Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

We met Tom and Sharon Peterson and Ellen Hampton at the T/A in Toltec this morning and then traveled south.

I took a few shots on the way down to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum this morning.  The clouds were interesting in this one.

Jigsaw-looking mountains in the far distance.

The easily recognized Picacho Peak about 15 miles away. Picacho is Spanish for Peak, so I call this the Peak Peak.

The first live animal we saw was this Harris Hawk.

Next, I quickly made my way through the live snake exhibit. (shuddddder)

A couple of shots of the Saguaro National Park.

I don't remember the name of this little hawk, but her variety is the smallest in the Sonora Desert.

Our tour guide did a great job and we learned a lot from her.

Of course, I was very excited to see this pair of mountain lions, even though they were acting like typical felines and being lazy.

This is the new black bear den and that's the black bear laying in the shade on the right of the tree on a rock shelf... she's being lazy, also.

The Mexican Wolf finds itself almost extinct with 200 in captivity and only about 50 in the wild.  They only eat hoofed animals, so they haven't adapted very well to areas now inhabited by humans, resulting in their almost total demise.  They are about the size of a very large German Shepherd dog.

This beautiful structure is made from Mesquite wood and begins with a gazebo and then extends out over the desert with a "bridge" to another gazebo.

Don't you just love friends who will pose for you?  Sharon, with beautiful desert surroundings.

A cactus wren, I think.  Might be a woodpecker.  They both have very strong beaks.

At the prairie dog town, we saw the "healthiest" prairie dogs I have ever seen!

Being in the Saguaro National Park, I had to get at least one picture of the famous cactus.  This one is about 150 years old.

In the three winters we have come to Arizona, this is the first mountain goats we have seen.

This ram has quite a set of curls.

I think this beautiful Cardinal escaped from the aviary.  He sure allowed me to get very close to him.

Inside the aviary, a female Cardinal.

And a huge male Cardinal.  Slightly blurred, but still a good shot.  I was very close to him.

Other birds animals we saw were: a wild turkey, whitetail deer, otters playing in the water, bobcats, owls, hummingbirds, lots of snakes, lizards, fish, frogs, and others I am sure I am forgetting.  Also, all the plant life that is native to the Sonora Desert.

We enjoyed a light lunch at one of the cafes in the park, set on a portico with Tom, Sharon and Ellen and chatted while our feet rested and enjoyed the peaceful beauty of our surroundings. 

After the bouts with our health this winter, it was great to get out for a day.  Thanks, Tom, Sharon and Ellen, for sharing this day with us!

We are so blessed.