Bewick's Wren

2024-05-03 Kickapoo Caverns
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 Balboa Park
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 Catalina State Park
Memories of Catalina State Park

2019-10-24 After my all-day marathon photo-safari at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Wednesday, I was too tired to drive very far south towards Tucson. I stopped in nearby Superior Arizona…

Memories of Pinyon Wells – Joshua Tree NP
Memories of Pinyon Wells – Joshua Tree NP

2016 – Early October Camping I spent the second week of October with the bird and mammal department of the San Diego Natural History Museum in Joshua Tree National Park.…

Memories of Cottonwood Spring – Joshua Tree NP
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 Mohave Desert Camping – Cima
Memories of Mohave Desert Camping – Cima

2016-11-08~14: Camping In The Mojave I left Poway on Tuesday, November 8 to catch up with the Bird and Mammal team from the San Diego Natural History Museum. The science…

Memories of Graham County, AZ
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 Redington Road
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…

Memories of Kickapoo Caverns State Park
Memories of Kickapoo Caverns State Park

In October-2022, I spent two nights at Fort Clark in Brackettville Texas. It was my base camp during my tour of Kickapoo Caverns State Park, about 30 miles away. In…

2023-Early July At Kickapoo Caverns
2023-Early July At Kickapoo Caverns

As I write these notes, I have returned to my southern California homestead. The past three weeks have been so hectic, I have not had time to properly tell the…

2023-04-09 Early April On Cottonwood Wash
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…

2023-03-27 Agua Caliente Park – Tucson
2023-03-27 Agua Caliente Park – Tucson

Having enjoyed past visits to Agua Caliente Park in northeast Tucson, I was eager to return during my 2023 Expedition. It did not disappoint! For those folks unfamiliar with this…

2022-10-01 Kickapoo Caverns
2022-10-01 Kickapoo Caverns

I spent two nights at Fort Clark in Brackettville Texas. It was my base camp during my tour of Kickapoo Caverns State Park, about 30 miles away. In the spring…

2022-03-04 Point Reyes
2022-03-04 Point Reyes

After driving all day up the coast and through San Francisco, Friday afternoon I pulled into Olema and booked into the RV Park there. Having driven all day from Carmel…

2020-11-28 End of November Gallery Updates
2020-11-28 End of November Gallery Updates

I finished the gallery updates from my half day at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. As I pen these words, I’ve made my way into New Mexico. I’m in Glenwood, where…

2020-11-16 Monday at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum
2020-11-16 Monday at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

The morning at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum started off slow. I like to hike to the top of the property where there is a pond called Ayers Lake. On the…

2020-05-15: The Bosque at Tingley Beach
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…

2020-03-13 Three Days At The Triple R
2020-03-13 Three Days At The Triple R

Sadly, shortly after my March-2020 visit to the Triple-R RV Resort, (but before the Covid-19 pandemic) they shutdown operations. I’ve heard no word about any plans to reopen. I personally,…

Memories of Ramona Grasslands
Memories of Ramona Grasslands

There is a broad grassy valley running west from the Ramona Airport through Highland Valley. The County of San Diego has seen fit to make a preserve of the land…

2019-10-23 At The Boyce Thompson Arboretum
2019-10-23 At The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I let myself get behind in my posting. Since leaving the “BTA” I’ve completed two more photo safaris, but it took me longer than expected to organize the photos and…

Catching Up With Old Friends
Catching Up With Old Friends

I met my friend Linda in 1978 while I was living in Missoula Montana. Without going into too many details, it was one of the most interesting periods in my…

2012-04 April Stuff In My Poway Yard
2012-04 April Stuff In My Poway Yard

I took my camera into my yard several times over the course of the month of April 2012. Spring can bring me some extraordinary birds, though I don’t always have…

2012-04-04 Memories of Mussey Grade in Ramona
2012-04-04 Memories of Mussey Grade in Ramona

Over the years, I’ve had several friends who’ve lived along Mussey Grade in Ramona. When I was a boy, I can recall fishing trips with my dad to Lake San…

2013-05-17 Ramona Grasslands Again
2013-05-17 Ramona Grasslands Again

This was my second visit in 2013 to the Ramona Grasslands. My first visit was a month earlier, and there were several new players on the stage for this act. The…

2014-11-25 Bill Williams NWR
2014-11-25 Bill Williams NWR

The Bill Williams River flows west out of central Arizona and joins the Colorado River at Lake Havasu near Parker Dam. Planet Ranch Road leaves Highway US-95, south of Bill…

2014-02-26 Tubb Canyon Trail
2014-02-26 Tubb Canyon Trail

I’d heard recent reports of interesting birds sighted near Tubb Canyon, and never having visited this place before, I was eager to explore it. I cannot remember the bird that…

2017-09-17 Sunday in Morro Bay
2017-09-17 Sunday in Morro Bay

It was a big day in Morro Bay Sunday. I found otters at their usual place at the upper end of the harbor. To my delight, there were two babies…

2017-09-15 Sacramento Valley Trifecta
2017-09-15 Sacramento Valley Trifecta

Sacramento NWR, Colusa NWR, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area The Sacramento NWR mostly had puddle ducks, with a few Raptors and herons. They have not flooded the fields, yet it looks…

2017-06-17~20 Cottonwood Springs (Part 2)
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…

2017-04-24 Agua Caliente Park
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…

2016-11-29 Tuesday At Cottonwood Spring
2016-11-29 Tuesday At Cottonwood Spring

Some of you may recall I stayed at this location at the end of September with the science team from the San Diego Natural History Museum. It was my first…

2016 – November Birds In The Mojave
2016 – November Birds In The Mojave

When I’m camping with the science team from the San Diego Natural History Museum, I try to find time to meet the local birds. Autumn migration can provide some pleasant…

2016-10-13 Pinyon Wells Critters
2016-10-13 Pinyon Wells Critters

I recently posted about the trip I took last week to Pinyon Wells in Joshua Tree National Park with the Bird and Mammal Department of the San Diego Natural History…

2015-08-13 Santa Rosa Mountain
2015-08-13 Santa Rosa Mountain

I’ve worked as a photographer with the San Diego Natural History Museum (SDNHM) since 2010 on a project called the San Jacinto Resurvey. The goal of this project is to…