Early Monsoon?

Magdalena mountains last weekend, by Elizabeth Campbell. This is less than ten miles from us, mountains thrusting up to nearly 11,000 feet from a plain over 6000, between us and Socorro 2500 feet below on the Rio Grande. Topping out– telescope on the ridge ahead. Going down toward Water Canyon, a hummingbird appears.  Peregrines nest …

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Where I Live: Querencia Country Part 1

This is either overdue or redundant. But when I sent some of these to not very “Anonymous” commenter- in- chief Lane Batot, to satisfy his curiosity about the country, he thought I should blog them. The physical “structure” of the land, and its use patterns, will be utterly familiar to Westerners but perhaps a bit …

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Lauren: Further Adventures

Lauren is winding up her “Apprentice Berkutchi” Fulbright in Mongolia by studying Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) in the Gobi (these huge birds, which we saw in the Altai, are rivaled in size only by Lammergeiers in Asia). Meanwhile her young eagle shocked everyone by building a nest and laying (infertile of course) eggs. She has …

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Panorama

The Peculiars were down last week and Mr. P. took this splendid panorama of our home town nestled beneath its foothills. The higher peaks of the Magdalena Range are obscured behind clouds to the upper left.

Good Stuff #5: Peregrine Nest

As I mentioned in “Sick as a Doorknob” below, we climbed up to this Peregrine nest Sunday. The actual pic was taken last year– there is no snow that low this warm spring. The line of droppings that mark the ledge is just above the foreground snow…