February 28 -- A Visit By Mr. Cooper's, And A Walk Along Foothills Road

As I've mentioned here before, my morning routine is to go out to the backyard bird feeders before sunrise -- heck, I'm up and about for about 4 hours prior to that, anyway -- fill them and the water features, then watch the show while I'm having breakfast. Pine Siskins, small energetic birds that hang out in flocks, are hanging onto my feed sock full of nyger, a food for finches, and all the morning action  can be an enticing buffet for any raptors that might come along --

So when I looked out the back door and saw the feeders were empty, when they were thronging with birds seconds before, I thought "raptor!" and sure enough, there "he" was --

 I'd hate to be at the other end of this intense stare --

He was quite a sly devil, too. First he was out in the open, then he went into the mesquite bushes and hid, probably hoping to pounce on any unsuspecting bird that thought it's safe to come out --

He was there for a good 10 minutes, then finally flew off, empty, er, handed. My birds have lucked out in all the raptor visits I've seen so far, though there's always that chance of "Nature Red In Tooth And Claw"...

It was a "what shall I do today?" day. There are things that should get done soon, like planting the artemisia and pyracantha plants that are still in pots on the back deck, but my excuse for holding off on that chore is I don't want to disturb the birds in the back. I check the well house to see how the mothballs are doing in keeping the mice out -- no new droppings, YES! -- then say to myself, "how about a walk down Foothills Road from Faranuf?" It's early morning, temps in the low 70s, no wind, cloudless skies -- and still winter! -- so I laced up my new Merrill hiking boots, grabbed a Clif Bar, headed down Faranuf Trail aka my driveway, closed the gate, and headed north up Foothills. 

At the intersection of Foothills and Portal Roads; Rodeo is in New Mexico.

 A waning moon over Silver Peak

Cave Creek crosses Foothills Road; when it's raining, the road can be impassable.

Cave Creek Canyon, the high Chiricahuas still with snow, and a yucca.

Yucca, cacti and agave along the road. In the center distance is Cochise Head, so named because it looks it looks like the Chiricahua Indian chiefs profile lying in repose. 

Foothills, a primitive road? It can be. And its around 20 miles from here before it turns back into pavement, near the town of San Simon and the intersection with Interstate 10. Foothills runs along the east side of the Chiricahuas. 

An old street sign along Foothills, with what looks like a Native American figure on it. This is looking east, into New Mexico and the Peloncillo Mountains. 

Also looking to the east, with Hwy 80 as the straight strip in the distance, going through Granite Gap. The white domes on the right are part of Sky Village, where you can buy a house with attached observatory. Astronomers and other celestial experts live in this light pollution-free area; the night skies here are a wonder. 

From the desert to the mountains, all within a distance of about 15 miles. It's one of the many things that make the Chiricahuas such a unique place. 

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