Settling In

The long hiatus from posting here can be attributed to the pure exhaustion of packing up everything one owns and then unpacking it all again within a very short time frame. The rewards, however, are great. It was a smooth move, really, and we had the most perfect weather. Our first morning we woke up to sunrise over the Dragoons.

It got even better after this. A pair of Great Horned Owls flew across the back of the house and landed on the roof where they engaged in quite a conversation. Then one of the owls flew down to the swimming pool and landed on one of the rocks where it sat for a good five minutes. Had I been able to locate a telephoto lens and flash, I might have gotten a photo but we just had to settle for a beautiful memory. Since then we’ve heard the owls calling in the evening along with a Common Poorwill.

The hummingbird feeders have been very popular with Black-chinned, Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds, all on their way to Mexico for the winter. I’ve noticed in the past few days fewer birds than last week when we saw as many as 8 at a time.

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)

We continue to be amazed at the scenic views we enjoy here. The west side of the house looks out at the distant Rincon Mountains and the foreground reminds me of the African savanna.

View to the West