Nature Trail

A few sights along the Nature Trail...

Bullock's Oriole nest...built from twine, horse hair, grass, or any other fibrous material they can find.

Lizard sunning itself. Spring is here!

Woodpecker hole...we have Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and Northern Flickers.

The little gnats flying around that are making me CRAZY right now hatch out of these things. They are called "pinecone galls." The midge (gnat) lays an egg on the willow and when the egg hatches, it secrets a chemical that causes the willow to grow a "gall." The larvae spends the winter in these galls and emerges in the spring as a gnat. Head nets will save your sanity out here!!

Red-winged Blackbird.

Guided Tours

I've started doing guided tours of the Fort Churchill ruins, along with adobe brick-making demonstrations. April 19th will be my 2nd one. The first one had about 20 people in bad weather--cold and windy, but they seemed to have a good time! (I had fun...) Plus my boss and his girlfriend came along, along with one of our volunteers.

Trying to stay out of the wind!

At the Mess Hall and Barracks.

Making adobe bricks--stirring up the mud.

Shoveling the mud into the forms...where the bricks will dry in the sun.