Life in the Desert

rattle snakes ~the green mojave rattle snake

rATTLE sNAKE rATTLER, originally uploaded by majamom.

A much more "comfortable" viewpoint of the rattle snakes infamous rattler

rattle snake- green mojave rattle snake-yikes!

rATTLE sNAKE rATTLER, originally uploaded by majamom.

Otherwise known as the "Mojave Green",this rattlesnake is propagates in large numbers in the Joshua Tree area of the Mojave Desert
It has the most lethal venom of all rattlesnakes in North America.

I will never forget "my close encounter with this poisenous snake" two sumers ago and hope that they remain cameflouged and to themselves all of my desert days.

good morning Mr Quail

good morning Mr Quail, originally uploaded by majamom.

I am afraid my fall from the tree 3 weeks ago led to the demise of my 300mm lens for my good Olympus =(
This was taken with my handy dandy Canon S5 I S- nick named by me MR MACRO, as it takes the most divine macro shots.
Our Gambel's Quail have grown greatly in number,due in part to the next door ranch land that is lovingly cared for and completely fenced in. The owners can only come on weekends,so I see it as a perfect sanctuary for many of our desert animal friends. They also have several elaborate vegetable gardens,which attract the animals , providing safe food,nesting grounds etc. Last year we did not see any off spring until late July. It will be interesting to see when those little walnuts with legs appear this summer

joshua tree national park candy cane

joshua tree national park candy cane, originally uploaded by majamom.

alright those photos are just TOO SMALL!
Here is one of my favorite wild growing wonders of the Mojave Desert! I call them desert candy canes. Sadly I do not know their official and proper name,but that does not bother my complete fascination withe incredible details, textures, and divinity that lay within each one of these.

joshua tree national park blackrock canyon

joshua tree national park blackrock canyon, originally uploaded by majamom.

I DO apologize for the smaller photo size,but with my dial up connection out here in the land of sand it takes forever to upload full sizes. I know many of you share my fascination with the MACRO view from your camera lens. The gardens of dry grass and wild flowers are heaven when capturing the smallest little dried bloom only to find an entire world living right there.

joshua tree national park blackrock canyon

joshua tree national park blackrock canyon, originally uploaded by majamom.

the desert Wild Fire season has been delayed thanks to some wonderful, unexplainable weather pattern that has filled the Mojave desert with Spring like temperatures.
THe wishful thinker in me is hoping that the effect of global warming on our desert is that it will now be cooler! Oh, I know this makes no logical sense; however no one has an explanation for historically LOW June Temperatures-NOT that i require one to enjoy every blessed day of them.
This is in Black Rock canyon where we took a leisurely hike last weekend. I married my Beloved just a stones throw from here some 16 yrs ago. I was rather amazed at my visual memory, despite the long passage of time and the obvious changes and growth that occur in a decade and a half.

still shining a week later

desert beauty, originally uploaded by majamom.

cactus wren siblings-getting crowded in here!

cactus wren siblings-getting crowded in here!, originally uploaded by majamom.

It has been a blissfully cloud covered 2 days here in the Mojave desert.
As a middle aged Mama who can no long " DO THE HEAT"
Days such as these are a real gift.
Our Baby Wrens are growing at an amazing pace as you can see here.
I found some wonderful gifts for Fathers Day here
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=56273
Working along at a snails pace on my new Etsy Photography shop
that will behold 100% ECO FRIENDLY Fine art photography Prints!
I So need to move to Northern California, or Portland or Seattle!

baby cactus wren~happy Monday

baby cactus wren~happy Monday, originally uploaded by majamom.

and here is one of three adorable cactus wren peeps this afternoon.
They are already big enough to stick their heads out of the crest of the nest!

cute baby Cactus Wren~" Its you AGAIN?!"

cute baby Cactus Wren~" Its you AGAIN?!", originally uploaded by majamom.

Here are the little Cactus Wren Peeps -taken yesterday

the remains of the fall from the ladder

the remains of the fall from the ladder, originally uploaded by majamom.

Here I am a week later after my most unexpected fall whilst attempting to photograph the above precious Cactus Wren Babies.
Lessons learned
~its not nice to fool with mother nature!
~standing on top of a ladder brings a much worse outcome then walking underneath one
~wait until your photography assistant gets home before attempting any climbing moves on a ladder or any other devices that is more then six inches off the ground
Finally, newborn Cactus Wrens double in size in 7 days!