Brain Rocks, White Pocket, Arizona
White Pocket Photographs, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
White Pocket is a relatively large area compared to, say, the Wave in nearby North Coyote Buttes. When I was there with some buddies in March, I saw many compositions that looked appealing but was unable to make photos of them in the little time we had when the light actually “got good”. The brain rocks area at White Pocket is amazing, some of the best examples of brain rocks I’ve ever seen, so I spent a good portion of my time there framing them up. This was taken just after sunset, when the cloud formation above the rocks was most interesting. Could these in fact be sections of some enormous central cortex: the temporal lobe and parietal lobe of some ancient underground fossilized Homer Simpson whose skull — the only part of him still above ground — was lobotomized by the howling winds of the American Southwest? And also, why did I just say that? OK, that was weak but these rocks are so cool they are known to cause photographers to wax poetic and say innane things at times. I can’t wait to return to White Pocket, its awesome.
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| Brain rocks and clouds, sunset, White Pocket. Image ID: 26619 Location: White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA |
Tortured Landscape, White Pocket, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
White Pocket was the highight of our recent banzai trip to northern Arizona and southern Utah. A remote and spectacular setting in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument that includes such well-known landscapes as the Wave, North Coyote Buttes and Buckskin Gulch (thank you Bill Clinton!), White Pocket lies not far from the South Coyote Buttes management area in northern Arizona. Getting to White Pocket was half the fun, requiring several hours of offroading on very sandy dirt roads. Charly Moore of Overland Canyon Tours took us there. We had a great time, were well taken care of by Charly, and were even treated to some great light in the last hour before sunset which was a bonus since the most of the day had been overcast and drab. White Pocket is a tortured landscape, full of bent and twisted sandstone forms. Once ancient sand dunes that were buried over time, the sandstone was slowly compressed under great pressure. After millenia underground the rock has re-emerged in its present wonderful and varied form. It comprises some of the most interesting and beautiful scenery I have ever scene, and I look forward to returning to camp and spend a few days there in the future.
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| White Pocket, sandstone forms and colors are amazing. Image ID: 26605 Location: White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA |
Horseshoe Bend and Colorado River
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 36° 52' 45.71" N, Longitude: 111° 30' 38.93" W, Coord: 36.879364°, -111.51081°
Filed under: Arizona on 4/19/2011
Horseshoe Bend is a stunning 180° bend in the Colorado River which has eroded a dramatic, 1100-foot gorge below the surrounding mesa. It lies near Page, Arizona, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell and is a short, easy hike from the highway to the precipice. Thankfully the personal injury attorneys have not yet made their mark on the place, for there are no ugly fences or intrusive signs reminding us of the obvious.
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| Horseshoe Bend. The Colorado River makes a 180-degree turn at Horseshoe Bend. Here the river has eroded the Navajo sandstone for eons, digging a canyon 1100-feet deep. Image ID: 26618 Location: Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona, USA Pano dimensions: 4625 x 9801 |
Monument Valley Panoramic Photo
I just received an inquiry about my Monument Valley panoramic photo. I had forgotten about this image, and when I saw it again I was reminded of the beautiful, warm light that fell on the buttes when I last visited there. I was on my way south from Arches National Park in Utah to Page, Arizona. I had about 45 minutes to stop and admire the sunset, and then had to keep moving on down the road. I got this one image. You can click to see it larger (although the full size image in print spans about 8′). This was taken in January, and there is a slight dusting of snow on the ground:
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| Monument Valley panorama. Image ID: 19531 Location: Monument Valley, Arizona, USA Pano dimensions: 3241 x 28803 |
Photos of the Wave and North Coyote Buttes, Arizona
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 36° 59' 45.49" N, Longitude: 112° 0' 22.28" W, Coord: 36.99597°, -112.00619°
Filed under: Arizona, Photoshelter, The Wave on 10/16/2009
My stock photos of the Wave in the North Coyote Buttes appear on Oceanlight.com in addition to the pictures of the Wave and North Coyote Buttes I have on Photoshelter:
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Pictures of The Wave, North Coyote Buttes - Images by Phillip Colla |
If you cannot see the slideshow above, see this Wave and North Coyote Buttes photo slideshow on Photoshelter!
Keywords: the Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Arizona, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.
Northern Cardinal Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/13/2009
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). This was the other small songbird that I hoped to see in Arizona. It is very similar to the Pyrrhuloxia (see yesterday’s post). In fact the female cardinal looks a lot like the male Pyrrhuloxia at first glance, although the shape of the beak (among other things) is diagnostic.
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| Northern cardinal, male. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22891 Common name: Northern cardinal Species: Cardinalis cardinalis Location: Amado, Arizona, USA  View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| Northern cardinal, female. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22929 Common name: Northern cardinal Species: Cardinalis cardinalis Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Pyrrhuloxia Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/12/2009
Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus). This was one of the two birds I was hoping to see in Arizona. In general, we do not see small colorful birds like this in Southern California (except for escaped exotics like parrots). At first I thought Pyrrhuloxia was the latin (scientific) name for this bird, but then I learned the latin name is Cardinalis sinuatus. So I guess the Pyrrhuloxia is closely related to the Cardinal (see tomorrow’s post). Regardless, it’s a pretty little bird.
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| Pyrrhuloxia, male. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22894 Common name: Pyrrhuloxia Species: Cardinalis sinuatus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Roadrunner Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/11/2009
Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).
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| Greater roadrunner. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22902 Common name: Greater roadrunner Species: Geococcyx californianus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Gila Woodpecker Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/10/2009
A Gila woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis).
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| Gila woodpecker, female. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22928 Common name: Gila woodpecker Species: Melanerpes uropygialis Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Gambel’s Quail Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/9/2009
A Gambel’s quail (Callipepla gambelii). Bill told me to expect a quail family, complete with lots of chicks, to show up about 9:30. They were right on time each morning!
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| Gambel’s quail, male. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22925 Common name: Gambels quail Species: Callipepla gambelii Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| Gambel’s quail, chicks. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22920 Common name: Gambels quail Species: Callipepla gambelii Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
White-winged Dove Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/4/2009
A white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica). There were lots of these birds around Bill Forbes’ pond, making their soft coo-coo sounds. I know some people hunt dove, I wonder if these white-winged doves are on their list and whether they taste any good or not? They sure are pretty but for some reason remind me of pet-shop birds.
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| White-winged dove. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22918 Common name: White-winged dove Species: Zenaida asiatica Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Curve-Billed Thrasher Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/3/2009
Curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre). Wow, this guy is a THRASHER! Sounds like one serious kick-ass bird. Thrasher? If I was a bird I’d want to be called Thrasher too.
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| Curve-billed thrasher. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22904 Common name: Curve-billed thrasher Species: Toxostoma curvirostre Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
House Finch Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/2/2009
You might guess, given its name, that the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) is a common bird. Indeed, the plants around Bill’s place were covered with these colorful, twittering, hyper little birds. The males had great coloration, deep reds and oranges, while the poor females had to settle for brown and gray. Birders and bird photographers view the house finch as something of a nuisance bird, but I had a good time trying to get them to sit still long enough for a picture.
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| House finch, male. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22927 Common name: House finch Species: Carpodacus mexicanus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| House finch, female. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22899 Common name: House finch Species: Carpodacus mexicanus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
House Sparrow Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 6/1/2009
A little house sparrow (Passer domesticus), male in breeding coloration.
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| House sparrow, breeding male. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22945 Common name: House sparrow Species: Passer domesticus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Horned Lizard Photo, Horny Toad
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Wildlife on 5/31/2009
When we were kids we loved catching what we called “horny toads.” (Look, wiseguy, we were 6 years old at the time and couldn’t pronounce “horned”.) We would find them in chapparal and open areas in Newport Beach where I grew up. The little horned lizards (Phrynosoma) weren’t particularly fast, and were safer to catch than rattlers (we caught of few of those too). The squat horny toads looked fat and ran funny. They were easy to catch with our bare hands. They would squirt blood out of their eyes on us, a defensive mechanism that several species of horned lizards possess. After getting a few drops of blood on us, we let the little guys go where we found them. Fast forward 35 years. I now understand that some horned lizard species are now highly threatened, feeding exclusively on certain ant species that themselves are disappearing due to development and loss of habitat. As the tract homes arrive, away go the native ants and thus the horny toads. I’ve been trail running for years and can only recall seeing one horny toad in the last ten years ago. So I was pleasantly surprised to find a horned lizard on Bill Forbes’ property, and to get a few photos of it.
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| Horned lizard. When threatened, the horned lizard can squirt blood from its eye at an attacker up to 5 feet away. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22964 Common name: Horned lizard Species: Phrynosoma Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Desert Cottontail Rabbit Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Wildlife on 5/30/2009
There were a lot of little desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii) hopping about all morning and evening. They were really cute, and quite bold, coming in to drink at the pond often and sniff about looking for seed and bits of food. No babies though.
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| Desert cottontail, or Audobon’s cottontail rabbit. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22892 Common name: Desert cottontail Species: Sylvilagus audubonii Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
White-sided Jackrabbit Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Wildlife on 5/29/2009
This white-sided jackrabbit (Lepus callotis) showed up briefly one morning at Bill Forbes’ pond. It did not approach too closely, unfortunately, and stayed in the shadows nibbling on fresh mesquite leaves, standing tall on its hind legs to grasp to lowest branches. I was amazed at how long its ears were, I’d never seen a rabbit like this before.
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| White-sided jackrabbit. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22910 Common name: White-sided jackrabbit Species: Lepus callotis Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Round-tailed Ground Squirrel Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Wildlife on 5/28/2009
This little round-tailed ground squirrel (Spermophilus tereticaudus) showed up beside the pond only a couple times, and I really only had one good chance to get its photo. I felt sorry for the poor thing, not only is it a puny raptor-morsel, but it has a wimpy tail compared to the Harris’ antelope ground squirrel I posted yesterday.
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| Round-tailed ground squirrel. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22896 Common name: Round-tailed ground squirrel Species: Spermophilus tereticaudus Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Harris’ Antelope Squirrel Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 44' 59.13" N, Longitude: 110° 59' 49.09" W, Coord: 31.74976°, -110.99697°
Filed under: Arizona, Wildlife on 5/27/2009
This little Harris’ antelope ground squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii) came to the pond to sip water and look for bits of food. Check out that cool tail, I bet Fonzie would wear a tail like that if he could. I nicknamed this guy Mike Tyson.
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| Harris’ antelope squirrel. Amado, Arizona, USA. Image: 22900 Common name: Harris antelope squirrel Species: Ammospermophilus harrisii Location: Amado, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Pond at Elephant Head, which I visited and described recently.
Mexican Jay Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 31° 43' 12.5" N, Longitude: 110° 52' 44.25" W, Coord: 31.72014°, -110.87896°
Filed under: Arizona, Bird on 5/26/2009
I’m posting one last photo from Upper Madera Canyon, this time a photo of a Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina). The wanna-be tough-guys were everywhere among the trees, spooking all the smaller birds. They would only shut up and settle down when the larger ravens rolled through. They are not as colorful as the Stellar’s jay but still fun to watch nonetheless.
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| Mexican jay. Madera Canyon Recreation Area, Green Valley, Arizona, USA. Image: 22959 Common name: Mexican jay Species: Aphelocoma ultramarina Location: Madera Canyon Recreation Area, Green Valley, Arizona, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
Shot at Bill Forbes’ Upper Madera Canyon “drip”, which I visited and described recently.
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Updated: February 7, 2012
