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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Astrophotography in the summer in South Dakota can be difficult. Nights are short, clouds are often a problem, as is the wind. Last night was about perfect though. I was up till 2 AM. The sky is dark and moon is rising late. The sky is so dark here at my camp that the Milky Way is bright enough to light up the area. I can see the Andromeda Galaxy with no visual aid. This is a great place for astrophotography when the weather cooperates.
I’m still here at my summer campsite in the Black Hills. Weather has been near perfect and it was even good enough for an evening of astrophotography. There is a small stock pond near the camper that is usually dry but this summer there is a few inches of water from a heavy rain a couple of weeks ago. I have been watching birds coming to water there. One morning a Common Nighthawk came swooping in, again and again, finally it flew low over the water and drank! I have never seen nighthawks do this before, but it makes perfect sense. Birds that are not used to walking on the ground often do this, as do bats. Swallows and swifts are known for this behavior. I wanted to photograph this behavior and the next morning I was able to get some so-so images. Here’s the best one.