A Longer Exploration

Sun highlighting plants

It was literally freezing this morning when Becca and I started off (32F), but not "freezing."  In fact, it felt much warmer than in recent days.  Because the weather was so pleasant we did a much longer exploration into the outback west of Tortugas Mountain.  We spent a lot of time in one arroyo where I was trying (with great frustration) to get a good image of the tiny birds pictured below.  They were so flighty that I wasn't able to photograph any to my satisfaction.  At first I thought they were Gray Vireos, but they only appear here in summertime; so I'm wondering if they were Blue-gray Gnatcatchers whose year-round range is tangential to the southern section of our area.

Yuccas

Passing a large Torrey Yucca heading down the single-track

Further down the single-track

Desert explorer

Why it's called a "Fishhook Barrel Cactus"

Stealthy raptor

One-finger salute from the Chihuahuan Desert?

Relaxing in an arroyo

Ocotillo/Organ Mountains

Your eyelids are growing heavy

Former Soaptree seed pods

These little birds were almost impossible to photograph

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher?

Arroyo out of Tortugas

Tortugas (left) and the Organ Mountains

Yucca and shadow

Don't tell me we have to climb all the way up there

Cactus Wren in a yucca

Loggerhead Shrike

Another respite

Thorny relationship

Not the face on Mars