Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography
sharing my thoughts through words and images
Photo of the Day 4.21.20
On a recent bike ride I got very excited to see this yellow flower carpeting the desert floor! 🙂 It’s a dandelion – but oh so pretty!! There has been so little in the way of flowering plants here this spring that even this “weedy” plant has merit!!
Photo of the Day 4.20.20
I’ve made a few new friends here on the ranch. The birds that frequent Cottonwood Pond have become very familiar with me. The Western Kingbird is ever present – perching on Mesquite branches surrounding the pond and occasionally on the shrubby vegetation along the shore. I love watching them take off and hover in the air – catching insects, I presume – and then, returning to perch.
I’ve been trying to learn more bird songs and calls as well as identifying my feathered friends by their markings. I feel challenged but it’s so rewarding! I have a mobile app supported by the National Audubon Society that I use as a reference and it has been very helpful in conjunction with a Southwestern guide book. The mobile app has bird calls and songs that I can listen to while in the field. So much fun!
The National Audubon Society has a nice, short list of key attributes to pay attention to when trying to identify an unfamiliar bird. (And, many are unfamiliar to me unless it’s the obvious Robin, Bluebird, Cardinal, etc!! You get the point!)
The Cornell Lab also has a short guide on how to start building your skills as a birder. They list 4 key areas to focus on for visual identification with links from each to a detailed discussion of the skill. They also offer online courses.
Some other birds I commonly see at the Cottonwood Pond include: Red-winged Blackbirds, Wilson’s Warbler, Vermillion Flycatcher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Western Meadowlark, Chipping Sparrow, Great Egret, Phainopepla, and Red-tailed Hawks. Of course, ravens are also abundant.
Photo of the Day 4.19.20
Signage in this area of Southern Arizona is unique. The ironwork is amazing and very intricate at times. I’m not sure who the artist is – or maybe it is multiple artists – but I love the detail and also the simplicity. The gate above is located at the Empire Ranch historic site and marks the entrance to a short trail that travels through the Empire Gulch.
Yesterday, we embarked on a road trip because the wind was pretty intense to the point there were red flag warnings in effect. We made a big loop traveling through the bohemian town of Patagonia, skirting around Nogales and heading north to Green Valley. At this point, we veered off I-19 and headed towards the mountains. We made a quick drive-by through the Madera Canyon area. Although beautiful, it was so crowded that we just drove to the end of the road and returned back to take the Box Canyon Road to Rt. 83. This route ended up being 14 miles of dirt road through a pretty cool canyon. There is about 6 miles of single-land road with no guard rails – that was interesting – especially when there was traffic coming in the opposite direction. We shared the road that day with dirt bikes, ATV’s, pick-up trucks and cars – and a few cattle!
A road sign was posted as we started on the dirt road indicating that the road was impassable for tractor-trailers for the next 5 miles. But then we came to THIS additional sign. So, I guess if you were driving a tractor-trailer and ignored the first sign – this was your final warning!? There was literally no where you could possibly turn a tractor-trailer around here!! Too funny!!
There was a cool, old ranch sign along the road that I just had to photograph. At the top, the words “Hacienda Al Paso” caught my eye. I’m guessing it loosely translates to “Ranch at the Pass.”
It was hard to capture a photograph of the canyon with so many twists and turns of the road, plus much of it was single-lane. It was hard to find a spot to pull over so we were not blocking the road. You can get an idea of the passage from this shot.
Photo of the Day 4.18.20
Cottonwood Pond
Mourning doves cooing
Red-tailed Hawks guarding their nest
Mesquite wind silent.
The incessant wind we have been experiencing over the past several days reminds me of my quiet morning walk earlier in the week! On that particular morning, the wind was silent. An anomaly here in the grassland! The doves were vocal as I neared the pond and the hawks were hanging by their nest in the cottonwood trees. I wrestled with a haiku composition as I walked, settling upon the version above.
I’m posting a photo from several days ago as I don’t anticipate fighting the wind today!! Although, Jim came back from his morning walk in the wash and exclaimed that I had to bring my camera down and take pictures of the Mariposa Lilies he saw – sooooooo……maybe the camera will get some action today! 🙂
Photo of the Day 4.17.20
Today we ventured over to another part of the conservation area that borders Arizona state fish and game lands. We hiked a dirt road through the grasslands that rose up into the foothills of the Mustang Mountains. (I love that name!) Once we started up the road, it was amazing to spot a great variety of wildflowers growing among the grasses. This blue/purple flower really stood out with its deep blue color and dark green leaves. Since it is not listed in the two print plant references I have, it took some online work to figure out the species. I believe I’ve got the identification down correctly. It’s a member of the Phlox family and this plant is common in grassland environments.
One of the websites that I’ve found useful (among others) is the Plants of the West and Southwest. Of course, another great site is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s plant database. I’ve still much to learn as I get familiar with the plants growing here in the southwest. It’s a lot of fun to investigate these new plants (to me) and keeps me out of trouble! 🙂
Photo of the Day 4.16.20
We embarked a road trip today along some back country dirt roads in and around the town of Sonoita. At one point, we found ourselves at a dead end and proceeded down a U.S. Forest Service road. (Noticed an awesome boondocking spot off the beaten path!) I saw these shrubs growing abundantly along the dirt road and had to get out of the truck to get a photo. The fragrance of the blossoms permeated the air as I exited the vehicle. These shrubs are not growing in the grassland where we are camped. As I look around, I noticed a decided change in the soil structure here where they are growing. Instead of the usual red clay soil we’re used to seeing, this area’s soil was more prominently white and calcic in nature. I read where the Fernbush and Cliff Rose both prefer to grow in limestone-rich soils. Hence, the reason why these shrubs are so localized to this location in the foothills. An interesting and somewhat technical explanation regarding desert soils of Arizona can be found here. The reading is a bit dense but if you plod through it – very interesting!
I have altered my original identification of this shrub. It’s more likely to be a cliff rose. A friend with extensive knowledge of the Arizona flora mentioned that it was probably either Apache plume or cliff rose. The habit is more in line with cliff rose – the fruit once it appears will decide! These flowers are born very close to the stem while the Apache Plume flowers appear on longer stalks. Fernbush is also in the rose family but the guide I was using seems to be inaccurate in its description. Thanks Kate for forcing me to take a closer look!
In my research to get a proper identification, I read there is an endangered species of cliff rose called Purshia subintegra or Arizona Cliffrose. Apparently, it does not grow in the national forest here in southern Arizona but is found sparingly in the Tonto National Forest and the Coconino National Forest.
Photo of the Day 4.15.20
Our evening walk to the Cottonwood Pond was very fruitful. As I spend more time at the pond, I’ve become more attuned to the feathered friend population. Our main objective this evening was to catch a glimpse of the red-tailed hawks that are nesting in the tall Cottonwood tree across from the pond. We did not see any activity there tonight so we turned our attention to the pond.
I’ve been seeing flashes of yellow dashing and darting among the mesquite trees for days but the bird has not settled down long enough for me to get a closer look. Tonight, I was rewarded! I believe this is a Wilson’s Warbler – correct me if I’m wrong my birder friends! He kept moving around in this mesquite and I had to try and get a shot through the dense branches. So surprised this turned out as good as it did!
The egret I photographed a couple of weeks ago and, have not seen since, made a return visit tonight! I managed to see him well before we reached the pond so I was able to sneak up on him and prevent spooking him. Later in the evening when we returned to our campsite, we saw him fly overhead in the directions of the Empire Mountains. I wonder where he was going?
We also watched the antics of a flock of female red-winged blackbirds. (Again, I’m pretty sure I’ve identified them correctly) They were perching in the mesquite along the pond and dropping down to the water to clean themselves and drink – then, returning to the trees to preen and dry. They were very entertaining!!
Photo of the Day 4.14.20
Today we completed our longest bike ride here on the ranch – taking a route that created an 18-mile loop through the conservation area. The photo above pretty much sums up our routine when we ride – stop half-way and have lunch! Lunch always ends with a naval orange – such a refreshing finale to a meal!! This time Jim made sure he grabbed his Swiss Army knife off the back of the bike before I took off! 🙂
One of the most exciting parts of the ride today was our encounter with a herd of cattle shepherding along their calves. For some unexplained reason, they were especially nervous and we could hear them bellowing from a distance and moving quickly through the mesquite. When we came upon them, they started running en masse! It was the closest I’ve been to a mini-stampede. We’re not sure what spooked them – coyote perhaps – but we kept our distance and let them cross the path in front of us. Eventually, they settled down and we went on our way. Lots of calves in the herds this time of year!
On some of the rocky hillsides along our route, more of the Desert Mariposa Lilies were blooming as well as a delightful little lupine called Shortstem Lupine.
Photo of the Day 4.13.20
Shifting gears a bit this evening and posting a photograph I took while visiting the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco in February. There were a few flowers in bloom on the headlands as we hiked along part of the coastal trail as well as some marine life! More to come on that day trip in my next blog posting. 🙂
Photo of the Day 4.12.20
How special that I found some Desert Mariposa Lilies blooming on Easter day in the grassland!! Jim and I decided to take an afternoon bike ride on a new dirt road we discovered here in the NCA. We detoured onto an unmarked road, curious how far it traveled and, if it was the same path that climbed the plateau we could see in the distance.
We parked the bikes at the bottom of the plateau and hiked to the top. It’s a high spot in the grassland and the view was amazing! As I was walking back down the hill, I noticed the yellow flowers of a Mariposa lily. They were so unassuming and sparse that they were hard to spot and I had not even noticed them on the hike up. I have not seen them blooming anywhere else but in this isolated location. What a treat!! 🙂
On our way back to the campsite, we stopped off at Cottonwood Pond. I had taken an early morning walk down to the pond and had once again watched “my” two red-tailed hawks soaring high above the land. One did eventually land in the Cottonwood tree across from the pond. I also enjoyed the antics of several birds while I sipped my coffee and ate my stroopie.
Sharing a perching spot with the Kingbirds this morning was a very vocal Red-winged Blackbird.
And, of course, the swallows were abundant. And I have a confession to make regarding the swallows! Jim was still not stirring when I embarked on my walk this morning. He mumbled a good-bye and said maybe he would meet me down there later. I spent a considerable amount of time at the pond observing the birds and watching the hawks. Jim never showed up so I headed back. We must have missed each other – as I walked back on the road and he had bushwhacked through the wash to get to the pond. When he returned, he told me he had seen a woman at the pond and struck up a conversation with her. He mentioned to her our fascination with the tree swallows. She quickly corrected him – noting that they were, in fact, Northern Rough-winged Swallows. He explained to her our indecision over what type of swallow they were and thanked her for the identification. So, being the very novice birdwatcher that I am – I am grateful that he happened upon this more experienced birder!! I am happy to admit my error!!
I will be correcting my blog posts where I mention tree swallows!! If you know me like my family does, you know that I do not like to be inaccurate! But, having said that, I still think I could have identified tree swallows initially here at the pond. It’s hard to miss their iridescence. I suspect they were migrating through but the Northern Rough-winged swallows are the more frequent residents. So, this afternoon, when we stopped at the pond I examined the swallows more closely with binoculars – waiting patiently for one to land so that I could get a good view. I wanted to verify the identification for my own satisfaction. And, sure enough, it was obviously the Northern Rough-winged Swallow! Thank goodness we now know for sure that we have identified them correctly!! 🙂
Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography 