BIRDING
Life Pared Down
By Rob Bettaso
It was late afternoon, in late September, and most definitely on the hot side of autumn. The air was very still and I decided to rest in the shade of a broad Utah Juniper. With the sun’s slanting rays behind me, I put my daypack on the ground so that I could rest supine, with my head propped up so that I could gaze along the eastern horizon. Other than a few flitting sparrows, there wasn’t much movement so I tipped my cap over my eyes and dozed off for what felt like a few minutes but must have been more like an Read More
Big Fun on the Little Colorado
Photos and text by Rob Bettaso
Blanche DuBois, in the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, lilts that she “has always depended on the kindness of strangers.” I never saw (or read) the play but I did watch the movie version (the one where Vivian Leigh plays poor Blanche) decades back, and was amazed that not only would someone willingly trust strangers, but that Blanche could take things even one step further and “depend” upon them.
Recently, I had a few different experiences with strangers and, Read More
A Flue Season
for the Birds!
By Dan Groebner
You've probably already heard that it's flu season in the White Mountains. Every year we get to experience a slightly different version of the flu virus. That's why we're supposed to get a new shot every year tailored for that season's virus version (hopefully).
But what about this new “bird” flu in the news? Is it serious? Wasn't there a bird flu that killed lots of people a few years back?
Birding with a Purpose
In the White Mountains of Arizona
By Dan Groebner
It’s that time of the year again when we get to hear and see new and different birds almost every day if we look hard enough. The past few snowstorms haven’t
Discover
Secretive Marshbirds
By Dan Groebner
Looking for an opportunity to learn your marshbirds? What is a secretive marshbird, anyways?
In case you're not already familiar with the distinctive “laughing hyena” type call of the Sora rail, here's your opportunity to become involved in a citizen science project that
READ MORE...
Foraging in the Woods
By Rob Bettaso
I went to bed with Ingrid at 9 PM and when I awoke in the early morning, she was still there. That is to say: “there” on the TV when I clicked back on the old movies channel. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) was celebrating Ingrid Bergman’s career with 24 hours of her films. Since I had seen
White Mountain Audubon Society Monthly Public
Programs/
Presentations:
First Wednesdays
of the Month: 6:30 PM
June 1, July 6,
August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, December 7
Buffalo Bill’s Tavern and Grill;
Hwy 260 to 1 North Bison Preserve Way; Show Low, AZ
Next Presentation: June 1
Ron Miller will give a presentation about Monarch butterfly’s wintering site in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.
READ MORE
BIRDING HIKES WITH ROB BETTASO
Every 3rd Saturday/month.
For more information and to register for a hike, call Rob at (928) 368-8481 and leave a message.
Fall is the Season for Bird Boxes
By Dan Groebner
We were graced with a plentiful monsoon rain season total, pretty much doubling a normal year. Woodland Lake is surprisingly full, providing migrating waterfowl with a nice rest area surrounded by the new paved hiking trail winding through Woodland Lake Park in Pinetop/lakeside. With so many
Birding by Bike
Article and photos by Rob Bettaso
Bah, it’s November and I’m not at all ready to say good-bye to summer. Instead, my mind revisits the trips and outings I made during our long and beautiful warm season. When I turn my thoughts ahead to the short, cold days of winter, I shudder and feel a sense of dread.
So, why rush into winter? Let us instead luxuriate in the temperate
AZ's bald eagles are back and they will soon be preparing for the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide.
To assist with the state’s continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) encourages READ MORE...
Create a
Bird-Friendly Yard
By Dian Tilton, AZGFD
Fall and winter bird feeding can benefit birds and create some exciting bird watching opportunities from the warmth of your house. You don’t need to wait until there’s snow on the ground to start feeding
Photo by Kenneth Franklin at our Pintail Lake field trip after our May 28 class on Birding the White Mountains.
WHITE MOUNTAIN AUDUBON 2021
White Mountain Audubon Society Meetings the first Wednesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Pinetop-Lakeside Town Hall, 325 W White Mountain Blvd, Lakeside. There will be a guest speaker at each meeting with AV presentations focused on birds and ranging from using eBird, to the Woodland Lake Park project, the Eagle Watch program, Weird Wildlife of Fool Hollow and presentations about Patagonia and Uganda by members who have traveled there. Go to www.whitemountainaudubon.org for more information. Meeting dates are October 6,
November 3 and December 2.
BIRDING HIKES WITH ROB BETTASO
Every 3rd Saturday. For more information and to register for a hike, call Rob at (928) 368-8481 and leave a message.
BIRDING THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
A 5-part series about the many species of birds found in beautiful Navajo and Apache Counties, will be offered at the PInetop-Lakeside Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on the last Fridays of the month this summer. The 1-hour PowerPoint Presentations continue on September 24. Follow-up optional field trips of 1 mile will be held the next day - Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to ~8:00 a.m. at various birding hotspots.
Although the program is geared for beginners, there are challenges and good reviews for experienced birders too and each session will cover different material. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
The series is being presented by White Mountain Audubon Society President, Mary Williams. For more information, contact her at mary.williams@arizonachristian.edu
or 480-235-1792.
Are There Homeless Birds in the White Mountains?
BY DAN GROEBNER
Homeless birds in the White Mountains? It could be so! No, you’re not going to see flocks of kestrels posted at the Walmart
Gone Phishing
BY ROB BETTASO
If anyone reads my articles on a regular basis, they may have noticed that for the past half year, I have recounted only three trips; all of which occurred during the
The Quack of Dawn
The Therapy of Birds
BY ROB BETTASO
In early December, when the day-lengths were still decreasing, giving me a cooped-up feeling, my friend Loretta from the local Audubon Chapter mentioned
Migration Journeys
DIANE TILTON, AZGFD
For the past two years, a male wood duck has unexpectedly shown up on Rainbow Lake. I’ve been keeping my eye out for him this year but I haven’t seen him yet. This
Getting Ready For Spring
THE BEST SNOW DANCE INVENTED
BY DAN GROEBNER
It sure is hard to think of winter without any snow. No snow means no skiing, shoeing, animal tracking, sledding, drifting,
Feeding Birds
The Great American
Pass-Time
BY DAN GROEBNER
Another White Mountain Winter Without Snow? Try this if cooped up.
Where’s the snow? We get most of our snow on average from December 15th to January 15th here in the White Mountains so maybe we just have a few
Loving Life,
One Mid-Spring Day
Despite writing monthly articles in OutdoorsSW for many years, it has been far too long since I last wrote about our local wildlands. That is a bit of an outrage, given how much I love the Pinetop-Lakeside area and how much time I spend hiking and biking around the nearby countryside. But then, it is not every day that I have a chance
The Restless
and the Serene
TEXT & PHOTO BY ROB BETTASO
In late August and early September, in the days leading up to my annual Grand Adventure (the 2020 excursion was to be a 4-5 day backpacking trip in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming -- more on that later), I was consumed by feverish, local “birding.” Various species of warblers
