Thunderstorms are the ultimate in chaotic systems, and this years monsoon has been a good example of that. Some parts of southern Arizona have received plenty of rain and are green and lush. Others have received too much rain too fast, resulting in flash floods. And other places, like my neighborhood, have been watching these […]
Spotty rain and lonely toads Read More »
Summer has officially arrived in southern Arizona, even if the calendar says it’s still a couple of weeks off. Daytime temperatures in Tucson have exceeded 100 Fahrenheit for the last several days, and are expected to stay above 100 for the foreseeable future. One of the few things that makes this kind of heat tolerable
Swamp coolers and cicadas Read More »
As readers of my blog know, I like squirrels. I professed my love for them in a previous post. In this post, I want to go into greater depth on one of the most socially complex squirrels, the prairie dog. There are 5 species of prairie dogs in North America, although most detailed studies have
Listening to prairie dogs Read More »
As winter fades to spring here in the Sonoran Desert, the evenings have been punctuated with the calls of Great Horned Owls. I’ve tried a couple of times to record them, but their voices are often drowned out by the barking dogs and vehicles. But a few nights ago, I heard a pair calling loudly
On the way home from a recent trip to western New Mexico and the White Mountains of Arizona, I stopped near the Gila River Bird area to spend the night. I stayed in this same spot about a year and a half ago (see Things that go bump in the night). At that time, the
Nighttime visitors Read More »
On my recent trip to Nevada, I spent a few quiet mornings along the Carson River, just outside of Carson City. The river was pretty low for this time of year, reflecting the low snowfall in the Sierras last winter. But during the hot spell that hit the area in July, the mornings on the
Lazy morning on the Carson River Read More »
On my recent trip through the Great Basin, I spent a night in a lovely place called Bowers Flat, near the resort town of Duck Creek, Utah. This grassy meadow surrounded by Ponderosa Pines should actually have been called squirrel meadow, as within a few minutes of arriving, I heard the calls of yellow-bellied marmots,
I took a rather indirect route from Tucson to northern Nevada to help my dad celebrate his birthday this summer, starting in New Mexico, staying a couple of nights in northern Arizona, then southern Utah and finally central Nevada (see Mountain Melody) before driving the final stretch. My route home was almost as indirect (see
Evening Thunder and Morning Elk Read More »
In my many years of wandering around the mountains, I’ve come across a few canyons where the echoes sound distinctly like human voices, in conversation, somewhere else in the canyon. No one is there, it’s just the reflections of the gurgles of the creek, usually. I’ve run into this sensation along Eagle Creek in Wyoming,
Around the world, during the warmer months, the beginning of the day is heralded by bird melodies. But in addition to being wonderful alarm clocks, the dawn chorus reflects how birds have adapted their singing to both ambient conditions and interspecific competition. Most bird song is for territory defense and attracting mates (female birds often
The Dynamic Dawn Chorus Read More »
A recent article in BBC News Magazine highlights some fascinating research being conducted on how tuned in we are to bird song. People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years they have learnt when the birds sing they are safe, it’s when birds stop singing that people need to worry. Birdsong is
The importance of bird song Read More »
Spring has finally arrived in the mountains of southern Arizona. Little flowers are starting to appear, and birds are starting to sing. Last week I took one of my favorite hikes in the Huachuca (wa-choo-ka) Mountains, up to Blacktail Pond. It’s a steep hike up a very rocky road, but the views of the surrounding
Spring in the Huachuca Mountains Read More »
