Category: Birds

Looking for the Easter Bunny

A Harris' hawk perches on a saguaro on a cloudy spring afternoon on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 13, 2025. Original: _A678444.ARW

A week ago the temperature late in the day was predicted to be right on the border of where I won’t take Bear hiking, so I took him for a long neighborhood walk in the morning and went out by myself in the afternoon. I do enjoy being able to go slowly and soak in all the details of the desert but it makes me sad to hike without my buddy, so this was only the second time this year I went alone.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm+1.4X
🗓️: April 13, 2025

Subtle Hints

A great horned owl perches in a palo verde while a massive saguaro towers in the background in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on

I’ve seen a number of owls while walking Bear the past couple of years and have focused on taking environmental portraits to highlight how different their home is here compared to the other places I’ve lived. In this picture I used an extremely subtle hint to suggest this owl lives in the Sonoran Desert.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm + 1.4X
🗓️: May 11, 2024

5.1 Miles

A red-tailed hawk perches atop a large boulder formation on the Jane Rau Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 20, 2024. Original: _Z723444.NEF

Friday afternoon I took Bear into the desert, choosing an initial loop that wouldn’t take him too far in case he got tired. But his energy was high so I expanded the loop and added a short nature trail. At the end we were treated to this red-tailed hawk up on Bobcat Rocks (I saw a bobcat there once), having hiked 5.1 miles in total. I took him on an easy 3 mile jaunt in the neighborhood yesterday, not sure what we’ll do today.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: December 20, 2024