Virgin River

We spent the summer of 2006 working in Southern Nevada
studying Southwestern Willow Flycatchers

Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri on the trip down. Apparently I saw something interesting...	Foss Lake State Park, Oklahoma. This is when things really started looking "weird"	A Great Blue Heron at Foss.	Danielle in New Mexico, sitting in the Jemez River.
Jemez River, New Mexico	Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. A view of Fajada Butte	This was definitely an odd place to put the tent, but in the Southwest, these are often the only options!	Anasazi ruins in Chaco Canyon
Looking down on Pueblo Bonito	Looking over the Chaco Canyon	Finally arrived at training near Golden Shores, Arizona	Our Cowbird traps yielded a nice Yellow-headed Blackbird.
We had all been at training for only two days when we spotted this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake	A Chukar and chick come to drink at the fake babbling brook in Mesquite.	Looking out from the balcony of our house in Mesquite. Virgin Mountains in the background and Wolf Creek Golf Course Community in the foreground	The Virgin River as seen from the Recreation Area between St. George and Mesquite on I15.
Heading south on I15 from St. George, Utah to Mesquite, Nevada - a 40 minute drive.	Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, our most northern study area.	Looking over the upper Pahranagat Lake	Another treat in the Cowbird trap: a Lark Sparrow
My favourite visitor to the traps, an adult male Gambel's Quail, easily my favourite bird in the southwest	The habitat in Pahranagat. Chest waders were a necessity at the beginning of the season.	Cholla cactus growing south of Tucson, Arizona.	Another view of the "cactus garden".
These pictures are all from the same area. Just had to pull over...	No trip to the Southwest would be complete without a picture of the Saguaro cactus. Most of the ones we saw, though, were while driving 80MPH on the highway.	Sedona, Arizona... Too nice for just one night!	Wolf Creek Golf Course, home for the summer. Something about all this water in the desert doesn't seem right.
The Virgin Mountains and the SWCA truck and ATV's as seen from our soon-to-be demolished front yard (can't stop progress!)	Zion National Park, on the road to Kolob Reservoir.	Zion...	Camping at the Kolob Reservoir in Zion, up past most of the trees other than Trembling Aspen.
Valley of Fire, just north of Las Vegas. While its namesake is the red rock, the low elevation gives the name a double meaning: it is hot during the day!	A natural arch in Valley of Fire	The ATV drive down to Mormon Mesa, beautiful in the morning, scorching in the afternoon!	After a couple weeks in the lowland desert, we were very happy to get up in the cool elevation
Another shot of the ride back. Somehow the heat doesn't make it through to the photo, but trust me: It was HOT!	A Cholla of some sort along our ride. With 13 miles to our farthest site, there was plenty of time for sightseeing.	Barrel Cactus. There were a scattered few near our parking spot...	This view is right from where we park the truck.
A better look at the common Joshua Tree.	The second four-day vacation found us going to Utah. This is Cedar Breaks National Monument	Took a hike around the rim, with lots of great pictures to be had...	Another picture of the rim. At 10,500 feet the main trees are Firs; walking through them felt like boreal Ontario.
By the way, 10,500 feet is high enough to have snow in early June. I didn't expect I'd be making a snowball that weekend!	Bristlecone pine. The oldest of this species was about 4800 years old. This one is not nearly that old, but still an impressive tree.	A montane meadow, which looked like a good spot for a picnic lunch.	Bryce Canyon National Park. Similar to Cedar Breaks but lower in elevation, bigger, and much much busier.
Another view from the rim of Bryce Canyon	After walking along the rim for a couple miles, we start heading down into the canyon itself	Another couple miles later and we're heading out the other side and up to where we started from.	Through the looking glass at Bryce
The view from the front porch at the Pahranagat bunkhouse	Wildflowers growing off a cliff-face near Charleston Peak	Charleston Peak, southwest of Las Vegas	Red Rock Canyon
Valley of Fire	My "campsite" on my second trip to Valley of Fire; just a sleeping pad on the rocks and under the stars.	Valley of Fire	In the morning when I woke up, I noticed that I was sleeping 10 feet below a series of petroglyphs!
A Giant Sequoia tree. Their size cannot be imagined until you stand beside one.	This Sequoia had fallen, then had been chopped up. For whatever reason, the job was not finished.	A mountain skyline in Sequoia National Monument	A rocky outcropping in Sequoia.
Interventionist Art at its best. Some would call it graffiti or vandalism but seeing this rendition of "Low Flying Aircraft" sure made my day!	My second trip to Zion National Park	This time I visited the main area; definitely the most busy, but spectacular	The hike up to Angel's Landing
A triumphant moment captured by Mr. Tom Magarian. Actually, we had yet to climb the ridge to my left.	Yet another view of the Virgin River Gorge from Angel's Landing	The Virgin River as seen from Zion National Parking lot	One last view of Zion before leaving
One of our better trails in the habitat. Usually they are not this open!	Alana and I doing veg in Overton	Overton Wildlife Management Area	Three Willow Flycatcher nestlings waiting to be banded at Nest 31B
Sarah holding a nestling right before banding.	One of the siblings calmly waiting its turn in the bird bag	Me walking through the "Mud Trail" in our Mesquite study area	Despite being right next to a road, the Wilson Canyon transect had really nice scenery
Sarah and I doing veg at the end of the year in Pahranagat, when all the water and mud is gone.	Me taking a soil moisture reading. It sure is nice to wear shorts to work for a change!	Mono Lake, another saline lake along the border of California and Nevada	Once away from the lake, the Pahranagat area turns to desert within a couple hundred meters
On my very last day I finally decided to climb one of the nearby "mountains" at Pahranagat	Once at the summit, I realized I was nearly the highest point within view. The bunkhouse was merely a tiny green speck near the center of the photo	Very nice WIFL habitat in Key Pitman, and a very nice trail!	On my way home at the end of the season. A storm rolls over the Wyoming plains, with the Tetons in the background.
At the foot of the Grand Tetons.	A most impressive skyline	I wish I had more time than just a morning to spend here.	Sunset in the Schell Creek range near Ely
TLast view of the Tetons as they recede into the horizon	Into Yellowstone National Park	One of the famous geysers.	Between the hot springs, geysers and mineral deposits this was a very surreal landscape.
Although a beautiful park, getting a shot without people in it was difficult. This was the epitome of Ed Abbey's term National Parking Lot	The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone	Yellowstone Falls consists of an Upper and Lower section, both impressive in size.	A closer view of one of the falls.
No camping spots were to be found within Yellowstone so I set up just outside the eastern edge.	I think this backyard view was better than any I would have had within the park!	The Badlands of South Dakota	I stopped here for a brief hour-long visit, having time for no more on my rushed trip home.