Alison finally got back from Washington, DC, so she could join in the birding I’ve been enjoying with MaryMargaret, a good friend from Princeton days. This is MaryMargaret’s first real birding trip to the southwest, so we’ve been birding pretty much non-stop and seeing lots of lifers, including one of the best Mountain Plover days [...]

I can’t remember (but could probably find out) whether my first Christmas Count was in 1977 or 1978, but with the unbridled enthusiasm of youth (now, where did I put that youth of mine?) I went for years doing 3, 4, 5 CBC’s a season. For some reason, the Count just doesn’t appeal to me [...]

Finally managed to find a day to head to Fort Huachuca with Darlene and Bobbie, a friend of ours who spends her winters in Tucson—and has never seen a Spotted Owl. It was one of those breathtaking southeast Arizona days when you are reminded that, oh yes, it is astronomically autumn out there! It was [...]