My Trip Report for Arizona-Fall-Winter-Spring 2017-2018

September 18-19. After an extended stay in the Black Hills area, I finally got on the road to Arizona on September 17. Stayed in Sidney, Nebraska (at the Cabela's RV Park) the first night, then drove to Clayton, New Mexico and stayed at Clayton Lake State Park. I had some trouble with bearings running hot on the Scamp. Not too hot to touch, but getting pretty warm. I pulled off the left wheel and inspected the bearings, one of them is going bad but the spindle looks fine. I pounded out the races and replaced the bearings. I had bearings, races and grease seal, but needed some high temperature grease, which fortunately was available in Clayton. It is a messy job.

September 20-September 22. Drove down to Santa Rosa Lake State Park. I was hoping to find some Pinyon Jays at one of these parks but so far, the only Pinyon Jays I've seen were flying over the highway between there and here. I paid for four days here, I will ride out the stormy weather that is coming through, then keep going. It has been kind of hot, but the air is so dry I don't notice. It looks like rain for the next couple of days, will be here till the 24th. I put some photos at this LINK.

September 24, 2017 Lots of rain and T-storms at Santa Rosa Lake last night. Now I'm at Valley of Fires National Recreation Area, near Carrizozo, New Mexico. This is a BLM managed area, has a nice campground with electric hookups, water, and showers, all for $9.00 a night with my senior pass. I thought I'd try some astrophotography here, so while I was setting up the equipment, I noticed a Tarantula walking out of the rocks and onto the road. First one I've been able to photograph. I don't know how this astro is going to go, there might be too much light from the campground and cars going by on the highway. I suppose I will try something. I'll post photos at this LINK (the Tarantula for sure and maybe some astro later).

September 27, 2017  I've been at Elephant Butte Lake State Park near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The weather has been stormy. The reservoir is very low, at the upper end of the lake I found huge flocks of White-faced Ibis, along with some pelicans. I have Gambel's Quail by the camper here and a Crissal Thrasher that pops out of the brush every now and then. I need to get out of here this morning before the thunderstorms fire up again. I will probably be at Sunny Flats CG in the Chiricahuas by this afternoon. No phone or internet there unless I go to Portal. I put a few new images at the LINK.

September 28, 2017  Arrived at Sunny Flats CG in Cave Creek yesterday. Today, it was cloudy most of the morning but the sun has been showing through this afternoon. I got three lifer butterflies so far. My target is a Chiricahua White, which I will have to go to higher elevations for find, so I'm waiting for a sunny day to do that. There are hardly any birders around, in fact, hardly any people around. I put some new images at the LINK.

September 30, 2017 Yesterday morning I discovered that my hummingbird feeder had been emptied overnight, so I knew I had nectar bats. I've never had an opportunity to photograph these before so I set up the flash, prefocused on the feeder and waited for dark. I wasn't disappointed, dozens of bats of two species were visiting my feeder, Lesser Long-nosed Bat (an endangered species) and Mexican Long-tongued Bat. I was up late, trying to get flight shots of the bats as they flew away from the feeder. It is hard to do, they are very fast. Today, I found a lifer butterfly, an Ares Metalmark. I put some photos at the LINK.

October 1, 2017  Last night I did more bat photography. I'm getting the hang of taking flight shots, the bats come into the feeder than always drop off and then fly off lower than the feeder. All I need is some luck to have them in the plane of focus when I shoot, since I have to prefocus on a point and then hope that is where they are when I trip the shutter. I have to delete a lot of photos. I had a Hognose Skunk stroll by while shooting, I would like to get a photo of that tonight. Today I drove up the top of the mountain to look for the Chiricahua White butterfly but did not see any. Some new bat photos are at the LINK.

October 2, 2017  Last night I tried to find the Hognosed Skunk but instead got a Ringtail. That was fine with me. I've only seen one Ringtail before and no photos until last night. This one was very cooperative. My Canon 100-400mm lens has quit autofocusing, so I will have to send it in for repair. Looks like I will have to get the 500 f4 out again for birds. I used my 200mm f2.8 last night. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 4, 2017  Still here at Sunny Flats. I'm not going any further west until it cools down. It has been near 100 F in Ajo and Tucson, a record heat wave for October, but it is nice here. Last night I went out looking for Hognosed Skunks but all I saw were the Striped Skunks. When I got back to my campsite, I shined the flashlight on the hummingbird feeder and there was a Ringtail there, drinking sugar water! It went up a tree and posed for me, I don't know if this is a high population year for Ringtails or if I'm just lucky. Still have lots of bats coming in at night. Birding is slow. I put some new photos at the LINK.

October 6, 2017  I paid for four more nights here at Sunny Flats. With my senior pass, that amounts to $20.00. I don't know anywhere else where one can get a campsite with view like this for $5 a night. Not as warm today and the humidity has gone away. It is still pretty warm out west but it looks like a cool down is finally coming. I might be in Ajo within a week. Still haven't found my Chiricahua White butterflies though, I'm wondering if my chances will get better the longer I stay. Some field guides say late October is best. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 7, 2017  Last night I photographed another skunk that now has me doubting if my other skunks were actually Hooded Skunks. See the LINK for a discussion. Today, I birded up the South Fork, lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets have showed up, and I saw Hepatic Tanager, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper, Bridled Titmouse and more that I'm forgetting.

October 10, 2017  I've moved west to Empire Ranch (Las Cienegas National Conservation Area) north of Sonoita. Camping is free here. No one else is here right now. I wanted to try for kangaroo rats and had some luck. I posted a few images at the LINK. 

October 13, 2017  I'm still at Empire Ranch. No one else has been camping here besides me. Night sky isn't too bad, there is a big light dome from Tucson in the NW, but otherwise it is pretty good. I've been getting some astrophotography done. I will probably stay here until after the weekend, that's when the weather is finally supposed to start cooling down, it has still been in the 90's out by Ajo, in the mid-80's here. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 14, 2017  Still at Empire Ranch. Still no one else camping here, although I did see some people in the Empire Gulch this morning. One was a guy who knew his dragonflies and damselflies so I followed him around for awhile, learning the names of a few. He's a monk from a monastery in Sonoita. I've only seen one hunter so far, he was hunting quail. I kind of thought this would be a busy place during hunting season and fairly close to Tucson, but it isn't. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 17, 2017   Now I've been here a week. Still too hot for me to want to go out to Ajo. Last night I set up the Losmandy and got ready for a nights shooting, but when I turned the tracking on I discovered the circuit board had malfunctioned, no tracking. So it looks like I'm out of astrophotography for awhile, except for widefield shooting with the Astrotac. Now I have a lens and a circuit board I have to send in for repair when I get to Ajo. The circuit board is still under warranty, so I suppose they will just replace it. Yesterday I drove over to Madera Canyon to check on camping opportunities there, I may move over there for awhile. Then I went to Green Valley for groceries. I posted some images from the last few days at the LINK.

October 19, 2017  Still at Empire Ranch. Went down to Patagonia today and the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. I was hoping for some good shots of a Violet-crowned Hummingbird, but I only saw one and it did not cooperate. The Tucson Audubon Society has done a lot of work on the place since they bought it, and it is much improved from the last time I was there. There are more feeders over a larger area, more choices of places to site and watch, and lots of good habitat for butterflies too. Maybe I will go back tomorrow. I did get a lifer butterfly there. I posted some new images at the LINK.

October 21, 2017  Still at Empire Ranch. I have been going to Paton's in the morning, trying for the Violet-crowned Hummingbird, this morning I finally had some success. Tomorrow I have to leave, I've used up my 14 day limit here. I'm not sure where I will go. It is still too hot in Ajo, it looks like one more big heat wave out there then it should finally cool down to more normal temperatures later next week. The record heat can't continue forever out there. It has been very nice here, even chilly at night. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 23, 2017   I'm now at Madera Canyon, in the Bog Springs Campground. It is a Forest Service campground, so $5 a night with my senior pass. This morning I hiked up the Carrie Nation trail, a trail that climbs up through the Santa Rita Mountains and connects with other hiking trails. I had good luck, I found a few of the Chiricahua Whites that I was looking for early this month. I saw several females and one male. On the way back to the campground, I found some Montezuma Quail on the road. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 24, 2017  I went back up the Carrie Nation Trail this morning. I was hoping for some photos of male Chiricahua Whites and I wasn't disappointed. Also found another lifer butterfly, a California Tortoiseshell. All in all, it was a pretty good morning. I put some new images at the LINK.

October 27, 2017  I made it to Ajo late this afternoon. I'm staying at the county campground again, there are only three other campers here. Apparently it is still free. Birded in Madera Canyon this morning, hoping for a rumored Eared Quetzal but I didn't really expect to see it and I didn't. Had good luck with Montezuma Quail though, on the campground road again. It is very dry out here in Ajo, but the weather is pretty nice. There was a Surf Scoter on the Ajo Sewage Ponds (aka Lake Ajo).  I put some images at the LINK.

October 29, 2017  Happy Birthday, Dad!  It is warm here, in the low 90's but the air is so dry it doesn't feel hot. I did laundry at the local laundromat and brought it back to camp to dry, it sure didn't take long to dry everything. Even blue jeans were dry in 1/2 hour. This morning I drove down to Alamo Canyon and hiked up both the south and north forks about 1/2 mile. I was hoping for a Red-backed Whiptail but instead I got Clark's Spiny Lizard. I put some new images at the LINK.

November 10, 2017  I'm still here in the Ajo area. Nothing much going on, it has been too cloudy or moonlit for astrophotography, no new birds to photograph, few butterflies. I tried black lighting a couple of nights and didn't get much doing that either. So, I just hike, read, relax. Things will pick up now that the moon is fading away. The Canon 100-400 zoom lens is due back on Monday, nearly $700.00 for a repair bill on that. I put a few new images at the LINK.

November 11, 2017  One never knows what will turn up at a black light at night. Last night I photographed a moth I had never seen before, put it on BugGuide.net and found out it was the Ailanthus Webworm Moth, apparently never recorded in Arizona before. Today I went for a hike in the Little Ajo Mountains and found a good canyon for butterflies. I put some new images at the LINK.

November 12, 2017  I've been scouting around for good places to black light. A species of moth is my target, the Mexican Agapema Moth. I saw one last fall at the outside light of the Scamp but I was doing astrophotography and never got around to photographing one. The larval food plant is Condalia (there are several species in Arizona) and there are some in flower now. I'll be trying again tonight for the moth but for now, here are some photos from today, at the LINK. UPDATE: Just got back from black lighting and I had some success. See photos at LINK.

November 17, 2017  I have never seen so many cloudy nights here in the Sonoran Desert. Seems like every night it is too cloudy for astrophotography, last night it was clear for a few hours then the clouds rolled in again. I wanted to shoot a comet that was near the Leo Triplets (3 galaxies in Leo), but the area doesn't get high enough above the horizon until about 3AM and it clouded up before midnight.  I might have another chance on Sunday morning. I put some new images at the LINK.

November 20, 2017   I have finally got in a couple of nights of astrophotography. My main goal was the two comets but they turned out to be kind of disappointing, not very big or bright. I guess comets at magnitudes of 11 to 12 just aren't worth too much effort. Birding has been better, today I found an Eastern Phoebe at the golf course, a fairly rare bird in AZ, especially this far west. Now the forecast is for another heat wave, record high temps later this week, near 90. I thought we were over that by now. I put some new images at the LINK.

November 26, 2017  Birding at the golf course has been pretty interesting. I found a Sprague's Pipit and several birders from around the state came to look for it, a few of them were successful. One of them did not see the pipit but found a Lapland Longspur, which is very rare this far south. I finally got a chance to photograph the International Space Station too. I put some new images at the LINK.

November 28, 2017  Not much new here other than the weather. It has finally cooled down, it is not even going to hit 70 today. I've been trying to photograph Western White-throated Woodrats at night, but so far they are too skittish to get any shots of. I'll keep trying. I posted some new images at the LINK.

November 30, 2017  Tonight I got my Western White-throated Woodrat. I found an individual that was fairly cooperative and not prone to panic attacks when I put my flashlight on it. The woodrat was still fairly nervous and quick to hide. It was fun to get some nice photos. I put a few at the LINK.

December 9, 2017  Things have been pretty quiet. Now getting back into dark nights and closer to the new moon, so expect more astrophotos. I took some last night, tonight it is too cloudy. Went to Buckeye today to stock up at Walmart. I put a few new images at the LINK.

December 14, 2017  Finally, clear skies and dark nights. Tonight should be good too. It has been cool but not cold. Birding is slow but still some interesting birds for this area, a Townsend's Solitaire at the golf course is only the 3rd one I've seen in this area. The Christmas Bird Counts start Saturday, with the first one in Ajo. I think I will move down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument for a few days for the two counts there. I put some new images at the LINK.

December 17, 2017  I've moved down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument for the next two Christmas Bird Counts. Last night it rained, about 1/2 inch in the Ajo area and I think more down here. I hope this is the start of a rainy winter. It sure settled the dust down. I posted some new images at the LINK.

December 22, 2017   I'm back from Organ Pipe and all the CBC's are done. Found one bird that has apparently never been reported on the Organ Pipe CBC's, a Hutton's Vireo. Fortunately I had photos for the rare species report. I've tried some astrophotography with not very good success. Tonight, I was outside setting things up when a huge bright light formed in the northwest then rose into the sky and arced over Child's Mountain and Ajo. The Air Force launched something, I've never seen anything like it. I put some images at the LINK.

December 23, 2017  I was up till about 1 AM last night, it was pretty cold for this area, it has been down below freezing two nights in a row now. I put some new astro images at the LINK.

December 29, 2017  The weather has warmed up again, it has been around 80 during the day. Yesterday I went on a field trip to Quitoboquito Springs with the Cabeza Prieta Natural History Association. Not much new for birds but a lifer butterfly was found, not on the field trip but about a week earlier. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 3, 2018  Had to go to Tucson today to get my Veteran's Administration ID card for the health care program. On the way back I drove up to Kitt Peak Observatory and looked around, interesting place but not all that much to see unless one signs up for the night programs. Finally, the full moon is past and the skies will be getting dark again, hoping for few clouds. Weather couldn't be any nicer than it has been, but we still need rain. I put a few new photos at the LINK.

January 5, 2018  Last night I got in a few hours of shooting before the moon came up. Now it looks like the weather is going to change. It will likely be too cloudy for awhile to do much with astrophotography. But the good news is, it might rain. Today it is up over 80 F., getting a little too warm. I put a few new images at the LINK. Tonight I got more photos of the kangaroo rat, see LINK.

January 6, 2018  Last night I got a few hours of shooting, but had to put up with intermittent clouds before the moon came up. Looks like it will be cloudy for the next few days. I put a few new images at the LINK. Tonight I got more shots of the Merriam's Kangaroo Rat. It is still challenging but worth it when I get a few good ones. I put some images at the LINK.

January 12, 2018   I have not seen the kangaroo rat for awhile now and there is no fresh digging at its burrows. It is either just staying underground during this cool spell or the kit fox has ate it. I think it is just holed up for now and will come out when it feels like it. They do not hibernate, but are known to remain in their burrows for extended periods of time in the winter. Lately, I have been getting a few bird photos and last night had some clear skies for astrophotography. I put bird photos at this LINK and astro at this LINK. I'm thinking about heading over to San Diego in a few days to see some birds, a Nazca Booby is one bird that has been there for awhile now, Red-throated Pipit, California Gnatcatcher, and probably many others that I could photograph.

January 13, 2018  Today I went on a hike with the Cabeza Prieta Natural History Association group. We hiked across the Sauceda Mountains, no trails, just picked a route between two water tanks. Finally saw some Desert Bighorns early in the morning. The hike turned out to be longer and more strenuous than expected but we all made it. I put some photos at the LINK.

January 17, 2018  Today I drove up to Saguaro Lake, northeast of Phoenix, to look for a Prairie Warbler that has been seen in the area. I had some luck with it, although as usual warblers are fast and one has to take the shot where it is presented, often in not so good of light or setting. I am glad to be back in Ajo now, where it is quiet, the air is clear and there is little traffic. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 18, 2018  Last night I got up at 1:30 AM to see what the sky looked like and it looked good. I set up and started shooting. I posted the results at the LINK. Looks like some colder weather moving in for the weekend, might get down into the 30's F.

January 21, 2018  Night before last, it was clear and moonless after about 8 PM. I got some good shooting of two targets. Still planning to go to San Diego, probably on Tuesday. I put some new astro images at the LINK.

January 24, 2018  I'm in San Diego now. I'm staying at the Summit Ridge County Park, about 12 miles from the ocean. Looked for the Nazca Booby today and may have seen it on a buoy way out in the bay, but too far to be sure. I think I will rent a boat tomorrow and go out there. Lots of Surf Scoters in the bay. Got one lifer today, Brant. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 25, 2018   Today I rented a boat to get out to where the Nazca Booby roosts. It paid off with some nice close shots of a species I would normally have to visit the Galapagos Islands to see. Also got the best Surf Scoter photos I have ever taken. Later in the day, I found the Red-throated Pipit that has been wintering a local park with a flock of American Pipits. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 26, 2018  Today I went to La Jolla cove and tide pools, north of San Diego. Traffic was pretty bad but there was a colony of nesting Brandt's Cormorants that were very approachable. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 27, 2018  Today I birded around the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach Pier and Poggi Canyon. I was hoping for California Gnatcatcher and Ridgway's Rail, but got neither. Fortunately, a Thick-billed Kingbird was at Poggi Canyon, a life bird. I put some new images at the LINK.

January 28, 2018   Today I found some California Gnatcatchers. There were actually quite a few in different areas, all along the Monument Road and Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, right along the border with Mexico. A lifer bird, I put some new images at the LINK.

January 29, 2018  Today I went up to the San Diego River estuary area. Got my lifer Ridgway's Rail (try to say that 3 times fast), finally. Spent some time on the San Diego pier that extends out in the ocean, saw some Pacific Loons, Common Loons, lots of gulls, cormorants, pelicans but no jaegers. I put some new images at the LINK. Tomorrow I'm heading back to Ajo.

January 31, 2018  I am back in the peace and quiet of Ajo. I enjoyed the birds in the San Diego area, but I do not miss the traffic, noise, and hordes of people. Now that I have the California Gnatcatcher I will likely never have a reason to go back! I put some photos from the trip at the LINK. Some of these are also shown in the links above but I thought it would be useful to create a San Diego link for birds.

February 4, 2018   Hard to believe it is already February. Signs of spring in the desert, my first sighting of a Round-tailed Ground Squirrel since fall. Birds are starting to move too, a Common
Ground-Dove showed up yesterday, the first one I've ever seen in Ajo. I posted some new images at the LINK.

February 6, 2018  I have had a couple of good nights of astrophotography. I put some new images at the LINK. Weather remains warm and dry, but chance of rain coming up next week.

February 7, 2018   More astro last night. I put new images at the LINK.

February 8, 2018  And even more astro last night. It has been a string of nice nights. Last night I saw the kangaroo rat out hopping around too, I guess it has decided to come out for awhile. Maybe I will try for it tonight. I put some new images at the LINK.

February 11, 2018  Looks like a good chance of rain next week, I am keeping my fingers crossed! There is a Kit Fox den by the road a few miles that I'm hoping will have some pups outside pretty soon. That should provide some good action shots if everything works out. Yesterday I went on a hike with the Cabeza Prieta Natural History Association, we hiked Alamo Canyon and the North Fork. I posted some new images at the LINK.

February 17, 2018  We ended up with about 1/2 inch of rain on Wednesday, not nearly enough to do much good, but at least it keeps the dust down for awhile. It has been cloudy and cool, no astrophotography lately. I was surprised to see three adult Kit Fox at the den this evening. I put some new images at the LINK.

February 21, 2018  Took a drive up north to the Gillespie Dam and Gila River. Lots of waterfowl, cormorants, egrets and herons, but the best bird of the day was a Least Bittern. I put some new images at the LINK. Down near freezing last night, looks like a long cool spell here, but certainly not as cold as South Dakota is now.

February 26, 2018  Today I visited a desert tank that is nearly dry but had some water, very limited, and lots of birds coming to it. There was a good place to sit and watch, I put some new images at the LINK.

February 27, 2018  Today I got some pretty good photos of a Sage Thrasher at the golf course. It is very windy, ahead of a storm system that should bring some rain later today. I put some new images at the LINK.

March 1, 2018  Today I went to Tucson and the Sonoran Desert Museum to see an Allen's Hummingbird. It was still there and very cooperative. I put some photos at the LINK.

March 6, 2018  Bird migration is picking up. Lots of White-crowned Sparrows have moved in, along with many Yellow-rumped Warblers and some Orange-crowned Warblers. Today I saw the first Bendire's Thrasher I've ever seen in the Ajo area. I put some new images at the LINK.

March 10, 2018  Looks like some rain moving in. Last night I went out on Pipeline Road to try for a Desert Kangaroo Rat but didn't find anything. There are some burrows that look active, but nothing came out. I posted a photo of mural (Ajo style) at the LINK.

March 13, 2018  Bird migration continues to pick up. I have seen a few FOY warblers for the Ajo area. No really good photos to show but I will post some anyway just to show what I've seen lately. New images at the LINK. Cloudy skies have prevented any astrophotography but Wednesday night might be clear. I hope so anyway.

March 14, 2018  It was clear tonight, but windy. I decided to use the AstroTrac for some wide angle photography and try for the Seagull Nebula. I put a new image at the LINK.

March 20, 2018  Finally had a clear night last night. The sliver moon set early and I was up till 2 AM. Mixed results, the jet stream was overhead and did not help, the atmosphere was turbulent, I ended up deleting about 1/3 of my images. At least one galaxy came out pretty good, and I will be trying to add more photons to that one. I put some new images at the LINK.

March 25, 2018  It is 4 AM, I'm up shooting the Iris Nebula. Earlier tonight, I had another chance at the International Space Station as it passed directly overhead. It is still small but more detail this time. I put a couple of new photos at the LINK.

March 27, 2018  I've had some interesting nights. On the 26th, I was outside shortly after sunset and noticed some strangely glowing clouds in the west. I set up a tripod and took some images, it turns they were high altitude ice crystals left over from a naval missile launch west of San Diego, CA. I have had some good luck with astro too. New images at the LINK.

March 28, 2018  Went out owling tonight. Lots of Western Screech-Owls calling, only one Elf Owl. I could not get any photos of the Elf Owl but a pair of Western Screech-Owls were quite cooperative. New photos at the LINK.

April 1, 2018  I left Ajo Friday and am now at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. Birding hasn't been too good but mammals have been interesting, and a lifer butterfly. I will probably stay here a couple more days then move further east. Some new photos at the LINK.

April 3, 2018  Last night I did some more photography of Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rats, I had several dens right by my campsite. I have moved over to Tubac now and am staying in an RV park, going to look for a Sinaloa Wren in the morning. I put some new images at the LINK.

April 7, 2018  I have moved over to Madera Canyon and am camped on Proctor Road, free camping on Forest Service land. The Bog Springs Campground in Madera Canyon was full, but I actually like this site even better, less traffic and free. Have been hearing some Northern Pygmy-Owls but so far no photos. Last night, I heard some strange sounds down by the creek so I checked it out, it was Canyon Tree Frogs calling. I put some images at the LINK.

April 11, 2018  I'm still at Madera Canyon. Yesterday I went up to Mount Lemmon to look for the Red Warbler that had been found, a first record for the United States. There were lots of birders up there but no one found the bird. I put some new images at the LINK.

April 13, 2018  Still at Madera Canyon. It has been very windy and tonight it will be cold. This morning I had some good luck with an Elegant Trogon. I think I know where a pair of Northern Pygmy-Owls are nesting, if so, I should have some good photos of them pretty soon. Some new images at the LINK.

April 14, 2018  This morning I staked out the reported Northern Pygmy-Owl nest and indeed it is a nest! It took about five hours of waiting but in the end I got some great shots. Tomorrow I need to go back and take the 500 f4 with me. I put some of this mornings images at the LINK.

April 15, 2018   I went back to the Northern Pygmy-Owl nest site again. Not much was happening until nearly noon, of course my nice light was gone by then. I did get some pretty good shots of owls in the shade. Now there is a Fan-tailed Warbler and a Slate-throated Redstart in the Chiricahua Mountains, so I will probably be going over there soon, too windy tomorrow for driving though. New images (and one old one) at the LINK.

April 17, 2018  Yesterday I had no luck with the pygmy-owls, but today was a little better. I walked up the canyon early this morning and found another Elegant Trogon and two Montezuma Quail. No photos of the quail, they were running and in the shade, all I got were blurs. Some new images at the LINK.

April 18, 2018  Had good success at bird photography this morning. I got nice photos of two species I needed nice photos of; Cassin's Vireo and Hermit Warbler. One of the Northern Pygmy-Owls was feeding on Lincoln's Sparrow. I have ordered a new telescope and some other equipment that should allow me to photograph the planets, especially Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. It should arrive by Friday, so I'm hoping I will  have something new to show this weekend. It will be another steep learning curve for awhile. If everything goes as planned, I will be photographing (actually I will be shooting video) at over 5000 mm focal length, it will be challenging. I posted some new images at the LINK.

April 19, 2018  More bird photography today, my best bird was a Hammond's Flycatcher, another species I needed better photos of. Very windy, it made photography very difficult. My telescope has arrived but I will wait for the wind to go down before trying it out. Some new images at the LINK.

April 20, 2018 Today it was not as birdy in the lower canyon, so I walked up the Carrie Nation Trail. I found the most cooperative Elegant Trogon I've ever seen. I'm getting the new telescope set up for tonight, I hope I will have some results to show, most likely it will be Jupiter. I may not get that posted until tomorrow. I posted some new images at the LINK.

April 21, 2018   Last night I had my first lessons in planetary photography. I knew that the atmosphere was not going to be very stable (this information is available on the internet) but I was quite pleased with my first attempt. Lots of trial and error, but I'm getting it figured out. I am looking forward to trying again when the seeing conditions are better. Anyway, my first decent planetary photo is at the LINK.

April 22, 2018  Not much new or exciting today. I have plans to either stay up late or get up early, I need to be out shooting Jupiter, Saturn and maybe Mars. The best time will be from about 1 AM to 4 AM. I will probably leave here tomorrow and move either to the Empire Ranch or just head for the Chiricahuas, I haven't decided yet. Some new images at the LINK.

April 23, 2018  Last night was kind of disappointing, although I am gaining experience in this planetary photography, but the seeing conditions were pretty bad. I looked at Mars for the first time through the C8 and much of the time it looked like a tiny flame instead of a disk. I tried it anyway, my first photos of Saturn are not great but I think it will get better. I decided to stay here one more day, I will leave tomorrow. If interested look at yesterdays photos for an update on that spider. I put a few new images at the LINK.

April 27, 2018  I am in Cave Creek Canyon, Chiricahua Mountains, no internet or phone service unless I drive into Portal. Today I went up over the Onion Saddle and down to the site where the Slate-throated Redstart has been reported and I had good luck. It took awhile just to find the site (the directions on E-bird are useless) and then another hour or so to find the bird. But it was worth it and I got some pretty good photos too. I put some new images at the LINK.

April 28, 2018  This morning I drove up the Paradise Road and birded along Silver Creek. It was pretty quiet. It is very dry here too. I did find some Black-chinned Sparrows, first ones I've seen in a long time. Not much for photos today but I will post some photos from the last few days at the LINK.

April 29, 2018  I moved into Sunny Flats Campground, it has been full since I got here. I prefer Sunny Flats because I get more sun for charging the battery. The other campgrounds are too shady. Anyway, I paid for five days. Weather forecast is for lots of wind and much colder, in fact down into the low 30's at night. The warbler migration is going strong, I saw lots of Red-faced Warblers, Townsend's Warblers, Black-throated Gray Warblers and a few Hermit Warblers. Always difficult to photograph, but I posted a few new images at the LINK.

April 30, 2018  Wind, wind, wind. It makes it hard to do much photography. I managed a few shots this morning before the wind really picked up. I heard a few trogons this morning and saw one briefly but didn't spend much time on them, I don't think I can get better shots than the ones I got at Madera Canyon. Hopefully this wind will die down soon. I put a few new images at the LINK.

May 3, 2018  Still in Cave Creek Canyon at Sunny Flats Campground. Haven't decided how much longer to stay. It has been cold and windy, which has slowed down the photography. I was hoping this would be a good place for astrophotography but I can't see Polaris from here so I can't get properly polar aligned. I might have to move. Anyway, I put a few more images at the LINK.

May 7, 2018  I spent two days at Bosque del Apache, in the RV park. Didn't do much birding, spent more time at night with my new telescope. The Bosque Birders RV Park was closed when I got there, but the owner remembered me and said I could park there. He has no electricity running to the RV park but I didn't need it anyway. He is trying to get the place fixed up and then sell it. I'm now in Sugarite Canyon State Park, near Raton, New Mexico. Tomorrow I will head north again, to someplace in Wyoming or Nebraska. I should be in Pierre by Thursday, maybe Wednesday. A few new photos at the LINK.

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