I’ve been at this campsite in Granite Gap since last Thursday. So far, not one person or vehicle has come by on this road. The highway (Highway 80) is only a few hundred yards away but traffic is light and the road into the BLM land is gated, so I suppose that deters most people. Nights are getting darker now that the full moon is past and I did a few hours of astrophotography last night. Otherwise, I’ve been hiking and reading. There has been a surprising variety of birds here. I saw one Hermit Warbler, a species usually associated with forested areas. This is mostly desert here, with a few small Gambel Oak and junipers in the rocky slopes, so not typical habitat for birds like Hermit Warbler. This morning I saw a Vaux’s Swift fly by. There is a mountain lion roaming around too, I’ve seen the tracks in several locations, from the size of the tracks I’d say a large male.
Bewick’s Wren having arachnid for breakfast. Cliff Chipmunk, the only species of chipmunk in this area. This one was in the yard at the George Walker House. Not a very good photo but here is the Hermit Warbler. Young male Rufous Hummingbird, photo taken out the back window of the Scamp. I see this Sage Thrasher all the time but it has been difficult to photograph. Here it is photographed between some juniper branches. Elephant’s Trunk Nebula, from last night. I want to add a lot more photons to this tonight.
This morning I decided to drive north to Granite Gap and investigate some dispersed campsites on BLM land in the Peloncillo Mountains. About halfway there, I came upon a Peregrine Falcon perched on the cross arm of a powerline. It let me get pretty close and then gave me a nice chance at takeoff/flight shots. I think the flight shots are probably the best ones I’ve ever got of an adult Peregrine Falcon.
The campsites look pretty good, should be quiet there, good cell phone service, and free. The drawback is, like here, it is 45-60 miles to a grocery store, depending on whether I go to Douglas or Lordsburg. The Lordsburg grocery store leaves a lot to be desired but it is closer then Douglas (60 miles from Rusty’s RV Ranch). I have two more days to decide….
Peregrine Falcon on the cross arm. Take off! Nearly perfect light for a change…A Steller’s Jay at John Hands Campground. Redwhisker Clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra). This photo is from the Valley of Fires BLM area I was at last week.
This morning, I went back for more Eared Quetzal photography. I’m glad I did too, I got really nice shots of both the male and female. I’ve been reading about these birds and from what I’ve learned they are a late summer/fall breeding bird. I wonder if these two are starting a nest in this area or maybe thinking about it. They have been at this general location for quite awhile now, since at least September 15, according to Ebird.
Male Eared Quetzal. Is he old enough for breeding?Female callingMale
The only nest record for Arizona that I know of was in October 1991, when a pair of Eared Quetzals was found feeding young in a tree cavity in in the Huachuca Mountains.
I drove over to the the Chiricahua Mountains area yesterday. I usually stay in the Forest Service campgrounds in Cave Creek but they are all closed. So, I’m in an RV park, Rusty’s RV Park, north of Rodeo, New Mexico. The bird I wanted to see here is the Eared Quetzal (pronounced KET-zal). There have been some seen in the Chiricahua Mountains off and on all summer. This morning, I saw one of them in Cave Creek and heard another. ABA Life Bird #603.
The Eared Quetzel is an uncommon, large trogon of pine and pine-oak forests in mountains and canyons of northwest Mexico. North of Mexico, this species is very rare. A wary bird, they will fly long distances when disturbed but can be found feeding quietly at fruiting trees. That is what this one was doing, feeding on hackberry fuits.
Young Male Eared QuetzalEared Quetzal. There were at least 15 other birders present this morning. A life bird for many.
I left Pierre Sunday morning and drove to Red Willow State Park near McCook, Nebraska. I have stayed at this park before and always liked it because it was quiet but the state has really raised the price of camping. I paid $38.00 for one night. They even add an extra $2.00 for out of state campers. That is nearly double what it used to be. It looks like I won’t be using Nebraska state parks anymore if I can help it. The following day I drove all day (I only go about 60-65 mph while towing) and ended up at the Walmart in Las Vegas, New Mexico. After my stay at the Walmart in Billings, MT last year, I said I would never do it again. But there was a quiet area behind the building with some other travelers set up for the night. I decided to try it and it worked out OK. And it was free…. Today I am at Valley of Fire Recreation Area (BLM campground) near Carrizozo, New Mexico. I am tired of driving so paid for two nights here. This is one of my favorite stops as it has a nice hiking trail through the lava beds. With my senior pass it only costs $6.00 a night. I haven’t had time for photography so far, with one exception.
I’ve been trying to get a good image like for a long time. I found the perfect location in New Mexico. Train is on the west, the rising sun in the east. The idea is to get the train sharp and the foreground blurred, so one has to be moving at the same speed as the train. It would be easier with someone else driving, but I managed. There was no road traffic, I could see a mile or more in both directions so all I had to do was keep it on the road and shoot.
I had to return to Pierre to see a dentist. Actually two dentists, one (an endodontist )for a root canal and the other (my general dentist) for a crown. Got that taken care of now. I am ready to head south for Arizona. I’ve been here for about a week and while nothing too exciting has happened, I have taken a few photos, as usual.
I had one good night for astrophotography and took more exposures of the Deer Lick Group. Added to the ones I took while I was at my spot in the Black Hills, it looks a lot better now. One morning while hiking on the Lewis and Clark Trail, I came across this just hatched Snapping Turtle. Lots of Franklin’s Gulls migrating through now. This photo was taken on Fisherman Point a couple of days ago. This morning, while walking on Farm Island, I saw this vine growing on a dogwood. I do not recall having ever seen it before. I identified it on the internet, Polygonum scandens, Climbing False Buckwheat. It is a native plant, a new species for me. I have to wonder how common it is in South Dakota. It seems like I would have noticed it before.
Here’s another series of images from Baldwin Spring. This Spotted Towhee came in for a bath. It was quite energetic.
Spotted Towhee taking a look around to make sure it is safe. Now he is getting his wings going. Full motion. His beak looks like an eye now. I am always telling people how far I can see from my campsite (astronomy distances don’t count but that would be about 2.5 million light years with the unaided eye). On a clear day, the Laramie Mountains are visible on the horizon. I have never bothered to check how far that is, but yesterday was one of those very clear days so I took a photo. Then I used Google Maps to determine that it is about 150 miles. Laramie Peak is the highest point in the Laramie Mountains with an elevation of 10,272 feet. The ridge in the foreground with the dead trees on it is part of the Elk Mountains, about 15 miles from camp. Taken at 400mm focal length.
A strong cold front moved through yesterday and this morning, for the first time in long while, it was cold. I decided this would be a good day to hike over to Baldwin Spring and hide in my blind to see what would come in. As it turned out, lots of birds were coming to water. I saw a few obvious migrants, including Orange-crowned Warbler. One Virginia’s Warbler is still present, I assume a bird that has been here all summer. The numbers of Townsend’s Solitaires was amazing, sometimes there would be a dozen or more at the spring. One Clark’s Nutcracker came in too.
Townsend’s Solitaire with gloomy, cloudy sky reflecting off the water behind it. Townsend’s Solitaire with a more colorful backgroundPlumbeous Vireo that landed on the perch I placed near the water. The red background is a sandstone cliff behind it. Clark’s Nutcracker
A few days ago, I put out the trail cam on the dirt road going by camp. I got over 500 photos of branches and grass blowing in the wind, so I took it down. That next night, a Mountain Lion came strolling down that road and right by my camp, about 50 feet from where I was peacefully sleeping! The photo above is the proof. I guess I had better leave that trail camera out there. I would have had some nice video of the lion if I hadn’t taken it down. As for the mystery tracks of my last post, I think I have a solution. Probably not a Wolverine, but maybe two Mountain Lions, one walking behind the other. That could explain the pattern or 3 or 4 tracks grouped together. I have to wonder if a female with a kitten could be in this area. If so, would the cat walking behind place its feet in the tracks of the cat in front with a purpose or just coincidence? The lion that came by my campsite was apparently alone. Perhaps more evidence will be coming soon.
I’m still here at my campsite. The weather has been very hot. I’m glad to be where I am at about 1 mile elevation. It is usually about 5-10 degrees cooler here than down on the plains. Still, it hit 95 degrees here on Tuesday. By mid-day, I’m in the shade so that helps a lot. Birding has been slow. I go for walks in the morning before it gets hot. Today, I went back to Hell Canyon to see what I could find. Not much for birds but the butterflies were abundant. I saw lots of Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Northern Crescents, and fritillaries. Fritillaries are sometimes very difficult to ID. Except for a few species that are distinctive, most require a view of the underwing to get a positive ID. A collector has no problem with that, but a photographer sometimes finds it very difficult. This morning I found lots of these fritillaries and got some good underwing shots. All the field marks point to Aphrodite Fritillary.
Aphrodite Fritillary. The upperwings are a perfect match. Most of the butterflies I saw were nectaring on Canada Thistle, a noxious weed. Underwing of the Aphrodite Fritillary, showing silvered spots on the hindwing.
Yesterday, while on a long hike, I found some very strange tracks on an old dirt road. I’ve seen tracks of most creatures that live around here and these are different. I didn’t have a camera with me yesterday but I went back today. Unfortunately, between the wind and cows, most of the tracks were either gone or badly damaged. Here is the best set I could find. The dirt doesn’t provide the kind of detail I’d like to see but the size and pattern is very interesting.
Tracks were arranged in definite pattern like a bounding mustelid, not like a large dog or cougar. The size is about 3.5 to 4 inches. The definition is gone due to wind but they were in much better condition yesterday. I’m not going to make any claims as to what this animal was, but I have a possibility in mind, a Wolverine. I hope to find more evidence, maybe I can get something on a trail cam.
I had to make short trip back to Pierre to get a small skin cancer removed from my forehead. That was done successfully. It was too hot to stay there so I’m back out at my Black Hills campsite again. It looks the heat will only get worse for the next week or so, but it is nice here, at about one mile elevation. This morning I went for a walk in Hell Canyon, starting at the trailhead off of Highway 16. I hadn’t gone far when I found a herd of Bighorn Sheep browsing on the chokecherry bushes on the hillside. The oddest thing about these sheep is that not one is wearing a tag, neck band or anything else. A couple of years ago, every sheep I saw had some kind of marking or tag. I walked up to the spring and back to the trailhead, when I got near the truck I started seeing some Lewis’s Woodpeckers. I eventually counted nine. They all stayed too far out for photos though.
Bighorn Sheep in Hell Canyon. I counted 14 total, but couldn’t get them all in the photo. I always find it hard to pass up a good chipmunk photo. This one was posing nicely. Getting set up for astrophotography again, but the smoke from western forest fires may foil my plans for tonight. The Bubble Nebula. I started on this last week on one of the two good nights I had. I need to get more time on it, maybe tonight. This is taken with the C8 telescope. The Deerlick Group. The largest galaxy here is NGC 7331, the smaller galaxies are actually much further away and not really a group, but the name persists. I have photographed this before but this is the first time with the C8 and the extra focal length makes a lot of difference. Now I just need more time to get more exposure of it. I suppose I should add a bird photo. Here’s a juvenile Mountain Bluebird that let me get fairly close.
