Boolie

Backyard Beauty

Both of our backyard tarantulas emerged from their winter slumber last month though one completely sealed off her entrance again and this one I haven’t seen in a few days, though perhaps I’ve just missed her. She didn’t retreat to her hole one night a week ago when I let Bear out to go to the bathroom, so I grabbed my camera and she sat still for the 2.5 second exposure (sitting still is what she does most of the night).

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 31, 2024

The Joy of the Familiar

While I enjoy scenic views my favorite part of hiking is seeing animals and plants, so I love visiting trails over and over and over and over and seeing friends both new and familiar. On this occasion a Scott’s oriole singing atop the flower buds of a saguaro, I had seen it in the area on previous hikes. Nothing exotic about the location, I’m standing on the path between the parking lot and the trailhead structure. But what beauty there was to be seen!

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 29, 2024

A Rock and a Hard Place

A sleeping chuckwalla is happy to be stuck between a rock and a hard place on a warm spring afternoon. It was a beautiful crevice, deep enough to provide protection from the hawks and owls living nearby with hungry mouths to feed. It’s a bit humbling to see for someone who has trouble sleeping even curled up and comfy in bed.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 28, 2024

I’d Like to Check On My Order, Please

It’s the Lobster Thermidor topped with Greenies? Name is Boo with two o’s …

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony-Zeiss 24mm f/1.8
🗓️: January 18, 2024

Built-in Back-Scratchers

I was doing some macro photography of prickly pear paddles when I noticed a buck in the desert scrub behind me. It slowly approached as it grazed, then crossed the trail and continued further south. After I finished the shots he was still in sight and clearly comfortable with me so I sidled down the trail with my telephoto setup, finding a location where I could surround the fine fellow with the desert plants for context. I love watching animals preen, especially those without hands, he was using his teeth though he did have some nice built-in back-scratchers at his disposal. I had trouble getting the focus to lock and most shots were blurry, it was the kick in the pants I needed to order the A6700.

📷: Sony A6600 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: November 16, 2023

The Courtship Ritual

We came across this roadrunner with a dead zebra-tailed lizard in its mouth and hung back so as not to scare it off its meal. Instead of eating it though it repeatedly made long calls, I assume a courtship ritual and Bear and I were both rather flattered. Eventually it crossed over and started again from a more distant perch, at which point I felt we could continue on without disturbing it.

The desert is full of surprises.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: April 20, 2024

Not a Junkyard Dog

“Not a Junkyard Dog”

This old tank covered in graffiti is my favorite reminder this once was not preserved parkland. I think Bear was watching some hikers over on the Whiskey Bottle Trail, he’s generally not one for looking in the camera and that’s OK. Most of the park is lush with plants and animals and doesn’t resemble the entrance to a junkyard but I do enjoy photographing the tank whenever we’re in the area.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 6, 2024

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