Last night’s fire update in the Portal Rescue classroom was again a valuable exercise in explaining what has been accomplished toward containing the fire, and what we can anticipate. Portaleños packed the place, listened, asked questions, and aired concerns. So far, the fire in South … Continue readingNow We Wait
I should also note that Helen and I were told by firefighters that they are continuing to see illegal immigrants, by day and by night (through night-vision binoculars), who are traversing the Chiricahua Mountains, even as they burn, even through the newly-burned region. If you … Continue readingFire Not Deterring Illegal Immigrants
Last night smoke from the Horseshoe Fire made sleep difficult. When the smoke eased, I slept in––until a phone call from Helen Snyder had me out of bed and out the door in 15 minutes! We met Jim Payne and Ron Kaczor, both public information … Continue readingSouth Fork Today: the Horseshoe Fire
Here’s a very quick update for you: Alan and I headed up canyon again and, with Noel Snyder, evacuated much of the cabin of absent friends. We’ll return tomorrow to finish the job. A firefighter clearing brush at the cabin said that the fire is … Continue readingHorseshoe Fire on Memorial Day
All of my fellow Portaleños, as well as the birding community, are following closely the development of the Horseshoe Fire, here in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona. As of Saturday night, May 29, just over 1200 acres have burned in the heart of the … Continue readingThe Horseshoe Fire
As the main migration season winds down here in southern Arizona, the later migrants (some of them only infrequently encountered) can put in an appearance. White-rumped Sandpipers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Thick-billed Kingbirds, Blue Grosbeaks and Varied Buntings all tend to lag the other arrivals. Today Alan … Continue readingSwainson’s Thrush, a Distinguished Visitor
After a long stint of guiding three Big Bend tours, followed by local guiding around Portal, I’m finally settling back into being home. A sure sign of settling is taking the time to cook one of my favorite breakfasts: homemade granola. And, in a complete … Continue readingGranola Time
Alan, our friend Jim Shiflett, and I have journeyed to southeastern New Mexico near the Texas border to find Lesser Prairie Chickens on their lekking grounds. After checking the lek in daylight, we retreat about a mile and camp on BLM land. The prairie chickens … Continue readingRites of Spring: Lesser Prairie Chicken
Last month saw so few postings because I was deep in a manuscript on the first nest of Short-tailed Hawk found in the western US. In May 2007, Helen and Noel Snyder found the nest high in the Chiricahua Mountains, and several of us took … Continue readingShort-tailed Hawks
The El Niño storms of winter soaked the desert southwest, and now we’re seeing the results: native Mexican Gold Poppies cloak the lower slopes of the Chiricahuas and Peloncillos, and flood the San Simon Valley in a golden tide. Mexican Gold Poppies I’m off … Continue readingBring on the Poppies!