Nov 13
When the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy advertises a public hike, we need to show up no matter the weather. As it turned out, we only had Stewards show up. We could have gone home but every one of us was looking forward to enjoying the desert in the rain! (My trusty Canon SX1 did a good job of capturing the morning).
Nov 7
I assisted on an MSC Birding hike in the Preserve yesterday (Sunday) with fellow steward Phil H. who knows most all of the birds in our area. Lucky us! The hike started out with NO birds which seemed strange because there was no wind and it wasn’t as cold as it had been. On the way back, though, Phil brought out his iPhone to let us hear what certain birds sound like and low and behold, we started seeing birds! This was my first sighting of a Black Tailed Gnatcatcher (must be a female or a juvenile). My lens only went to 100mm so this is a VERY tight crop and I was pleasantly surprised to see I caught the bird singing. He was more than likely responding to Phil’s iPhone app 🙂
Oct 8
First Conservancy hike of the season in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Our destination was East End Junction but the weather was so fabulous, we continued on to Tom’s Thumb. Elevation gain: 800ft in about 2 miles. In other words…steep!
Oct 1
Today marked the second round of the Flora Survey of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Today we went to the Lost Dog Wash and boy…was it dry! So far this year, we’ve only received half the amount of normal rainfall so much of our desert is very dry. We did manage to find one plant that hadn’t been documented, though. We had lots of fun including almost stepping on a sleeping Rattlesnake! We were literally inches from it. We then came across and collected a Javelina skull and a small carnivore’s skull which we guessed might be a baby coyote. They will be used by the Conservancy’s naturalist in her educational programs. She was very excited to get them 🙂
Besides collecting (I’m a Steward), I typically also take photos for the Conservancy’s Facebook Page. Here is a collage of some of those photos.
Sep 18
My first night hike in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve was so much fun (see more pix HERE). I struggled choosing which lens to take and ultimately decided to go with the least heavy and fastest lens I have which is my ultra cheap Canon 50mm f/1.8. Since I don’t have much luck with flash photography, I decided just to have fun. All images are hand held and lit by head lamps and flash lights. It was a great deal of fun not worrying whether the photos would turn out or not! It was the first time I’ve used this lens so it was a good test. It’s actually not too bad for a plastic lens I paid less than $100 for 🙂
Sep 17
I went on my first night herp survey this evening in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Our goal was to reach a riparian area that had a spring. We encountered a Black Tail and a Diamondback rattlesnake, a few Tarantulas and dozens of baby Red Spotted Toads. They were only about 3/8ths of an inch….so cute! All in all, a really exciting time.
Sep 10
Last year, one of the hard working Preserve maintenance volunteers spotted an area with a large population of Devil’s Claw and told us about it (thanks Joni!) so as part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Flora Survey, we documented it this summer. I didn’t get as many photos as I planned but I did get a shot of the pretty pink bloom and also of the very cool seed pods (captured yesterday). You aren’t likely to see this plant while hiking as they are typically in wide washes which are usually off limits to hikers. Seeing unique plants like this is a great reason to join the flora survey! The survey starts up again in a couple of weeks. If you’re interested, contact Melanie at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. Phone number: 480-998-7971.
Jul 19
Unfortunately, my suspicion regarding the buds on the Arizona Queen of the Night being dehydrated was correct. My friend Joni and I went out first thing this morning and although the buds were still there, some were already detached and when the plant was bumped slightly, the rest fell off. Thankfully, the plant is really healthy so there’s always next year!
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