Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XIV

Peruvian Cactus produce lovely blossoms. Like Prickly Pear Cactus they grow like weeds. They have a tall unbranched column which reaches about 3 or 4 feet and then falls over. Within a few weeks lots of new columns begin all along the column that fell. The blossoms are quite large -- 6 or 7 inches. They bloom at night and don't last more than a few hours of daylight.

Here are some photos from today:

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XIII

Continuing with recent photos taken at The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast. We typically see snakes during the spring and summer so now is the time.


The first two are the most frequently seen snakes here at The Azure Gate:

Desert Kingsnake

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Here are two we don't see quite as often:

Sonoran Gopher Snake

Sonoran Shovel-nose Snake

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XII

As many of you know, we have had to close temporarily for travelers due to the pandemic. We have had some members of our family here, including our two grandchildren for a few days. And while we are "staying at home" as per the guidelines, it doesn't mean we aren't seeing wildlife.

In the past 24 hours we've seen: a Bobcat, 5 Mule Deer, 4 Javelinas, a Coyote, a Desert Kingsnake, 2 Jackrabbits, a Tarantula, many lizards and birds, including a Roadrunner and our resident Cooper's Hawk that is sitting in one of our bird baths as I type this.

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Now on to Today's Post:

Our most frequent hawk is the Cooper's Hawk seen on a daily basis. Every few days a Sharp-shinned Hawk drops by for a drink and/or meal.

Here are a couple of Sharp-shinned photos taken since the pandemic began in March.

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XI

Over the 18 years we have lived and operated The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast I have taken a great many photos here. Sometimes I get so focused on the "wildlife" that I forget to take a photo of its natural beauty.

Here are a couple of recent landscape photos:

Saguaro just at dusk with Moon and Star

Saguaro Sunset

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast: Part X

Continuing with Wildlife Photos taken at The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast since the Pandemic started:

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Roadrunner

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part IX

More recent photos from The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast:

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

Pyrrhuloxia

Pyrrhuloxia

Phainopepla Female Singing

Phainopepla Female

Phainopepla Male

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part VIII

The Mule deer have been coming around more the past couple of months. They make a long stop at our water bowls to get a drink.

A couple of weeks ago there were five that came around, usually it's just one.

Here are some photos: