Author: boolie

Young Red

A juvenile red-tailed hawk perched along the auto tour at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in 2010

A juvenile red-tailed hawk perches along the auto tour at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in 2010. We have redtails here in Arizona but I don’t get to see them up close like this anymore. Even at Ridgefield it seemed like in the later years I no longer saw them perching so close, so often, although I could still see them nearby in the meadows.

The Return of My Porch Buddy

Our dog Ellie sleeps beside the patio in the backyard of our rental house in Scottsdale, Arizona

One difference between Oregon and Arizona is I spend a lot more time outside on the back porch. Our rental house has a covered patio and a large backyard where I see a variety of birds (23 species so far this month). My porch buddy has returned with the cooler weather, Ellie likes to sleep on the cool ground though we do keep a dog bed there for her.

The Green Land

A western gull (I think) perches on a large boulder in front of a moss-covered cliff on the beach at Heceta Head on the Oregon coast

A western gull (I think) perches on a large boulder in front of a moss-covered cliff on the beach at Heceta Head on the Oregon coast. A stream was flowing between us, emptying into the Pacific just to my right. The rich greens of western Oregon were something to behold, I miss seeing moss growing on the rocks, on the trees, in the grass. I don’t miss seeing it growing on the roof, on the steps, on the car …

Pacific Acorns

Acorn barnacles in the soft orange light of sunset in a tide pool at Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint in Florence, Oregon

I had visited Heceta Head before but spent more time on this visit, photographing birds near the creek and wandering up to the lighthouse. Sadly it was only as the sun began to set over the Pacific that I realized there were tide pools here, in a part of the beach I hadn’t yet explored. I took a few quick pictures in the soft orange light, here of large acorn barnacles, and made a mental note to visit again when the tide was out as photographing tide pools was something I wanted to do more of. Sadly it was my last visit to the coast before we moved so it will be a while before I can visit again.

Snow-capped Peaks

A close-up view of a large quartz rock along the Windgate Pass Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona

As I hiked along the Windgate Pass Trail I was surprised to see snow-capped peaks here in the Sonoran Desert, especially to see them at my feet. Looking at this large quartz rock reminded me of the glaciers and snowy mountains of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest. At least I think it’s quartz, learning the rocks of my new home is on my list, but it’s a long list.

It Rains in the Desert

Our cat Sam sleeps curled up in a cat bed as it rains outside our home in Scottsdale, Arizona

After a hot summer (even for Phoenix) October set records for rainfall halfway into the month. I didn’t do any hiking when it was raining, these were not the gentle rains of Oregon, these were Noah-build-the-ark deluges. These storms lacked the thunder and lightning of the summer monsoons so Sam was rather nonplussed.