Mad AZ Monk

Blessed Rain

Just as we were experiencing our first wildfire of the season, eating up 4300 acres on the Mogollon Rim, nature gentled and has favored us with 24 hours straight of cool, steady rain. It's still pattering on my rooftop. This kind of rain soaks deep and is total nourishment for the thirsty desert. I'm hoping for epic cactus blooms in a couple of weeks, a rare and marvelous treat.

These Pacific storms, esp. during migration, also prompt the desert birder to check significant bodies of water. This I did, visiting Sedona Wastewater briefly this afternoon. I was delighted to encounter two Bonaparte's Gulls, an adult and a first-summer, as a new state bird. Other treats were a female Common Goldeneye, my first for our county (Yavapai), an Eared Grebe, the first singing Common Yellowthroat and hundreds of swallows, Violet-green mostly but a good portion of Northern Rough-winged and a handful of Cliffs. The plant staff said there had been a White-faced Ibis earlier today.

I suspect there's much more to be discovered there, and will visit tomorrow morning and report if I find any goodies.