Mike in the Wild

An explosion of air startled me as I watered a backyard pot teeming with aloe vera plants.  I had inadvertently disturbed a Gambel's quail hidden in the foliage, triggering her into a sudden flight.  When I discovered her clutch of eleven tiny eggs nestled below the intertwining aloe arms, I immediately directed my garden hose into the cacti growing in some neighboring pots.  Over the next four weeks I endeavored to keep the nest off limits to everyone except the mother quail.   Initially I was concerned that the quail had completely abandoned my backyard and, subsequently, her nest.  However by the next day I observed a female quail periodically walking along the wall above the potted aloes.  And then a day or two later, when I poked my nose a little too closely into the plants, I scared the mother bird away yet again.  A short time after, I thankfully saw a single female quail, apparently the mother, return to the area. The first encounter began...

Yet again April showers didn't bring May flowers to Arizona, a place where rain falls mostly in the winter and summer months.  However the longer, hotter days of spring brought the blooms of plenty of drought-resistant plants like cacti and agave, sustenance for lots of wildlife.   While local wintering bird species have left to breed in northern climates, several others have remarkably just arrived in the desert to nest.  White-winged doves might be the most noticeable as they fill our yards and urbanscape, timing their visits in anticipation of ripening saguaro cactus fruit.  Cliff swallows are the most intrepid visitors due to their lengthy flights from as far away as Argentina.  It's hard to miss these swiftly darting birds as they feed on the multitude of insects above our canals and lakes. Along these same waterways, year-round residents like mallards have been raising their ducklings for more than a month.  Nearby on land, surviving on grasses, ...

There is no better inspiration for a blog post than a first-time encounter with a new bird.  And it's especially true when the sighting and photographs help me dig deeper into the fascinating field of ornithology. I recently made a trip to the Simi Valley area of Southern California and managed to pick up where I left off on a birding trip to the same location last year.  On that trip, I observed that some common birds in California were closely related to some common birds in Arizona, but that the geographically separated birds were in fact unique species within their respective families.  As a result,  Arizona has  Woodhouse's  scrub-jays,  canyon  towhees and  juniper  titmice, while California has  California  scrub-jays,  California  towhees and  oak  titmice, living on opposite ends of a vast landscape of deserts and mountains. On my first birding trip to the West Coast, I mostly ignored the quails...

After almost a week of near-record heat, I took a hike back into the neighboring park to see the effect on the blooms and landscape. It wasn't a difficult choice of excursions, as the trails of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve are an easy walk from my community. And even on a hot day, the morning weather is still perfect.  While I accessed the mountains the same way, I took a different route on the hike, exploring higher in the park.  But I didn't venture as high as Piestewa Peak, the 2,600 foot signature feature of the preserve. It's a steep 1,200 foot ascent from its trailhead and is more of an aerobic work-out than a nature walk. Nonetheless I covered more than six miles, enjoying new views and discoveries.  While Mexican gold poppies have definitely peaked in this area, there are other new blooms and the loud cacophony of birds reminding us it is indeed Spring in the desert. Starting at the very last parking area, I made a circle on the north loop of  Trail ...