Tag: Arizona

Mixed Feelings

A great horned owl perches with its eyes closed in the last light of the day in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 27, 2023. Original: _A672991.ARW

I have photographed owls here with a variety of focal lengths over the past year, in December I lugged out my biggest telephoto for a close view. As the sun sank behind a mountain, my favorite moment as usual was when the last bit of soft light fell on the sleepy hunter. It was so lovely and peaceful but I had mixed feelings as locals have created two paths that look like they lead directly beneath the boulders. In a Phoenix park there’s a successful nest in a saguaro right next to an official trail, so perhaps these owls will also tolerate the human intrusion, just wish they didn’t have to.

📷: Sony A6700 | Canon 500mm | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: December 27, 2023

On Top of the World

Our dog Bear looks out from atop the big boulder at Balanced Rock in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 26, 2024. Original: _ZFC9268.NEF

A couple of weeks ago as Bear and I had Balanced Rock to ourselves I was forcefully struck at how I was happier than I had been in a very long time. Not that there hadn’t been plenty of happy times in the years prior but that after several months of leave my mind had finally unwound and let me stay and revel in each little moment. Surprisingly rather than the euphoria slipping away with the realization my leave was about to come to a crashing halt, it stayed with me as we hiked back out through this stunning land.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 26, 2024

Terror of the Saguaro

A green lynx spider eats a leaf-footed cactus bug on a saguaro in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 18, 2022. Originals: _ZFC4811.NEF to _ZFC4842.NEF

A green lynx spider sets to devouring the insides of a leaf-footed cactus bug. It never left a small region high in one of our saguaros, it would spin a thread and attach it to a spine, giving it freedom to leap after prey without fear of falling. I watched its reign of terror over the course of several months, it had no qualms about going after insects larger than itself, until one day I found its lifeless body swaying in the breeze, hanging from a large spine.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: March 18, 2022

The Old Man and the C’s

A close-up of four horseshoes at the edge of the parking lot for horse trailers at Granite Mountain in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 9, 2024. Origina: _Z721039.NEF

I’m a big fan of public art, even if it’s very much with a lowercase ‘a’, even if it’s just a bit of whimsy. This photograph is me feeling playful at the end of a wonderful walk with Bear at Granite Mountain, I love how they lined the parking area for horse trailers with old horseshoes. Perhaps they’ll regret it down the road if it makes it more expensive to resurface the lot, but I like the reminder that not everything – and everyone – needs to be some flavor of beige.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: January 9, 2024

Trail Rescue

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) from the Scottsdale Fire Department is parked beside the Balanced Rock Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 14, 2024. Original: _ZFC9123.NEF

This is the fire department’s ATV that passed Bear and I yesterday, if we had one of these our hikes would go a lot faster! I promise we’d only use it for good, like running over people who don’t pick up their dog’s poop or handing out Dr. Pepper and donuts to hikers who’ve overextended themselves. My thanks to the pros and volunteers who help out with trail rescues.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50mm DX
🗓️: January 14, 2024

Air Evacuation

Saguaros dominate a scene where in the distance, a rescue helicopter hovers in the air. Taken on the Granite Mountain Loop Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 14, 2024. Original: _ZFC9134.NEF

As Bear and I hiked to Balanced Rock via the easier wide path (to be kinder to his paws) we were passed by the Scottsdale Fire Department on their way to a trail rescue. On the way back we took the narrower rocky paths to stay out of their way if they needed to evacuate someone, but they must have called for air support as when we were far along this helicopter came past and hovered near the rescue site. Hope they’re OK.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50mm DX
🗓️: January 14, 2024

Precious Cargo

Our dog Bear looks out from the open hatch of my Lexus UX with the Four Peaks mountain range in the background, taken at the Granite Mountain Trailhead in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 9, 2024. Original: _Z721078.NEF

Bear towering over Four Peaks after our hike to Balanced Rock. I’ve been trying to take a variety of shots to help me remember my leave of absence as I gird up to get through one last year of work, I’ll never step far away from him but by now I trust him enough to move a few feet away for a picture, as long as there’s nothing of interest nearby.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: January 9, 2024