The Five-Striped Sparrow is a bird I had longed to meet. For more than a decade I tried, but never managed to be at the right place at the right time. While chatting with the manager at Paton’s, he gave me some directions to follow. So late Thursday afternoon I drove away west on AZ-82 ... Read more
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 background information about what the Tucson Audubon Society has planned for this facility. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Thick-Billed Kingbird, and the ... Read more
After coming off the Chiricahua Mountains Monday and getting breakfast in Sunsites, I pushed my way over roads I’d not traveled in a very long time. It carried me through Tombstone and Charleston. I paid a visit to the Charleston Bridge, a place I had spent time twenty years ago. The old steel single-track bridge ... Read more
When my time with the Cave Creek birds concluded, I ascended the Chiricahua Mountains. It seemed to me most of the up-slope birds were smart enough to hide from the heat. I stopped to look and listen for birds and sniff the air. I kept hoping I’d find Mexican Chickadees, but it was not to ... Read more
Last year, I passed through Portal, but storms were drenching the upper slopes of the Chiricahuas, and I didn’t feel much like lingering. If it feels right this year, I hope to stick around longer. At the top of my list of birds I hoped to meet, was the Mexican Chickadee. I have had eyes ... Read more