Mike in the Wild

There's no shortage of spectacular scenery at the Grand Canyon.  The vast, deep, dynamic landscape cascading from the miles of rim-side trails offers jaw-dropping scenery with every look.  Sunsets and sunrises offer even more magical views for the visitors that plan longer days.  And during my lucky stay overnight on the South Rim, the almost pitch-black darkness enforced throughout the National Park guaranteed some of the most stunning views imaginable of our planet's star-filled sky. On a moonless night I witnessed the Milky Way stretching overhead from the southern to the northern horizons, guiding my attention along the illuminated path its name connotates.  The Big Dipper lay low to the north, providing an easy guide to the North Star, Polaris. I was able to discern Andromeda, Earth's nearest neighboring galaxy, after approximating its location thanks to finding another constellation, Cassiopeia, whose distinctive W-shape points to it.  Sirius, the brightes...

I've had my not-so-secret favorite birding spots in the Prescott area for years: Dandrea Trail, Granite Basin Lake, Watson Woods, to name just a few.  But I never imagined that there was a special and easy-to-reach hotspot that the world kept secret from me for so many years.  And then just like that, a local birder spilled the beans and told me about Butterfly Spring on Mingus Mountain.   Well, he didn't actually tell me anything I couldn't have researched independently on the web or through eBird if I had dug a little deeply.  In fact the trails leading to the site are clearly identified on the National Forest's website.  In our conversation about warblers migrating through the area and about my luck finding varieties on Dandrea Trail below Mount Davis, this generous individual informed me that Butterfly Spring is often referred to as Warbler Spring.  Starting in the spring and throughout the summer, many species breed in the area and even more migra...