We’re seeing two races of Hermit Thrushes right now in the Chiricahuas, slipping quietly along the edges of trails. Hermit Thrush taxonomy is complicated and unresolved, with roughly 10 races. Whatever the finer divisions, they do resolve into three basic groups: the bright Eastern forms, … Continue readingHermit Thrushes
… Someone is watching us! Red-faced Warbler (Photos by Narca) Red-faced Warblers are truly stunning. They are arriving now in the Chiricahuas, although many of them are still foraging at low elevations or moving with big mixed flocks in the higher mountains. Soon they … Continue readingRed-faced Warblers
Last night, Dave Jasper and I joined Gerry, Peter, and their friends from the West Midland and West Sussex bird clubs in Britain, in search of two of the special owls of Cave Creek Canyon––the Whiskered Screech Owl (a denizen of Mexico’s oak-pine forests, which … Continue readingOwls, Tiny and Merely Small
The last couple of weeks have been very full, all days afield with friends and clients. A few days ago on the road to Barfoot Park, high in the Chiricahuas, a faint buzzing like an angry bee announced the presence of a tiny Twin-spotted Rattlesnake … Continue readingSnakes!
B Alvarius’s comment from last post reminded me of a modern day Tall Tale, set in the bootheel of New Mexico at what was then called the Gray Ranch, a fabled ranch sprawled across the Continental Divide, which 20 years ago was owned by The … Continue readingA Cautionary Tale
Last month, we stopped at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on our way home to Portal. The park newsletter was organized differently this year. Several wide columns sported headings such as: “What To Do if You Have 1/2 Hour” in the park… “1 hour”… “2 … Continue readingSign of the Times
At our home in Portal, hordes of elegant Phainopeplas have swarmed for months to drink at our tiny “fish” pond (aka lure for migrating Ospreys, though the fish which we inherited from the previous inhabitants have long since disappeared). Suddenly, about four days ago, the … Continue readingPhainopeplas
Yesterday’s field trip to Molino Basin in the Santa Catalina Mountains above Tucson was spectacular! Mary Klinkel ably led the group from SEABA (Southeast Arizona Butterfly Association), helped by Gary Jue and Mary Kay Eiermann. Weather couldn’t have been kinder: warm and sunny, with no … Continue readingAll Smiles
Calling all adventurers! I invite you to join me on a Naturalist Journeys tour this fall to Scotland. We’ll focus on the Scottish Highlands and (for the trip extension) on the remote and wild Outer Hebrides. Fall is a very fine time to visit here––the … Continue readingScottish Highlands––This Autumn!
The trailhead for Hellhole Canyon in Anza Borrego State Park sports this sign: “People have died on this trail.” Well… that seems a little melodramatic… but in summer it certainly could apply, when the temperature can climb to 124º! Even though today’s temperature is a … Continue readingHellhole