Rufous Crowned Sparrow

This Rufous Crowned Sparrow posed for the camera until I got the shot!

Raptor Free Flight

We took the camera and went back to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum to see the raptor free flight demonstration that is held twice daily. It was sunny of course and in the high 80's. Really very nice for November.
The first up was this Great Horned Owl that put on quite the show for the Sunday crowd that I estimate at around 100-125 people. Check it out:www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_horned_owl/id
This is one magnificent bird!

This is a Grey Hawk which is a threatened species with only around 100 pairs left, 80 0f which are here in Arizona. Check it out here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Hawk
The Ferruginous Hawk which is the largest American hawk was spectacular to see up close and did not disappoint the crowd or the other photographers. Information can be found here:www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/id

Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum

This is a one of a pair of Mexican Gray Wolves that are housed at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum www.desertmuseum.org/ in an effort to save the species from extinction. It is difficult to see these magnificent animals in captivity but it is essential in the efforts to reintroduce them into the wild. You can learn more about the captive breeding program at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/cap_manage.shtml.

The Bobcats were out and about and gave me a great opportunity to try out my new 70-300 IS lens. Information on Bobcats can be located at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
This time of year the raptor free flight program is in full swing at the desert museum. This Harris's Hawk is one of the stars making the program well worth seeing. Harris's hawks hunt in groups and take turns chasing down their prey. Information on the Harris's Hawk can be accessed here: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harriss_Hawk/id.



Most everyone has heard of africanized bees or "killer bees". Here in Arizona these bees have cross bred with the local honey bees.

I always enjoy the butterflies including this Gulf Fritillery. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Fritillary

Good News for National Parks

The National Parks and Conservation Association just sent me e-mail with exciting news for our national park system. President Obama has signed the bill that funds the Interior Department and the national parks received 218 million dollars more than last year for a total of 2.7 billion dollars.

Here some of the highlights of the e-mail:

• NPS Operations received roughly $130 million above last year's funding level, which fulfills the President's pledge to increase park operations $100 million above inflation.
• The NPS portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund--a fund used to purchase critical lands now on the market for conservation and public recreation--received $126.26 million. This is an increase of $61 million over last year's level and $28 million above the President's request.
• Public-Private Partnerships, previously known as the Centennial Challenge, was funded at $15 million.
• A potentially harmful rider that would have required a public hunt to manage the growing elk population at Theodore Roosevelt National Park was removed. The rider would have overridden longstanding agency-wide policy.
• Most importantly, and beyond the numbers, the NPS is now better able to hire more rangers, fill out the authorized boundaries of many parks, enhance its ability to address the impacts of climate change on our national parks, and preserve America's Everglades, Great Lakes, and other nationally-significant ecosystems.
• This is hopefully good news for the Grand Canyon and other Arizona national parks. I'll be heading to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum tomorrow to photograph the Mexican Gray Wolves that are housed there. I hope to use the photo's to raise money for supporting Gray Wolf reintroduction efforts.

Update on Yellowstone Wolves

The number of wolves killed in the greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies has risen to 80 and will continue to climb unless the Interior Department stops the killing now. You can help by donating to Defenders of Wildlife's campaign to place an ad in Times Square in the heart of New York City. www.defenders.org/

Please go to their website to see how you can help save the wolves and check out other ways to become involved.

Thanks for your help with this very important issue.

Ray

Help Protect Yellowstone Wolves

Dear Friend,

Yellowstone National Park’s famous Cottonwood Pack has just been destroyed -- all the adult wolves have been killed and the surviving pups will likely die without their wolf family. These are just some of the latest victims of the federal government’s likely illegal decision to eliminate vital protections for our wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies.

Please sign Defenders of Wildlife's petition and urge Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to immediately take action to restore protections for these amazing animals.

The next few weeks will be crucial for our wolves in the Greater Yellowstone region. The future of wolves in the northern Rockies is at a crossroads -- and it will take the voices of caring wildlife supporters like you and me to make a difference.

In just a few days, more than 80,000 supporters have signed on to this powerful petition. Let's help Defenders reach its goal of 100,000 signatures to send a powerful message to Interior Secretary Salazar.

Please sign on today and help support a lasting future for wolves in America.

Thanks!

Lords of Nature -Life in the Land of Great Predators

I recently had the opportunity to attend the premier of Lords of Nature here in Tucson and feel that the recent killings of the Cottonwood wolf pack of greater Yellowstone make it imperative that I share this moving experience with anyone who will listen. You can learn more about this film and buy a copy of it here at:

ABOUT: /www.lordsofnature.org/

Please support www.defenders.org in their fight to save the wolves.

LORDS OF NATURE: Life in a Land of Great Predators tells the story of a science now discovering top carnivores as revitalizing forces of nature, and of a society now learning tolerance for beasts they once banished.

Green Fire filmmakers, Karen and Ralf Meyer, follow scientists Bill Ripple and Bob Beschta of Oregon State University, two leading pioneers in the quest to decipher the great predators’ role in the web of life. Ripple and Beschta are repeatedly finding ecosystems maintained by their apex predators—and more ominously, degraded by their absence. Their bottom line reveals top predators as keystones in the stability and balance of nature. As Beschta says, “Whether it’s cougars in Zion, or wolves in Yellowstone National Park, the presence of that predator is crucial in maintaining that system through time.”

Their discoveries are both vital by nature and far-reaching in scope, echoing a mounting body of research from all corners of the globe that increasingly reveals the top predators as key drivers of the planet’s stability and diversity of life. But these discoveries have also raised the obvious question of whether and how to incorporate the big predators into societies facing conflicts and fears with their return.

Lords of Nature traces the path of legendary naturalist and writer, Aldo Leopold. What Leopold warned seventy years ago, scientists from around the world now confirm: That a land lacking its top predators is a land subject to decay. And vice versa a land with the great beasts in sufficient numbers is a land far more diverse and resilient.

Green Fire ventures to the rural communities of Minnesota, interviewing ranchers, farmers, hunters, and wildlife managers who are living among more than three thousand wolves, the highest population in the lower 48 states.

The producers also profile two of the largest sheep operators in Idaho, who are raising eyebrows with their stunning success at raising sheep in a land running again with wolves—all without killing the wolves. These success stories are serving notice that with proper technique, and a dose of tolerance, people and predators can indeed co-exist.

Autumn Comes to the Southwest

Fall has arrived here in the Tucson area and it's quite beautiful especially on Mt. Lemmon.
While it was near record heat in the valley it was nicely in the low 70's on the mountain which was great for hiking and picnicking and just being outside.
The foliage on the Mt. is not as wide spread as it is in the northeast but it is still very beautiful and it brings back memories of earlier falls in New England for me.
We saw lots of bluebirds and nuthatches as well as many yellow eyed juncos.
We saw a few hawks and ravens but not what you would expect this time of year.
You can see how much of Summerhaven was destroyed by the fire six years ago and how long the recovery will be.

The ferns are dying back and getting ready for another winter.
We are approaching the ski area and there is quite a bit of color and the air is brisk. Almost like home.



The ski area is really nice and the lift runs year round so you can go to the top of the mountain at over 9000 ft above sea level and the views are terrific.




The aspens are truly spectacular.
The oaks are turned as well.
Poison Ivy is a nice red!
We stopped a couple of times on the way down just to get some more shots but we were anxious to get home and rest up for a busy week.

A Day of Small Wonders

We set out for Mt. Lemmon at about 6 A.M. and at the last minute I decided to take the scenic route through Tucson Mt. Park and head over Gates Pass. As we were traveling on Gates Pass Road I spotted this Desert Tortoise trying to cross the road. As I was barely able to miss it myself and the car behind me probably never even saw it I decided to stop and get it out of harms way.
Desert Tortoise populations have plummeted 90% since the 80's and it is illegal to touch, harm, harass or bother these rare creatures. I quickly turned it around and deposited it 3 feet from the road and it headed back into the desert. Gates Pass Road is a relatively busy road on a Saturday morning and I doubt if he/she could have made it all the way across without bring hit. This was a tough decision for me as I usually am reticent to interfere with wildlife but this was a case of allowing an endangered species to be killed by man or taking action. I made the right decision.
We went on to Mt. Lemmon to photograph the fall foliage and there were lots of little creatures to enjoy on the way up the Mt.

This Canyon Wren was very entertaining and didn't seem to concerned by my presence.
Curiosity!
We encountered a family of Acorn Woodpeckers who were feeding on the side of this Ponderosa Pine. There were a total of three but they never all got in the same picture.

We stopped along the road and climbed up a hill to get a better view of the area which was littered with boulders everywhere.
Future generations of Ponderosa Pines.
A new beginning. It is also the end of my picture taking as I broke my camera and it is now in the shop at least until Tuesday. I was very upset as the foliage above this point was really exquisite and I had to turn around and drive the 40 miles home without the pictures I came to get. We are going back this morning with my little Canon Powershot to get foliage shots to share here and even though they will not be what I had hoped for they will show that even in the middle of the desert there are changes in the seasons.