Mike in the Wild

By definition, the desert is arid, with low amounts of rainfall per year.  The rain that Phoenix does get is typically accumulated in the summer, as part of the greater Southwest's tropical monsoon weather pattern.  And then during the winter, Pacific storms are the normal source of much needed moisture by way of California.  This latter pattern seems to be off to a very slow start this season, which may be part of a wider drought and climate-change phenomena. In any case, the parched landscape basked in wet relief for a few hours Sunday morning as much needed rain fell throughout the Valley.   Thank you Mother Nature for the early Christmas gift to my Phoenix neighborhood.  As the following pictures attest, it was accepted graciously. The Links Golf Course with Phoenix Mountain Park. Phoenix Mountain Park. Phoenix Mountain Park after the rain. Rock wren in some wet rocks. Camelback Mountain after the rain. Cactus with rain dr...

Looks can be deceiving in all aspects of life, and never more so than in the bird world.   Especially in the Arizona deserts, the most beautiful sounds of natures are the vocalizations of the northern mockingbird and curve-billed thrasher.   They are part of a family of birds know as the mimidae, or mimids for short.  While mostly gray or brown and rather dull in appearance, these birds tend to have bright irises of either yellow or gold.  And like their family name intimates, they often mimic the wide range of bird sounds in their environment, making them a tuneful addition to any area's fauna.   So that melodious song may not be the cardinal's and that scratching cluck not the cactus wren's.  Investigate a bit further, it might be the mimid singing. Curve-billed thrasher in Phoenix.   Curve-billed thrasher in Phoenix. Curve-billed thrasher young in nest with parent. Gray catbird in Pelican Lake, Minnesota. Norther...

There are many well-known birds in the desert Southwest, with the roadrunner possibly the most famous.   In Arizona, the cactus wren, with its playful personality, might be a close second.  The ubiquitous flocks of noisy Gambel's quails are on many people's lists of favorites.  But the most common bird, the verdin, has never been heard of in many circles. The verdin is a tiny bird, smaller than most sparrows, populating the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.  What it lacks in size, it compensates for in its sharp and frequent peeps that can be heard from most palo verde and mesquite trees as it continuously forages for insects.  Since it seems to be always moving, it's sometimes difficult to focus on him.  And when you do, he's usually just a flash of gray in a dense canopy of branches.  But in the right light, and with the aid of a camera's fast shutter speed, you'll notice his lemon yellow head, proving he's just as conspicuou...

Arizona is a birding hot spot for a number of reasons, none the least due its central location along the path of many migratory birds that enjoy the long days of  this continent's northern summers and its southern latitudes' warm winters.  One example of these many wide-traveling birds is the American white pelican, spending its summer breeding on isolated fresh water lakes on the northern plains while wintering mostly near the Gulf of Mexico's coastline and in southern California's waterways. Arizona is a flyover state between some of these habitats, so periodic sightings are not unusual.   Less common is when the bird decides to winter here, so far inland from its coastal preferences.  But apparently a pair are doing just that, as I discovered on a recent visit to the riparian preserve at the city of Gilbert's Water Ranch.   (Click here to see details on the preserve.) Their white plumage shines brightly against the greenery around the collecti...