Glendale – Page 2

Untitled.

Reptile rescue: The cat found a little playmate in a cool dark corner of the living room this morning. Captured, photographed, and released outdoors before the games got too rough.

Ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus), in Glendale, Arizona. This lizard was tiny, only about an inch long from snout to vent (2.5 cm).

Coffee break.

I’ll be attending to other important things (life) for a few weeks. Fresh posts will resume then.

Ciao!

Glamour shot.

First tomato, 2019. Glendale, Arizona.

Kestrel news: I returned from my Great Lakes trip just in time to see the baby kestrel fledge. I spotted Junior hiding in the Mexican bird of paradise bush in the back yard while his parents kept watch overhead.

Hopping and half-flying is demanding work for a young raptor. I caught him dozing after all his exertions in the bottom photo.

You can see more of my kestrel photos here.

Etymology note: Scientifically speaking, American kestrels are named Falco sparverius. Falco because they are superlative raptors, and sparverius because of their dietary affinity for small birds, like sparrows, though I think the bird carcass in the top photo is more likely the remains of a dove.