Natures Gnarly Artistry

While birding in the wash by my campsite, I spotted this interesting looking tree!

It's unusual growth piqued my interest and I moved in for a closer look.

As I drew closer, I could start to see unusual patterns in the wood!

Hundreds of years of growth in the desert winds had twisted and shaped this ordinary tree into an amazing work of art!

You never know what treasures you will discover when spending time in the outdoors!

BLM camping at Cibola

I am back at Cibola NWR but this time I am camping on BLM land!

As you can see, it is pretty barren, so why here rather than by the Colorado river in a campground? A lot of reasons actually! No close neighbors with generators, OHV's, loud music or kids running around your RV. It is right across the road from the NWR so less driving and saved fuel. Also it has great views of mountain ranges on both the east and west sides! Below is looking west toward the Colorado river. Lots of green trees and fields.

On the east, you have the mountains with beautiful sunrises!

I have plenty of sunshine for the solar panels and there is usually a nice breeze keeping me cool in the afternoon. To the south is a wash full of trees and birds. I walked around it a bit yesterday and saw coyote and burro tracks. I can look out the window toward the refuge and hear and see large flocks of geese, ducks and cranes flying! To me, that is much sweeter music than my neighbors were playing in the campgrounds!

Alamo Lake State Park-AZ

Dawn, Rich and I camped at Alamo SP yesterday. It is pretty remotely located at the end of a 35 mile long dead end road. That is to say dead end for highway vehicles! There are hundreds of miles of OHV trails past the lake with some going all the way to the Colorado River.

The lake is also known for its great fishing. Like most southwest lakes, the water level is pretty low leaving several of the boating ramps high and dry. It also means that it is a long walk from the campgrounds to the lake!

Campsites are priced from $15 per night with no hookups and $25 per night for full hookups. There are also cabins but I do not know their pricing. They have flush toilets and free showers! It has a waste water dump and obviously potable water. I chose a quiet spot away from others and near the showers! There are wild burros wandering the hills. I did not see any but Dawn and Rich did. I got in a good bird walk down to the lake and back. If you are interested in the list and some bird pics, click here: Alamo Lake birding list
Even though it is not really a good birding place, I am glad to have gone as I have heard good things about it from several people and if you like fishing or off road driving, I would recommend a visit here!

More birding at Cibola NWR

Today I birded in the marshes south of the Cibola Headquarters where I have been going. I had some great finds and got some great pics. Still have lot to learn about the new camera! A rare find for this location was a Black-bellied Plover! The last reported sighting was 9 years ago and only 2 sightings have ever been recorded at Cibola NWR! This will draw a red flag on eBird which is normal for rare sightings especially since I am not a local birder but I have picture proof!

I did not recognize the species as the coloring is different than those on the Oregon coast. This time of year they lack the black colored belly! The next 2 species I have also seen on the Oregon coast but they were easier to ID as I have seen them in this plumage. The first pic is of Dunlin and the second is a Least Sandpiper!

To see more pics and a complete list of today's birds, click here: Cibola NWR ebird list There are actually 2 lists for today but this one has the most pics!

Cibola NWR

I am now camping at Oxbow campground near Cibola NWR. Great birding this morning with thousands of birds at the reserve! There were hundreds of Canada Geese, Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes!

There is a auto tour route where you can drive right past large flocks of all these birds. There is also a handicap accessible walkway that loops thru a wooded area with a viewing deck over looking a small lake that is occupied by hundreds of waterfowl!

To see today's complete list of birds and more pics which include a burrowing owl and several raptors, click here: Cibola NWR birding list

New Camera!

My camera has been slowly dying for several months, it refuses to focus, so I broke down and purchased a new Nikon Coolpix P900! One reason I chose this camera is that it has 83 times zoom! I often spot birds too far to ID with my binoculars but I can now reach out and ID many more with this zoom. Last night I took pics of the moon!

I am very happy with the results. I have seen pics, on line, of Saturn and its rings that the poster claims were taken with this camera with no additional scoping! I hope to give that a try on a moonless night. Today I took it to Rotary Park for some bird pics. I need to get more experience with this camera to get the best results but I am happy with these! First this Great Blue Heron taken at 90 feet.

This Robin pic was taken at bout 30 feet.

This pic of Ring-necked Ducks was taken at several hundred feet in low morning light.

Overall I am pleased with the camera's performance! If you wold like to to more pics and today,s complete ebird list, click here: Rotary Park birding list

Rotary Park, Lake Havasu City

The wind has been blowing pretty briskly here the last few days, limiting my birding adventures. I was able to get to Rotary Park a couple of mornings for some rewarding birding. My camera is having episodes if not focusing so I have been limited in the pics I get. Some of the few I got were of an Inca dove.

This bird is half the size of Mourning doves so if you can spot one it stands out! You will notice the feathers have a scale type pattern! This next pic is a Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

The name is obviously from the ladder like striping on its back! Rotary Park has many great features like a butterfly garden where I got an awesome pic of a Monarch butterfly with a Queen butterfly right below it!

I love the contrasting colors and patterns between the two! I hope my camera will hang in there until I can purchase a new camera. Choices for electronic devices are limited in this area.

Back in Arizona at Craggy Wash!

I left Lake Mead and Boulder Beach campground behind early this very morning as to get ahead of a the high winds due later in the day. I am now at Craggy Wash where I have stayed several times on last years trip!

There are no facilities but you can stay for up to 14 days free of charge and Lake Havasu City is just a few miles away and has everything you could need! Not as many campers here as last year. While at Boulder Beach, I was able to visit the Henderson Bird Viewing preserve several times, Corn Creek NWR and Clark County Wetlands. Lots of birds to see at those locations! Dawn, Rich and I made several night hikes at Boulder Beach. One night we documented a Common Poorwill. The last ebird sighting, of this species, was recorded in 1999! I am staying indoors this afternoon as the winds are gusting and bird viewing would be limited. I will head to Rotary Park tomorrow morning!