Aviators Today

1st 2:  Swainson's Hawk atop scarecrow head

It was a pleasant morning for our daily hike.  Midway down the LDR-A arroyo Dr. K called my attention to the Swainson's Hawk sitting atop a yucca just east of us.  Not only did I get a few decent photos of the raptor, but we got to see it expel a projectile crap.  I actually went over a bit later to see if I could find the scat, to no avail.  It was a good day for bird photography.

Same Swainson's Hawk

Yucca monster from the east

Swath of green

Wils in ancient Soaptree shadow

Swainson's Hawk

This & next:  same Black-chinned Hummingbird

A female Scott's Oriole

 

Western Kingbird chased by another

Western Kingbird

Bone Dry Again Already

Wils taking it easy

A persistent wind made Dr. K cold this morning; Willow and I were unaffected.  We did our usual hike seeing nobody else while we were out there.  We did spot the Pickup Truck Lady's truck on Tellbrook while we were on our way to the trailhead.  When we got home I drove over to Home Depot to pick up a few items:  white silicone for the garage door, SAE 5W 20 motor oil for the Jeep; and two Duracell 21/23 batteries for the garage door opener.

Didn't see those birds until we got home

 

This & next:  way up into the right branch

Do not stumble into Allthorn

From between the left and middle branch arroyos

Leany's got leaves

Wils almost in shadow

Tortugas and the Organs

The birds seem to be cranes

Heat is On

Western Kingbird

Dr. K, Willow and I had a nice hike in our section of northern Chihuahuan Desert this morning.  At the start of the trek the weather felt perfect:  blue sky, sun and a cool breeze.  By the end of our outing we could easily discern the change that's coming over the next few days; the temperature rose noticeably and it felt almost hot.  We're looking at, possibly, hitting the century mark later this week.

Desert Landscape

Let's keep going

This & next:  Western Kingbird

Ladder-backed Woodpecker on ocotillo branch

White-winged Dove

 

After the Rain--Birds

Hike at start

Just Willow and me on the trail this morning; Dr. K had to attend an AAUW meeting.  Wils and I were in hot pursuit of a Desert Cardinal so we did quite a bit of bushwhacking in addition to our regular hike.  We were delayed at home for slightly over an hour due to early rain.  With a persistent wind out there it felt almost chilly.  The sun did break through about two-thirds of the way through our outing.

The cloudy Doña Ana Mountains

Soaptree Yuccas and the Organ Mountains

Tellbrook Arroyo

Desert Cardinal and White-winged Dove

White-winged Dove

This & all red birds:  same Desert Cardinal

 

All birds in blackface:  male Gambel's Quail

Hike at end

Partly sunny at trek's end

Better Air

1st 2:  poor pics of a Desert Cardinal

The air was better this morning when Dr. K, Willow and I set off on our hike, but still somewhat hazy.  We never did get a definitive answer about the source of yesterday's poor air quality.  We saw Pickup Truck Lady and her dog when we drove up Tellbrook; they had already finished their outing and were on their way home (presumably).  We saw nobody else during our trek.  The temperature was quite warm while we followed our regular route today.  Afterward we took a very long drive listening to Matt and Myron on their morning show.

Mesquite tree

This & next:  Willow and Dr. K

Apparition

Barrel Cactus fruit long past their "best by" date

This & next:  Willow in shade

Better air, but still not great