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
Frosty morning at Bernardo (Photo by Narca) Bernardo Wildlife Management Area, north of Bosque del Apache in New Mexico, is attracting huge numbers of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese this winter. Their corn crop is ample, and many thousands of cranes and geese … Continue readingPure Magic
Here’s another image of migrant birds in Costa Rica: just slip into this tropical scene! The sun and a sliver of new moon are setting in a golden haze over the tropical dry forest of Santa Rosa National Park. Parrots announce their comings and goings. … Continue readingThe Scissor-tails Are Staging
Here’s a migration tale from near my home in Portal, Arizona. Huge numbers of Rufous Hummingbirds cruise into southeastern Arizona during their fall migration, arriving after the summer monsoons have inspired a fall bloom, lush in good years. As the hummers arrive, the agaves which … Continue readingFlame in the Canyon
If we open our eyes and unstop our ears, earth presents us with such ordinary, everyyear wonders, like the routine migrations of animals. One ancient cycle––the great seasonal pulse of migrating birds––can strike a chord of deep awe in those of us who are … Continue readingAn Ordinary Marvel