44 replies to this topic

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On the first day of June I saw a Gila with food in it's mouth flying to a saguaro cactus in my neighbor's front yard. 

This is MR.

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and MRS.

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And the happy couple.  During the first couple of days mom and dad met each other at the nest. 

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Photography was difficult in the morning as the nest was on the west side of the cactus, thus 100% shade.

When the entrance got full sun it was 110 degrees.

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A try at a mullet.

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It was fun to watch what was brought for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The top shot of this next series was egg shells.  Saw mom fly to a tree with a discarded dove eggshell.  She took it apart and brought the pieces in. 

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Finally, 20 days later I got a glimpse of one of the kids.

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Everyday a little bit braver.

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Then one day something odd happened.  The impatient kids pecked a hole in the side of the nest.

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I actually saw the side of the nest vibrate as the youngster was pecking at it.

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Did your brother ever lick the top of your head?

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I was a bit disappointed, I was hoping for some climbing on the outside of the nest, but it was instant fledge. 
This bird went from this position to 30' away.  It was the 25th of June.

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So who is the crazy photographer. 

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And a little fun.

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[Photgog]

An impressive sequence Matt...

Fraser

[Channy32]

AMAZING!!!  Love the pictures!  What a great story!!!

[Liam]

Super series of photos, Matt! :)

[creeker]

Very cool!

[doc]

I love shots that tell a story.

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So the story continues.... I think I posted this already, but not in this thread.  My pictures were published in the Cactus Wren-dition, both on the cover and pictures inside the magazine. 

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