Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2019/08/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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