Mike in the Wild

Starting with its dozens of mile of coastline, San Diego offers unlimited spots for seaside adventures and relaxation.  The city may be most renowned for the sandy beaches where Arizonans like me - we're not so affectionately referred to as Zonies - descend en masse during the hottest months of our long, baking summer.  Even COVID-19 didn't keep us away this year as we masked up in the large crowds visiting the coast.  But it turned out the masks would come in handy for another reason: the stench. A well-known area of the sprawling coastal city is La Jolla - Spanish for The Jewel - noted for being one of the most expensive communities in the United States to buy a home in.  But it's also famous for its geography, situated on a rising bluff over the Pacific Ocean where spectacular views of the sea are one of the reasons for the astronomical real estate costs.  Much of the neighborhood's coastline includes cliffs punctuated by cozy, sandy beaches.   ...

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...