An Anna's hummingbird sits perched on a branch of nandina in my back yard. You only get to see the colors of the crown and throat when the bird faces towards you. index.html annas_hummingbird_0676 An Anna's hummingbird sits perched on a branch of nandina in my back yard. You only get to see the colors of the crown and throat when the bird faces towards you. index.html annas_hummingbird_0688 Among the amenities I provide for hummingbirds in my NWF certified backyard is this swing! Just kidding; it's actually a ring that suspends one of the hummingbird feeders, and this "big" little guy who thinks he owns it all discovered this was the best place of all to be to dive-bomb any other hummers that presumed to drink from "his" feeder. index.html hummingbird_on_swing An osprey watches keenly from the top of a high-voltage power pole. index.html high_voltage_osprey_1454_2 I like the message about the power of this osprey that can be taken from the "high voltage" sign on the pole on which it is sitting. Quite the message! index.html high_voltage_osprey_1482 A Western Rueppel's Vulture at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park index.html Western_Rueppels_Vulture_9977 A pink-backed pelican caught in a somewhat comical pose at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. index.html pink_backed_pelican_9745 Pink-backed pelican at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park index.html pink_backed_pelican_9778 This rather portly fellow was sitting on the back of a park bench in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. index.html squirrel_golden_gate_park_30 This squirrel often comes over the roof and then down the side of the house, then makes his way along the top of the fence to his hideout. Seems like he has something in his left paw. He can hang effortlessly like this for several minutes until he believes the coast is clear. index.html squirrel_on_side_of_house_9904 Gambelia wislizenii, the long-nosed leopard lizard, taken at Arches National Park, UT index.html long_nosed__leopard_lizard_9831 A Western whiptail lizard in Zion National Park, UT index.html whiptail_lizard__9588 A female sideblotch lizard taken at Zion National Park, UT index.html sideblotch_lizard_female_9800 Elgaria multicarinata, southern alligator lizard, sunning itself on my deck. index.html aligator_lizard_3884 Bluedicks flowering on the Angel's Landing trail in Zion National Park, UT index.html bluedicks_9688 Tight red globemallow flower buds are offset by a background of red rock and a dry piece of wood. index.html globemallow_flower_buds_9621 Yellow flowers with red streaks on the inside of the flower set apart the berry pricklypear, a member of the cactus family. index.html berry_pricklypear_5731 The vast expanse of the desert South-West and the big sky seen at Arches National Park, UT index.html arches_national_park_big_sky_landscap_9352 Yosemite National Park's iconic Half-Dome with the Nevada falls at full-throttle as seen from Glacier Point. index.html half_dome_nevada_falls_0487 A couple of dare devils go out to the precipice of an overhanging granite rock at Glacier Point in Yosemite. The valley floor is about 3000 feet below. Yosemite Falls, the 5th hightest in the world, are clearly visible on the other side of the valley wall. index.html 0019_glacier_point_daredevils_2