Osha Trail

Today was a rare day for the staff at COC; we got to spend it in the cool climate of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, hiking the gorgeous Osha Trail. Here are the new railroad ties in place on the first leg of the trail, the steep climb to the loop.
When you reach the loop and take a left turn so that you can do the trail in a clockwise fashion, this is one of the first sights you see.
Here's a telephoto shot of the village of Cloudcroft taken across Highway 82 from the Osha Trail.
This is a photo of White Sands looking across the Tularosa valley.

Desert Dog loves a break from the heat in the lower elevations by escaping to the high country.

Late Hike

A late-morning hike took Research Associate Becca and I along a new single-track mountain bike trail that showed some innovative construction on the part of the trail builders--like this bridge over a ditch.
The new bike trail through the desert.
Another wooden bridge over a small arroyo.
Moth or butterfly--I'm not sure--was feeding on a Sting Leaf flower.

A white butterfly feasts on a separate Sting Leaf flower.

¿Dónde Están Las Palomas?

Research Associate Becca and I were out early this morning on the west side of Tortugas Mountain, taking in the sights as usual. Both she and I felt sorry for this lonely yucca.
This paloma (Spanish for "dove") was enjoying a peaceful moment just after sunrise.
We have seen this metal cross before, but now it is almost overgrown with grass.
Doves were hanging out everywhere, taking a break on the nearly-leafless wands of the ocotillos.

Más palomas.

Morning Hike

Research Associate Becca and I spent about ninety minutes hiking the west side trail around Tortugas Mountain. Here you see a photo of my loyal companion. Even a sun dog has to rest in the shade every once in a while.
The road ahead--or behind, depending on which way you're facing.
A worker who had driven to the top of the mountain locks the gate behind himself on his return.
This was supposed to be a shot of a spider web, but the autofocus on my camera didn't pick up the thin strands.

Again, this was supposed to be an image of the web. I should have used the manual focus, but I was too lazy.

Deer/Snake/Baby Horned Lizard

Not far along the trail behind Tortugas Mountain Dr. K, Research Associate Becca and I kicked up a small herd of deer; we counted five individuals bounding up the rugged mountain. In the distance they stopped to look back at us. See if you can see all five in the lower left quadrant of this photo. Talk about camouflage, eh?
Not long after this brief photo op we came upon a small rattler on the trail; it was about 12" long. As I've said before, baby rattlers are the most dangerous because they don't know how to judiciously dole out their venom.
Here's a closeup of its beautiful kisser.
Here we have another example of camouflage extraordinaire. There's a baby horned lizard in the center of this photo; its head is pointing up.

Here's a closeup where the head is facing to the right.

Obedience School

Becca is one of the most stubborn research associates that I've ever had working under me, so sometimes we have to devote a day--even a weekend day--to learning the basics all over again. Today she kicked up a jackrabbit and rocketed after it, but a stern warning from me brought her back to my side. It's hard to find good research assistants these days. Despite these minor professional setbacks (or "learning plateaus"), we managed to enjoy the sights on this fine desert morning. A grass skirt (left) on a giant yucca hides its cellulite-laden trunk.

A canine Oreck vacuums its way along a narrow desert trail.
A light-colored SUV follows a dirt road through the Chihuahuan Desert.
Britney Spears--in a fetching halter--stands beside a decaying yucca.

A yucca provides a spiky foreground to a spectacular Chihuahuan Desert vista.

Old Curved Bill

Here are a few photos of a Curved-Bill Thrasher that seems to love scouting the territory from the front trellis here at COC, to see, I guess, what it can root around in.

Thrashers use their sharp, curved bill to dig feverishly in the dirt in search of grub--literally and figuratively. They're quite comical in their efforts, leaving fairly large-sized holes behind them.