As I’m driving to Chico Basin Ranch in eastern El Paso County, the sun rises like an orange balloon above the horizon, hazy with smoke from wildfires farther west. I am eager to spend this July morning at one of my favorite birding destinations, which I haven’t visited since the end of May. Migration has ended, but I’m excited to watch the goings-on among the resident birds and their offspring, who noisily demand constant attention from their parents.
At one of my stops, I’m surrounded by a small herd of horses, happy to be out of the corral and wandering wherever their noses lead them. Their velveteen muzzles tickle my skin while they sniff me over, but they soon continue to meander from one verdant plant to the next, munching contentedly. Our early spring rains and precipitation from summer showers have transformed an often brown and sere landscape into a canvas of green (at least what counts as green in this arid climate). Those rains have also brought forth pockets of wildflowers and I’m delighted by blossoms of cholla, prickly poppies, sunflowers, and morning glories.
The air is redolent with the sweet perfume of the season and resounds with melodies both dulcet and harsh: the chorus of bullfrogs croaking in different keys; the hum of flies and mosquitoes; the nearly silent whir of myriad dragon- and damselfly wings as they skim the pond surface; the drone of a plane engine high in the sky; the tweets, chirps, and songs of feathered friends nearby. By the time the first tentative thrill of cicadas is supplanted by their more insistent piercing buzz, I’m ready to shed the long sleeves I donned in the cool morning hours.
When noon rolls around, the mercury has almost climbed to 80, and heat causes the land to shimmer with haze, I’m ready to say “goodbye, until next time.” Grateful to have heart and soul filled with nature’s sights, sounds, and smells, as well as other precious gifts; and with a renewed appreciation for its patient and persistent cycles in the face of numberless forces that threaten to unravel life as we know it.
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Lovely post Tanja. Would there be as much life without the rains?
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Thank you, Brian. As the ranch has a couple of ponds, it always attracts a lot of wildlife, but as more moisture means more plant growth and possibly more insects, I suspect that it’s a busier in a wet than a dry year.
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A rejuvenating morning out on the prairie, perfectly captured by your images and prose!
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Thank you, Mr. P, it really was and usually is. Chico Basin is one of those magical places where new discoveries always await.
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hach, das sieht gut aus bei dir! schöne fotos. 🙂 liebe grüße!
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Vielen Dank, es war ein wunderschöner Morgen.
Lieben Gruß zurück,
Tanja
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ja, so wirkt es auch. friedlich, ruhig und naturverbunden, wirklich sehr schön.
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Ein wunderschöner Tag war das, ich wäre sehr gerne mit dir dort gewesen, liebe Tanja.
Die Vögel sehen anders aus, aber sie singen genauso wie hier.
Heute könnte ich dir Regen schicken.
Sogar eine Unwetter Warnung haben wir.
Bislang ist Bremen, anders als der Westen und Süden, ohne Wetterkapriolen durch das Jahr gekommen.
Schaun wir mal.
Dir wünsche ich einen schönen Tag, hoffentlich nicht zu heiß, aber daran bist du gewöhnt, gell.
Viele liebe Grüße Brigitte
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Oh ja, liebe Brigitte, dort würde es Dir auch gut gefallen. Es ist einer der besten Birding Hotspots hier in der Gegend, und wir könnten dort tagelang zusamman Vögel beobachten. 😊
Wir würden Euren Regen gerne teilen, aber ich glaube die Westküste braucht ihn noch mehr. Wenn wir ihn nur etwas besser verteilen könnten, wäre das gut!
Alles Liebe,
Tanja
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What a great excursion! I enjoyed it😊
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Thank you, Dwight. I’m glad you traveled out east with me. 🙂
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That is a very beautiful place in which to pass time. Pretty idyllic, except for the mosquitoes.
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Idyllic describes it very well, Neil. And your mention of mosquitoes is apropos. I am still trying not to scratch the multiple bites I received. 🙂
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Not as green as Maine, but green nonetheless. 😉 Until today, I had never heard of a dickcissel bird. Lo and behold, two of my blogging friends feature it on their posts. Wonderful pictures, and I especially liked seeing the horses.
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Definitely not as green as in the NE, Laurie, but we take it. I’m happy you are getting to learn about dickcissels from several sources. Their name sounds just like their song. If you are interested, here is a link to a recording:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dickcissel
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Thanks so much for the link. What a sweet song! The bird has a finch sound and look.
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A noon July temperature below 80° would be oh-so-welcome in Texas.
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We have been fortunate and the thermometer hasn’t spent too much time in the 90s, Steve. But I also picked the coolest day in the forecast as it can get furnatially hot out in the open.
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When I searched for furnatial just now, the first two hits were for your post of July 31, 2019. Keep spreading the word, and maybe dictionaries will eventually recognize it.
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How funny, Steve. I really like the word, so will likely continue to use it. 🙂
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And look at the words you can rhyme it with:
https://onelook.com/?w=*atial&ls=a
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Does that mean I have to try to write poetry?
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Not real poetry, just rhymification.
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I always enjoy reading your posts – I am able to imagine everything so well!
Kindest regards,
Christa
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Thank you, Christa, that makes this little writer’s heart very happy. 😊
All the best,
Tanja
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Beautiful pictures, Tanja! 🙂
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Thank you, H.J. It was a beautiful day!
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A beautifully written reflection, Tanja! Thanks for taking us along and sharing all these wonderful images.
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Thank you much. I’m glad you joined me on my little outing.
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I love when you blog about prairies, Tanja. Such a whole other world to me! There is a lot of discussion among New England gardeners about landscaping with less water as we see more effects of climate change. “Prairie planting” is surely trending.
But, let’s be honest, the stars of this blog for me were the wild horses. Oh, nuzzling right up to you…break my heart!
Cue Michael Murphy’s “Wildfire”…
Cheers,
Julie
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I’m glad you enjoyed visiting the prairie with me, Julie. A warming climate and water woes are good reasons to plant drought-resistant plants, which is our long-term goal here as well, but it takes time, effort, and, there is no denying it, money.
Meeting horses is always a special treat and I never turn down equine therapy. I wasn’t familiar with the song by Michael Murphy you referenced but I listened to it and understand why you like it. 🙂
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I must be showing my age. “Wildfire” was popular when I was a teen in the 70s. 😉
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Nothing to do with your age, Julie, but with the fact that I didn’t grow up in the US and miss a lot of the cultural references. My husband knew the song!
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You know, of course I’ve seen the German on your replies, but I didn’t realize you didn’t grow up here. Wow, this pandemic and all the current problems overseas must weigh heavily on you. I hope your family is okay.
Julie
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They are, Julie, thanks for asking. But they are understandably concerned about those affected, and also because at some future point other regions will suffer similarly devastating events. The unpredictability of some of these catastrophes are very unsettling.
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I enjoyed tagging along on your morning adventure on the prairie, Tanja! Love those birds!!
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Thank you, Donna. I trust you have met most of those prairie birds yourself during your travels! -)
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I’m still looking for the Lark Bunting and Sage Thrasher. 🙂
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Good luck finding them!
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Thank you!
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What an enjoyable and lovely morning you had, Tanja. Thanks for bringing us along.
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Thank you, Steve, I’m so pleased you tagged along. 🙂
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Nice pics! love naturalitc photos
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Thank you!
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Wonderfully descriptive prose, Tanja, with some great shots. It sounds like your part of the world has benefited from plentiful rain. I love prairies and the endless sky. Our forest’s canopy is so different but beautiful in it’s own way. K x
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Thank you, Kerry. My appreciation for the wide-open western skies first budded when I beheld America’s grasslands.
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It was much the same for me, Tanja. We have some protected prairie to the south west of us and I love the differentness to other landscapes I have lived in or visited.
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What is not to like?! 😊
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Ein wunderschöner und stimmungsvoller Bericht ist das, liebe Tanja, den ich gerne gelesen habe. Dazu vermitteln deine beschwingten, sommerlichen Fotos einen wunderbar entspannten und friedvollen Eindruck.
Wir lieben es ebenfalls, Vögel zu beobachten und haben in unserem Garten diverse Nistkästen und Vogelhäuschen aufgestellt. Im Netz schauen wir uns auch gern die vom NABU zur Verfügung gestellten webcams an, die in Echtzeit das Brüten und Aufziehen der Jungvögel zeigen und die zu beobachten eine wahre Freude ist.
Liebe Grüße aus dem sommerlichen Nieselregen….
von Rosie
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Liebe Rosie,
Es freut mich sehr, daß Dir der Ausflug nach Colorado gefallen hat. So grün wie in vielen Gegenden Deutschlands ist es hier nicht, aber in jeder Umgebung kann Mutter Natur mit ihrem Pflanzen und Bewohnern erfreuen.
Auch hier gibt es zur Zeit viele Jungvögel und ihnen sowie ihren Eltern zuzuschauen ist einer der Höhepunkte des Sommers. Ich wünsche Euch weiterhin wunderbare Entdeckungen im Garten und auf freier Flur.
Herzliche Grüße,
Tanja
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Dankeschön liebe Tanja, das wünsche ich dir auch! ❤️
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Not everyone loves a prairie. I sometimes hear the sort of response that Kansas or Nebraska evoke: “There’s nothing there!” Your post is one more bit of proof that they’re quite wrong. There’s a lot to see on the prairies, and a lot to love. I used to wonder why my transition from offshore sailing to prairie wandering was so easy, and I finally got it; the horizon is the common element. One of my favorite groups, the Tallgrass Express, has a perfect song that captures the feeling.
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Lovely song, Linda. I was among those who did not appreciate the prairie for its immense variety when I only knew it from looong cross-country trips from CO to the Midwest. But once I spent time on the prairie and discovered its immense richness, that feeling changed quickly.
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Ein schöner Ausflug und fantastische Naturfotos
LG Andrea
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Das freut mich sehr, liebe Andrea, herzlichen Dank!
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Wegen Corona kann ich nicht mehr in den USA Urlaub machen, ich liebe das Land, die noch großartige Natur. Paßt gut auf alles auf.
Liebe Grüße
Maren
P.S. ich habe mit Fotografien Ideen vorgegeben für die Illutrationen, da ich im Worpswede Tipps Team bin
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Ja, die Natur hier ist noch immer fabelhaft, wenn sie auch immer größere und schwierige Prüfungen überstehen muß, wie die Natur in fast der ganzen Welt.
Ich danke Dir, daß Du mir Deine Rolle in der Bücherserie erklärt hast. Darauf kannst Du stolz sein.
Herzliche Grüße zurück,
Tanja
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