For friends of Portal everywhere, the bottom line is that everyone is okay, after the remnants of Hurricane Odile targeted the Chiricahua Mountains and the sister villages of Portal, Arizona, and Rodeo, New Mexico. At our home, we received 5.29″ of rain over a four-day … Continue readingPortal After Storm Odile
…as of March 16, spring has come to Portal! A Desert Marble, Euchloe hyantis lotta, one of the earliest butterflies here (Photo by Narca)
Last night Alan and I ventured into Cave Creek Canyon above Portal, as wind swayed the sycamore branches, and a thickening crescent moon shone over the scene. We joined friends Dave Jasper and Rick Plage to see the location of a likely owl nest that … Continue readingA Western Screech Owl
Gila Monster in Portal (Photos by Narca) Gila Monsters have been uncommonly common this season! This is the fourth for me: two in Guadalupe Canyon, and two here, close to Portal. Quite a treat!
Rick and Vicki Beno graciously invited the Portal-Rodeo community to their home to observe today’s transit of Venus, with the aid of Rick’s very fine telescopes. It was truly a marvel to see the phenomenon so well. From our perspective on Earth, Venus was transiting … Continue readingThe Transit of Venus
Aww, man!… and five coatis scamper across the road just ahead. White-nosed Coati (Photo by Narca; not to be confused with the photo I might have gotten!)
This year, again, Alan and I joined the national ritual of Christmas Bird Counts, once more participating in the back-to-back counts for Portal, Arizona, and the Peloncillo Mountains, New Mexico. The weather couldn’t have been finer, with temperatures rising into the high 60s and low … Continue readingCelebrating Our Local CBCs
Yesterday the Chiricahua Gallery in Rodeo, New Mexico, opened its holiday show. We’ve come to the 25th year––the silver anniversary––of our art guild’s founding. We’ve been around for a quarter of the time that Arizona has been a state! The gallery is a not-for-profit cooperative … Continue readingCelebrating the Silver
The greater Portal-Rodeo community will no doubt be delighted to learn that our famous tame Gambel’s Quail, Sir Poopsalot, who lived the good life in Portal before hurling himself into someone’s window, has been given to Gene Cardiff, a museum ornithologist. Gene is taking Sir … Continue readingThe Fate of Sir Poopsalot
We’ve had a full week! Many friends who know the Sky Islands choose the late monsoon season to visit, when hummingbirds are streaming south, nectar-feeding bats cluster around the feeders, and masses of clouds keep the temperatures just about perfect. (Of course the gnats find … Continue readingPortal, Late Summer