Ash-Throated Flycatcher
2024-05-03 Kickapoo Caverns
In 2024, I travelled to Texas to experience the Total Solar Eclipse on April 4. Cloud-cover limited the drama for the eclipse. But all was not lost, because after the…
Memories of Boulder Creek Road
When I was 16 years old, and starting to drive independently, exploring San Diego County’s remote back-country roads was one of my greatest joys. Boulder Creek Road was one of…
Memories of Palm Canyon
The residents of Borrego Springs collect their drinking water from Palm Canyon. Hikers can enjoy a 2.9-mile loop trail from the desert floor that ascends the canyon. After a 700…
Memories of Balboa Park
There are many reasons to love Balboa Park. Anyone unfamiliar with the attractions there is truly missing out. The museums alone are worth visiting. There are 18 of them to…
Memories of Cuyamaca Mountain
On 2013-06-15, I parked at the staging area ten miles south of Julian California where Milk Ranch Road meets Route-79. The path I traveled on my bike is displayed on…
Memories of Plum Canyon
Like many folks in love with nature and new to photography, 25 years ago, flowers seemed an attractive subject for me. Always beautiful, and available, even in one’s own yard…
Memories of Cottonwood Spring – Joshua Tree NP
Cottonwood Spring is located inside Joshua Tree National Park. Twice, in 2016, I visited there, with the science team from the San Diego Natural History Museum; once at the end…
Memories of Hot Springs Mountain
2004-05-21 At 6,526 feet, the summit of Hot Springs Mountain is the highest point of land in San Diego County. However, many folks living in San Diego are unaware of…
Memories of Palomar Mountain
2013-05-29 Palomar Mountain Birds Palomar Mountain rises near the northern boundary of San Diego County and divides the watersheds of the San Luis Rey and the Santa Margarita River systems.…
Memories of Graham County, AZ
I visit Graham County as often as I can to visit long-time friends there. Below are notes from two such visits. 2020-05-22 Ascent To Mount Graham Mount Graham, called Dził…
Memories of Apache Creek, NM
I’ve been to the Apache Creek region in New Mexico two times. The following notes are from those occasions. My first visit to Apache Creek was in late May-2020, while…
Memories of Redington Road
In 2004, I was just beginning my education about birds and how to capture them in my images. It was an exciting time for me. Many of my meetings with…
2023-07-13 Paton’s In Patagonia
My day at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds Thursday was lovely. I came early and stayed late. I spent some quality time with the site manager. He provided me with…
2023-04-09 Early April On Cottonwood Wash
Saturday, my friend Linda and I drove to visit her good friend Kai, who lives on the Cottonwood Wash south of Pima. I had the pleasure of spending time with…
2023-04 Early April on the Redington Road
I left Tucson Saturday with my heart set on traveling the Redington Road, so I drove to the end of Tanque Verde Road and climbed the steep, winding gravel to…
2022-08-30 at Laguna Atascosa NWR
Monday, I drove to Estero Llano Grande, one of the premiere birding destinations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. I rode my bike over several miles of trails there, but…
2021-04-17 SPI, Great Birds, Lousy Weather
Well friends, I said I would limit my photo shooting time in the field to half days. The strategy would allow me to process my images and tell my stories…
2020 Bird Gallery Updates: Part 1
One benefit of taking a lengthy journey, such as my 2020 Texas Expedition, is collecting images of new bird species for my species galleries. If I’ve met the bird before,…
2020-05-20 Road From ABQ and Mount Graham
Two corrections: Thanks to the astute observations of readers Celestyn Brozek and Lori Conrad, I’ve learned my “Cassin’s Vireo” is the wrong Solitary Vireo. The proper identification is Plumbeous Vireo.…
2020-05-15: The Bosque at Tingley Beach
Sadly, my friend Jerry has since passed away. He is sorely missed. My friend Jerry Goffe retired from his forensic photography business a few years ago and devoted his time…
2013-06-15 Milk Ranch Road
I parked at the staging area ten miles south of Julian California where Milk Ranch Road meets Route-79. The path I traveled on my bike is displayed on a map…
2013-06-02 Santa Ysabel Reserves
There are two sections of land as part of the Santa Ysabel Open Space Reserve. One is the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West north of Rte-78, and the other…
2013-05-29 Palomar Mountain Birds
The locations I visited were the San Luis Rey Picnic Grounds off California State Route 76, East Grade Road on Palomar Mountain, Nate Harrison Road. Palomar Mountain resides near the…
2013-05-08 Lake Hodges Passerines
There are trails around Lake Hodges well suited to hiking and biking. I drove to the community sports park off West Bernardo Drive this Wednesday morning to look for Blue…
2013-04-29 Coast To Crest Wildlife Corridor
The San Dieguito River system drains from the mountains east of Santa Ysabel through the San Pasqual Valley and out to sea at Del Mar. Forward thinking citizens fought for…
2013-04-27 Borrego’s Clark Dry Lake Birds
I made several fruitless thrasher hunts during the first half of 2013, and while I failed to locate the Le Conte’s Thrashers I had hoped for on these trips, I…
2017-06-17~20 Cottonwood Springs (Part 2)
On my previous post I shared images of the players in the Rat Theater, but I also had some nice avian encounters during this expedition. Mockingbirds, Mourning Doves and House…
2017-05-05 Best of Arizona
I spent from 2017-04-22 through 2017-05-04 touring some great bird locations in Arizona. The places I managed to visit during this time were Agua Caliente Park, Sabino Canyon, Mount Lemmon,…
2017-05-04 Arivaca Cienega
Thursday morning I got out early to the Cienega at Arivaca, one of my favorite birding locations. Here I found Hermit Warblers, Orange-Crowned Warblers, Lucy’s Warblers, Brewer’s Sparrows, Vermilion Flycatchers,…
2017-04-26~28 Mount Lemmon: Sky Island Heaven
Early Wednesday morning I set off to visit Mount Lemmon using instructions for locating birds on the mountain from local birder, Liz Harrison. Her instructions were invaluable and gave me…
2017-04-24 Agua Caliente Park
I spent the entire day yesterday at Agua Caliente Park in northeast Tucson. I visited this place in years past and found it to be very productive for getting bird…
The Cienega at Arivaca
2016-03-25 and 26 Friday and Saturday Part of the Buenos Aires NWR, the cienega at Arivaca, has been a favorite birding location of mine for more than a dozen years.…
2015-06-17 King City to Morro Bay
The reason I chose King City as my destination on the previous day was twofold. First, I planned to drive over the Santa Lucia Mountains to the Big Sur coast…
2015-05-06 Zion National Park
After I left Henderson I got through Las Vegas as efficiently as I could manage (no easy feat). I drove about 135 miles north on I-15 to Saint George Utah…
2014 Early June On Santa Rosa Mountain
I never grow tired of visiting Santa Rosa Mountain, a sky island in southern Riverside County California, a stone’s throw from the border with San Diego County. Part of me…