Into the Forest

Today we spent our day investigating the area north of Silver City, New Mexico.  Our ultimate destination was the Gila National Monument--an ancient cave dwelling nestled in a canyon in the Gila National Wilderness.  The Gila National Wilderness was the first designated wilderness area by the US Government in 1924.  The drive from Silver City is only 45 miles, but you can expect to spend 2 or more hours in transit, not counting the many stops you will make to check out the scenery.  The road winds through a pinion and ponderosa pine forest, skirts along running creeks, rambles over mesas and then plummets into lush valleys.  The area at present is nice and green due to the recent monsoonal rains which have blanketed the area.  In fact, heavy downpours last night sent many creeks out of their banks and across the roadway as evidence from the debris we encountered on our drive today.  Our first stop was a monument to Ben Lily, noted bear and cat hunter of the nineteenth century.  A trail wound to an outcropping of boulders a couple of hundred feet above the roadway.  Ermine made it to the top to enjoy the splendid panorama of the surrounding forest.

Not far beyond the Lily monument we swung into a small National Forest campground set beside Cherry Creek.  The sites served tent campers and would have been a tight squeeze for any RV.  The campground has minimal facilities to offer, but the massive ponderosa pine add to the pleasant setting.

The weather was very cooperative--mid 70s, deep blue skies, no wind--and the forest and green grasslands were very pleasing to this Texans eyes.  After traveling more that 1000 miles thru Texas this past two weeks without seeing anything green, today was very satisfying.   At the Visitors Center we enjoyed our lunch and the numerous hummingbirds fighting for a place at the feeder.  By far the rufous outnumbered the other species but we did have broad-tailed, black-chinned and a lone hatch year calliope darting in and out, whipping overhead and sitting on the nearby limbs of ponderosa.  Then up to the trail to the cave dwellings.  Last nights rains had washed out part of the trail but it was still passable.  As we make the climb I was attracted by the rock formations we encountered. 

The ascent was not difficult, but for flatlanders climbing up at over 6000 ft., it was a slight challenge.  Upon reaching the first cave we encountered the guided tour we had missed and joined in.  We were provided with an insightful lecture about how, why, when and where these inhabitants came from.  We learned about the symbolic meaning of their art expressed in pottery and what the various rooms provided the population.

As we made our way back along the path to the bottom of the canyon I notice a bird drop into the grass below.  After some pishing the bird showed itself--a rufous-capped sparrow.   The only other species I noted today were many turkey vultures, common raven and a large number of lark sparrows.

A trip to the Frio River

The trip officially began on Monday, August 1, 2011 as we pulled away from our Georgetown home with two twelve and one three year old aboard accompanying Ermine and I.  The first destination was our cabin on the Frio River (or I should say what’s left of the Frio River) near Rio Frio, Texas.  The trip took about 5 hours with the usual question on several occasions of “are we there yet.”    As we traversed Highways 29, 377 and 83 it was clear that the drought was ever present—burnt up pastures, dry water holes, and stressed vegetation followed us all the way.  Upon arrival Ermine and the kids headed immediately for the river to do some swimming in the sweltering heat.  The great thing about our place at Cold Springs is the river bank on the west side offers shade and the deep hole below the “rock” offers a cool place to swim even when the river is this low.  “The Rock” is about 10 feet above the river and is a famous spot to leap into the river from—even the three year old preformed this ritual.

 

For the first time in 40 years that I have visited this area,  the springs are not running, a sign of just how severe the drought has become.  “The land of 1100 springs” as the old beer commercials use to tout has become the land of the few. 

Following our fare of hot dogs complete with chili, the girls dashed off to put on their boots and make up in preparation for a trip over to nearby Garner State Park and, hopefully, a chance to dance.  This is a summer time ritual that has been going on in my family since the 70s.  I was designated the stay at home granddad to keep Colton , our three year old grandson, while the ladies headed to the dance.  And things didn’t go well as I expected!  Colton immediately upon being left by the group began one of his famous “I want my mommy-daddy” fits which only lasted for the next hour until his crying and tantrum ran the course and he rolled over on the floor and went to sleep.

I wasn’t far behind him.  Later the returning dancers, Hilary and her friend Sofie, burst into the cabin happy with their dancing experience—Hilary reported she danced with twelve boys (Ermine reported they were all about a foot shorter than either of the girls—the usual experience at Garner with twelve year olds).   But they were satisfied.  And so day one ended on a positive note for all but Colton and,  of course,  me.

  Our second day at Cold Springs began with a morning swim for the girls, Colton and Dulce (our 4 pound Chihuahua.  Now Dulce in not much into that sort of thing but girls insisted and so to the river she was taken and given a chance to perform for all of us.

Notice the joy in Dulce’s face as she frantically splashed toward the finish line, the rock ledge and she is once again on terra firma.  Not really a water dog I don’t think.  Well the girls, but not Colton, finally had enough of the water and headed up for lunch and a rest.  Sofie’s parents are coming for her in the early afternoon, a short visit for her.  In the evening we all, including Colton and I, headed for another round of dancing at Garner.  Tonight was not as productive for Hilary but Colton had a great time running in circles with the other 3 and 4 year olds there.  And so tomorrow it is on to the ranch.

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La Conicula

In the Hispanic tradition,  "La Conicula" begins on July 14 and ends on August 20.  This is the period know in the English world a "the dog days of summer".   Well we are certainly in the midst of those times here in Texas.  Drought covers the state from the panhandle to the Rio Grande and all areas in between.  We have just returned from a couple of days along the Frio River just north of Garner State Park.  In the forty years I have been going to this area I have never seen conditions like I observed this past week--the Frio at our cabin is down to a trickle and the big springs that have never run dry in the past 40 years have stopped flowing.  As Dr. Baron Richter correctly notes when he talks to Texas  Master Naturlaist groups "Texas is in a constant state of drought with occasional periods of rain."  I think Dr. Richter is on to something here.  While living at our ranch, La Mariposa near Realitos, Texas (in the sourthwestern courner of Duval County, I kept careful records of rainfall.  Average annual rainfall for this area is about 22 inches.  My records indicate that we had average amounts of rain in 6 of the 9 years.  The low was 16 inches in 2005 and the highest was 32 inches in 2003 followed by 28 inches in 2004.  While most of Texas is indicated by the National Weather Service to be at the highest level of drought, this area remains two stages below that level.  Last Saturday we had 4/10 of an inch and the first of July we had an inch.  This is more than much of the state, except for parts of East Texas.  What does all of this mean?  It means we will need a strong tropical storm to get us out of the dire conditions we face in Texas.   Farmers lost their crops, ranchers are forced to cull their herds and city dwellers are faced with water rationing.  We can only hope that we get some relief after La Conicula runs it course.

What impact has this had on wildlife?  One would have to conclude that the stress has had a significant impact on this year's breeding season.  And it will definately impact the winter population who will encounter less in the way of food to hold them over into the new year.  Christmas Bird Counts this year should provide some interesting data.

Summer Tour

In an attempt to escape the dreadful heat of Texas we are heading out to cooler climes.  After a brief stop at the coast near Port Aransas to celebrate birthday month (we have 7 family birthdays in August),  we will head northwest to Arizona ( I know you think it will be hot).   Not so!   Check with weather.com and you will see the temperatures around Flagstaff (our destination) range from the upper 70s to the lower 50s, a nice change from the lower 100s to the upper 70s here in Georgetown.  While in the area we will be camping in the Cococino National Forest and visit the Grand Canyon.  Ermine (my wife) has booked a mule ride down into the canyon--I have opted to abstain.  Not only is it a long ride downhill and on the edge of a narrow trail atop rough riding mule, but the reward is a destination where the temperature is likely to reach 115 degrees.  We are leaving 42 days of 100 degree heat!  What's the attraction?  Oh well, Dulce (our Chihuahua) and I will explore the area around the South Rim looking for birds and taking photographs of whatever we can find.  On our way to Flagstaff we will spend a few days along the Mogollon Rim, an area in which I once spent two weeks doing birding surveys for the Apache-Sitgraves NF back in 1997.  This area is home to the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world, is near 8000 ft in altitude and is home to large herds of elk and other wildlife.  I have wanted to return there for a very long time--I have fond memories of waking up in the morning and scraping ice off my windshield in June.  Then, after our visit to Grand Canyon, we will return to the Flagstaff area before heading south to visit the Sedona region.   I recall driving the scenic Oak Creek Canyon highway to Sedona from Flagstaff on an earlier visit and we will make camp at Cave Springs Campground.  While in the area we plan to visit Slide Rock State Park listed in Life Magazine as one of the nations 10 best swimming holes, check out the attractions of Sedona, and enjoy the wildlife endemic to the area.

From Arizona we will head west to Big Bear Lake, California for several days in the San Bernardino Mountains at Serrano NFS campground.  We have not visited this recreation area before, but it is reported to be a beautiful region and, cool.  While here we will engage in some hiking, kayaking and explore the surrounding forest before heading on to our destination for the month of September--Oceanside, CA.  Ermine was raised in Oceanside until she was moved to Texas when sixteen.  She still has friends in the area and one of our daughters recently moved to nearby Encinitas.  We will spend the month at Paradise By the Sea RV Park which offers adjacent beach access.  I have booked a 4 day pelagic trip out of San Diego begining on September 5th and returning on the 9th.  The trip focuses on pelagic birds,  but we will encounter many fish and mammal species along our path that takes us up the coast above Los Angles, through the Chanel Islands and out along the edge of the continental shelf and over several deep water canyons.  I hope this will substantially pad my life list (a list of birds kept by birders recording the species they have seen) pushing me very close to 700 species in the American Birding Association area -- a level not many birders reach.  The remainder of the month we will spend making short excursions, chasing unusal birds, enjoying the beach and the cool days, taking photos of interesting people, places and things and, of course, visiting grandchildren, family and friends.  I intend to write about the trip and, in particular, the wildlife we encounter, interesting people and places we observe, and experiences along the way.  So if you are interested sign on to this blog and check it out from time to time.  When I have the internet and have processed pictures, I will be posting them to my Flickr account and provide you with the link.  Stay tuned, we depart Georgetown next Monday, August 1st.