With some writing projects behind me (or at least on someone else’s desk for a while), I finally have some time to get out and do some recording. In mid May, I headed south to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, which is a lovely swatch of rolling grassland and riparian areas, only about 25 miles […]
Till the cows go home Read More »
Threading its way north from the mountains of northern Mexico, the San Pedro River meanders to the Gila River, then westward to join the Colorado River on its way back to Mexico. It is one of the few remaining undammed rivers (in the desert, they call any flowing water a “river”) in the US. It
San Pedro River–the thin fragile line Read More »
Awhile back, I wrote a blog post about singing mice. I’ve been wanting to learn more about this topic every since, but was stymied by the lack of mice in my yard. This winter my veggie garden was overwhelmed by rodents that seemed determined to make sure I never got a taste of fresh broccoli.
The cactus deermouse sings Read More »
It’s been a warm spring here in the Sonoran Desert. Temperatures have been running 10 to 15 degrees above normal for weeks. The super El Niño we were looking forward to moved up to the Pacific Northwest, leading to disappointment over the prospect of a super flower year (although I hear parts of central California
Spring in the Sonoran Desert Read More »
Another autumn has rolled around, leaves are changing, days growing shorter, and temperatures are getting cooler. Once again, the fall finds me in pursuit of autumn sounds, of which my favorite is the bugle of rutting bull elk. A couple of years ago, I had a successful time recording elk at Quemado Lake in New
I made my annual summer migration from southeastern Arizona to northern Nevada a few weeks ago, stopping to record along the way. My first stop was in the Blue Range of east-central Arizona, a land of conifers and beautiful grassy meadows. Much of this area was impacted by the 2011 Wallow Fire, and the hillsides
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 »
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 »
