…to everyone who helped make Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival the most successful one yet for Three Star Owl. Hope to see you there next year.
By the way, if you had your eye on an item before the show, don’t assume it’s not available — please email me.
Gaze upon Sierra Vista, in south eastern Arizona, where the beautiful Huachuca Mountains beetle over the fast food restaurants and motels of the busy town. Not visible in this shot, but also beetling, is the everpresent and mysterious white surveillance blimp. One day, I will find out about the white blimp. Maybe today.
The natural beauty of the region is not far away; below is a view of the foothills of the Whetstone Mountains just north of Sierra Vista. The landscape here is transitional between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, and is high enough to be more grassland and thornscrub than desert. But this trail in Kartchner Caverns State
Park has ocotillo, agave (in bloom) and barrel cactus, and a mix of desert and arid scrubland birds, like Curve-billed thrasher, Greater roadrunner and Varied bunting. (Not that I’m seeing many birds — inexplicably, I forgot my binox! I guess I’ll have to be an artist this weekend, and not a birder…) The landscape is lush and green, even in a moderate monsoon year. Most of the rainfall of the entire year falls during the summer monsoon season.
Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival is in full swing and Three Star Owl is in the thick of things.
Yesterday was the first day of the Art Fair and Nature Exposition, and lots of people came for the vendors and artists as well as the birds. Purchases were made: owls, javelinas, black-headed grosbeaks, and gila monsters found nice new homes. Peek into the Saguaro Room at the Windemere Hotel, and the first thing you see is the Three Star Owl booth. (Really, why is it always so hard to get a good booth shot? In person, the set-up looks quite nice.) My only sorrow is that the hotel hasn’t turned on the twinkle lights buried in the tulle swagging overhead, left over from somebody’s wedding party.
(All photos A.Shock)
Here’s some eye refreshment for those of us in the hot desert to contemplate: a view of a moist, mossy and cool rainforest from Aotearoa (New Zealand). Here there be Kiwi birds, and Kakariki, and Mohua.
Native bush at Makarora: temperate rain forest
It always amazes me how effective a bit of shade is for cooling, visually and physically, even in the most searing summer heat. Our desert trees may not be hundreds of feet high, or hung with mosses and orchids, but on days like today I’m very grateful for our gnarly mesquites, and light-mantled palo verdes, and other arid land stalwarts.
(Photo A.Shock)
…a little bit.
¡Hola everyone!
It’s been brought to my attention that some people are having problems emailing me through the Contacts page. The problem is being worked on right now (and most people aren’t having any problems) so start on the Contacts page if you’re trying to get in touch. If that’s not working for you, please contact me by replying to emails that have come to you from my email address.
I’m also aware that for a while it’s been difficult if not impossible to leave a comment on a post in the Three Star Owl Journal. This problem seems to have been fixed, and if anyone would like to leave a test comment I’d appreciate it! Note that if you’ve left a comment in the past the chances are that I haven’t received it, and you’re welcome to send again if you like. Sorry for the inconvenience — these problems are being worked on and should be fixed pretty quickly.