We hiked along the canal to a small lake. It was supposed to be great for finding warblers. We didn’t dawdle much though; the buzzing in our ears was really loud and urged us along faster than we would have intended.
We traded sleeping in for an early morning hike. The trail ran along a slough which is great animal habitat but is unfortunately pretty good mosquito habitat as well. It was as buggy as we have run into so far but DEET was our friend and kept it bearable. We saw a few new birds but otherwise just a pretty stroll.
Something funny to see, a rosette spoonbill taking a bath. Not very graceful.
Here on the barrier islands the combination of intermittent showers and sea spray create a pretty damp place. We squeezed in a bit of a hike and have been watching the osprey and brown pelicans fish. The pelican’s headlong dive and the ensuing acrobatics to push out the water and swallow their catch are quite the thing to watch.
Lolling around, stretched out on the banks these guys we out in force today. Some of them even showed us their pearly whites…The birds like a sunny day as well. It suited us just fine too!
Elusive Coatimundi
It looks kind of like a lemur-cross wolverine-cross badger. He shared the trail with us at Chiracahua National Monument just south of Wilcox. These mountains are one of the “island in the plains” ranges that have an amazing range of bio-habits plopped right in the middle of wide desert plains. Geology is the focus of this monument that has rock pillars and columns and pinnacles plus bunches of balanced rocks all because of the early volcanic history of the area. It made for a fun hike, plus we got to see a critter we have never seen in the wild before. They have lots more trails so we will need to return there one day too. Another bonus; a family of Javelinas scurried across the road in front of us as we headed home….cute little non-pigs
It is pretty far out of the way and gets a lot of prattle about being unsafe along the border but I am sure glad we made the stop. Unobtrusive but ever present Rangers and Border Patrol police make this place safer than most cities. It is wonderfully green compared to any of the desert we have seen so far. Sheltered areas are blanketed in bright yellow poppies already and the number of kinds of cactus is fantastic. South facing slopes were covered with the namesake cactus, the Organ Pipe. Really cool. We checked out a sunrise over the desert and hiked a beautiful canyon. Ranger programs on mining, ranching and night sky mythology were all fun. We need to stop again when we have a little more time….we have committed to be in Houston by February 5.
We drove though the Cibola wildlife preserve along the Colorado River. It is major wintering stop for Canada geese so there was the nearly ever present honking that we have all come to recognize. There was one unique moment though when a V flew over and the honking was silent. All we heard was the rhythmic swoosh of there beating wings. A tranquil but powerful sound. Very cool. We saw burrowing owls, yellow headed blackbirds, a roadrunner, lots of Kestrels, Sand hill cranes (another species that winters here) and a hand full of different ducks. It was a pleasant day and a great opportunity for me to really test out my new binoculars and the new harness….all worked very well.
It was one of those great desert hikes that rose from cactus strewn flatland up through a green rugged slot canyon. The focus of the hike was a side canyon filled with palm trees. It is always amazing to see them in the desert. They seem to be able to find just the right spot even here. Pretty amazing. There were supposed to be lots of big horn sheep. We saw none…a bit of a bummer. Overall though a fun walk.
Crack in the Mountain hike. The locals recommended a hike that runs though a slot canyon down to the Lake. It starts in a dry wash but the best part is a section through a gradually narrowing, smooth walled, canyon. There are lots of small rock falls to scramble through and one about 7 feet high that we “had to” slide down like a playground slide. Fun. We returned on the high route—not climbing back up the slot canyon—and had some great views of the lake. The locals are right, it is a good hike.