The riparian woodland Ms. Mesquitey and I were hiking in is at around 6,000 ft. in elevation. I think that may be the upper limits of the elf owls elevation range. Elf owls (Micrathene whitneyi) winter in southern Mexico then migrate in the spring to southern Arizona, southwest New Mexico and west Texas to an amazing bunch of biotic communities where they breed and summer over. Lucky us!
The photo is taken from Wikipedia. I thank the unknown photographer who took it in Madera Canyon of the Santa Rita Mountains and shared it. It is a beautiful photo of the elf owl perched by a hole in a sycamore tree. Thank you very much, unknown photographer.
Petey gets a Pleistocene moment in some man made wetlands near his home. Sandhill Cranes have only been wintering over in the Sulphur Springs...
I think it’s fascinating that there are several species of winter fat found in Eurasia and Europe. That’s where the genus was first described...
I loved sitting in that grassland and warming up with a rising sun. Is there anything better than sitting quietly and watching the natural...