[Leica] what I did on my summer vacation

[Don Dory]

As I have come to expect, you have presented a fine collection.  An added
plus no bubonic plague.

On Wed, Aug 14, 2019 at 10:35 PM Doug Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
wrote:

> I've recently returned from a vacation with family (an oxymoron?) in
> Arizona.
>
> My older granddaughter wanted to see the Grand Canyon and since I hadn't
> been there since I was a wee lad it was our first destination. The south
> rim is over-run with visitors, many of whom are breathtakingly ignorant.
> Signs and verbal warnings about the dangers of falling into the canyon and
> of feeding the cute squirrels who may be carrying bubonic plague are
> routinely ignored. "There's a reason Condors were re-introduced here, it's
> to clean up after the people who've fallen off the cliffs."
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/cathartidae/gymnogyps/cacond01.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/corvus/corave06.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/spermophilus/rosqui00.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/spermophilus/rosqui01.html
>
> Having said this, the Grand Canyon fully deserves its name; it's
> spectacular even in the harsh light of high noon. In the limited time we
> had, my older grandson and I were only able to hike a small portion of the
> Bright Angel trail and what this did for me was whet my appetite for more.
> During our time in the plateau of northern Arizona the annual monsoons
> returned and stayed with us for the remainder of our visit. Torrential
> thunderstorms bringing flash floods followed by spectacular evenings were
> some of the highlights of the trip, at least for myself. I can't speak for
> the rest of the family.
> After the Grand Canyon we went toward Tucson and points south, to visit
> the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and a few small towns with legendary tales
> in their pasts. This is the Sonora Desert: hot and dry until the monsoons
> hit, with something less than a bazillion species of cactus along with
> agaves, Ochotillo, Mesquite and Palo Verde trees and a surprising diversity
> of wildlife superbly adapted to life in the desert: for example, the
> Sonoran Desert Toad which burrows into the soil at the end of the monsoon
> season and waits dormant for months until thunderstorms awaken it and it
> digs its way out. Don't lick the toad, it skin secretes a hallucinogenic
> toxin that can kill small dogs.
>
> The desert can be beautiful if you meet it on its own terms. If you fight
> the desert, if you curse its heat and thorns, you will lose the battle. My
> lifelong habit of being a 'morning person' was an advantage; several of my
> best hikes were in the gentle warmth of the pre-dawn hours, and this
> juncture between night and day is where nocturnal and diurnal critters
> meet. My favorite wildlife encounter was on one of these pre-breakfast
> walks. I had stopped to search for the source of a bird's song and while
> waiting quietly a Javalina sauntered out of the brush and trotted within
> 20' to munch on a cactus (genus Opuntia if I'm not mistaken). One slight
> move and the little pig bolted back into the brush, never to be seen again.
>
> Evenings in the Sonoran Desert were darned near magical as the day's last
> light lit the lingering thunderstorms which by this hour had tapered off to
> a light drizzle and occasional distant lightning flash.
>
> I ought to mention that it's best to pay attention to that little 'check
> engine' light. It might be expensive but fixing it means you'll get home
> safely. BTW I can recommend Highway 92 Service Center in Bisbee Arizona.
> This is a story for another time.
>
> One day was reserved for hummingbirds, first at the Paton Center for
> Hummingbirds in Patagonia Arizona
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/cynanthus/bbhumm00.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/cynanthus/bbhumm01.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/archilochus/bchumm23.html
>
> and later in the day in the hummingbird aviary at the Arizona Sonora
> Desert Museum
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/selasphorus/bthumm00.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/cynanthus/bbhumm02.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/cynanthus/bbhumm03.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/trochilidae/cynanthus/bbhumm04.html
>
> Our campsite was also a good location for critter photos
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/sylvilagus/decott06.html
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/sylvilagus/decott07.html
>
> using the technique of hanging around long enough to become part of the
> background scenery, these Cactus Wrens were quite cooperative
>
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/campylorhynchus/ctwren02.html
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/campylorhynchus/ctwren06.html
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/campylorhynchus/ctwren07.html
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/campylorhynchus/ctwren08.html
>
> with a surprise visit from a Curve-billed Thrasher
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/mimidae/toxostoma/cbthra03.html
>
> all photos: Sony a7rIII, Sony FE 100-400 GM.  All comments are welcome.
>
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
> http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com
>
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-- 
Don
don.dory at gmail.com