Stevens Family Calendar: May

This is part of a series about the Stevens Family Calendar (if you know, you know).

A phenomenal part of the country

While last month we explored exotic birds and animals outside the U.S., this month is all about a particularly exotic part of the United States: the deserts and mountains of the southwest.

Hot Springs, Big Bend

Many of the photos are from a trip that Caty and I took in April in conjunction with my attending a Public Relations Society of America conference in Tucson. Others are from the tail end of another trip Caty and I made that started in Nevada for the annular eclipse, but then took us all the way to Big Bend National Park in Texas and White Sands National Park in New Mexico.

Plus, I also slipped a couple of other on-theme photos in the mix, including a few from Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Normally, I start with mainly talking about the cover page (above), then moving to the calendar page. But, this month, they are very intertwined. So, let's look at the calendar page before we move on.

While not the largest photo on the cover page layout, the one that was the most difficult to decide on was the photo of the Crested Caracara nest on the saguaro cactus in south Tucson. Caty and I stopped there three times and took hundreds of photos. I blogged about it here. It was so, so hard to choose and I am afraid I didn't really give it attention it deserved. I mitigated that by including a photo from this amazing experience in the small squares.

Left: Main page; Right: Small squares on the calendar page. Photos: Caty Stevens

Cover shot; Photo: Caty Stevens

Then, I piled on and included a nice shot on the cover. The Crested Caracara photos were among many on the printed calendar that came out a little too dark, so you can enjoy a better view here. I love these magnificent birds and I always wanted to find and photograph a raptor nest in a saguaro. This was a double treat.

I said it was tricky; here are some of the same subject that didn't get selected (and, believe me, there were so, so many more that didn't even get this far).

We had four really good close-ups; Lower right photo: Caty Stevens

And, two that gave the full impact of the majestic cactus

When I was wishing for a nest in a saguaro, I was always thinking it would be an Owl. 

And, indeed, there was a Great Horned Owl in a saguaro just down the street

And, then, later on, I came across some more Great Horned owls in a very, very close nest.

These were on a deserted roadside outside Chiricahua National Monument

Whenever Caty and I travel together, we spend a lot of time looking for and photographing raptors. In addition to those I have already mentioned, we spent some time with two nesting Elf Owls at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, Arizona ...

Pictures taken a night are always tough to use; Middle photo: Caty Stevens

This was used in the opening section

... and, as I was driving home after Caty had flown home, I saw (with the help of a group of other birders I encountered) a sleeping Mexican Spotted Owl on Pinery Canyon Road in far south Arizona. It is only the second time I have seen this Owl species and I really wished Caty was still with me.

Both the Elf Owls and the Mexican Spotted Owl are special sightings – not raptors you see very day – so I would have liked to include them. 

But, we always have lots of raptors (and there are more to come). I am nor sure what our audience's tolerance for Owls is.

Moving back to the main page, the top center was a Greater Roadrunner in Big Bend National Park, one of about 30 that Caty and I saw when we were there. 

They were so entertaining that we also featured the one in the middle on the calendar page
(but didn't use the left one, which Caty Stevens took)

The bottom photo in the middle of the main page is an absolutely gorgeous Desert Spiny Lizard that I photographed at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on another trip (this was one of those photos I snuck in). For years, I had been trying to find a colorful desert lizard, so this was a special.

A really impressive guy (I didn't use the closer-up version on the right)

We also had photos of colorful Lizards in Big Bend and a fun one in Tucson that we didn't use.

Left: A Spiny-tailed Iguana at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum;
Right: a male Chihuahuan Greater Earless Lizard

I mentioned last month that we like to feature landscapes. Well, the desert southwest is great for that. The main page features two lovely shots and there are three more on the calendar page.

That's Portal, Arizona, on the left and the rest are in Big Bend National Park;
Top and center middle and right photos: Caty Stevens

We had a few more from Big Bend and southern Arizona that we didn't have room for ...

Chiricahua National Monument

Chisos Basin, Big Bend; Photo: Caty Stevens

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend; Left photos: Caty Stevens

The calendar includes a number of desert shots ...

The top photo of White Sands was in the opening; the lower left of Great Sand Dunes was on the May calendar page and the lower right of GSDNP was on the cover; Photos: Scott Stevens

... and there were a few that didn't make the cut ....

White Sands National Park

A couple of additional options (with varying colors based on the angle of the sun)
of Great Sand Dunes; Photos: Scott Stevens 

We often use photos of flowers, especially as small squares or in the opening section, to provide pops of color. 

The left was on the May calendar page and the right on the cover;
both are from Saguaro National Park in Arizona

We could have used a further back shot of saguaro blossoms from the Park
(I especially liked how the left one looked like a Muppet)
or some of the other close-ups of cactus blooms; Right photo: Caty Stevens

Or, we could have backed up even further for a wider view of Saguaro National Park

When we were in Madera Canyon, we saw a number of White-nosed Coatimundis. I had seen them before, but it was first for Caty. They are such cool animals, it is hard to leave them out.

These guys kept raiding the hummingbird feeders; We used the upper left
on the calendar page; Right photo: Caty Stevens

And, of course, there were lots of birds. But, I used most of the desert southwest birds on the June page, which is devoted entirely to birds. So, I will discuss the ins and the outs there.

Except this Elegant Trogon, which is kind of the symbol of Madera Canyon; Photo: Caty Stevens