After a Brief Hiatus

In an arroyo just west of Tortugas Mountain

Becca and I were back at it again in the northern Chihuahuan Desert this morning after missing an outing yesterday.  We made up for it by extending our hike by several miles, always in hopes of discovering interesting sights.  We altered our route slightly by hiking along a ridgeline beside the arroyo that runs just west of Tortugas Mountain.  There were some interesting perspectives on the mountain from up there.  The Loggerhead Shrike we encountered during our trek, but the Great-tailed Grackle and Lesser Goldfinch were photographed on our property.

During our climb out of the arroyo

Scouting around from atop a ridge

View of the arroyo and the mountain behind

Loggerhead Shrike on a yucca stalk

You want a piece of this?

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Geothermal Road

Reminiscent of old-timey BMs

Sign at the lineperson school

I am a lineman for the county

Secrets of Polehenge

Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) on a telephone line

Great-tailed Grackle

Should I do it?

Let me think

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) ("Western form")

Lesser Goldfinch ("Western form" instead of "Texas form")

Lesser Goldfinch