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 »
It seems as if every mountain range in the southwest has had a huge wildfire in the last decade or so. Millions of acres burned, forests charred, ecosystems altered. If the drought continues, it may be millennia before some of the dryer, south-facing slopes see a forest again. The Horseshoe 2 fire burned in the
After the fire, the flowers bloom 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 »
It whispers, gurgles, laughs and chortles, this sliver of a creek flowing north from Mexico toward the Gila River. On this lovely day in April, the San Pedro River still flows through the sandy banks, but within a month or so it will begin to dry up, except for isolated pools and stretches near the
San Pedro River Soliloquy Read More »
Four species of doves nest in my neighborhood – Mourning, White-winged, Inca, and Eurasian Collared doves. The most common nests are those of Mourning Doves. Last spring, a pair decided to build their flimsy stick nest on top of the porch light right outside my front door. They’ve tried this in years past, but usually
A Mourning Dove Murder Mystery 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 »
It’s a cute little bird – the Phainopepla. A member of the tropical Silky Flycatcher family, males are a shiny black and females a charcoal grey. Both have red eyes and a feathery crest. They are quite noticeable in the desert, as males like to perch at the very top of mesquite trees (like the
Phainopepla – the mistletoe bird Read More »
It’s an odd spot for a windmill – up in a wooded canyon, rather than out in the open. It’s fan barely reaches above the nearby junipers and oaks. I don’t know how long it’s been there; the storage tank is rusty and leaky; even the watering tank is starting to leak, although it still
The birds around my house are really getting fired up. A week or two of seventy-degree weather (albeit interspersed with snow squalls) seems to have sent them into overdrive. They start chirping at first light, and by 6:30 am the dawn chorus is in full swing. Unfortunately, that is also when my little community on
Early Spring in the Sonoran Desert Read More »
Many years ago I took a road trip to Alaska with a friend. On our last day in the state, before crossing back into Canada, we camped east of Fairbanks in an extensive aspen grove in it’s full autumn glory. As we took his dog for a walk through the glowing trees, a strange, primordial
The Primeval Grace of Sandhill Cranes Read More »
