Gerry Tietje One of the first things Claire and I noticed when we moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) in June 2021 was how many lizards were around—in our backyard, on the Nature Trail, and in nearby state parks. With my penchant to know more about things in nature, I began to identify and study them.…
Jim Hoagland Every March, hundreds of birders converge on Ron Morriss County Park in Tubac for the annual Hawk Watch, a free event. The stars of the show are the Common Black Hawk, the Zone-tailed Hawk, and the Gray Hawk, but other raptors may appear, including vultures, eagles, and accipiters as they migrate north along…
Gerald Tietje “April showers bring May flowers,” an adage I learned as a youngster growing up in Wisconsin where we waited through long winters for crocus and tulips to sprout and bloom. Not so here in Southeastern Arizona where wildflowers germinate after the onset of early winter rains like we had last December. If we…
Gerald Tietje I first heard that Whitewater Draw was a good place to see Sandhill Cranes in winter on one of Jim Hoagland’s monthly bird walks. I had heard of thousands of Sandhill Cranes wintering in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, but Whitewater Draw? Where was that? When I found out…
Jim Hoagland This year, more than 80,000 volunteers will participate in the Audubon’s 123rd Christmas Bird Count (CBC) starting on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, through Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. It is the longest-running citizen science census survey in the world, starting back in 1900. What is the history of the CBC? Up through the 19th…
Jim Hoagland As we begin our monthly bird survey along the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) nature trail, I explain to the participants that we will not only record the bird species we see but those that we hear. Visual observation is limited to the direction you are looking at any given time, but sound has no…
Ben Eisenstein I began my love of astronomy in high school when I built my own telescope. Fast forward to retirement. My wife Nancy and I were looking for a place in the Southwest where dark night skies existed. SaddleBrooke Ranch was a perfect fit. Those of us who came to SaddleBrooke Ranch from the…
Jim Hoagland I have been writing the Nature’s Way articles for over two years and I am pleased to welcome Gerry Tietje to Nature’s Way writings. Gerry’s passion for nature extends beyond my passion for birds and will expand the knowledge of the biodiversity we are so lucky to have here at the Ranch. The SBR nature…
Gerald Tietje Butterflies flutter by, especially after strong monsoon rains like we had last summer. My wife, Claire, and I moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch in June 2021, and shortly thereafter the welcome rains began, producing a plethora of flowers in our yard. Rains begat flowers and flowers begat butterflies. They were everywhere! As our Little-leaf…
Jim Hoagland I am always amazed at the support of the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) community, and the Birdathon was no exception. The SaddleBrooke Ranch Cuckoos—Laurie Mccoy, Jim Bradford, Deb Sandin, and Jim Hoagland—started the 24-hour Freestyle Birdathon in the evening of May 5 at the Ranch. Before turning in for a short night, we had…