Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher

Memories of the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center
Memories of the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center

With more than 600,000 acres, Anza Borrego Desert State Park has many areas worth exploring. But for the sheer convenience of meeting the widest array of species, both plant and…

Memories of Clark Dry Lake
Memories of Clark Dry Lake

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…

Memories of the Salton Sea at Red Hill
Memories of the Salton Sea at Red Hill

2017-04-20 Salton Sea: Bowles Road to Red Hill I spent the night at Bowles Road and woke up early to find a swarm of tree swallows all around me. It…

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 Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
Memories of Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

The first time I visited the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve was on 2015-05-05. I was starting out a long expedition of the western USA states and driving my Suzuki Samurai.…

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…

2023-04 Early April on the Redington Road
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…

2023 Continental Expedition Begins
2023 Continental Expedition Begins

Finally, I’m on the road. I launched at about 3pm last Monday, driving through Ramona and Santa Ysabel, then dropping into the Borrego Valley down Montezuma Pass. It is one…

2021-01-06, Winding Up My Stay in Big Bend
2021-01-06, Winding Up My Stay in Big Bend

It was a week I’ll remember fondly. As I drove out of New Mexico late last December, I had doubts about being able to pull off a stay inside Big…

2020-11-26 & 27 Outside of Pima Arizona
2020-11-26 & 27 Outside of Pima Arizona

I set Thatcher Arizona as a destination on this expedition because I wanted to upgrade the electrical system at my friend Linda’s house there. It took me several days to…

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…

2020-03-07: Bird Adventures In Big Bend
2020-03-07: Bird Adventures In Big Bend

Prologue The Texas adventure I dreamed about for years began in California, but passed through Arizona and New Mexico before reaching the promised land. Preparations for my journey began in…

2012-03-24 Borrego Springs Hawk Watch
2012-03-24 Borrego Springs Hawk Watch

Swainson’s Hawks are long-distance migrants. They spend winters in Argentina, but travel to Western North America to breed. Until 2003 it was believed that all Swainson’s Hawk migration was through…

2013-06-06 Clark Dry Lake (Thrashers At Last!)
2013-06-06 Clark Dry Lake (Thrashers At Last!)

My adventures this Thursday included visits to Clark Dry Lake and the Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center, west of Borrego Springs, California, in San Diego County. I made several excursions…

2013-04-27 Borrego’s Clark Dry Lake Birds
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…

2014-11-30 Poe Road Passerines
2014-11-30 Poe Road Passerines

My past stops at Poe Road on the southwestern shore of the Salton Sea have yielded worthwhile bird encounters. On this visit at the end of November 2014, I focused…

2014 November Bullhead City Attractions
2014 November Bullhead City Attractions

Bullhead City Arizona, sits on the Colorado River below Davis Dam and across the river from Laughlin Nevada. I have friends there whom I enjoy visiting occasionally. Havasu National Wildlife…

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…

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…

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…

2016-10-13 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…

2015-10-22 “Common” Tucson Birds
2015-10-22 “Common” Tucson Birds

One positive that came out of having my transportation down was that I could spend quality time with the birds around my cousin’s abode. It’s likely that many locals here…

2015-05-05 Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
2015-05-05 Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson Nevada near Las Vegas Nevada is a converted water treatment facility that now serves as a bird sanctuary. It lies north of Henderson…

2015-04-28 Bill Williams NWR
2015-04-28 Bill Williams NWR

Authorities have acknowledged the Bill Williams NWR as “a birding area of global importance.” There are many birds that breed in the habitats there, some of which are threatened or…