Mike in the Wild

The call and response of two birds attracted more of my attention than the babble of nearby Willow Creek.  The stream, which had recently started to flow for the first time all summer, was my original destination that August morning in Prescott.  "Ta-wit."  "Twit."   "Ta-wit."  "Twit." They were overhead, soft sounds in the low canopy of woody, leafy trees growing along the damp, grassy trail that was helping to feed remnants of the weekend's rain to the creek.  After several minutes of peering into the brush and triangulating the sounds, I frustratingly failed to locate any source for the bird calls.  On my return up the pathway, I still heard the tweets, pinging back and forth like sonar signals from within the foliage.  Again I paused, and again, I didn't locate a bird. Starting my hike back home, I soon saw a blue bird fly between the higher branches of two nearby pine trees.  My zoom lens quickly helped me identify the subject ...

The lifeforms captivated me, their range of colors and forms seemingly limitless.  Hues of yellow and red, and shapes of spongy disks, spiked domes, Easter eggs, and even papery stars all fed my imagination.  I couldn't have visualized a more psychedelic palette if I were snorkeling on a pristine coral reef off of Maui or buying confections in a Parisian bakery.  But I wasn't on an exotic vacation; I was in Prescott, hiking the forest trails surrounding my cabin and peering from the deck into my yard.  And instead of sea life or candy, mushrooms filled my vision, bursting into life as a result of several weeks of monsoon rain.   The animal kingdom is my favorite subject to photograph, especially the birds that call Arizona home for at least part of the year.  The plant kingdom is another popular subject, especially when cactus flowers bloom in the desert and when wildflower season erupts around Prescott after summer rains.  This season is shaping ...

I remember where I saw my very first wood duck.  It was almost five years ago in Prescott, in Watson Woods, on the pond that's surrounded by a restored riparian preserve.  Ever since, I've never tired of pausing to observe and photograph one of these beautiful birds, whether it's wintering on one of Phoenix's urban canals or on display in an indoor Las Vegas aviary.  I didn't think I had anything more to say about the wood duck: the male is brilliantly colorful, the female plain; they don't breed in Arizona, but they migrate here during the cold seasons.  However I just discovered a new detail about them, and it was on the exact spot I saw my first ones all those years ago. Watson Woods and adjacent Watson Lake are always full of surprises, whether it's the variable amount of water flowing through Granite Creek or the variety of migratory birds visiting for the summer or over winter.  In fact, it was far-traveling grosbeaks and tanagers I was hoping to see o...