I’ve been pondering the wondrous landscapes of the West—a big reason I live here. It’s telling, I think, how people from the Midwest and East often visit the West and ask, “Where’s all the greenery?” And I go East and kinda wonder the opposite: “Where are all the rocks? Where’s … Continue reading
Category Archives: Birding and Nature
Home-Grown Fiction
Here are some images I got in various seasons around Flagstaff, my hometown. I processed most of them via multiple exposures (HDR), which can look fairly whimsical if you’re not real subtle about it. I guess I probably crossed that line here a few times. I’m posting these here because a) I’m … Continue reading
Back in the Saddle
After a long hiatus, I’m posting again on the links between fiction writing, nature and travel. The following are photos of rare birds that have shown up in Arizona over the past year. Please let me know what you think, or take a minute to say hello again, or flame me for … Continue reading
Green Fiction
My experience capturing the photo of rare Red-billed Pigeons seems a lot like a well-constructed fiction piece–not exactly earthshaking, but solidly built. In November I visited South Texas on my regular birding rounds, and one of my target species was this one. To find it (organizing goal/action of story), I had to drive … Continue reading
Falling into Paradise
Last weekend (Fri. through Sun.) friends and family took a stroll down to Supai Village at the western end of the Grand Canyon. This was actually no easy walk—22 fairly demanding miles in 48 hours—, but the hike was a delight in itself and the destination was unforgettable. Such a stunning corner of the planet! Having our gear ferried … Continue reading
Same Field, Different Year
Same view from the same spot, different autumn. I had to hustle down the road to get this image today because I saw the guy with the tractor out there getting ready to give the field its seasonal haircut. There must be a good reason for erasing all this stunning … Continue reading
Habit-Forming
Here’s a bird I found a few weeks ago (with extensive help from the Arizona New Mexico online birding list, on which its initial sighting and many more thereafter were noted). It’s a Tufted Flycatcher, a little guy who lives in the mountains of Mexico and has only been seen in the … Continue reading