Professional killers: you know you love them (3 avian, 1 mammal)

From today at the Arizon-Sonora Desert Museum (in Tucson, AZ)

And yes, it's the COOLEST PLACE EVER (& less than $15!).

Gray hawk (Buteo nitidus) 

All raptor shots taken during the Raptor Free Flight show.

Barn owl (Tyto alba) 

Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus),

blooming ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) in background.

Apparently Harris's hawks frequently hunt in packs (2 or 3 family members).

By the way, on sheer looks alone, I decided years ago this was my favorite hawk. 

Now that I know they hunt cooperatively, they're not just another pretty face. =)

Mountain lion (Puma concolor).

It was about 10 minutes after we saw this individual

move to its more cave-like location

that I realized that during its entire route,

it didn't make a single sound.

None.

Professional killers--

SO good at what they do.

=)

And anything that can survive Homo sapiens impresses me.

What you don't want to see, stumbling in the dark toward the bathroom at 3 a.m.:

Nice kitty.

=)

These were all exciting, beautiful, complex, amazing creatures.

I feel SO privileged that I got to see them so closely.

Today was a fabulous day!

xoxobb

the cable, she is IN!

  
So, FINALLY got to upload the pictures yesterday, but didn't process them 'cause of mega-migraine, but am slowing going through them today, so some COOL shots of the American Midwest and mostly Southwest a la Delta airlines. So fun!

Here are a few I like... hope you enjoy.

This is an example of one of my favorite things: regardless of what people do to alter the landscape, the original shape of the land reveals itself, esp. if at a distance. I LOVE that. Like the planet saying, akin to the Whos, We are here! We are here! Be sure and click on it for detail.

Gorgeous!

m is for marvelous

Desert.

I like how this almost looks abstract, or like a painting/cartoon. I also dig the lack of obvious roads, etc. Just EARTH.

By the way, this is one of a long list of reasons why, when the flight attendant asks over the P.A. for folks to lower their window shades to allow folks to more easily see some B movie, I blithely ignore it if there are amazing sights below. No way.

Life is too short to watch E Entertainment recaps vs. gape at this incredible planet. =)

So, should be returning to more active photography now, since I have emptied my camera of all those shots. Gotta go get more!

=)

biobabbler, back to life (phew!)