THE GREATER SONDEROAN

A desert love ode

[expressions-of-nature]

Desert at Dusk by Andrés Sanz

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All the rain, in one spot, at one time. 8/21/2022. Camp Verde, Az.

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Monsoon clouds building over the Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona.

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Why so many of Perry Mesa? It is a sacred spot. Ancient farmland and ruins. Petroglyphs. Plus, this is the spot to catch storms. No chasing here. You triple the chance by being surrounded by three mountain ranges. This East view shows the Mogollon Rim. The off-road lights glow through the dust of several previous vehicles. But I pretend it is a ufo that has just landed. Right off the interstate, check it out if ever in the area. Agua Fria National Monument.

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A few more from yesterday on Perry Mesa.

[fatchance]

They always look outraged and angry.

Curve-billed thrasher / cuicacoche pico curvo (Toxostoma curvirostre). At Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona. 

[1ore]

Old Fossil Creek Dam by Coconino National Forest, Ariz.

“Old Fossil Creek dam. The dam was partially dismantled after decommissioning to allow the creek to flow freely.”

[thelostcanyon]

A late January storm passing to the north, J-Six Ranch, Cochise County, Arizona.

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Agua Fria National Monument.

[kohdiphoto]

A return to the Phoenix Mountains, a return to heat, to stubborn plants and furtive animals, a return to the season of unpredictable storms. A return home.

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[thelostcanyon]

A gap in the sandstone cliffs above the lava flows, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico.

[kohdiphoto]

A dry but beautiful afternoon in the Phoenix Mountains this past Saturday, featuring some nice prickly pear and ocotillo flowers and playful skies. I didn’t get to stay until sunset, but despite the old advice, the middle of the day holds just as much potential for interesting photos. I’ve got the bug to go out again soon, especially since the palo verdes have been flowering, along with a couple brave saguaros!

[fatchance]

The mystery object from yesterday’s post is a piece bark from an old snag that acorn woodpeckers have turned into a granary or larder tree. An extended family group of between fifteen and twenty birds have drilled thousands of small cavities in the trunk, that they fill with acorns from the nearby Emory and Arizona oaks. The cache of acorns is a shared food resource for the entire clan, though they will swiftly repel any outsider woodpeckers that enter their territory or try to steal their acorns. 

Thanks to everyone who played along and offered guesses. Only @forturbonerds guessed correctly.

Acorn woodpeckers / carpintero bellotero (Melanerpes formicivorus) and their larder tree, at the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona. Please click any photo in the set for enlarged views.  

[highways-are-liminal-spaces]

California Condors at Navajo Bridge, Arizona

Taken March 2021

[kohdiphoto]

A return to Montezuma Castle in central Arizona, one of the most well-preserved ancient sites in the southwest. It was built by the Sinagua, a provincial pueblo-building people several generations after the ruinous dispersal of the Ancestral Puebloan/Anasazi. Despite the seemingly more remote and agrarian setting, however, it too eventually succumbed to fire and desolation. Now it is empty, echoing with birdsong, the sound of precious water, and the babble of visitors peering up through the trees. I have come here since childhood and even still it holds so much mystery and attraction for me, forever unapproachable in its cliff face, waiting for its owners to come home.

[kohdiphoto]

A return to the high Phoenix Mountains chasing the rare breath of springtime. I had a difficult time editing these, wrestling with focusing issues and delicate exposures, but I’m very pleased with the result. Golden afternoon bled into a deep purple evening, and although I didn’t quite find what I came for, I left with much more.