Saturday, May 23, 2020
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
We can't resist
May 20, 2020
The lure of spending more time at the water-filled Sunflower Flat area proved irrisistible; we returned within a couple of days of our first visit with the intention of doing some birdwatching.
Knowing the rarity of finding the region as wet as it is this spring, coupled with having more free time due to employment cessation gave us the perfect opportunity to relax into following our inclination instead of putting it off.
We spent the best part of a day making our leisurely way around the flooded lowland, carefully watching our footing over rough volcanic rock rubble and sometimes in mucky mudflats left behind as the water evaporated.
Because we were within the mostly treeless basin, we enjoyed lovely views past the dense ponderosa pine perimeter to the still snowy San Francisco Peaks . . .
Making our slow traverse of the wetland, we used the spotting scope to identify birds that were always just out of reach of our binoculars' range.
Out on the water, we managed to spot killdeer, American coot, yellow-headed blackbird, ruddy duck, mallard, pied-billed grebe, yellow warbler, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, lesser scaup, green-winged teal and ring-necked duck, with violet-green swallows and northern rough-winged swallows swooping overhead.
The water was sufficient for a long enough time for Canada geese to hatch and rear the young we saw lined up obediently between their parents.
We lunched at the far end of the lake with the gnarly twisted limbs of a tree carcass in front of us. Those reaching branches were popular spots for western bluebirds and yellow-rumped warblers.
Just behind us in the tall pines was a virtual cacophony from red-winged blackbirds and Brewer's blackbirds. It seemed very odd: reeds, the more typical haven for red-winged blackbirds, grew in profusion in many parts of the basin, but the birds much preferred their piney perches. Other species we observed included northern flicker, American robin, kestrel and raven, but the big treat of the day was a bald eagle circling overhead. While we watched, it flew across the lake and secreted itself near the top of a ponderosa.
It was so pleasant to take our time enjoying our wander and being in awe of the watery scene before us - beauty in perfect temperature with the lightest breeze - bliss!
Getting there . . .
We had kept our wayside stops to a minimum on the way to Sunflower because we really wanted to devote the day to that spot; however, there was one particular view of Bear Canyon that I often catch through the roadside vegetation that I wanted to enjoy.
We located a place to pull off the road and found our way windingly through the brush to the canyon's rim, and voila! Some unknown but much appreciated person who was also drawn to that spot had built the cutest little bench, perfect for admiring the canyon's convolutions at that place. I sat and took in the scene comfortably, feeling a quiet kinship with that person who yielded to the same lure and had in mind to share it. I am grateful.
Meanwhile . . .
. . . back at the hacienda, we once again savored our sweet Watson Woods in one of its lushest moods, with waist-high spring grass . . .
. . . and the many mounded porcupine dens.
We've gained a new back yard resident - a fine looking king snake that cozied right up to us as we lunched on the patio. He gave me a bit of a start as he silently slithered past within arm's reach, but we are happy to have him; he is welcome to dine on the mice that make their home in our back yard.
One day as we were driving back from Granite Basin, I snapped a shot of Prescott's Thumb Butte from that vantage point, and Chris wants me to use the photo to show the extreme similarity between it and the volcanic core we saw in the Burro Creek area - not twins but pretty close.
May 20, 2020
The lure of spending more time at the water-filled Sunflower Flat area proved irrisistible; we returned within a couple of days of our first visit with the intention of doing some birdwatching.
Knowing the rarity of finding the region as wet as it is this spring, coupled with having more free time due to employment cessation gave us the perfect opportunity to relax into following our inclination instead of putting it off.
We spent the best part of a day making our leisurely way around the flooded lowland, carefully watching our footing over rough volcanic rock rubble and sometimes in mucky mudflats left behind as the water evaporated.
Because we were within the mostly treeless basin, we enjoyed lovely views past the dense ponderosa pine perimeter to the still snowy San Francisco Peaks . . .
. . . and Bill Williams Mountain.
As I chased butterflies trying to get a nice shot of their colorful wings, I discovered what seems to be a clever defensive strategy. When the flighty little critter stopped and folded his wings tightly, he became nearly invisible within his environment. Had I not been watching his path, I would have never noticed him.
Making our slow traverse of the wetland, we used the spotting scope to identify birds that were always just out of reach of our binoculars' range.
Out on the water, we managed to spot killdeer, American coot, yellow-headed blackbird, ruddy duck, mallard, pied-billed grebe, yellow warbler, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, lesser scaup, green-winged teal and ring-necked duck, with violet-green swallows and northern rough-winged swallows swooping overhead.
The water was sufficient for a long enough time for Canada geese to hatch and rear the young we saw lined up obediently between their parents.
We lunched at the far end of the lake with the gnarly twisted limbs of a tree carcass in front of us. Those reaching branches were popular spots for western bluebirds and yellow-rumped warblers.
Just behind us in the tall pines was a virtual cacophony from red-winged blackbirds and Brewer's blackbirds. It seemed very odd: reeds, the more typical haven for red-winged blackbirds, grew in profusion in many parts of the basin, but the birds much preferred their piney perches. Other species we observed included northern flicker, American robin, kestrel and raven, but the big treat of the day was a bald eagle circling overhead. While we watched, it flew across the lake and secreted itself near the top of a ponderosa.
It was so pleasant to take our time enjoying our wander and being in awe of the watery scene before us - beauty in perfect temperature with the lightest breeze - bliss!
Getting there . . .
We had kept our wayside stops to a minimum on the way to Sunflower because we really wanted to devote the day to that spot; however, there was one particular view of Bear Canyon that I often catch through the roadside vegetation that I wanted to enjoy.
We located a place to pull off the road and found our way windingly through the brush to the canyon's rim, and voila! Some unknown but much appreciated person who was also drawn to that spot had built the cutest little bench, perfect for admiring the canyon's convolutions at that place. I sat and took in the scene comfortably, feeling a quiet kinship with that person who yielded to the same lure and had in mind to share it. I am grateful.
Meanwhile . . .
. . . back at the hacienda, we once again savored our sweet Watson Woods in one of its lushest moods, with waist-high spring grass . . .
. . . and the many mounded porcupine dens.
We've gained a new back yard resident - a fine looking king snake that cozied right up to us as we lunched on the patio. He gave me a bit of a start as he silently slithered past within arm's reach, but we are happy to have him; he is welcome to dine on the mice that make their home in our back yard.
One day as we were driving back from Granite Basin, I snapped a shot of Prescott's Thumb Butte from that vantage point, and Chris wants me to use the photo to show the extreme similarity between it and the volcanic core we saw in the Burro Creek area - not twins but pretty close.
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