Welcome to Blythe!

Let's start where any radical story-teller starts from, somewhere in the middle.  6AM, I wake up gripped with excitement on the back porch of a house in Blythe, Vermilion Flycatchers announcing the opportunity of the new day, Northern Mockingbirds trying out a host of sounds that almost get me riled up about other birds.  I weave through a maze of fifteen roommates and perform the glorious combination of yogurt and granola.  It's actually a little disappointing, sorry to hyberbolize.  Not to worry, I did follow it up with a cookie.  Anyway, it is time to do some preparation work in the field with my self-appointed mentor.  We happen to flip over some boards, perhaps looking for snakes, when we see what he calls a baby Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, which is already larger than the adult Centruroides I am used to.  I can only I imagine what it's like to see an adult Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, but another thing I can do is wait just a couple of minutes until we flip over some more boards and see two of them!  My friend demonstrates how to handle them properly:  "Just don't worry too much about it, they probably can't sting through the gloves."

Sound advice.  I can't wait to see more of them, but consider my day already made!  We hear Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, and discuss plant identities.  I then recall where I was a couple days ago  Northwest of Tucson in Santa Cruz flats, picking up some plant samples while on a quest for Crested Caracaras.  I know most people are wondering, "Well, what plants did you find!!"  So, let me go ahead and tell you, yes, my friend Chris of http://gardeningandthespanishway-rohrerbot.blogspot.com/  (his blog of amazing birds pictures) and I did eventually have luck in the Caracara department.  After turning up not much besides doves, Horned Larks, meadowlarks, blackbirds, and Turkey Vultures, we came across five of our target birds standing in the dirt of a farm.  We estimate there were at least 7 others in the general vicinity.  They looked something a little bit like this!

Did I see a Burrowing Owl too?  Absolutely I did!

Well it would seem that I can't upload any more pictures at the moment.  (Possibly a Blogger issue)  However, stay tuned so you can believe me about the Burrowing Owl.  We haven't even started to hint at the thrasher-side of the adventure.  Did I see Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and where is that Beaks and Bikes guy warbler-wise anyway!?  Find out next time.