The Upper Gila River ecosystem occupies a good chunk of southwestern New Mexico. It includes the first federally-designated wilderness area, 2.7 million acres of national forest, and is home to mountain lions, black bears, elk, eagles, and Mexican wolves. It’s been occupied by humans as long as almost any place in the country, but because […]
Back to the Gila River Read More »
My kitchen remodeling effort is finally complete, so a couple of weeks ago I packed up the car with camping gear and headed to Turkey Creek. It seems as if most of the mountain ranges in the southwest US have a “Turkey Creek.” I imagine this says something about the ubiquity of wild turkeys at
I haven’t had the opportunity to get out much this spring, caught up in renovating my kitchen and other assorted household chores. But I managed to break away last week to take the dog for a walk in a nearby wash. This wash drains the nearby Rincon Mountains, and although dry most of the year,
Along a desert wash Read More »
I need quiet the way an alcoholic needs a drink. By “quiet” I don’t mean absolute silence, the kind that can only be found in an anechoic chamber. My version of quiet is free from man-made noise, anthropophony, in Bernie Krause’s terms. No machines, no screaming and yelling, no loud music. Sometimes I really crave
Seeking a little quiet Read More »
Last October, I took a quick trip to the Chiricahua Mountains to do some hiking and camping. I’d been hearing for years that the aspens up on the crest put on a lovely show in the fall, so I decided to check it out. The Chiricahuas (cheer-uh-cow-uhs) are one of the largest of the isolated
Crazy night in the Chiricahuas Read More »
It was one of those glorious days in the fall, when the sun is bright but not hot, and a light breeze makes the golden aspen leaves shimmer. The kind of day that just makes you feel glad to be alive. It was on one of those glorious days, one of a string of similar
Fall afternoon on the Tahoe Rim Trail Read More »
When I think of Thailand, I tend to think of crowded, noisy cities like Bangkok, or the tsunami-prone beaches of western Thailand. But beyond the cities and beaches, Thailand has a number of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries that protect wild forests, canyons, and their inhabitants. Places so dense, so remote, so wild that tigers,
Vicarious recording: Wild Thailand Read More »
Wildlife refuges are some of my favorite places. Little pockets of wild that provide critical habitat, they are usually great places to see and hear wildlife. On my frequent trips to northern Nevada, I try to get to Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge near Fallon on each visit. Stillwater is part of a complex of refuges
Beneath Still Waters Read More »
Although birds and humans dominate the diurnal soundscape, a good number of creatures call during the hours of darkness. I was reminded of this on a trip in September, when I took another trip north to Carson City. I spent the first night at Ashurst Lake, near Flagstaff, Arizona. I pulled in to the campground
Summer (2014) was a very weird summer. Normally (whatever that means), the Mexican Monsoon rolls in during late June or early July, bringing daily afternoon thunderstorms to the mountains, which sometimes make it to the valleys. This year, it seemed like the monsoon never really got going, but rather, what few thunderstorms we had were
Chasing thunder, finding bears Read More »
Although my blog contains a lot of silly stories and some interesting sounds, the underlying theme is to induce people to listen to the environment around them. I focus on natural sounds, both because I like them and because I think we are losing not only the sounds, but our ability to hear them. Our
Julian Treasure on the sound of democracy Read More »
My last stop on my summer journey from Carson City to Tucson, after a brief stay in Pinetop, Arizona, was the San Francisco River in New Mexico. There is a designated birding area south of Glenwood that provides a parking lot and access to the river. It was mid-day and sweltering when the dog and
Bird Conversations Read More »
