Birding at Rotary Park

I spent a couple hours this morning birding at Rotary Park in Lake Havasu. The park is a great place to bird and week days it is usually pretty quiet. On the weekend it can get crowded and loud as I was reminded this today! There were several events taking place but that it so be expected for weekends! I was still able to observe 19 species of birds and get some good pictures. One of the favorite birds in this area is the Vermillion Flycatcher.

As you can see, it has some outstanding color! Another favorites is the Inca Dove! The picture below has 2 Inca Doves and 1 Mourning Dove. Inca Doves are normally found much closer to Mexico but a number of them have taken up residence in the park. They have been here for several years!

The most common bird in the area is the Great-tailed Grackle. It is about the size of a crow and might be more vocal!

For those of you who prefer furry animals, this picture is of 2 Cottontail rabbits chasing each other. I missed a shot of them playing leap frog!

To see more bird pictures and a complete list of today's species, click here: Rotary Park

Oxbow Campground near Cibola NWR

I arrived yesterday morning and was pleasantly surprised to find only 2 other campers at this site! As I have been reporting, everywhere has been packed with Snowbirds!

The dumpster spoils the picture but you get the idea! About 7 PM, six vans rolled in and unloaded dozens of college students! My first thoughts were negative but they turned out to be quiet shortly after setting up their tents! I went birding at Cibola NWR this morning and met several other birders while walking the birding paths. We were at a bird blind over looking a small lake when I spotted some shorebirds about 300 feet away on the far side. I snapped a couple pics which, as you can see, were not great due to distance and light but I could tell they were Greater Yellowlegs.

I asked the other birders if they would give me their opinion. One fellow asked what kind of camera I had that could get such a good pictures at that distance. (I thought it was interesting that I was disappointed with the pic and he was impressed!) Turned out we have the same camera. He has been frustrated with the same focus issues I have! I gave him some tips on things that have helped me so maybe he will get better results in the future. Back at camp I was able to get some pictures of a Cinnamon Teal!

This is a beautifully colored bird but most of my pictures of birds on water are a bit washed out like the 2 above! I am still trying to figure out a setting to help with that!

Today my camera and I got along!

There are some days when I get very frustrated with my camera! Cloudy mornings are one and brushy conditions are the other but today we worked pretty well together! These pics were  taken thru some pretty heavy brush were the camera often focuses on every little twig or limb between me and my target. I have changed the focus point to a single dot but still I end up still sharp pictures of limbs with a blurry bird image in the back ground! The first 2 pics are of a Gray Flycatcher. The eBird app says theses are rare for this location even though I have reported them here a dozen times over the past 3 years!

The picture below is of an Anna's Hummingbird. I like how the wind lifted its chin feathers.

This last picture is of a Gila Woodpecker. It is a noisy bird and you will often hear them well before seeing them!

Well, that's it for today! I am enjoying the sunshine and warm temps. 

Repairs complete and am now at Senator Wash

Yesterday I resolved the tail light issue and installed new ones in part thanks to the help of Bud at Canyon Country RV and Auto Service. He ran a check on the 7 way plug and confirmed it was working properly. I asked about an appointment to look at my wiring but he said they are booked out over 2 weeks. He then gave me a quick run down of how the lights connect and work. Armed with this new info and a power tester, I was able to track down and repair a broken wire which resolved my issue! I installed the new tail lights and with everything working I hit the road. I spent last night in the Hi Jolly BLM camping area just north of Quartzsite. This morning I drove on down to Senator Wash were I plan to spend a few days.

Every camping place I pass by here in Arizona, has lots of RV's! This is the most crowded I have seen it over the last 3 years! That is not to say there is no place to camp as there are 1000's of acres of desert avaialble for boon docking. Lots of sunshine which allow the solar panels to keep my batteries charged nicely. In Oregon I was running my generator about 3 hours on most days due to the lack of sunshine! I am glad to be back here! Warm, dry and no mold or mildew on the walls!

Arizona to Oregon and back

As you may know I left Arizona for Oregon just before Christmas to take care of an issue I felt needed a personal touch! After 8 weeks of rain, I was struggling to keep the mold and mildew cleared from the walls of my RV so last Sunday morning I hooked up and drove 1100 miles, in 30 hours, back to Lake Havasu, Arizona.  Once out of Oregon, the roads were dry and free of snow! I did have a couple issues. The check engine light came on during the trip and at some point my trailer brake lights quit working. Once I arrive here I aired out the RV and wiped down the walls to remove the molds, which left the paneling discolored, so the next day I stained the walls and they once again look great! I used a tool to find out what caused the engine light to come on. And after looking up the code I as able to fix that issue by cleaning the Mass Airflow filter. I have now been working on the brake light issue for 3 days. I have found some bad connection and have repaired those. I will not know if the issue is resolved until I install new tail lights which I ordered thru a local repair shop!

Temps are if the 70's during the day and 40's at night. Lots of sunshine and dry air. The first pic is of Lake Havasu and the second is in Rotary Park.

As you can see, a few trees are just starting to get their leaves back after falling off in January! Iam loving the sunny weather and am grateful for a life style that allows me to get up and go a will!