate my mom's birthday. We all stayed at my sisters house in Grants Pass. That area is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. I decided to snap off some shots of some of the local color. I lived in Oregon a few years back, and despite its beauty, I decided to migrate down to the Sonoran desert. I guess I've grown hopelessly addicted to sunshine. That is of course until monsoon season rolls in when I become enamored with the breathtaking skyscapes.

Grants Pass was spectacular with all of the Cherries and Plums abloom. I decided to post a larger version of the plum blossoms. If you click on the picture above you can see the larger version.

I'm not really sure what type of wild flower this is that was growing in my Sisters yard. It certainly has a feminine look to it.

Now I know times are getting tough, but I guess in Grants Pass they actually have to give away the air in order to sell tires. It was a lovely visit, yet I'm happy to be back down in the sunshine.

Morning Dove Momma

2009-03-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

My how they grow up so fast. This dove has decided to raise her family in the rafters of my front porch. I also have a nest up in the back patio. I just discovered these chicks a couple of days ago, and decided to snap this shot this morning. There was a mother dove camped out here last year who raised a handful of youngins. I think she perished in the talons of the Coopers Hawk. She left behind an orphan that had just matured enough to fend for herself. I called her Annie. Annie was the only dove who did not mind my presence too awfully bad. As all of the other doves bolted off when I went outside, Annie had a hard time figuring out what all the fuss was about. I wrote about Annie last summer after she collided with one of my windows. I gave her bread and water for a couple of days while she recovered under the Honeysuckle. She used to be quite the loner, but now I believe she has found a mate. I cant help but wonder if this sweet momma is Annie.

Poor Wabbit

2009-03-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a bad day to be a baby Bunny. I saw this adorable critter lounging in the sun in my backyard. As I approached him he did not flee. Come to find out he was quite ill and had difficulty walking. I put him in a box and gave him some water, yet a few hours later he passed on over into the meadows of the afterlife. Bye bye baby bunny.

This is one of my all time favorite flowers. Around here they call it a "Yellow Bird of Paradise". I wrote about the fight I had with its fuzz in a previous post.

This is a close up of one of the buds bursting out.

Everything is turning yellow around here. I'm not sure the name of this flower. It was a weed I nurtured. Between this guy, the Desert Marigolds, and the Yellow Birds of Paradise, I now have a palette of plenty of purples and yellows. All the red and Orange blossoms will be popping out a little later this spring. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Skywatch Friday: Desperately Seeking Shade

2009-03-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just discovered "Skywatch Friday". I have been following a very entertaining trail of nature and photo blogs in the early mornings before the crack of dawn. I'm a big fan of backyard naturalists, and nature lovers in general. I love sneaking in enough time to visit a few of these sites as often as possible. I used to be a pretty regular participant in "Illustration Friday", yet these days I've had a little too much on my plate to post on a regular basis. However it is really interesting finding little connections along the way. As I navigate around nature blogs, I'll find a blogger who's site I've visited many times through "Illustration Friday". The then after doing some poking around in a new site I discovered called "Skywatch "Friday", I found a bunch of posters from my list of nature blogs and favorite Illo Fri blogs. What a small world eh? I'm enjoying this, but I highly doubt I'll ever twitter. So I decided to jump on the old bandwagon and submit a few shots for "Skywatch Friday", which is a great blog showcasing hundreds of posts each week of beautiful sky's across our globe. The shot above looks like a Mackerel Sky, or a Buttermilk sky. Perhaps its just a low fat Buttermilk sky. The shot below is of a deluge From last Autumn. I'm so anxious for the Monsoon season to get underway again!

Today I discovered the value of "Shade Grown Coffee". In a article from a blog I visited this morning. I guess they have developed a new strain of coffee that is not dependent on shade to thrive. The shade trees used for growing coffee, provide a much needed habitat for many species of birds and other wild life. Now they have been destroying the delicate habitat to plow out fields for the new strains of coffee. If you would like to check out the article over at "Birding witn Kenn and Kim" its called "Kens Totally Caffeinated adventure". At the bottom of the article there is a link to a source of "bird safe coffee". Now if someone asks me how I like my coffee, I may reply by saying...
Made in the Shade,
Organic and free trade.

Harris Hawk Aloft

2009-03-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today I made my maiden voyage to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It was a breathtaking stroll through all of the plants, animals, and exhibits. They have a raptor exhibit that is quite exciting and informative. The Museum is supported mostly by a large crew of dedicated volunteers. Shortly after my buddies and I arrived, the scheduled Raptor show was getting underway. Today was Harris Hawk day. The volunteers cast the Raptors to the sky and narrate as the Hawks play out their hunting and social behaviors. One flew down so close to my head that I felt his feathers graze my ear. It was rather exhilarating!

After spending about four hours exploring the museum, I realized that I would be needing to make another trip out that way again soon. There is just too much beauty to take in in only one day.

This Hawk takes a low pass. I have a whole bunch of great shots from the Museum, and as soon as I get them processed, I'll post more.

A couple of Goldfinches stopped in for a sip the other day.

I was surprised this afternoon when I found this shot of a Cardinal coming in for a landing at the top of the waterfall.
Thanks for visiting, glad you stopped by.

Purple and Green Spring

2009-03-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

Boy howdy! Sometimes I just can't fathom the depth of my occasional dorkitude. I've been getting all giddy because my Yellow Bird of Paradise bushes are getting ready to bloom. However a few weeks ago, noticed an unusual red growth smothering the stems and spreading out up upon the buds. I beat feet down to the local nursery and bought a rather expensive organic pest potion. I was all over the net trying to research theses little buggers. I looked up fungi, I looked up aphids, I looked up mites and I looked up scale. Much to my chagrin, I could not identify the anomoly. So I finally decided to check out close up shots of the blossoms and buds of this plant on the net, and that was when i discovered that the growth is actually part of the plant. Funny little red beard ya got there! I'm a dork.

The Verbena is always anxious to bloom early in spring.

The Texas Laurel is just about in full bloom too. This is one tree of mine that I really wished that the blossoms would linger longer.

The Ocotillo is bustin out nicely.

Here is a close up of the Occotillo Leaves.

The potato Bush really exploded almost all at once. I think it was in a blooming race with the Verbena.

The snow devistated my large Cape Honeysuckle. It was the favorite of all of the Hummingbird visitors. I decided to leave all of the old wood in tact, for the little sparrows and finches. Its just a few feet from the pond and they like to use it to bounce back and forth from between the pond.
I got some footage of a handfull of birds pirched up in it. If you want to check it out its in the "Roadrunner Morning" video.

Yee Gads! Someones built a little condo in the Verbina. I'll have to get a shot of the eight legged arachnid sometime.

Sonoran Snow Day

2009-02-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to a beautiful desert blanketed in snow.

So I took a few shots.

It was absolutely beautiful! I took a whole bunch of shots, and I still have a bunch to edit. If you would like to see the ones I posted so far they are over here. If you want to see a little larger version here, just click on the images in this post. Thanks for visiting!

Roadrunner Morning

2009-01-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Roadrunner Morning from Valerie Smith on Vimeo.

The other morning was so pretty after a night of rains. I was out snapping some shots when a Roadrunner came down to the pond for a sip. I was delighted that he was happy to stick around and pose for a while. Not too long ago I also finally taped some video of the Coopers Hawk made famous in a few of my earlier posts. I had a few minutes of other footage taken since the freeze, and decided to put it all together and add an old chord progression I came up with way back when. I hope you enjoy the video. Also, for some reason or another, I just discovered that I cannot view the video's in Internet Explorer, so if that is all you have, my apologies. I know they work in Firefox and Opera. Thanks for stopping in. I posted a new background image for the blog, let me know if ya love it or ya hate it.

Raptor on Saguaro

2009-01-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

Early this morning a rather large Hawk perched himself up atop the Saguaro across the wash. I'm glad he stuck around long enough for me to get a few minutes of video of him. Its times like these that I pine for a HD camcorder with an awesome telephoto lens.

Lucky Dove

2008-12-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well we are certainly having a bit of a white day after Christmas! I was out shooting this Sonoran flurry, when a dove flew by and nearly got nailed by Henery. So I guess you can say that this is that Doves lucky day. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Raptor Trio

2008-12-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've seen Henery the Coopers Hawk. He used to be a daily feature in the yard. As a matter of fact the Dove population seems to have diminished considerably as well. Must have something to do with the new trio that has moved into the area. I saw three of these large Raptors soaring overhead and managed to get off a few shots. I'm not exactly positive what species they are. In fact I'm not really sure if they are Falcons or Hawks. I've spotted them up close and their outer feathers are a light golden brown. I'll see about getting them identified. They may be Ferruginious Hawks. I'll update the post when I find out.

Bull Snake

2008-11-20T21:06:00.001-08:00

This is one handsome Bull snake. After a long hike in the Saguro Park this morning, we spotted this guy lolly gagging in the middle of the road. We stopped so I could get out and chase him off of the road so he wouldn't get squashed. Probably a good idea given the speed at which the driver in the pickup behind us was barreling through the park.

Woody and Henery

2008-11-13T09:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I managed to get a shot of Henery from the front.

This morning I made a little Anim from some Woodpecker shots I took a couple of days ago.

Roadrunner

2008-11-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Beep Beep! Its been a while since I've posted any new shots on my blog. All of the plants around the pond have really exploded with color this time of year. The Hummingbirds and Butterflies are really out in force. This season has also been great for watching the migratory birds visit for a sip on their journey. This morning I saw a rather large Roadrunner stop by so I snapped a photo of him.

A little Animation Test

2008-10-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

A Little Abstract Anim from Valerie Smith on Vimeo.

My poor hard drive took a dump, and it has been a full time job reloading software, and struggling to get everything working right again....wheeeeeuuuh! I needed to test out things like my quicktime, flash, conversion codecs and and all that stuff. So I created this little anim to try everything out again. I'm still wresteling with some audio problems, and can't wait to resolve those issues.

Katydid What!

2008-09-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hmmm..... twig?

Guess not.

We sure get some of the coolest insects around here. Click the above image to see the bigger view.

Katie did what! Good job Katie, keep asking the important questions. This Katydid thinks you should have the bitch slapped the lunatic from Wasilla.

This young dove is recovering from a nasty window collision. You should see my windows now, they are totally covered in "post its". I'm researching UV reflective window coverings, to keep these guys from flying into the windows.

Giant Agave Bug

2008-09-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

A cool looking bug eh? He's pretty big too. I'd say he is about two and a half inches from top to bottom. I found this site over here that helped me identify him. Now with a name like "Giant Agave Bug", it may be safe to assume he is a native species.

Is That You Charlie?

2008-09-23T09:41:00.001-07:00

For a minute there I thought this was Charlie, one of the stars of the first video posted on my blog. Then after getting a closer look at him it seems this may not be the case. I don't know how long it takes a Desert Spiny Lizard to regrow a tail after its loss, and this guy appears to be doing just that. It has been a couple of months since I taped Charlie wooing a female (with his original tail in tact). Who knows? Is that you Charlie?

Hello Henery!

2008-09-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

Henery Hawk has returned this morning. He seems to be getting a bit braver each day. This morning he came all the way down to the waters edge on the pond.

I'm glad he's enjoying the hospitality, and the "Doves Du Jour".

"Hey Henery! , while your in there why don't you dine on Jeremiah!" That would certainly resolve the problem discussed in my previous post. Unfortunately I've only seen Jeremiah out in the daylight hours once. Hmmm maybe I can pray to the Owl Gods to take care of Jeremiah.

Ribbet Ribbet

2008-09-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just went outside and my darling amphibian decided to ham it up for a nice photo.
I've looked all around to figure out what this guy is, and the closest I can come up with to identify him is an American Bullfrog. So I guess I'll just call him "Jeremiah" for now.
*Update* Upon discovering that this critter is a North American Bullfrog, I decided to do some more poking around and discovered that this guy is no friend indeed. I spoke with a Research Ecologist for the USGS Sonoran Desert Research Station named Cecil Schwalbe of the Southwest Biological Science Center, who helped me properly identify the frog. I learned that this species is extremely invasive, and poses an enormous threat to many of the indigenous species. One of the species endangered by this marauder is the Lowland Leopard Frog. I have a very difficult time killing animals, so I've put a call out to the Arizona Game and Fish Dept., and someone should be contacting me soon. I'm wondering though, as much as I hate to kill anything, is there really much difference between being a coward and having someone else do it, to doing the deed my self? Perhaps I should "Cowgirl Up", keep a stiff upper lip, and put my shovel to good use. Then hop online and look up some tasty frogs legs recipies. Who knows perhaps just a little of salt, pepper, butter and garlic, may wash away the guilt.

The Raptors Return

2008-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

The day before yesterday my heart stopped when this guy dropped out of the sky like a bolt of lightning and picked off a dove. My adrenaline started pumping like crazy. Sure would have been nice to have the camcorder running at the time of the kill. It happened so fast that I was only able to notice that he had a striped tail. I could not identify other features to describe him (or her).

He swooped down this afternoon, but was not as lucky as the other day. I was extremely grateful that he stuck around long enough today for me to snap a couple of pics. I wish I knew what species he is. I've done a little poking around on the net, but I've yet to find one with a tail as long as this one is sporting. As soon as I find out what he is, I'll update this post.
*Update* Well I believe I may have identified the Hawk. My friend Sierra mentioned that its possibly a "Coopers Hawk". Some refer to this species as a "Chicken Hawk", yet in my yard, I may as well refer to him as a "Dove Hawk". After poking around on the internet, I've found that this seems to be the case. One of the Photo's I found that resembles this critter the most, is over here at the Stanislaus Audubon Societie's web page. then I was fortunate enough to find a nice audio description of the predatory habits of this bird from this "birdnote" website. Here is a sample, so click on the play button below, and enjoy!

Waterfall Party

2008-09-16T17:00:00.001-07:00

Seems there was a bit of a party going on at the Waterfall today. Check out the Quail behind the rock peering over at the finches.

Loco Cuckoo!

2008-09-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what the heck this was, so I peeked around on the net. I think it's called a "Cuckoo Wasp". I'm going to call it a "Loco Cuckoo". I was replacing some of the pavers on my patio, and no matter how much my tamper handle was bouncing up and down, this little guy tenaciously kept trying to land on the handle. I don't know why this guy was so in love with my tamper handle, but I'm just glad he chose to fall in love with my tool rather than my body. I love his emerald metallic body.

Crouching Catepillar Hidden Spider

2008-09-08T12:10:00.001-07:00

Check out this Catepillar's cool markings. They look like eyes staring at you.

Here is the full Monty. This guy is actually pretty darn large. I'd say nearly three and a half inches.

This Spider was hanging out right next to the Catepillar. I didn't even notice the spider until I moved in for a closer shot of the Catepillar.

Juvenile Quail

2008-09-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well I guess I cannot call them quail chicks anymore. Oh they grow up so fast! Sometimes I wonder which one of those darling little chicks I filmed has blossomed into this Juvenile .

New Pond Video

2008-08-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Pond from Valerie Smith on Vimeo.

The video above is a great way to meet most the critters that stop in to visit my pond for a sip. I managed to pack more species into this video than any of the others. Yet some of the other videos have a few species that are not in this clip.There are some shots of a very amorous Blue Belly lizard chasing a date. Sit back relax and turn up the speakers. I chose to edit the clips to the song "Spanish Eyes" by Al Di Meola off of his Splendido Hotel Album, because its always been one of my favorite tunes. The music seems to fit the beat of the birds rhythm. I've also always been in awe of Al Di Meola's guitar playing.

This shot is a close up of a weed I let grow in the yard. The blossoms on this pest are beautiful.

I snapped this shot the morning after a heavy rain. Looks like the lizard held his own against the deluge.

Barrel Cactus blossoms are so pretty.

This is a cool looking grasshopper. Oh no! watch out for Locusts!

First Morning Below

2008-08-18T08:52:00.001-07:00

This little guy just left the nest for the first time. He's kicking off his independence by lounging on my patio chair.

Red Dragon

2008-08-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

This Dragonfly was hanging out up on the Ocotillo this morning, and doing touch and go's. I had my camcorder out and was filming him doing his little dance. Then I decided to grab my still camere and see just how close he would allow me to approach for a shot. He hung out long enough for me to snap this shot. Click on the shot for its enlarged version.

Stoned Lizard Makes a Friend

2008-08-17T08:24:00.001-07:00

I'm in the process of creating a stone lizard to create a transition between the new gold gravel and the old redish gravel. I still need to find some long thin black rocks for his fingers and toes, and some larger black river rocks to replace the lighter ones in his tail. He's looking pretty good so far. As a matter of fact if you look a little closer you'll notice he's already made a friend. I uploaded the above shot at a larger scale, so if you click on the shot you can get a better peek.

Here is a closer view of his new buddy.

*Update*... He's finally done! I finished his tail, and gave him better fingers and toes this morning. I uploaded this shot real large as well, so just click for the full size image.

Snakes Alive!

2008-08-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Its been an awful long time since I've posted anything here. I've been pretty busy with some other projects. I was working on a rough draft for a logo design just a little while ago, when this guy slithered by my slider. I decided to follow him around the side yard and try to get off a nice shot. I'm pretty happy to have this Gopher Snake patrolling the yard to keep the rodents from getting too cozy around here.

I decided to post the image a little larger than most of the rest. If you click on the picture you can view its larger image. I'll be posting some other new images soon.

Enough!

2008-07-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

This weeks Illustration Friday topic is " Enough". I was inspired to do the Tadpole illustration, because this morning the Toads living in the pond, simply could not get "enough" of each other. As you can see in the next image below.

All right you guys "enough" already! They spent "enough" time together to lay "enough" eggs to spread throughout the pond.

Here is a picture of the eggs the female layed. Is the shot taken up close "enough"? It wont be long before we hear the splisher and splasher of little fins frolicking in the pond.

I zoomed in "enough" on this mini cactus blossom to make it look huge. Hope you like it.

The quail chicks are getting brave "enough" to come right up to my bedroom window. This picture was taken only a few feet away from these guys. I'm glad they wander on to the porch where they eat "enough" bugs and ants to keep me happy "enough". Had enough? Snuffs snuff!

*Update*... It only took one day for the eggs to hatch and out popped the little Tadpoles!

I thought I'd throw in this shot with dew on a Lily.

Finch Kaleidoscope

2008-07-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a little looping anim I created to experiment with uploading Hi Def anims to Vimeo. They have received many requests from users who would like to embed the Hi Def movies to their sires and blogs. Until they ad this feature, my video's posted here will be viewable in regular resolutions.

Gomez and the Chick Overboard

2008-07-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

I don't usually give any of my plants names, but for some reason I decided to name my Chilopsis "Gomez". Gomez almost didn't make it because he's still in a big pot, and the first spot I parked him in had way too much direct sunlight throughout the day. His leaves yellowed and developed brown spots. I moved him under the patio where he enjoys the shade much more. I'm glad he's happy and blooming again.

On a sad note however, another Dove chick got tossed from the nest. That last time this happened, I tried putting it back in the nest, but it still kept getting kicked out. This time I'll just blow him a kiss and let nature take its course.

Froggie Goes a Courting

2008-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is a colored version of a page in a coloring book I designed a few years back. It ties in pretty well with the rest of this amphibious post.

A little while back I began to wonder who was coming to visit my pond after dark. I stepped out on the patio tonight and heard this very bizaare noise coming from over by the pond. It almost sounded like a distressed house cat.

Turns out it was these frogs raising a ruckus. It was too dark for the cam corder to capture video, yet I decided to have a go at it anyway so I could capture the audio. As soon as I can get that processed I'll get it posted. I decided to try the shot with my still camera to see if they would be visible with the flash. I thought there was only one frog in the pond, but when I uploaded the shots I was delighted to see there was two. As nifty as these little guys are, they are creating quite the din. My house is very well insulated with double pane windows, and the sound is still crashing its way in.

I wanted to post this selection from the photo above because he looks pretty cool closer up.
Hear the Frogs here.....

Roadrunner

2008-07-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Roadrunner

This guy came by for a wet one the other day. No fancy editing on this clip. I still need to edit the brightness and contrast a little better.

Monsoons, Toads, and Tweets

2008-06-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

First Monsoon in June .

Well the Monsoons finally arrived. I shot this video yesterday from my back patio. The storm pulled in and released all of its fury. The Distillery fire was closing in fast and had already consumed thousands of acres. I was able to see the flames threatening Rincon Peak as they charred their way up over the ridge just a few miles from here. I have to admit it was starting to get a little scary. Then yesterday morning I awoke to discover that the fire was still heading this way. Thanks to all of the hotshots that have set up camp here in Vail, and the storm that dumped a deluge of rain, the fire is no longer a threat to Vail.

This morning I headed out side to do some weeding. It's a piece of cake weeding after a good soaker, otherwise the dirt is like cement and the weeds are nearly impossible to pull out. After about an hour and a half all the wild birds started barking at me. I guess they were getting thirsty and were not real happy with me being out there. I sat down for a break and noticed this beautiful yellow bird sitting in my Palm. I have noticed a handful of new species coming around, and I cant help to wonder if they are refugees from the fires.

I spotted this Horny Toad, and was ever so pleased that he stuck around long enough for me to get a good shot. Aint he sweet!? I also came face to face this morning with a Colorado Bullfrog. He managed to hop off before I returned with my camera. I got a shot of him last year though...he's over here

Here is a peek at the gorgeous skyscape from dusk last night.
Thanks for visiting my blog!

Hot Quail Chicks

2008-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday's topic is "fierce". I doubt if there are too many varmints out there that a Quail chick would find a much fiercer than a big Raptor. Thanks for stopping in and visiting my new blog. I started this space to take some of the load off of "once upon a dolphin". I posted a new video (below) it turned pretty good. I got some decent footage of a hummingbird, roadrunner, and a few new species. If you get a chance to check it out, that would be great. Its only two minutes and some change. I'm concerned about stuttering. So any feedback in that department would be so greatly appreciated.

Delivered as promised. Here is more adorable quail chicks! The video is titled "Hot Quail Chicks", because it has been a scorcher these days. Its been getting up around 110 deg. in the afternoons. About a week ago I had to drain the pond for a few days to let the algae and other scumish stuff dry out. I was worried about loosing fledglings to the man made drought, so I set up a couple of temporary ponds next to it, by simply using large garbage bags and gravel.

This is the last shot
I took of the Lily bud.
This one was shot
yesterday morning.

A lovely suprise. The first of many blossoms to come.

Daylily at Daybreak

2008-06-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Looks like my Daylily's are just aching to burst. The shot below was taken yesterday morning,and the shot to the right was taken early this morning. I cant wait to see the blossoms. The Monsoons started revving up their engines yesterday afternoon. We got a little bit of action yesterday. Saw my first thunderbolt of the season. My Parrot was barking back at the Thunder. We didn't see to much rain though in my neighborhood. I managed to get some great footage of a hummingbird coming in for a landing and a sip this morning. As soon as I get a few more chores done, I may go through some of the footage.

An Awesome Crab Spider

2008-06-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided to pull some shots from my other blog and post them up here. This is the new home for goodies filmed and photographed around the yard. I'm excited about all of the new critters I've filmed out by the pond in the last few weeks. Unfortunately my hard drive and all of its storage is just about used up. I'm going to head into town and shop for a new external hard drive next week. I get the jitters a little bit now and then about loosing data. So I'm feeling a tad more comfortable about having all of the bird footage filmed on digital tape. Now that I've started getting my feet wet with video editing, I've been pining for a nice high def camcorder.

Dragonfly's have been starting to buzz the yard. I haven't captured ant on tape yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. The Dragonfly posted here is from my illustration portfolio.

It will not be long now before Monsoon season comes barreling down on us. This last week the temps have been reaching up to nearly 110 deg. This dry desert could sure use a good rainfall her and there. This rainbow was shot from my yard some time late last summer.

A Handful of Shots

2008-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to dig back into some of the shots I posted on flicker. The one above is a blossom from a shrub in the front yard. Its called a "Bird of Paradise" (not to be confused with the tropical variety). I absolutely love the flowers on these.

This is a spectacular sunset from last summer.

Beep Beep! Guess who!? Yeah, this Roadrunner is shopping for some new high tech "Acme" supplies.

Do you think this stick bug has a clue he's being watched?

For some odd reason blogger is not resizing these shots very well. I need to edit their size to get rid if the jaggies. In the meantime you can just click on any of the images to see the original clearer version.

The Birth of the Refuge

2008-06-19T20:13:00.001-07:00

This is how my backyard looked around the time I moved in. I wanted to add a bit more interest and perhaps a nice place for the wildlife to stop in for a visit. Palm trees are not really native to the Sonoran desert, so I gave them away.

I got a huge load of recycled concrete chunks from a neighbor who was putting in a new driveway. Then I dry stacked them to form a small retaining wall.

I back filled the wall and bought a nice recycled Agave from a friend who owns "Wild Desert Nursery". She ventures out into the desert to rescue native Cacti prior to developers breaking ground on new housing projects etc.

I wasn't really sure what to do with the gaping hole left behind after the Palm trees were hauled. I was torn between putting in a sunken BBQ pit, or a little waterfall and pond.

I believe the Quail that come to visit in the morning and sip upon the cool water, are grateful for my decision.
You can click on any of the images if you care to see the enlarged view. Thanks for visiting.

New Nest

2008-06-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

I usually leave home and arrive through my garage. So I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted a nest in the beams of my front porch.

My Feathered Friends

2008-06-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

My Feathered friends part 3

My Feathered Friends part 2

Here is a couple of new clips I put together while trying out Sony Vegas . I've grown so addicted to filming all of the visitors to my pond. Hope you love birds and bunnies! Since completing these videos, I've managed to film even more species. I taped a big Boat Tailed Grackle, and a Roadrunner (beep beep). So I guess a new video will be forthcoming soon.

"Post its" to the Rescue

2008-06-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started off on a very sad note. One of the young Dove's playing in the backyard was startled by something. It took off in a flash directly towards my window, and hit real hard. The scene was not very pretty. This was the second casualty in the recent weeks since the sun has been reflecting more on the north side of the house. I was broken hearted. I started racking my brain trying to figure out a swift method to put an end to the carnage. I thought about stringing some crystal beads, but realized that would take way too long. This morning I had a bit of a brainstorm for a quick fix. I grabbed a pile of post its, and painted one side with dots of glittery nail polish. I slapped up a few here and there. It will work for now, but I need to experiment around with similar fixes that do not look so goofy.

I decided that rather than burying the little guy, I'd toss him over the rail. His luck ran out, yet I doubt that the Buzzard who had him for brunch was too bummed.

I've been slacking in the still image department, as I've been spending a good chunk of my spare time taking videos of the visitors to the pond. So I thought I'd add the shot above. I love when the Cardinals come to visit. Especially in the late afternoons when their red feathers become iridescent.

One of my tiny cacti decided to pop out some beautiful
magenta buds. I got this shot not too long after sunrise.
I decided to check back in an hour or two, to see how much
the blossoms had opened up.

Peek a boo! Come on Bee's! The clocks ticking. Get em while they are fresh.

Dang varmints! The Bunnies have been wreaking total havoc on my yard. Wouldn't it be lovely if all they ate was weeds? How do you get mad a cute little critter like that.
Well heads up silly rabbits, as soon as this heat wave subsides a tad, I'm spraying my new repellent. I doubt if you have much of a desire for garlic and chili.

Ooooh! Check out this guy coming in for a landing.

Here is a brilliant red bird. He must be some sort of finch. I'll have to get back with you on that.
Thanks for visiting!