Climbing Higher and Higher

Taos Pueblo

When we think of New Mexico, we often think of pueblos. Actually, I was expecting cliff dwellings, but the Taos Pueblo is a living, breathing town, where Native Americans still live in adobe houses, getting water from Red Willow Creek, which flows through the pueblo, and using no electricity. We were lucky to visit on Memorial Day, when they had a ceremony remembering their tribe's people who served in the military.

Ruins of San Geronimo Church

Our guide told of his people's history, including their conflicts with white men, since the arrival of the Spaniards in the 1600's. This is the remains of the original San Geronimo church, which was burned by the US Cavelry in 1847, filled with women and children. I wonder how these people can serve in our armed forces. Adobe is just dried mud and straw, which has wonderful insulating ability, but it does tend to melt in the rain, and requires lots of regular maintenance.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

As we strolled through the village, tiny shrieking things dive bombed us. Turned out to be Broad-tailed Hummingbirds - another lifer for us. They fly so fast (a common characteristic of most birds out here it seems), that we couldn't get any photos, until I noticed this feeder strategically placed next to some drying chili peppers. I wonder if the nectar in the feeder is spicy. The noise they make (like mini-UFO's) is actually their wings. There aren't any Ruby-throats out here. Many of the residents have shops in their homes, and we made our contribution to the local community.

Taos Ski Valley

Heading up the mountain to Taos Ski Valley, we delighted in the sounds of cascading water in the narrow canyon, and the changes in the rock itself. The valley is mostly basalt, while the mountains are many colors of granite, with some alluvial conglomerate full of large round rocks interspersed here and there. Taos itself it at about 66oo feet in elevation, higher than Denver. We watched the aspens starting to leaf out at the lower elevations, and they were entirely bare at the top.

Snow along the trail

 We started on an "easy" trail at about 9900 feet, which turned into more and more snow. I finally wimped out about 3/4 of the way to the lake, around 11,000 feet, Dick thinks. When I wasn't actually climbing a steep gradient, it wasn't so bad. But the snow on the trail was either packed and slippery, or up to my knee if I stepped off the trail. I think we are about 6 weeks too early for hiking at the higher elevations. And the guy who writes the hiking book is obviously not a retired grandma if he thinks this trail is easy. I would never try one he thought was severe!

Gray-headed Junco

 As for birding in the mountains, I was surprised that the most common bird was the American Robin! Other little birds flitted in the tree tops, but this delightful Gray-headed Junco (another lifer) hopped on the ground so we could get a good look at him. On the way to the Ski Valley, we spotted a Cooper's Hawk soaring overhead, knew it by the long tail. When it started to rain (as usual) we headed back towards town, and found a white bellied buteo but couldn't get a really good look at him. Most likely a Red-tailed Hawk, I suppose, but it was fun looking in the guide for other possibilities such as Swainson's and Ferruginous. 

Back in town again, we enjoyed a soak in the jacuzzi, to ease our aching muscles, then happy hour and supper on our patio.

Black-billed Magpie

 The Magpies are noisy, but so flashy in black and white, that you can't help but admire them.

Sunset Panorama

As the sun started to drop, we went back to the Gorge bridge to enjoy the sunset. Found out that White Crowned Sparrows are resident all year in northern New Mexico, after spotting a couple under the sage brush. I never realized how long it takes for it to get dark enough to see the stars! A friend recommended an app called Sky Guide, and we had lots of fun with it as the stars came out. You just look at the star, point the phone in that direction, and it shows the constellation, and more astronomical info than we knew what to do with. We saw Mars, Jupiter and Saturn while standing out there in the dark. Too Cool!

New Mexico - Rio Grande Gorge

 

Rio Grande Gorge

We've always liked Arizona, so this year we decided to give New Mexico a try and will be exploring from a base in Taos. This morning we headed for the Rio Grande Gorge, not too far away, as our first adventure. Yes, the Rio Grande River comes all the way north through New Mexico, and makes a canyon about 800 feet deep, running for about 50 miles. The entire area is either mountain or flat valley because of an old tectonic rift.

Big Horn Sheep

Parking at the rest area, we started down the West Rim Trail, and were surprised to see a pair of Big Horn Sheep just coming over the rim of the canyon for some morning grazing on the flatlands. I used my long lens, and they didn't seem to uneasy about our presence. We didn't see any of these sheep in Glacer National Park last summer, and I thought they only lived at much higher elevations, so this was an exciting surprise for us!

Western Tanager

Before every trip, we look through the field guide and make a list of target birds to look for. The Western Tanager was at the top of the list for this trip. Apparently they are like Cardinals in Kentucky, and can be found everywhere. One sang in a tree at our condo, another was in a tree on the way to dinner last evening. The trick is getting them to come our of the denser branches and out into the open for a good photo.

Common Ravens Flying in Formation

The birds at the gorge were absolutely overwhelming, with more swifts, swallows, and who knows what else, riding the currents up and down the canyon walls. None of those small birds stopped to be photographed, or even for a good ID, so we may have to hold a seance to decide what we saw, but I think it will include life birds such as the White-throated Swift,mthe Violet-green Swallow (it really is that color from the top) and, of course, Cliff Swallows. We were buzzed (literally) by a hummingbird, but it flew so fast there was no chance for an ID. The Common Ravens flew in formation, and you could hear their wings flapping. But the Turkey Vultures were silent and regal, gliding in the thermals. Before the morning ended, we even saw what I firmly believe to be a Peregrine Falcon, just from its silhouette.

Desert Flower

We don't have a guide for the little desert flowers blooming here and there among the sagebrush. We wondered how a hummingbird could survive here, since the flowers were all so small. But the aroma of the sagebrush! Oh my! Apparently people burn it like incense around here and I may have to get some. The local artists and native Americans set up shop along the road by the bridge, and we enjoyed shopping with them.

Earthship home

Have you every heard of an Earthship? Sounds like something from one of my science fiction books, but it is a new method for sustainable homes, which can be built anywhere in the world. The goal is to be entirely off the grid, producing all your own power needs, and much of your food needs. They use solar panels, windmills and glass to collect energy. All rain and snow is collected and stored, then used at least four times before being recycled in the septic tank. The walls are build from dirt-filled tires, then covered with adobe and recycled glass bottles and aluminum cans. About 30 of them were visible along the road with people actually living in them. As we left the visitor center, one man coming in asked a lot of disdainful questions, which the welcomer handled with great poise. Obviously, he thought the whole thing was something only a bunch of hippies would do, and he had no idea of sustainability.

Darkening Skies

I expected the weather to be chilly in the mornings, with perhaps a chance of showers, but not enough to worry about. However, it has rained pretty hard each afternoon since our arrival. Look at the clear blue sky with the Ravens in it, then compare these threatening clouds moving in. Since the valleys are so wide, you can watch it rain miles away in the distance. If you wanted rain, that would probably be pretty frustrating.

Rainfall

We learned to head for the car when the dark clouds gather. I felt sorry for all the bikers in town for Memorial Day, since they really got pelted by the rain, snow and - get this - sleet, that arrived in a few minutes. Yep, in New Mexico, you want to go hiking in the morning, then come back for a siesta in the afternoon.

Birds and Blooms at Natural Bridge

Birdfoot Violet

Natural Bridge is one of our favorite spots in Kentucky. Since we were in Texas over Derby Weekend, we hoped we would still be in time for late-blooming wildflowers at Natural Bridge this weekend. We did see some late bloomers, but not the ones we expected to see, such as the many trillium. That made the flowers we did find even more exciting.

Yellow Lady's Slipper

As we sloshed across the muddy trails (it stormed the night before and twice on Saturday), we practiced studying the leaf structure to identify the plant without its blossom. Turning the corner on one trail, we found the only yellow Lady's Slipper of the weekend, only 6 inches off the trail. I hope it doesn't get stepped on and crushed by anyone.

Squaw Root

Squawroot, also known as Bear Corn or Cancer Root, is actually a fungus rather than a flower. Like all members of the Broomrape family, the Squawroot contains no chlorophyll.  It must therefore obtain nutrients from a host plant as a parasite.  The Squawroot attaches to the root structure of oak trees for this purpose.  However, this parasitic activity generally does not result in the death of the host tree, as the extraction is relatively minor and the number of individual Squawroot shoots is not extensive.

Fat Man's Misery

The main trail to the bridge goes up Fat Man's Misey to reach the top of the arch. It is perhaps 18-20 inches wide, thus the name! With all the rain, it was also full of water and mud puddles. We had to turn sideways to make it through!

Once at the top, the shadows edged down into the valleys, showing the layout of the land. The area around Natural Bridge is actually a plateau which has been eroded into valleys, rather than being a mountain range.

Turkey Vulture

The Turkey Vultures love the warm air thermals around all this sandstone, and a kettle of perhaps a dozen or so glided over the bridge, their white wing feathers shining in the setting sun.  They would soon settle down to a roosting tree for the night.

Black and White Warbler

Listening to the bird call CD's on the drive to the park is always worthwhile, especially since warblers are still migrating through the area. Walking through the forest, they taunted us from high in the canopy. My bird app on my phone came into action. Some of the warblers were curious, while others just ignored us.

Hooded Warbler

This is the best (or only) photo I've gotten of a Hooded Warbler.

Goldinch

 

Some of the non-warblers were a little easier to locate such as this Goldfinch near the dining hall...

Eastern Phoebe

...and the Eastern Phoebe calling non-stop from the hillside below the lodge. Curiously, my cell phone had no signal at all from the lodge, which is tucked against a high cliff, but service returned when we climbed to the top of the Bridge! In all, it was a fun weekend. Soon, we will pack again for a two week trip to New Mexico.

Hermann's Birds

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

 We are in Houston this weekend attending a family wedding. Weddings are always a good way to see distant family members, much better than funerals, don't you think? My biggest challenge is trying to make the directions from my GPS match the actual road conditions as we find our way from location to location. The streets aren't always named what the GPS thinks, and construction changes the ramp locations. I admit to some white-knuckle trips in the last few days, and other than going the wrong way on a ramp once, no grave dangers have occurred.

Hermann Park

Hermann Park, in the middle of the urban area, is home to the Natural Science Museum, and the Zoo, along with a large lake. Since we were meeting some family members for lunch, we couldn't see quite as much as we might have alone, but the train ride was lots of fun, and passed over part of the lake with an egret and heron, so we headed back there on foot.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are a welcome sight in Texas, with their bright pink beaks, and rich warm umber tones in their feathers. We noticed a large obvious white wing bar as they flew around too.

Spotted Whistling Ducklings

In a secluded portion along the edge of the lake, a mother duck watched over her little spotted ducklings as they practiced reaching down to the bottom for goodies to eat.

Boat-tailed Grackle

The large Boat-tailed Grackles are everywhere here, piercing the air with whistles, whines, loud clucks and noises I can't begin to describe. Once you hear them, you will never forget. They do glow in the sunshine though! The other common birds are doves, both the Mourning and Ring-necked Doves, and pigeons cooing as the males parade their puffed up finery for the females.

Green Heron

The same area with the ducklings also attracted the attention of a Green Heron, landing in the greenery.

Green Heron

But it's hard to actually see any green on him. He turned to face up, raising his beak vertically, making it hard to even find him among the vertical water plants.

Duck Punk

Of course, whenever you have wild and domestic ducks in the same lake, you will find hybrids, but this has to be one of my favorites. I can't image his parentage to get a punk feather-do like this!

Listen to this short video of the ducklings. Do you think this is why they are called "whistling" ducks?

Migration Madness

American Avocets - digiscoped

A few weeks ago, I noticed I wasn't receiving notices from the KY Bird List. Inquiries revealed that it's dropping people randomly, and I should just re-subscribe. Good thing, or I would have missed the notice about Willets and American Avocets at the Falls of the Ohio. A cold front moved through the night before, and all sorts of birds were showing up. The Avocets breed in the northern plains area and winter in the Southwest. Every few years, however, some show up in the shallow water below the dam at the Falls of the Ohio. My friend was there with his good scope and had already located them (which I would have had trouble doing on my own) and we saw about eight of them yesterday afternoon. By evening, another birder said she also found a flotilla of 58 more birds swimming in the deeper water behind the dam! You just never know what's going to turn up at the Falls! But it takes time and persistence to find something good, because there's no predicting what will show up while you stand there.

Willets - digiscoped

I'm used to seeing Willets when we go to the beach, but I think it's the first time they have shown up here. They too breed in the northern plain-southern Canada area, wintering along the Gulf and Atlantic shores. Again, they were all perched on the same rock, at least half a mile away from our observation point. If Tom hadn't found them first, I might have missed them altogether. Would you have know what they were without someone telling you? Granted, the scope alone gives a better view.

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Then I wandered down the Woodland Trail, since Tom's wife was down there with the warblers coming through on migration. The Falls of the Ohio State Park does not have a lot of acres, but it is the only patch of woods and shallow water for far around. I call it a green oasis in a jungle of asphalt. As I joined her, we were surrounded by more birds calling than I have ever heard there! Hooded Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Yellow Throated Warblers, Northern Parulas, Gnatcatchers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, and may I didn't recognize at all. We played the call for the Yellow Warbler who was certainly perched just above our heads from the sound of him, but could not entice him to come down and play. Same for the Parula. The buzzy little Gnatcatchers were so busy hunting caterpillars, it was hard to focus on them before they jumped to the next branch.

Summer Tanager

I got lucky with an otherwise silent Summer Tanager. Cardinals are very common at the Falls, and I had to look two or three times to be sure this was my nemesis bird, and it was. Hooray!

Warbling Vireo

One other bird came briefly into view, a little larger than many of the others. Colleen confirmed this as a Warbling Vireo, a life bird for me. Hooray again! But no more than 10 minutes after entering migration heaven, the sun came out, the clouds blew off, and it got real quiet in the woods. The Yellow Warbler and Parula still called, but the large variety of song stopped.

Bald Eagle Nest - Shippingport Island - digiscoped

Well, since I'm here anyway, might as well run down to see if I can find the Eagle nest on Shippingport Island. The island is in the middle of the river, and the nest must be close to a mile away from shore. When I first looked, I got lucky, since the male was sitting on a branch nearby, and I spotted him and the nest. Another birder says he's seen two little fuzzy heads a couple times. but he has telescopic eyeballs as well as a good scope! By the time I got my phone lined up for a photo through the scope, the male had moved off. Can you see the nest? That dark blob in the middle? In a few more days, the leaves will cover it entirely. The first year or two that this pair tried to nest, they failed, but I never heard any guesses why. This must be the third successful nesting at least. Pretty cool to have them right in the urban area.

Raven Run Wildflowers - Too Early, Too Late

Blue-eyed Mary

Raven Run Nature Sanctuary is a county park on the bluffs of the Kentucky River in Fayette County, not far from Lexington.  Part of the property was acquired with funds from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Much of the 734 acres is old farm land, full of invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, garlic mustard, and poison hemlock, just like everywhere else. In the last few years, they had a project to get rid of bush honeysuckle, which appears to be successful in  part, but it's coming right back into the cleared areas. As I drove down the Interstate, I was saddened to see the fringe of green under all the trees - honeysuckle leafing out before anything else. 

Bumblebee on Dwarf Larkspur

But as you head down the trail, past old stone fences, the flowers began to appear. Dwarf larkspur comes in both purple and white, plus a few shades in between. This is the only place I have ever seen blue-eyed Mary. In the creek valley I've heard wild turkey every time I visit the park. Today, I could swear I heard a Broadwing Hawk, although I couldn't call it out of hiding. Might have been a Blue Jay trying to fool me (if so, it worked!), but I didn't hear any other Jay calls all day. 

Dwark Larkspur

Spring Beauty

Dainty spring beauty was abundant, with little pink stripes and anthers. Twice, several teenagers passed me on the trail, talking and walking fast, not looking at any of the flowers. How could they come to such a park and not look at this flowers this time of year? Makes no sense to me.

Early Saxifrage

Good old Kentucky limestone underlies everything, of course. In fact, you risk breaking limbs and cameras both, tripping over the stones in the trail! Where the trail cuts between two big boulders, those limestone loving plants like stonecrop and this early saxifrage grow right out of the rocks.

Squirrel Corn

And just beyond those rocks I finally found both squirrel corn and Dutchman's breeches. the leaves are similar, but you can tell the difference by the blossoms. The Dutchman hangs his breeches on a line with the pants legs pointing up, while squirrel corn (how did it get that name!) has rounded tops.

Sharp-lobed Hepatica and Sessile Trillium

The trail to the overlook on the Kentucky River Palisades hosts hepatica and columbine that I found nowhere else. Of course, the hepatica flower grows on a stalk before the leaves ever come up, so I never get to see them. Columbine also likes to grow right out of cracks in the rocks, but today it was only in bud. However, the twinleaf and cutleaf toothwort had finished blooming all together. Looks like I was both too early and too late at the same time!

Wild Ginger Blossom

One of my spring favorites is the little heart-shaped wild ginger. Under the hairy leaves, one solitary dark maroon blossom may grow down on the ground itself. The flower evolved to attract small pollinating flies that emerge from the ground early in the spring looking for a thawing carcass of an animal that did not survive the winter. By lying next to the ground the flower is readily found by the emerging flies. The color (and smell) of the flower is similar to that of decomposing flesh. Whether these flies pollinate the flower or not is in some dispute.You have to get way down on the ground to get a photo of them at all.

Flower Bowl Hillside 4-16-14

I was disappointed, but not too surprised, at the lack of flowers in the Flower Bowl (as I call it). This valley has always been too steep to farm, and has never been disturbed, as far as I know, so there are an minimum of invasives, and the ground beneath the trees is open, hosting huge numbers of native wild flowers. However, the cold winter, or just the cold snap this week, has affected it, since there were not the wide wide variety of flowers growing on top of each other up and down the hillside.

Flower Bowl 4-16-2010

The first year we went to Raven Run, I was absolutely breathless when we started into the valley. As far as you could see, up hill and down, the forest floor was covered with larkspur, wood poppy, phlox, and blue-eyed Mary. All those flowers were blooming, yes, but not in the outstanding numbers of previous years. The false rue anemone seemed to be most abundant this year. Maybe it would all catch up if I had time to return in a week. In May, we are returning to Natural Bridge State Park for more wildflowers!