Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve NV 3/30/2018

I had a great morning birding at the Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson this morning. I was able to identify 56 species and got pics of 21. A few of the birds I saw were the American Avocet.

Cinnamon Teal

Eared grebe. This is the first time I have seen this bird in its mating plumage!

To see a complete list of the birds I saw today and more pics, click here: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

Historic Railroad Trail, Lake Mead NV 3/29/2018

This morning I filled my bike tires and road the Historic Railroad trail here at Lake Mead. The trail is built over the old railroad bed used when they built Hoover Dam. It has a very mild grade so walking or riding is very easy. The hardest part of the ride was the 2 miles from my campsite to the trail itself. All uphill but not to steep. I did have to get off and push my bike the last 1/2 mile! The trail goes thru 5 tunnels on its way to the dam.

Along the way there are great views of Lake Mead! In the first pic you can see a number of islands. If you look closely you will notice a dark tip on the farthest right island. That is the full water mark for the dam! On the trail there is a pic of the lake at that stage.

The pic below is of the lake and the campground where I am staying. As you can see, the water is now a long way from the campground. Even so, it is still a beautiful place to stay!

I did not ride the last 1.5 miles to the dam so the total distance for the round trip was 9 miles and took me 2 hours. That is the farthest distance I have ridden a bike in 50 years! The last 2 miles was down hill so it was a great way to end the ride!

Hole 33 Overlook, Lake Mead NV 3/28/18

Birded this morning at a number of places on Lake Mead. The most rewarding area was Hole 33 Overlook. I hiked down to the water line and identified 24 species of birds! Two of the highlights were seeing the Western Grebes performing their running on the water courtship and the other was a number of baby grebes (grebelets?) swimming along side their parents!

 There was a Ross's Goose nearby as well.

It's a bit of a challenge to see in the pic. For a complete list of birds from the Hole 33 Overlook with more pics, click here: Hole 33 Overlook ebird list. Back at camp, I hiked down to the waters edge and on the way this Sharp-shinned Hawk landed nearby.

It was chasing a small bird but gave up and landed near me so I grabbed this pic! Lake Mead has risen 4-5 feet since my visit last October. That is good news as the water level has been dropping for a number of years. If you remember my October entries, I mentioned that the water, which was once just a couple hundred feet from the campground, is now over 1/4 mile away. I hope it continues to rise as this is a beautiful area and the water contributes to that beauty!

Boulder Beach Campground, Lake Mead NV 3/26/18

Started this morning with my appointment at 3 T's RV to have them check my RV wiring issue. I arrived for my appointment at 7:30 and checked in with the desk. I was told they only work on motorhomes but since I had an appointment and no one had informed me of that when I called they took a look at it anyway. I explained the issue to a young man who tried to replicate the problem but no luck! He ran a series of tests on the battery, inverter and even the solar panel charging systems. All were working as they should! He took time to explain how the electrical systems worked and gave me suggestions on things to check if the problem were to reoccur. Even though we could not find the issue, I found the technician courteous and helpful. I would definitely use them if I had a motorhome! Since I had to wrap everything up to take it to the shop, I figured I might as well head up the road! That is how I ended up here at Lake Mead!

This is a great campground and it is on a beautiful lake. Only $10 a night with my Senior discount. Nice paved parking with clean restrooms and flush toilets! Did a bird walk to the lake and back. Not nearly as many birds here as back in October! Not sure how many days I will stay before heading north but I am sure I will enjoy my time here!

Birding around Lake Havasu

I spent yesterday morning birding at Cattail Cove with my friend John West. The weather was great and we identified 26 species. That brought John and me into 3rd and 4th place for the All Time most species identified at that location. My friends Jim and Jeanette Scott are 1st and 2nd! Yes, I am competitive! This morning I went to a few favorite spots around the lake. In the past, there were lots of waterfowl but most appear to have migrated north. Other than coots, there were very few species.  One event that I have been wanting to see and capture a pic of is the courting of Western Grebes. Today I was fortunate to witness the entire process. The male started calling out in a high pitch and the female slowly approached. Suddenly, they both rose up and ran across the top of the water in their courting dance!

After the dance, they parted ways! Either they were practicing or someone did not have the right moves! As I continued on, I noticed the the Beavertail Cacti are starting to bloom!

As you can see, they have a beautiful pink blossom. I will be watching to see if other cacti will be in blossom as well.

Rotary Park in Lake Havasu City

I spent the morning birding in Rotary Park. 43 species with 5 new species for the county. I took some pics but have not moved them off my camera. I might add some to this blog later. I had a nice treat last night. I was sitting in my RV doing some reading when I heard music and singing. There was a young couple singing folk songs and playing a guitar and a banjo! They did a John Denver song a couple of Talking Heads songs. They were impressively good. They were kind enough to let me sit nearby and listen. We chatted a bit before I went back to my RV. Unfortunately for me they left this morning. I would have enjoyed another opportunity to listen to them.play and song!

Craggy Wash AZ 3/22/2018

I know! I know! I have been planning to go to Cibola NWR and stay at Oxbow campground but before making a 90 miles detour I thought I should check eBird to see what species were being reported. They are seeing the same species I saw back in January. As a matter of fact, 18 of the species I reported are still on the "Last Seen" list which means no one has seen them since my last visit! After seeing that info I decided to drive on as this camping area is only a couple hours from Squaw Lake.

I really enjoy the Lake Havasu City area and there are numerous places to bird here! Temps here for the rest of the week will be highs in the 70's and low in the 50's. I will head north before the temps start to hit the 90's at the end of the month.

Squaw Lake CA 3/21/2018

I decided to go back to Squaw Lake which is where I started my trip to Texas to see if birding had changed.

There are still lots of Coots but most of the other waterfowl are not around. An area along the lake has been stripped of vegetation and they are planting native species trees. A lot of habitat where I saw a number of birds in January is now gone. I understand the need to restore natural habitat. I only hope no nests with eggs or babies were destroyed as I do not know the nesting season for this area! I plan to hike around Senator Wash Reservoir in the morning.

Ready to roll and with new and improved axle!

Imperial Trailers sales just installed a new axle, bearing and wiring so now I am better off for a number of reasons than before this incident! First of all the cost for all that is less than $500.

I was expecting to pay a lot more. Second, they installed new wheel bearings so that is one less concern for me. Third, the new axles have grease fitting so no more pulling off tires and wheels to hand pack the bearings!  Fourth, I have been trying to figure out how to raise the trailer for better clearance so I spoke to them about this and they ordered an axle that raised the trailer about 5 inches for no additional cost! There are a number of benefits to raising the trailer. Now my extended trailer bumper is less likely to drag on uneven terrain. I can more easily climb under the trailer to check on things. My trailer tires are now visible in my truck mirrors so that I can check on them without stopping. The trailer brake wiring is now enclosed so they are less likely to get damaged if I should encounter highway debris! Also the trailer now sets more level with the truck so when I am camping while attached to truck it is level length wise! Lots of silver linings in what could have been a very dark cloud!
I have been staying at a free BLM camping area just outside Yuma city limits on Hwy 95. Since I had to run in and out of town to have the axle work done and I was not sure about the alignment of the welded axle, I thought it best to stay close to town. It is just a large dusty lot with a few trees along the back side. There are train tracks across the road on the front side so it gets a bit noisy at times. It is a convenient place for a night or two! You are about 8 miles from fuel and groceries. I think I will head north tomorrow and spend time near the Cibola NWR to do some birding. I will see if the birding has changed much since I was there in mid January.

Almost made it to my campsite when....

I had just turned off a main highway and was accelerating onto a side road toward my next campground when things came to a grinding halt!

Yes, that is my RV tire laying behind the RV with the wheel spindle still attached! That is a helpful police office parked there as well. A number of people stopped to offer help and advice! I contacted several tow companies and was told that without both wheels on it they could not help. Fortunately one young man from the nearby Military Proving ground stopped and gave assistance! He had a large jack and jack stand. We looked at the axle and it appeared the weld holding the spindle onto the axle had given away but looked like it could be rewelded. I made a couple calls and found a portable welding service. He arrived about an hour later and welded the spindle on. The young man repaired the brake wiring that had been damaged and I was rolling. The policeman stayed the entire time to make sure everyone working on the RV was safe from traffic. I found a free BLM campground near town where I can stay until I can get a new axle put on. The weld will probably hold but the alignment is off and will damage the tire if driven far. The welder man told me of a place just a few miles from here that can do the job! Considering that I had just driven 1300 miles in 3 days, this may have been one of the best places to have a breakdown! Not just traffic and speed wise but also with so many willingly and helpful people around. The only damage to the RV is a cracked fiberglass fender! I will make calls Monday to get an axle installed. Then back on the road!

KOA in Willcox-AZ-03/17/2018

I drove for 13 hours and covered almost 600 miles today to end up here in Willcox. This is a brand new KOA with all new buildings, restrooms, showers and RV hookups. They also are able to refill propane tanks so now mine are both full! Tonight there is live Country Music and ice cream social! I may have to do-si-do over and check it out, if I can stay awake till it starts!

The good news is that the last 2 days of long driving means I am only 5 hours from my camping destination near Yuma where I plan to relax a few days! My Yuma camping is already paid for so now I can rebuild my savings! I am looking forward to birding in the areas I birded on my trip out from Oregon to Texas! It will be interesting to see if the bird species have changed! 

Ozona TX-3/16/2018

Yesterday was the last day of my time at Salineno WP. An ornithology class from Cincinnati, OH stopped at the feeding area and quickly pointed out a Bronze-headed cowbird amongst the red-winged blackbirds! That gave me life bird #336. I have gotten 59 life birds just in the state of Texas. Texas has a wide variety of birds for several reasons. One is that it is were the eastern and western US bird ranges merge. The other is that it is located in the north/south flyway for birds that winter in Central and South America. Now thru the end of April, millions of birds will pass thru the state. I am hoping to return next year and spend time on the gulf were I will be able to see many of those species. Yesterday evening I attended a BBQ that the USFW put together as a thank you to the volunteers. They had a variety of clothes that everyone could choose from as a gift. I chose a denim shirt!

Too warm for this area but I will put it to good use back in Oregon! I had planned to visit several Texas state parks on my trip back toward Oregon but I missed a turn off and had to change plans on the fly. I checked the maps and found one on my new route but this is spring break week in Texas and it was full so I just drove on not sure where to stay. After about 8 hours of driving I spotted an RV park sign at the Ozona exit. I was too tired to press on so swung in. There is a Super 8 hotel and truck stop with an unloved RV park across the road. Only $30 for full hook ups so that is were I am. I will be back on my planned route tomorrow!

Old growth Prickly Pear cactus

I have seen a lot of cactus this winter. Lots of species and sizes but I spotted this giant and had to get a pic!

It is hard to get a good perspective of it's size without something familiar in the pic but it is about 14 ft. tall and 12 ft. across at widest point. The main trunk is about 14 inches. The largest one I have seen up till this one was about 6 ft. tall and 4 ft. across! This is in a famers cattle feeding area and I was hoping one would wander by and get in the pic for a good size comparison! 

The number of birds coming in to feed are declining as they are starting to build nest and defend their territories. We will be wrapping things up here on the 18th and I will be working my way back to Oregon. 

A cute little visitor

We had an Eastern Screech Owl at one of the bird boxes this week!

It has amazing tree camouflage! It left yesterday but at least I got this great pic! Weather here is dramatically variable. In the 60's one day then shots up to the 90's. Also have had a lot of rain this year. The locals say it has been unusually cold and wet! My laptop went belly-up this week. It gave me a warning a couple days ago so I backed up all my pics. It completely failed 2 days later. I only lost a couple days worth of pics and docs! I had that laptop about 8 years so got my money's worth out of it. New laptop is Windows 10 so a bit of a learning challenge. I am also attempting to learn the pre-installed apps rather than installing ones I have used in the past. It will make it easier to trouble shoot any issues that may occur in the future plus keeps leaves more storage! Only 17 days till I start working my way back to Oregon for the spring and summer.