In This Land Of Competition Our Compassion Is Gone

Truth be told, the internet connection here at our little outpost is pretty shoddy at times....so posts to your favorite blog are probably not going to happen as often as you would like.  Only when the stars align properly am I able to cruise the internets with power, speed and confidence.  Fortunately, the great ornithologist Felonious Jive and I am knee-deep in birds, so why worry?  

A lot has happened already in the few short days that we've been out here.....drastic shifts in weather....Madera Canyon Magic (black and otherwise).......a life bird.......did that really happen?  I felt like I was on some sort of Mexican vision quest at the time.  At Tumacacori we encountered a giant hellhound and a ship of fools.....also watched a Cooper's Hawk take down a Gila Woodpecker right over our heads.  Jesus God....the death cry of the Gila Woodpecker will surely haunt my dreams for years to come.

At Mt Lemmon, Black-chinned Sparrows were silently lurking in the scrub (how else would you lurk in the scrub?)....huge, 20 lb antelope jackrabbits loped and bounded around Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge....leaving massive craters in the ground with every hop.  In Arivaca, I think we almost managed to eat everywhere in town, which I would highly recommend for the cultural experience....but I still need to get some microwaved food from the Cantina....it just seems Right.

On next week's agenda, I'll be surveying (for reals) in the Santa Ritas, Huachucas, Huachucas, and on Mt Lemmon.  My cold weather gear (there will be snow) at the moment is frankly bullshit, so I am going to have to spend an absurd amount of $$$ to remedy that.  I would rather be spending money on buying Halsy shots in San Francisco, but it is what it is.  I have a lot of placemaking to do in relatively little time, and I must learn my neighbors as well as possible.....here at the center there is Greg and Mark, but then there are the Mexican Jays, Bridled Titmice, Yellow-eyed Juncos, Canyon Towhees....and of course my new friend the Rufous-capped Warbler that lives a short walk up the creek.  Ive had 2 different Brod-billed Hummingbirds come to my feeder now, and we just started putting out seed for the juncos and anything else that may be around.

Ok, time for breakfast.

These sodden Lark Sparrows were photographed on a drab day on Canada Larga Road in Ventura County, CA, a couple weeks ago.