Yesterday the first Tree Swallows of the season were arriving in the Animas Valley, glistening with deep blue and bright white as they homed in on the waters of the cienaga. Tree Swallows are usually the first of their clan to arrive in spring, en … Continue readingFond of Swallows
This winter we’ve had plenty of occasions to celebrate rain in the Southwest. Yesterday another storm swept through the Chiricahua Mountains, and today the path I walked was diamond-strewn with ice crystals, glittering in the early sunlight. We used to get a similar effect at … Continue readingThe Diamond Path
OK. Say you’re a young female House Sparrow, living at the wind-blown edge of Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Tumbleweed country… the sort of gritty, lonesome place evoked by a distant train whistle at night. And you’re confronted with a problem: specifically, you need a … Continue readingCreative Problem Solving in Passer domesticus
Ciénaga: cien aguas, one hundred waters. A jewel of a cienaga, among New Mexico’s finest, may be found on one of the big private ranches in the Animas Valley. The cienaga’s waters originate in the Peloncillo Mountains just to the west and flow underground through the … Continue readingCiénaga
Another El Niño storm has blessed early February. I’m out of the house, to recall from Oregon days the delights of walking in the rain. Most of the storm has passed, and only a light mist still falls. Cave Creek is roaring. Clouds alternately hide … Continue readingNoticing
The calendar may say Winter, but today the air announces Spring. A fresh, rain-washed breeze riots through a grove of companionable Arizona Cypress that leans over South Fork; their droopy branches stir. The creek flows strongly, at long last, after the past year’s severe drought. … Continue readingThe Air Says “Spring”
After days of visiting family and painting a playroom to look like a ferny forest inhabited by dinosaurs, I step onto the night ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island, Washington. The lights of town recede, and the dark waters and crisp night air of … Continue readingSkagit River Flats
The beauty of the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon never fails to enchant those who stray into it. Most know it in spring when neotropical migrants pour through the canyon corridors, or in summer, when the croaks of Elegant Trogons echo off the burnt … Continue readingWinter Walk in South Fork
Bufflehead drake at Bosque (Photo by Narca) While cranes and drifts of white geese attract much of the attention at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, other exquisite waterbirds also slip quietly through the ponds. Northern Pintail and Shovelers paddle about; Buffleheads dive. A subtle … Continue readingBosque’s Other Birds
Snow Geese at Sunset (Photo by Narca) The Rio Grande River hosts many thousands of wintering Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, and other waterfowl. Nowhere can these spectacular flocks be enjoyed and photographed more beautifully than at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The … Continue readingWinter Interlude: Bosque del Apache