Summer is in full swing with heat, thunderstorms, and bugs! But summer also brings cute baby birds to make it tolerable.

Baby cardinal



This year's babies seem to have grown up very quickly. I was wondering why until I saw that mother cardinal has been adding extra protein to the diet! A small brown anole became lunch.



The rabbits had babies too. They have a nest at the base of my coral bean shrub.



Riverbend has been quite active lately. Lots of turkeys.



Sandhill crane



Pileated woodpeckers everywhere





Red-bellied woodpeckers too



Amanita caesarea



More like the red claw club



Hidden anole



Barred owls are pretty active in the evenings.



An early morning visit to the beach last week. The sea was like glass and there were several pairs of sea turtles mating in the shallow water.

The Randall Davey Audubon center in Santa Fe was one of the highlights of my trip. I stumbled upon a birdwatching group, and they were nice enough to let me join.



Abundant hummingbirds at the nature center. This is a black-chinned hummingbird, a new one for me. I could have just stayed there and watched them zipping around all day long!



Black-headed Grosbeak.



Another new bird, Evening grosbeak. It was at this point that I started to regret leaving the DSLR at home!



White-breasted nuthatch





Beaver activity.





It was a great walk with friendly people.

My last stop was Albuquerque again. I had a few hours of daylight left so I headed over to the BioPark to see the serpentarium. They had an impressive collection of snakes.

Rhinoceros Viper



Green Mamba



Sri-Lankan Palm Viper



Speaking of Rhinoceros, I couldn't resist this shot.



This Western Fence lizard relaxed in the shade with me



The next day, it was time to head home!



Lots of bird activity at home. Cardinals, wrens, bluejays, and woodpeckers are all nesting nearby.

Stocking up







Hope to get some shots of the babies soon!

My first stop in Albuquerque was the historic Old Town.

The International Rattlesnake Museum was great. The collection houses rattlesnakes of the world, most of which I have never seen before. It was amazing to see how many rattlesnake species inhabit the Southwest, and how cryptic they can be!





Albuquerque was hot! So I decided to head up into the mountains.

Sandia Sky Tram



It was much cooler at the top!









Next stop Valle Caldera in the mountains near Los Alamos







Next stop, Santa Fe!

Posting this series from Zoo Miami from earlier this spring because I got a somewhat decent shot of one of my favorite birds:

The tawny frogmouth.



More shots from the aviary















The reptile house is another good place for photos





Okapi



Harpy eagle and chick.