About Me

My photo
I am a birder, naturalist, wildlife biologist, and now an interpretive ranger currently working for Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department at the Hassayampa River Preserve near Wickenburg, Arizona. I spent the past several years following a career as a wildlife biologist and was a teaching assistant for a biology lab during grad school, with my education background consisting of an MS in Biology and BS in Forestry. I am an Arizona native and my past travels have taken me around most of the lower 48 United States, plus the state of Sonora in northwest Mexico. Before my current job I spent 1.5 years working as an environmental consultant in the Midwest based out of Kansas City (KS/MO), which gave me the opportunity to see a good portion of the Great Plains and Midwest region. My current travels are decidedly local, but I am hoping to travel abroad in the future when finances and work schedule allow. I am very content with my current career and happy to be doing a mix of environmental education and natural resource management at a wonderful desert oasis. I am looking forward to where this path takes me!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Mormon Lake (May 21)

Back on May 21, 2011, I went birding along the old road below the Mormon Lake overlook. Lots of activity there with territorial Vesper Sparrows and Western Meadowlarks, nest-building Bullock's Orioles, calling Soras and Virginia's Rails, and some still migrating warblers, towhees, and sparrows. Other highlights were a flyover Peregrine Falcon above the cliffs and a horned-lizard on the old road. Some plants were fully leafed out and the Utah serviceberries were in full bloom, although the oaks and walnuts have been holding out late this year to unfurl their leaves. It was a bit windy, but it kept the temperatures pleasant. Here are some pics:

Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis, Family Rosaceae):

claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus, Family Cactaceae):


Bullock's Oriole (female) with nest-building materials:

Black-headed Grosbeak:

unknown nest:

mountain horned lizard:

hawksbeard species (Crepis sp., Family Asteraceae):

No comments:

Post a Comment