
Ripe Olives — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“Happiness is having three garlic and jalapeno stuffed olives
in your martini when you are hungry.”
— kenne
Ripe Olives — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— kenne
Mourning Dove In The Olive Tree — Image by kenne
— kenne
Greater Roadrunner In Patio Olive Tree — Image by kenne
As if to welcome us back, this roadrunner was in the olive tree on our patio. Nice to see you, my friend.
— kenne
Photo Postcards Created by kenne
(Click on any of the images to see larger view in a slideshow format.)
105 Degrees In The Shade — Images by kenne
— kenne
Ornate Tree Lizard on Olive Tree — Image by kenne
— kenne
Catalina Sunset — Images by kenne
— kenne
“His beauty shall be as the olive tree.”
[Hosea 14:6, KJV]
Cooper’s Hawk — Image by kenne
It is not unusual to see cooper’s hawks here in the Sonoran Desert, even in my neighborhood. The Tucson area has one of the most dense populations to be found anywhere. Usually nesting in riparian areas, they are not always that easy to photograph. Because of their amazing flying ability, I usually see them flying low to the ground, through and between trees. The water fountain under the olive tree on our patio sometimes attracts a Copper’s hawk, not because of the water, but because of the smaller birds attracted to the water — they are a deadly bird-predator. This time I happen to have my camera near the patio door, making this image possible.
kenne
Cooper’s Hawk (with apologies to Wordsworth)
by Michael Konik
Regal, as if touched by royalty, you light upon the wire,
Surveying the buffet of opportunity below, where we
Who cannot soar, cannot glide, forlornly aspire
To shed our earthly shackles and be free.
You cannot be called a kind and caring raptor,
A patient pedant, with heart o’erflowing with generosity.
Your icy mission is starkly clear: to be a heartless captor
That kills and disembowels without pause for ruminant philosophy.
Yet we who walk upon the land, prisoners of gravity
Observe your single-mindedness with grudging admiration.
We see not a murderer swimming in a sea of depravity
But a champion inspiring our solemn approbation.
Greater Roadrunner On The Patio — Images by kenne
I was sitting on the patio when this guy jumped up on the wall, about eight feet from me and started making talking noise, so I began making a similar noise back. He was looking at the water fountain to his left and the olive tree to his right, which is the home of tree lizards. These attractions seemed to neutralize my present. Even so, he continued to talk — maybe he was fussing!
I think he was telling me to leave, while I was wishing I had my camera. Assuming he would not be there if I went for the camera, I still took a chance and went inside.
To my surprise, he was still there when I returned — even more surprised as I moved in closer than I had been when he first appeared. The conversation continued as I clicked away.
One of the characteristics of these birds is that of having a mind of their own — sometimes their behavior is very unpredictable, making them fun to watch and even more so if they carry-on a conversation.
In a few minutes he ran on without a lizard or getting water.
kenne