Cochise Stronghold: Dragoon Mountains, Arizona

First some wonderful history:

Cochise Stronghold is a canyon on the East side of the Dragoon Mountains of Southeastern Arizona 50 miles from the Mexican border. This rugged natural fortress was, for some 15 years, the home and base of operations for the famed Chiricahua Apache Chief, Cochise.  Cochise and about 1,000 of his followers, of whom some 250 were warriors, located here.  Sentinels, constantly on watch from the towering pinnacles of rock, could spot their enemies in the valley below and sweep down without warning in destructive raids.  No man, woman or child within a hundred miles was safe from these attacks.

Born in present-day Arizona, Cochise led the Chiricahua band of the Apache tribe during a period of violent social upheaval. In 1850, the United States took control over the territory that today comprises Arizona and New Mexico.  Not hostile to the whites at first, he kept peace with the Anglo-Americans until 1861, when he became their implacable foe because of the blunder of a young U.S. Army officer, Lt. George Bascom.   In that year, Cochise and several of his relatives had gone to an encampment of soldiers in order to deny the accusation that they had abducted a child from a ranch. The boy was later proved to have been kidnapped by another band of Apaches. During the parley, Cochise and his followers were ordered held as hostages by Bascom, but Cochise managed to escape almost immediately by cutting a hole in a tent. Bascom later ordered the other Apache hostages hanged, and the embittered Cochise joined forces with Mangas Coloradas, his father-in-law, in a guerrilla struggle against the American army and settlers. The capture and murder of Mangas Coloradas in 1863 left Cochise as the Apache war chief.   The U.S. Army captured him in 1871 and prepared to transfer the Chiricahua to a reservation hundreds of miles away, but he escaped again and renewed the resistance campaign. The following year after negotiating a new treaty with the help of Thomas Jeffords, his only white friend the band was allowed  to stay in their homeland. 

The portion of the Butterfield Stage Line run from Fort Bowie to Tucson crossed just off the northern tip of the Dragoon Mountains.   This line was a favorite target of Cochise's warriors, they killed 22 drivers in a 16 month period.  The Butterfield Stage Line established a station stop on the north end of the Dragoons in 1858.  It was called the "Dragoon Springs" station due to the natural springs located there.  A massacre occurred at this site on September 8, 1858.  On October 5, 1869 a Col. John Finkle Stone, the 33-year-old president of Apache Pass Mine, near Ft. Bowie, headed back to his home in Tucson aboard a mail coach. He had an escort of four soldiers. When they approached the abandoned stagecoach station at the north end of the Dragoon Mountains, a group of Apaches came out of a gully and hit them fast and hard, killing everyone.  (The ruins of the station stand today although the springs were rerouted by mother nature in an earthquake in the late 1800's.)

Cochise is reputed to have been a master strategist and leader who was never conquered in battle.   For ten years Cochise and his warriors harassed the whites by raiding lonely ranches and attacking stagecoaches and miners.  Cochise retired.  He died peacefully on the newly formed Chiricahua  reservation in 1874.  His son, Taza succeeded him as chief.   Upon his death, he was secretly buried somewhere in or near his impregnable fortress -- what is now called Cochise Stronghold.  The exact location has never been revealed or determined. 

There are both picnic grounds and campsites located at the trailhead. A very short walk takes you around several kiosks where the history (a longer version of the above) is explained. There is a half-mile nature trail with spurs for longer trails, including one - the historic Indian Trail -- that goes over the mountain to the west side. The elevation gain is about 1100 feet. These are wonderful hikes with spectacular views.

Christine and I have hiked there 6 or 7 times. I must say that I have never been very lucky finding wildlife to photograph though. Still a great hike. Typically, we are met by a dozen or more Acorn Woodpeckers at the picnic/campgrounds. Both there and as you begin the hike the woodpeckers are joined by Mexican Jays. Since parts of the hike are rocky, there are always lots and lots of lizards. On parts of the hike I always expect -- well, hope -- to come across a black bear, but that has never happened. The canyon which has varying degrees of water would attract coatimundi, but that has never happened either (for me, anyway).

Yesterday, Christine and I picnicked there and hiked about 5 miles. Not a lot to report, but here are a few photos:

Acorn Woodpecker

Another Acorn Woodpecker

Mexican Jay

Yarrows Spiny Lizard

Rockfellow Dome

Muleshoe Ranch, Galiuro Mountains, Arizona - Part II

In addition to the Long Eared Owl, there were a variety of other photo ops:

This Sacred Datura nestled among weeds and grasses.

A  Pipevine Swallowtail was one of hundreds of butterflies fluttering around Hot Springs Wash.

And, here in a dry part of the wash, a White Tail Doe with her fawn.

Finally, a Red Naped Sapsucker seemed insistent on drilling in this cottonwood tree along the wash.

Muleshoe Ranch, Galiuro Mountains, Arizona

Muleshoe Ranch is in the Galiuro Mountains of Southeast Arizona and jointly owned by the Bureau of Land Management (US Guv), The Nature Conservancy, and a private co-operative. For the last ten years it has been one of my favorite places to visit. As the crow flies it is about 25 miles from us. However, because the Rincon and Catalina Mountain ranges, and the San Pedro River are between us and Muleshoe --- and, because I can't fly, it's a 90 mile trip by car. 2 hours door to door (30 miles of which is a dirt road).

Over the years, I have photographed the following at Muleshoe: coatimundi, bobcat, pronghorn, coyote, javelina, mule deer, white tail deer, black tail jackrabbit, antelope jackrabbit, hognose skunk, striped skunk,  gila monster, cooper's hawk, black tail hawk, zone tail hawk, gray hawk, and a too many butterflies and other birds to list. 

Yesterday I went again hoping to find coatimundi. Although I found lots of tracks of coatimundi I was unsuccessful in finding one. But, as often is the case, the wilderness did NOT let me down. It often presents something unexpected. While I would have loved to have seen a mountain lion, bighorn sheep, or black bear that are also in the Galiuros, I was VERY pleasantly surprise to find a Long Eared Owl. So, today it is the Long Eared Owl. Although found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, it is endangered in many areas. (It prefers dense woodland forests which are in decline). Here then is the best of my Long Eared Owl photos from yesterday:

Long Eared Owl

More from Patagonia Creek Preserve

In addition to the Coues Deer, there were a few other interesting photo ops on our little outing. The butterfly garden where we picnicked  was a week or two past prime, but a nice Cabbage White and Gulf Fritillary happened by.  On our hike in Patagonia Creek Preserve we came across a large Green Valley Grasshopper. Aside from the fact that he is green, the red legs are the tell tale sign. And, then finally Patagonia Creek is lined with 150 year old Cottonwood Trees - some of which five people couldn't get their arms around. And yet, they produce these wonderful delicate little flowers as seen in the last photo.

Cabbage White

Gulf Fritillary

Green Valley Grasshopper

Here he is again, not quite so camouflaged

Flower from the Cottonwood Tree

Patagonia Sonoita Creek Preserve

Christine and I got away yesterday for a picnic by the Butterfly Garden in Patagonia and then a nice leisurely 3 mile hike through the Preserve.  As often the case, the Coues (pronouced "cows" after Elliott Coues, 1942-1899, army surgeon, historian, and ornithologist), white tail deer were around and available for photographing. This pair was standing in Patagonia Creek:

sacramento National Wildlife Refuge - Part II

A few other bird photos from Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge:

Long Billed Curlew Wading

Long Billed Curlew Flying

White Faced Ibis Wading

Sandhill Cranes Flying

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge at Sunset

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Another favorite place -- that I haven't been to in ten years -- is Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge which is about 90 miles north of Sacramento. There are actual five different wildlife refuges in this complex totaling about 35,000 acres of wetlands.  

I have been there seven or eight times and each time has been different. On one occasion I saw a beautiful male Ring Necked Pheasant in a grassy field. Looking closer, about 25 yards away was an American Bittern. Neither seemed especially bothered by me, although I kept my distance for a while. After a couple of minutes I noticed that their eating patterns were bringing them closer together. So I waited. Maybe ten minutes later they were side by side and viola and nice photo of the two together.

Here they are:

Ring Necked Pheasant

American Bittern

Ring Necked Pheasant with American Bittern