Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography
sharing my thoughts through words and images
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!! 🙂
Photo of the Day 4.11.20
I know. Another sunset photograph. How boring, right? One thing is sure. After I leave this place, a lasting memory will definitely be the endless, magnificent sunsets that occur here each night.
Today was a busy day. We had to venture to town for grocery shopping which has become our least favorite chore. It means being exposed to the public and potentially to the deadly virus. We take precautions, of course, but it still feels weird to be walking around the market trying to avoid close encounters and wearing bandannas and latex gloves. We have chosen to shop at the Safeway since they have been very progressive about minimizing exposure for both customers and employees. Since our last visit, they have staff outside wiping down the carts for customers, have installed plastic shields at the check-out, have ALL staff wearing masks and gloves, and have many floor labels designating safe distances and one-way aisles.
So, due to our excursion today, my first opportunity to photograph was after we returned, put groceries away and prepared dinner. Today, the forecast was for 80% rain and thunderstorms which was why we chose to shop. We got back to our campsite and it had not rained one drop! The mountains all around us were cloaked in clouds and experiencing some type of precipitation. Just before sunset, clouds started to disperse and the sky was very dramatic. Hence, my photo op!! Enjoy!
Photo of the Day 4.10.20
On an early evening walk down to the pond, I noticed these Blue Dicks blooming off the side of the road. There’s not much in bloom in this high-desert grassland right now – so any color catches my eye!! The lavender flowers contrast nicely with the orange-red, sandy soil in the background.
We lingered at the pond watching the tree swallows dipping and swooping above the water. They were particularly active tonight and I managed to catch several picking up insects off the surface of the water. The photos are not professional-grade but still pretty cool!! They are soooooo entertaining!
Photo of the Day 4.9.20
We took a ride over to the Coronado National Forest – Mt. Wrightson Wilderness area to hike part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The Arizona Trail encompasses 800 miles of non-motorized pathways stretching from the Mexico border north to Utah. Since we have a great view of the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness area mountain peaks from our camping spot, it was fun to hike along a trail that crisscrosses through that landscape.
The terrain is so much different than the high-desert grassland. We walked within the foothills of the mountain peaks through oak-pinyon-juniper forests interspersed with Mexican Manzanita – a beauty of a plant! The reddish-brown bark of the branches against the bright green leaves and red berries is a sight to behold. I love this plant. It was refreshing to immerse ourselves in a completely different ecosystem for a day – and so close to us!
Photo of the Day 4.8.20
Evening on the Cienegas
As the moon rises
The wind sings through the Mesquite
And coyotes howl.
– Lynn Amber
As I predicted, the cloud cover impacted the initial rise of the moon last night. I still like the effect of the sunset coloring the clouds with the moon peeking through to tease me. It was a beautiful evening. I am always awestruck while watching the full moon rise over the horizon.
This morning as I lay in bed, that little haiku appeared in my mind begging to be put to print. It’s windy here and we hear coyotes singing on the grassland every evening. Last night as I went out to the tripod to start taking pictures, the coyote cries greeted me. I’ve noticed on our many walks the wind whistling through the mesquite bosques – such a unique sound that I’ve grown accustomed to here on the ranch 🙂
Photo of the Day 4.7.20
It was “chore” day today. The wind and sunshine were perfect drying conditions!! Truth be told, I am also trying out my new remote shutter release cable hoping to get a full moon shot tonight – and the clothes drying on the line are my only interesting subject!
I bought a shutter release cable before we headed out in January but had yet to take it out of its package. It was time!! I had to search through my camera manual and do some research online both to figure out which external socket on my camera was the correct one. It was not obvious to me! After I shot some “wash” photos, I set the tripod up angled towards the moonrise location, set the focus manually and took a couple of shots for practice. The cable works perfectly. Now I just need for some of these dang clouds to disperse! They could provide some nice contrast or they could also cover up the moon as it rises over the horizon. We shall see!
Photo of the Day 4.6.20
The sunsets have been incredible here in the Las Cienegas NCA. As I post this one taken last night, I am looking out the window at an even more incredible color display!! The above photo is looking toward the eastern sky and the colors are more pastel. The photo below is taken toward the western sky. Both in the same evening minutes apart!
Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography 