Our technique on the Short-tailed Hawk vigils has been to split up and watch from different vantage points. Helen and Noel have stayed in contact with handheld radios. We’ve each had marvelous encounters with wildlife. Yesterday, the hours passed quickly for Helen, who found no … Continue readingWhile Helen Waited
Yes! What a wonderful sight.
A wait can be most engrossing. Today I returned to the Barfoot ridges in the Chiricahuas with Cathie Sandell, Christopher Rustay, and Noel and Helen Snyder, again watching for those two young Short-tailed Hawks and their parents. (Incorrigible, you say?) At the very start of … Continue readingWaiting for the Short-tails
Yesterday Alan and I joined Helen and Noel Snyder for a Short-tailed Hawk vigil above Barfoot Park in the Chiricahua Mountains, and along the way we were distracted by a splendidly-colored Colorado Hairstreak, just emerged from its chrysalis and attempting to expand its wings. Emerging … Continue readingEmergence
On Tuesday, July 6, Alan discovered a summering female scaup (!) at Willow Tank near Portal. Scaup identification is often challenging, and in this case we have an additional handicap: she is mostly flightless, probably due to wing molt, so we can’t flush her. Therefore, … Continue readingA Lingering Scaup
Normally Hooded and Scott’s Orioles nest at our house. Bullock’s Orioles come and go, but usually nest elsewhere in the Portal area––until this year. I’ve been really pleased in recent days to see a male Bullock’s here at the house, carrying food. Then this morning, … Continue readingOf Orioles and Cowbirds
The first hint of something extraordinary is all the activity along the South Fork road, just below the bridge. A dozen Black-headed Grosbeaks forage on the ground and munch breakfast in the branches overhanging the road. Apache Fox Squirrels nestle in the sprays of leaves. … Continue readingSilverleaf
Yes, he was only here briefly, and yes, he only allowed for one quick photo through a hazy window… but Alan and I were thrilled to see this male Varied Bunting at our bird feeder on Wednesday! When we lived in Guadalupe Canyon, they were … Continue reading20-Minute Wonder
I returned home from Flagstaff to welcome news: the Horseshoe Fire is virtually extinguished! The Forest Service’s fly-overs with infrared cameras have shown some remaining hotspots in smoldering tree stumps, but no live flames and no areas of concern. The final tallies: fire size 3,386 … Continue readingSouth Fork Reopens!
Smoking San Francisco Peaks (Photos by Narca) Up in Flagstaff, the Shultz Fire has settled down considerably: the 15,000-acre blaze is now 75% contained, to the relief of the city’s residents. While visiting my sister Kelly the past few days, we stopped at the command … Continue readingFlag