The destination for today was Rusty’s RV Ranch near Rodeo, NM, and just across the state line from Portal, AZ, one of the top birding destinations in the US. This has been a target destination of mine for some time. The 200-mile drive went quickly and I arrived at the RV park just after 12 noon. Sitting in the middle of nowhere, it proved to be a really nice RV park, and close to a lot of photo ops. Rusty, the lady proprietor, provided a great description of birding places nearby, already pre-marked on a map. Several were at people’s houses. After checking in and setting up, I emptied the car, readying it for several day trips; the campsite looks like a gypsy compound!

It took a few minutes to sort through the photo equipment, making sure tripods and the monopod were stowed in the car, and the right lenses, filters, and teleconverters were on the right cameras. My first stop was at a residence just inside Arizona. One parks in front, and walks a fairly long path to a small area where there are several feed stations and chairs for bird watchers/photographers. It so reminded me of an all time favorite, Salineno, TX. The number of birds was amazing, with Gambil’s Quail everywhere. One of my favorites, the Pyrrhuloxia (aka Desert Cardinal) provided several good poses. Other species included the Scrub Jay, Cardinal, Curved-billed Thrasher, and Broad-billed Hummingbird.

After the wonderful photo shoot, I traveled the short distance to Portal, AZ, and the Cave Creek Recreation Area within Coronado National Forest.

After setting up the iMac and downloading photos, it was early to bed for tomorrow’s adventures.