I wanted to share some of the stuff around my yard this summer so far...especially since I don't take many photos in the summer except vacations and indoor shots (who on earth wants to go outside shooting in 95 degree humid days or 90 degree bug-infested nights?). ; I did however get a chance to witness a little circle of life moment while feeding my blue jays in front of my house. I noticed our resident hawk arriving in the high treetops...this usually causes all birds and squirrels to go running for cover, but because he came in high over the trees from behind, they didn't seem to notice him. ; I ran inside to grab my camera and throw on the 200-500 lens - no time at all to change any settings, check for sensor dust...really do anything other than snap on the lens and turn it on. ; Just as I did, I saw the hawk dropping out of the trees towards a lone blue jay sitting on the ground feeding in the grass, unaware. ; I fired off some bursts - no time to boost ISO and get faster shutter speed, and due to the heavy shadow under the banyan trees, very little light. ; Still, I was able to get this sequence during about 40 shots taken. Here the hawk nabbed the blue jay as it tried to lift off, seeing the hawk coming far too late: Here, the hawk pinned the jay to the ground for the kill: And here, he flies off with his catch. ; Hey, it's a Disney moment...circle of life. ; Bambi's mom died! ; How bad can this be!!??: On a happier note, here are some backyard friends who weren't participating in the circle of life... Here's a happy living blue jay on my jacuzzi rail, waiting for a peanut: A little female cardinal, also seeing what food I may have: And here is a big new lizard taking up residence in my yard. ; He's not quite as big as our other resident lizards, the green iguanas...but at around 2-feet long, he ain't small either! ; This is known as a 'Knight Anole', native to Cuba but as with most other species around here, an invader who is thriving in Florida:
Was that a female cardinal or just a juvi? ; The females I've seen don't have much red in them. And I've seen a juvi cardinal that looks just like that before...
I'll take your 95 degree days and raise you. ; We've had almost 40 days of triple digit heat this year. ; Average: ; 12 (to date).
Ah yes...but in Austin, you definitely don't have our humidity! ; You guys couldn't be drier if you tried. ; Houston area can compete with us for humidity, and some of the southern gulf coast states...but absolutely nowhere else in the US can come close. ; And that's the part that hurts. ; As far as the cardinal...it may have been a juvenile...but our females around here do have about that level of red in them. ; The bodies are mostly grey, with orange and red highlights at the wingtips and head, and the red/orange beak. ; The males are vibrant red with black highlights: The one in the original post usually arrives with a male, and they stalk me from two sides so they each get their own peanut. ; Usually, the juvies are sitting right next to mom, screaming in their ear incessantly for food. ; So I assumed this was a female and they were a couple. ; But I suppose it could have been a juvie but old enough to start looking for its own food.
