While we watched, it explored its surroundings, sunned its wings, and even flew a little! It was lots of fun to watch and share Charlie Jr. with others who came to enjoy the bridge :)
We were driving from Portland, OR to Farmington, NM when I realized that if we took a "mere" 4 hour detour then we could stop by Navajo Bridge, AZ for a couple of hours...done! I was hoping to see adult California Condors roosting on the bridges again and when we got there, I excitedly scanned the bridges only to quickly realize that there weren't any condors on them. I was disappointed to say the least. I love this spot regardless; the scenery is gorgeous and it's just a pleasant place to be, but with so few places to reliably see condors my hopes had been high that they would be here like last time. Despite needing to move on down the road, I wanted to stay a little longer so we watched as the river flowed and created whirlpools along the stretch that we could see. The time passed and no condors had arrived so I decided to make one last scan before we left and that's when I saw the dark spot with lots of whitewash on the cliffs. There was no way I was going to be lucky enough to have spotted a nest...but when we got the scope on the right spot there it was, a wild hatched condor!!! Whoohoo! It turns out that there was a star party scheduled on the bridge for that evening and when the park rangers showed up, one was able to tell me about this recently hatched condor. This condor hatched on May 7, 2022 to parents 775/tag R5 (female) and 619/tag 19 (male). Both parents were hatched and raised in captivity at the Oregon Zoo and The World Center for Birds of Prey, respectively, before being released (I assume at Vermillion Cliffs, AZ). According to CondorSpotter.com, this appears to be their first chick! As of September 2022, there are only 4 known wild hatched birds in the AZ/UT population from this breeding season and 2 more immatures from the previous breeding season. We were incredibly lucky that this individual hatched within sight of the bridge and that we saw it. I like to name my favorite birds and I named the first condor we saw here Charlie. This is not the chick of that adult, but Charlie Jr. still seemed like the perfect name. While we watched, it explored its surroundings, sunned its wings, and even flew a little! It was lots of fun to watch and share Charlie Jr. with others who came to enjoy the bridge :) Then, as if we could have been any luckier, a rainbow appeared over Marble Canyon! And then the sunset became more and more spectacular! We even ended up staying for the beginning of the star party, but the clouds that had made for such a spectacular sunset made for less than ideal viewing conditions. It didn't matter, the people there were wonderful and the 4 hour detour was absolutely worth it.
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Let's just get this out of the way. We messed up. Granted, it was the annual release day for condors at Vermillion Cliffs and it was going to be packed with people, Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge were in the direction we were heading to not coming from, and we had never been to the Grand Canyon's North Rim before...so maybe we only messed up a little. We started the day at the North Rim, but we should have left for Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge much sooner. We almost missed Navajo Bridge completely as we raced the setting sun. I could have spent all day there. Same with Vermillion Cliffs. The North Rim was worth seeing, but it was windy, cold, and had less than ideal viewing conditions that day. Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge were spectacular. Hands down they are now two of my absolute favorite places in Arizona. Trust me. Take a camping chair and make them destinations of their own for at least half a day each. We ran out of time, but Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Glen Canyon/Lake Powell are all right there, too. For lunch, dinner, or both the Marble Canyon Restaurant was delicious and, as an added bonus, there were cool moths by the lights at night! As we drove away from the Grand Canyon and towards Vermillion Cliffs we got our first view of the cliffs in the distance. Directions to Vermillion Cliffs can be found here and a map of the area can be found here. Once you enter Vermillion Cliffs National Monument you travel on a dirt road for 2-3 miles before getting to the Condor Viewing Site with a dirt parking lot, small covered picnic area, and portable toilets. I am not sure if the toilets are there year-round or just for the annual condor release, which was Sept 28 in 2019. The cliffs were spectacular and the colors were constantly changing with the passing clouds and setting sun! Once a year The Peregrine Fund releases some of the immature condors that they have been raising. Today was the day! We chose to arrive later and avoid the large group of people who gathered to witness the release. When we arrived a few of the condors were soaring over the cliffs. With binoculars they were dots. With our 85mm scope they were bird shaped, and if you really focused your eyes, you could just start to see some of their field marks. Nonetheless, it was well worth the time spent and we really enjoyed being at the cliffs. I wanted the chance to get a better look at a condor, though, and I had heard that they roosted on Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon in the mornings and evenings, so off we went. The first things we noticed when we got out of the car at Navajo Bridge were the spectacular views and a Canyon Wren hopping around on the rocks next to the path! As dusk fell we were delighted to spot a bat fluttering around the bridge as well! There are two bridges here. One is the old vehicle bridge that has been turned into a pedestrian bridge and the other is the new vehicle bridge. With the light quickly fading, we desperately searched for a condor...success!!! The pictures are grainy because of the low light, but we had excellent views of this condor through both binoculars and a scope.
This one's tag is broken on one wing, so it took some research and the help of a friend to figure out the identity of this condor. We decided that it was most likely condor H9, a female who hatched on June 3, 2008 and was raised by the Portland Zoo. She was released on Sept 24, 2011, presumably at Vermillion Cliffs. Detailed information about individual condors can be found here. We ended the day with a Navajo Taco, a quick stop in the gift shop, and me spending too much time photographing moths after we ate :) A couple of years ago I was mowing the lawn and a flutter of movement caught my eye. It turned out to be a Western Pygmy-Blue Butterfly and I spent the next 45 minutes crouched over it taking pics with my iPhone. Thank goodness it wasn't skittish because I had to get within inches of it to take the pics! It turns out that the Western Pygmy-Blue is the smallest butterfly in North America. It was my first attempt at any sort of "macro" photography with my phone and with a wingspan of only 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch it was impossibly small and beautiful! The flower it is on is about the size of a dime!!! I was in. There was no turning back. I showed the picture to a friend and she encouraged me to join iNaturalist. You take a picture, submit it, and iNat makes ID suggestions. I had tried it years ago and given up on it, but it has really grown and improved! The suggestions are usually spot on and it's a great way to learn about the natural world around you. After submitting the Western Pygmy-Blue, I decided to submit the flower that it had been on. It was a Rayless Greenthread, also called Hopi Tea Greenthread. I wanted more butterflies and bugs...I stopped mowing that portion of my yard and two years later I have a nice row of greenthreads! It's perfect timing. When spring bird migration winds down and it starts to get hot out, its time to start looking over my greenthread plants to see what I can find! Bees, wasps, and butterflies abound! Now, I am turning my yard into as much pollinator habitat as possible and just the other day I was able to get an amazing picture of a Reakirt's Blue Butterfly (top pic)! Check out all the iridescence on its body and wings!!! Think about all the great insects we would have if we all had at least a little pollinator habitat in our yards! Pocket Lens macro lens for phones can be found here.
I often find myself looking at other people’s lists on eBird and listservs and thinking “Wow! How did they see all that?!? I was there, too, and only saw blank, blank, and blank!”. It can be discouraging. So, as I found myself feeling anxious a few days ago about everything I felt like I was missing during migration, I decided to swing by a local park, by myself, and at the “wrong” time of day. It was fantastic. Even though I didn’t have a long list or see rarities, I found myself being regrounded in the delight of spending time with the birds that I was seeing. Many of the birds we have right now are on a long and dangerous journey. I am privileged to get to spend a few quiet moments with them. I find the most joy in watching a bird and realizing that I am spending part of its life with it. Since then, I have had a few very nice days of migration birding, but I don’t think they would have had the same impact without the realization that while I can’t control which birds I will find, I can choose to appreciate the birds that I see.
Thanks to Jim Kringle, Lena Zappia, and Brad Shine for feedback and edits. Yea, I name some of the birds I see...this one felt like an Ollie :) I was in Albuquerque, NM for a couple of days and a new birding buddy told me where I might be able to see a Western Screech-Owl. I got lucky and it was there! When I arrived, it seemed to be soundly sleeping. I didn't even see a twitch of the eye to check me out...then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew between myself and the owl. It didn't make any noise except for the sound of its wings, but Ollie immediately took notice! He looked in the direction the hawk had flown for a few minutes before resuming his nap, but not before subtly giving me the once over... Then it was back to sleep... He finally woke up after sunset! When I left at dark, Ollie was still happy in his cavity. The End :)
The Tingley Bosque Ponds and Beach area are a part of the ABQ BioPark. These ponds are free to visit. The Bosque Ponds have bird blinds and, while the Tingley Beach ponds are frequented by fisherman, they also have good waterfowl for birders. The closest access to the Bosque Ponds is from the gravel parking area in the map below. Entering this parking area also give you access to a drive that leads to the Beach ponds and their own parking lots. After parking in the lot on the map, turn south (away from Tingley Beach) to reach the end of the chain link fence separating the parking area from the paved public use trail, Paseo del Bosque. When you reach the end of the fence, cross the train tracks and the trail to the Bosque Ponds will be ahead of you, marked by wooden posts. There are dirt paths leading in three directions, but the short one leading straight ahead goes to the Bosque Ponds. I visited during the winter and I was able to see one of the bird blinds from the entrance to the trail. The trails were in good condition but there were a few large roots from the trees along the path, so watch your step. The first pond you reach is the southeastern one on the map. The second pond is to your right. Along the trail to the Bosque Ponds, I saw Dark-eyed Juncos and lots of woodpeckers including multiple Downies, a Hairy, and a Northern Flicker. There are other paths leading to the right or left that lead to more of the woods. I'm sure there was a Brown Creeper in there somewhere... The blind at each pond will give you a view of the entire pond. There are also trails that lead around the ponds. While facing the bird blind at the first pond, the trail to the right will lead to the second pond. You can follow this straight path all the way to the second pond or take the first left to walk between the ponds and along a culvert. It's a short walk either way. The second pond is about the same size and has a small island. I visited the area in the evening, so after I was finished at the Bosque Ponds, I walked to the Tingley Beach ponds. The middle pond has an island where cormorants (mostly Neotropic) and Black-crowned Night-Herons were coming in for the evening. There were also very confiding Wood Ducks at this pond.
This is one of my favorite places that we visited this year. I have only been to Salt Lake City once before. We drove through a few years ago and had an afternoon to spend. We just happened to drive by the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and decided to give it a whirl. We saw our first Short-eared Owl during that "whirl" :) Clearly, Salt Lake City is a great place to bird! This time we were staying a few days for a conference and the hotel was in Snowbird, in the mountains to the southeast of Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, everywhere I wanted to visit was at least an hour away. I decided to visit Antelope Island SP on the first day of our trip. I wanted to see the migratory shorebirds (a personal favorite :). It was a solid 1.5 hour drive, one way, from our hotel. I had planned to revisit Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge one day and had a handful of other places to pick from for the third day of our stay. I ended up going back to Antelope Island SP all three days of our stay! Repeated visits to the same place in one trip, especially when I am somewhere that is essentially new to me, has never happened before. The scenery, surprises, and delightful chattering of the Red-necked Phalaropes kept bringing me back :) The park has a few different areas to explore. It starts with the causeway, a 7 mile two lane road that has shallow water for the shorebirds and a deeper area that the grebes and phalaropes preferred. The Salt Lake City area has a number of areas that are extremely important to birds throughout the year. Some use the area during migration and others overwinter or nest here. Antelope Island SP is one of those areas. I was visiting during the tail end of fall shorebird migration, so I wasn't sure what would still be around. The shorebirds were pretty scattered and the numbers seemed low (likely because of the time of year), but there were still thousands of American Avocets, Eared Grebes, and Red-necked Phalaropes. As you leave the causeway and enter the island, keep your eyes open for bison. I was told that the heard had over 700 individuals when I was there in the fall of 2019. The bison are one of the island's main attractions. There are also neat bison statues near the visitor center. Leave yourself extra time when traveling on the island because the bison frequently block the road and, in my experience, the herd crosses slowly...very slowly. Stay in your car and keep your distance. They are wild and unpredictable animals. I went to the visitor center and drove the northern portion of the island. It was very pretty, but there were too many mosquitoes for me to get out of the car, so I headed to the Fielding Garr Historic Ranch. I didn't know what to expect, but the drive was lovely. Even without having to wait on the bison to cross the road, it takes a good 20 minutes to get to the ranch from the end of the causeway. Apparently, Burrowing Owls can occasionally be seen along this route, but I didn't see any. I was told by a ranger that there were a couple of nests on the island during the summer but, when I was there in October, most of them had already left for the winter. There are several signs along the way to the ranch that state that the gates close when the ranch closes at 5pm. So, the first day that I visited, I got to the ranch a little after 4pm and grudgingly left at 5pm, even though the birding was great. When I went back the next day and talked to the ranger, she told me that the buildings at the ranch close at 5pm but visitors were welcome to stay as long as they liked. Sigh. Very nice of them, but it would have been great if that had been on any of the signs! She told me that the only gate that closes is the main entrance and, if you approach it slowly, it will open automatically. After you turn in to the ranch, there is a two level parking lot. The next three pictures show views of the ranch from the parking lot. The ranch has two restrooms that are located on either side of the parking area. The area is beautiful with gorgeous views of grasslands and mountains to the south and west. Now, on to the good birding areas! :) My favorite area on the first day was the area with trees and the wooden fence in the third picture of the ranch area above. It was hopping with a Townsend's Solitare, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned Sparrows, Hermit Thrush, an American Kestrel, Northern Flickers, swallows, flycatchers, and more! I could even hear a Great Horned Owl calling! On the second day, this area was surprisingly quiet. Weather wise, nothing had changed from the day before. No fronts had moved through and the temperature, wind, etc, was basically the same, but the birds were gone. I also learned on the second day that you could go past the wooden fence and bird the woods behind the buildings. Just past the buildings is where I found my lifer Evening Grosbeaks! Just a little ways in and to the left is a marshy area. In this area, I saw sparrows, warblers, a Green-tailed Towhee, a Spotted Towhee, and heard a Virginia Rail. The trail continues past the marshy area and curves to the right. It comes out into an open grassy area lined with trees on both your right and left. I had some good birds, including a Cassin's Vireo, in the single line of trees to the left, but they moved quickly and were difficult to re-find. There were also deer in this area, so don't have a heart attack if you scare something large by accident! The ranger told me that they weren't able to keep the bison out of the area, although they have tried, so be mindful of your surroundings and give them plenty of space if you do come across them. This is also the area where I almost had a heart attack when I accidentally scared a Common Poorwill! Turns out that it was even a rare bird alert! You never know what you might find! If you've never accidentally scared one before (and this was the first time I had come across one roosting), they stay put until you are almost on top of them and then burst away and leave you wondering what the heck just happened! I was kicking myself for not getting a better look (like I even had a chance!) until I accidentally came across it again in the woods. This time, I saw where it landed on the ground, but as soon as I moved to take a pic, it burst into the air again and was gone. I chose not to follow it, having already flushed it twice by accident. It was just looking for a place to rest during the day. Speaking of resting during the day, the Great Horned Owls were also around this area of the woods. As always, please be maintain a respectful distance to not disturb wildlife. I was able to take all of these pictures through my scope or binoculars so that I could stay back while still enjoying them. Encounters and some disturbance are inevitable, I woke the owl by snapping a twig by accident (sigh), but if you think your presence is causing too much disturbance, please move on (which is what I had to do after I accidentally stepped on the twig).
The patch of woods continues to the west and I had sparrows and towhees in the brush piles on the western side of the grassy area. You can continue along the perimeter of the woods, which will take you back to the fenced in trees and buildings, or take one of the paths that leads back into the woods along the northern boundary and go back to the buildings by going through the woods. It's a small area with different birds in the different environments, so if you have the time, it's worth exploring. I had a fantastic time here and, despite returning for several days, I really only explored a small portion of the island. I had too much fun in the areas I did visit to fit in everything! It was well worth the 3 hour round trip from our hotel to visit each day (I can't believe I just said that), but I'm definitely staying closer next time! If you visit Antelope Island State Park, I hope you have a wonderful time! Titling this post "bobcat" just doesn't feel like it does it justice...maybe Lynx rufus (its scientific name) will. I got lucky. Really lucky. Well, I had lots of luck mixed with a little help from my preference for birding in the evening :) I was in Utah and headed back to the hotel for the night. I decided to stop one more time at what had become my favorite spot of the day. It must have crept onto the rocks while I was looking at the Red-necked Phalaropes. I didn't even see the bobcat until it was settling onto the rocks...I have no idea where it came from. I was the only person there. Cars were rushing by behind me, completely oblivious to the bobcat laying less than 10 yards away... I could hardly believe what I was seeing! A bobcat, out in the open, seemingly unaware of my presence. Transfixed on the birds that it hoped would be dinner. I excitedly watched it for a few minutes before I thought to go get my scope from the car. I couldn't believe that I hadn't grabbed it to begin with! Arg! I rushed back to the car as quietly as one can when they are super excited, but at least I remembered to just tap the trunk shut. I didn't even lock the car. I didn't want the "beep" to shift the bobcat's focus. I rushed back and held my breath as I peered over the barrier...please let it still be there...it was! Still transfixed on the birds. It laid on the rocks, barely moving, until dusk. I decided to leave before it got dark, just in case I was keeping it from hunting, but I don't think I had any effect on its behavior. It never even acknowledged my presence. I feel like it would be naive to think it didn't know that I was there, but then again, maybe not. The breeze was blowing on my face, away from the bobcat, hopefully not even giving my scent away. Besides accidentally kicking a piece of gravel on my way back to the car, I had managed to remain quiet and still. I went back the next day. I didn't expect to be lucky enough to see it again, but couldn't resist looking anyway. I stopped by on my way to another spot I wanted to bird and arrived just in time to see it settle into the grasses to watch the birds again! This time, all I could see were the tips of its ears. If I had arrived 15 seconds later, I probably wouldn't have even seen it. Smiling, I watched for just a minute and then decided to leave before I gave myself away or drew attention from other passersby... I was running a little late heading back to check one more time that same day. I had told one of the park rangers what I had seen and she was already there, watching. This time, I remembered to grab my scope from the start. I slowly crept up to the edge and when I looked over it was sitting on the rocks with its paws and face wet. I don't know if it had caught anything or not this time, but a closer look at the rocks revealed a number of previous avian meals. I held my breath as it turned to look my way. I thought "this is it, as soon as it sees us it's going to be gone", but to my amazement, it didn't leave. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the bobcat looked away again and began to preen just like my little cat would! I took pictures until it was too dark for my scope. Eventually, it stood up, stretched, and gracefully walked away...just as silently as it had appeared the day before... I went back one more day, and checked twice, but I didn't see it again. This evening it felt like everything had changed. The wind was at my back, the mosquitoes were even more overwhelming than the previous two days, other people were there and chatting away...it just wasn't meant to be. I was disappointed, but reminded myself that I had seen it 3 times in 2 days! Despite how short my time watching the bobcat felt in the quickly fading light over past two evenings, I still couldn't believe my luck of seeing it at all. I may have seen one other bobcat as it dashed across a dark road in front of the car once. It was too fast to be sure. This one I had gotten to watch...spend a few moments of its life with it before we had to go our separate ways...and I will be forever grateful for those few moments.
I was washing dishes on July 29th when I saw a flash of red at the hummingbird feeder. "A Ruby-throated male!" I thought. The most common hummingbird here is the Black-chinned, so a migrating Ruby-throated is a treat. I rushed to grab my binoculars and, as I focused on the small bird, I was surprised again...it wasn't a Ruby-throated, it was a male Rufous Hummingbird!!! What a wonderful surprise! I have only had Black-chinned and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at my feeder before, and even the "common" Black-chinned are far and few between. I'm not sure if this one spotted the pollinator bed that I planted this spring or if it was just luck that it happened to spot the feeder hanging under the tree. Other hummingbirds that I have had pass through during migration only stayed for a day, so that evening, I sat outside with my scope and was able to get some pictures of this incredible little bird. He spent some time preening and flared his tail... Notice the two notched tail feathers on either side of the central feathers? This male has an all rufous back so he can immediately be identified as a Rufous, but some Rufous males (estimated at 5% or less of the population) have green backs and look like Allen's Hummingbirds. If that were the case, the only way to be certain about whether this was a Rufous or an Allen's would be to get a picture of the splayed tail feathers and see whether the two feathers next to the central feathers were notched or not. These feathers on a Rufous male will be strongly notched, like in the picture above. None of an Allen's tail feathers will be notched. Pretty cool, huh? (And maddening if you are trying to figure out a green backed male, female, or juvenile in the field.) Then a visit to the feeder... A return to his favorite perch... And a flick of the tongue... Look...you can see the forked tip!!!
An even bigger surprise was that he ended up staying until August 21st! Spending time on his favorite perch, visiting the feeder, gleaning bugs from the leaves, snatching others out of mid air, and vigorously defending his territory. I spent several evenings watching him. It felt like I had my own little slice of Mary Jo's yard, and I did :) After a little while, we named him Ralphie. I wish him well on his continued journey south and hope to see him again next year! This is one of my favorite places to go birding. The wetlands are beautiful and I always have fun! There are birds, alligators, and all kinds of other wildlife. The city of Orlando has done a wonderful job with this park and, as you enter, there are displays about the park and the wildlife that live here. Let's cover the basics first: the park is free and open from dawn to dusk every day. There are restrooms, water fountains, and a picnic area at the front. A sign in/out sheet is on the podium in front of the displays. The gate is not automatic and someone arrives to open and close the park every day. Shortly after the displays, there is a Gopher Tortoise burrow to the right. In my experience, these are pretty hard to find. Hopefully the tortoise will be out for you to see! After the tortoise, it's on to the wetlands! My favorite areas include the first part of Osprey Blvd and the right hand side of the 2.5 mile birding walk (there is a link to a map at the end of the blog). To be honest, though, that is as far as I have ever made it! The park does not have any shade along most of the trails, unless you take one of the two, short hiking trails through the woods. Be prepared with sunscreen and plenty of water. Despite it being in the open and hot when I visit, I can easily spend hours here. The trails are graded sand and gravel. They are well maintained and easy to walk. The majority of the birds are waders including herons, egrets, spoonbills, and ibis but there are also Red-shouldered Hawks, Anhingas, cormorants, ducks, owls, and more. Even when the weather is hot in summer, the birds will be here. In addition to the birds, I have found snakes, raccoon and deer tracks, wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, and more to keep me entertained. You will absolutely see alligators! Please stay back from the water's edge and do not approach, harass, or feed them (I wrote this before I added the picture and didn't know it matched the sign verbatim!). I have had to turn around because of alligators on the path. When you make it back to the parking lot, look to the right in the mowed area and you will see a number of bat boxes! This park has everything! :) They are occupied and you can hear them chattering away as you approach. As always, never touch or pick up a bat that you find on the ground. Contrary to popular belief, very few bats have rabies but they can contract and pass on the virus. If a bat is on the ground, it is likely sick. Bat colonies can eat tons of insects every night and are valuable sources of pest control. I've never had a problem with insects here and they are probably the reason!
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Bring on the Pollinators! Migration Revelation Western Screech-Owl Tingley Bosque Ponds and Beach, Albuquerque, NM Antelope Island SP, Utah Lynx rufus A Surprise Visitor Orlando Wetlands Park, FL Mary Jo's Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary Melrose Woods "Migrant Trap", NM Harlan's Hawk An Unexpected Great Black Hawk...In Maine Portland, ME My Favorite Sightings from 2018 A Red Knot...in Lubbock, TX! Long-eared Owl, Lubbock, TX So. Many. Birds! Cape May, NJ in the Spring So. Many. Birds! Cape May, NJ in the Fall Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, TX A Snowy Owl...in Texas! Blue-throated Hummingbird, Portal, AZ Northern Saw-whet Owl, Phoenix, AZ Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, LA Great Blue Heron Statue, Monroe. LA Lake Kissimmee, FL - Snail Kites and Limpkins! Death Valley NP "Super Bloom" Death Valley National Park (Day 2) Death Valley National Park (Day 1) Dinosaur Tracks at Clayton Lake SP, NM Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, CO Garden of the Gods, CO Geology Museum, Boulder, CO Barr Lake State Park, CO Lair o' the Bear Park, CO Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ White Sands National Monument, NM Sweetwater Wetlands Park, Tucson, AZ Bosque del Apache NWR, NM Very Large Array, NM Gobble, Gobble! Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, TX Finally! A Snowy Owl in Michigan City, IN South Llano River State Park, TX Armadillo! Meep, Meep! Roadrunner! Great Horned Owl Crunchy (the turtle) Backyard Lizard Big Branch Marsh NWR, LA Black Bayou Lake NWR, LA Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, AZ Aransas NWR, TX Bitter Lake NWR, NM Dragonfly Festival in NM Alligators! Archives
September 2022
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