An evening of wildlife

This evening's drive was extra special. Awesome scenery and some cool wildlife sightings. Saw two black bears, a bull moose and a broad-winged hawk!

The Drumming Log

On Friday afternoon I headed out to a location that my friend Paul told me about, where he knew of a tolerant Ruffed Grouse that was drumming regularly between two logs within 100 feet of each other. As usual, Paul's directions were spot-on and I was able to find the log very easily. As I approached the area, I could hear the drumming sounds so I knew I was getting close. I slowed my pace and tried to limit my sound as much as I could.  I started scanning the area of woods where I expected the log would be and sure enough I spotted it with the grouse already perched on it, surveying the forest in between rounds of drumming. 

I watched for a few minutes from the trail before approaching the log. When I spot an animal I like to hang back for a bit and watch, to see how he/she reacts to my presence. If it seems like the animal might tolerate my presence, I will approach a little closer.  With grouse in the spring, you can often approach to within 10 feet or so and they won't seem to mind.  That was definitely the case with this guy, as I eventually able to get quite close to him and get some fantastic photos and video. 

I was able to witness at least a dozen cycles of his drumming behavior.  He would drum 3 or 4 times over the course of about 20 minutes, then hop down from the log and wander around through the woods for a bit before returning to drum some more.  When I left I chose to do so in between his cycles when he was off wandering in the woods, so as not to startle him when I walked away. It's always very special to have an animal allow you to be in its space.  I treasure these moments when they occur. 

Moonlit Night at White Pocket

My night spent at White Pocket in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was definitely one of the coolest nights I've spent anywhere. The fact that I had a bit of light from the crescent moon made it even more special.  It had been a long time since I had this much fun with a camera!  

Wood Frog Mating Season

The Wood Frogs are super active this time of year and looking to reproduce like crazy. If you venture out into the woods where there is standing water odds are you'll hear a chorus of wood frogs croaking like loudly. Yesterday I was out driving the forest roads and decided to stop by this swampy area along the side of the road. The combination of wood frog and spring peeper calls was deafening. 

When I first walked up to the edge of the swamp, I could see all these surface disturbances as I approached.  Wood frogs had been floating and swimming all over but as I approached they all dove and burrowed into the mud.  I decided to just sit there for a while and see if they would come back out.  After about 20 to 30 minutes of quietly sitting, they gradually started to come back out and before long they were all over the place.  The longer I sat there the more activity I saw. They came within just a few feet of me and I was easily able to get some great shots. 

It was a challenge trying to time my photos to capture them with their air sacs inflated as they croaked, but eventually I was able to get a good shot of this behavior as well.  I was even able to see one cluster of three frogs that were stuck together as they were trying to mate. As with most wildlife encounters, having patience and the willingness to sit quietly and as motionless as possible proved to be an effective technique for getting a unique glimpse into the animal world. 

Day's End at White Pocket

I loved the transition from day to night at White Pocket in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.  While I found this landscape immensely fascinating during the day, it was even more so at night.  

Sunset at White Pocket

White Pocket in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was easily the coolest, most fascinating location that I visited on my trip.  I was blown away by the unique geology of this place.  Everywhere I looked I found interesting photo compositions. Watching the sunset here and seeing the light change over the landscape was an unforgettable experience. 

Spring Ruffed Grouse

I've been seeing a lot of Ruffed Grouse lately but most of them scurry into the woods so quickly I haven't been able to get any decent photos.  Yesterday I came across one that stuck around in the road for a while and didn't seem to mind his picture being taken. There must have been another one nearby but this is the only one I ever saw. 

Spring Nights in the Southern Arizona Desert

The sky in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument blew me away.  The stars were SO big and SO bright that night, it was hard to comprehend. It got me thinking about a podcast I had listened to where the interviewee was the famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (if you've never listened to his StarTalk podcast, give it a try... I love it).  Neil is not only incredibly intelligent, but he's also funny and he's not afraid to listen to other points of view and to admit that there is a LOT that he DOESN'T know.  

In this interview, Neil was talking about how scientists who study space often get the question "What was around before the Big Bang?" and how his answer to that is ".... I dunno."  And then they will invariably say "Well there had to be something!"  To which Neil replies "I dunno.  Maybe there was something, but we don't know.  We're working on it."  

This discussion led to the following statement from Neil, which I think is interesting to ponder:

"As the area of our knowledge grows, so too does the perimeter of our ignorance. Here's a prevailing problem in society: Knowing enough to think you're right, but not knowing enough to know that you're wrong."  

I think about that often when I'm sitting outside at night gazing up at the sky. The night sky to me is a thing of infinite wonder and curiosity. And I hope I never get to that point where I think I know everything about something. Because if I do, that would likely mean that the sense of wonder and curiosity about that something is gone.  And I don't ever want to lose that.  

Cholla, Mountains and the Milky Way

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge... what a magical place at night. Special during the day as well, but even more so at night.  It was so quiet I could easily hear the kangaroo mice scurrying around the desert floor as I made these photos. When I'm in the desert I have a hard time deciding on locations to shoot at night.  Mostly because there are so many possibilities. Probably my favorite location in Kofa were the Cholla fields. I have never seen so many Cholla as I did in Kofa.  And I love how they're lurking there in the shadows underneath the stars, framed by mountains in the distance. 

I've really come to like Ocotillo as well.  It's one of my favorite desert plants. Every time I see them I smile.  Maybe it's because they're a little bigger than most of the desert plant life, always reaching high for the sky as if they too want to touch the stars. I think I could easily spend a lifetime exploring the desert and never get bored...

The Mother Road

Route 66 in Arizona between Seligman and Peach Springs. It sure was a beautiful day for a drive along this iconic stretch of road back in early March! Traffic was so light I was able to easily stop in the road, get out and take a few photos.  I could see several miles in each direction and there wasn't a single other vehicle in sight. 

My Happy Places

92 minute exposure of the night sky over Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. My happy places... my Jeep, the desert and the night sky. 

The more time that I spend in the desert, the more I love it.  Don't get me wrong, I love the north woods and I always will.  The deep woods of northern Minnesota will always be my one true center. The desert is a very close second though.  There is a peacefulness that I feel out in the huge, wide-open spaces of the desert that I don't feel anywhere else. It's not any "better" or stronger" than the peacefulness that I feel here at home, it's just... different.  I don't even know that I can fully explain it. 

I know the desert isn't for everyone.  It wasn't for me at first either.  It's taken several trips over the last 15 years for me to start fully appreciating it.  But now it's a part of me.  It is the one place where I can most easily be in the moment and not let anything else creep into my thoughts, distract me or bother me. Of course, the fact that I'm on vacation when I'm in the desert might have something to do with that too.  But, when I'm out there... I know I'm right where I need to be and nothing else matters in that moment. 

"Nothing every really 'happens', we're just here in the center of it all." -Jack Kornfield

Kofa Skies

The sunsets and sunrises were pretty magnificent when I was in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona back at the beginning of March. I was about 50 miles or more from the nearest paved road when I made these photos.  Dispersed camping is allowed just about anywhere in Kofa as long as you're camping in an area that has already been disturbed.  I chose a nice spot not far off the dirt road that had a nice mountain view to the West and a fairly flat view to the East. Cholla cactus were abundant on both sides of the road. I was hoping for a nice sunset and sunrise but had no idea just how much the sky would light up when those times arrived!