While visiting with my friends in south Dayton, I found time to meet some of the local birds. Bruce and Loretta provide an array of bird feeders, so I sampled the birds that were attracted. But the best day I had was at a location not far away called the Cox Arboretum. The property spreads … Read more
Last Tuesday (April-11) I left my friends in Thatcher, looking forward to spending some time with friends Debbie Merrill and her husband James. I met Debbie when I was working on a book for the San Diego Natural History Museum (the San Diego County Mammal Atlas). My role for the book was to provide images … Read more
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 birds here once before as I returned from Texas in 2020, and I was eager to spend time once more. Summer birds were showing up, … Read more
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 of my favorite routes east from San Diego. The route carries me past a fairly reliable location in the Henshaw Valley to find Tricolored Blackbirds … Read more
Davis Mountains State Park has its origins in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project to help lift the broken economy out of the depression. Miles of trails were constructed across the 2,709 acres of this property, along with a sixteen room lodge. In 1967, 101 campsites were added, including many with full or … Read more
Friday’s foul weather convinced me to find somewhere in Lewiston to settle in for the day. I found a large, unused parking area north of town, between the fairgrounds and a stockyard to settle in. The wet snow created a bit of a muddy mess there, but not so much as to set a trap … Read more
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. Last May, I left Texas to take care of business in California. The pandemic pulled the rug from under my plans for exploring many of … Read more
In April 2020, as I was ending my first Texas birding adventure, I called my friend Jerry in Albuquerque and told him I was headed his way via Roswell. He suggested I visit the Bitter Lake NWR, and I’m so glad he did. Cassin’s Sparrows and Scaled Quail were the highlights for me on that … Read more
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 early February by researching destinations, reaching out to Texas birders, and acquiring books and maps. Finally, on Friday, February 21, I hit the road. I … Read more
My stay in Las Cruces was extended several days because of issues I had to sort out with my RV generator. All is well now as I send this post off from Alpine Texas. I’m poised to explore Big Bend tomorrow (Saturday), but I don’t plan to exploit the whole park on this tour. I’ve … Read more
