It's Been a While

Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus on our property

Becca and I got a 7:40 a.m. start on the trail west of Tortugas Mountain.  It wasn't our intention, but we decided to bushwhack far west of the mountains, and we ended up in a favorite place we hadn't visited in some time:  atop an awesome hill in the outback.  We saw no large mammals while there, only rabbits and birds, and I was able to capture some decent images of the latter.  We finished our trek a little before 10:00 and got out of there just as the northern Chihuahuan Desert was beginning to get a little toasty; we're headed for 88F today.

Tres amigos

The new trail again

Blossoming stages

Leafy, flowery Ocotillo

Leafless Ocotillo far west of the mountain

From one to the other

Passerbee

Gnarled old Ocotillos west of the mountains

Straight shot across the desert

Heading north

Darned stick (Gambel's Quail)

Two versions of the same image:  B&W

Color

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Flowers of the Blind Prickly Pear Cactus

Blind Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia rufida)

Blind Prickly Pear flower and friend

Blind Prickly Pear (Opuntia rufida)

Ocotillo flower and friend