Loggerhead Shrike
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 Scissors Crossing
2013-03-26 Thrasher Hunt County Road S-2, or the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, runs along the desert floor at the foot of the local San Diego mountains. The route is…
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 Blair Valley – Anza-Borrego
2009-04-09, 2009-04-10: Desert Birds In 2009, I camped for two April nights in Blair Valley. One way to reach this location is to drive east through Julian on CA-78, and…
2022-09-12 SPI on Monday
September days on South Padre Island can be hot as hell, with enough humidity to keep me dripping in sweat from dawn to dusk, and through the night. It can…
2022-07-16 Adieu Canada
This saga spans the last five nights and six days I spent in Canada on my 2022 expedition. It focuses on southern Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, just a few short…
2020-12-27 Sunday Camping in Guadalupe National Park
After spending most of December in New Mexico, I left The Land of Enchantment after a productive Christmas photo session with Scaled Quail at Bitter Lake NWR outside of Roswell.…
2020-12-18&19 At The Bernardo Unit – Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex
Halfway between Albuquerque and Bosque del Apache is the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex – Bernardo Unit, where cranes and geese are now visiting more than at Bosque. My friend…
2019-10-28 Monday Afternoon At Vendel Road
When I woke up this morning near Gila Bend Arizona, I thought my next stop would be at home. But the call of the wild was too strong to ignore.…
2013-03-26 Thrasher Hunt
County Road S-2, or the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, runs along the desert floor at the foot of the local San Diego mountains. The route is one of my…
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)
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…
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.…
2015-05-10 Two Days At Antelope Island
One of the true high points of this trip was Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City in Utah. This is a very compelling place with LOTS to…