If your goal is to see a variety of cacti in California, then the Cactus Loop Nature Trail is the hike for you! It’s about a 20 minute drive from the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s visitor center to this trailhead. If you did not buy a day pass at the visitor center, then buy it at the parking lot. Be sure to carry some water even on this one mile hike. It is a rocky trail with a short strenuous start, but take your time and look for the various cacti!
Teddy-bear Cholla Cacti, front and center.
The spines of the Teddy-bear Cholla Cactus, sometimes called “jumping cholla”, truly did not jump on you! Your mistake was in getting to close to the cactus. The spines have barbs that cling to your skin or your clothing. An easy fix to getting it off your clothing is to use a hair pick or comb …. see photo below:
Pick or comb can remove cactus spines easily!
Sometimes however, the situation is worse with some cacti and you’ll need to use tweezers to pull out spines … and the smaller the spine, the more work it is to get them all out! So, watch your step when walking in any cacti area.
Here are some cacti you will find on this trail, photos below. Thanks also to the use of the iNaturalist app, I have the names of each cactus. If you do not have this app, check it out as it is very easy to use and you’ll be a citizen scientist!
California barrel cactus
Beavertail cactus
Peninsular fishhook cactus
Echinocereus engelmannii ssp … no common name given …
Finally, we left Anza – Borrego Desert State Park, with the realization there is so much more to hike and an Erosion Road Driving Tour to take with our own vehicle on a paved road … next time … along with other hikes! Be sure to follow your map, especially where there is no cell service, in this park. There are many, many dirt roads within a 600,000 acre area, you do not want to run out of gas or water. Stay safe everyone!
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is large … 600,000 acres and the largest state park in California … with the town of Borrego Springs in the middle of it! Last month we decided to check out this park and hike a couple of trails. The weather was perfect, but if you decide to hike here during summer months, remember, you MUST have water, and sun protection for your skin and eyes! Any time of the year, a day pass is required. It can be bought at the visitor center or pay boxes at parking lots.
As you drive to the park’s visitor center, one could wonder what is so interesting about a place that looks so desolate. Rock, with no topsoil on it; no vegetation; no animals walking around; no flowers this time of year! This “badland’ area is of interest to geologists who study the layers of land here from the past. Those sedimentary rock layers hide past life as scientists discover and uncover fossils. We were not here for that this day … off to do a hike or two!
On the road to Anza – Borrego Desert State Park, CA
After an informative stop at the visitor center, we drove to the Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail. Normally this would be a high-trafficked trail, but mid-week in the winter, not so much! It’s a rocky trail, couple of miles, with not much of an elevation gain. The trail continues to an overlook where one can see the post-fire recovery of the fan palms and can make your hike a bit longer. (More about fan vs date palms in a future post.)
In January 2020, a fire was carelessly set destroying many fan palms found in the canyon; basically the area was an oasis! This area of the trail is currently closed. Recovery takes time and we’ll hope many of the fan palms survive and grow again, along with the return of bighorn sheep, reptiles, insects and amphibians.
Desert park here!
We decided to hike the “alternate” signed trail for our return, to the parking lot, and not simply backtrack on the main trail. Thankfully we used the “All Trails” app, trail downloaded when contemplating to do this hike… thus prior to stepping foot on the trail. It helped us decipher between the “alternate” trail and the other many social trails as we returned to our vehicle! It’s not a long trail, but remember your water!
You may discover a strange looking cacti, a cristate Saguaro, or crested Saguaro while on your hike in southwest USA. It is still unknown whether the crested formation on the cacti is a result of a lightning strike, freeze damage or a genetic mutation.
Amazingly the crested formation can be found in other cacti, such as a barrel cactus. I will have to keep my eyes open for them! You’ll notice in my photo of the crested (cristate) Saguaro, arms did grow on it and there will be flowers in time. Have you seen a cristate?
Often cacti are photographed or sketched with their arms pointing upward, but in reality one can find cacti with arms drooping. On a recent hike, there were a few cacti with drooping arms and we got talking and asking the question, what had caused this?
Some drooping, others not…
My research seems to indicate two possible causes: a freeze and/or dehydration of the plant. When our temperature drops into a freeze zone, the point where the arm meets the cacti trunk is vulnerable. As a result it is weakened and the arm will droop as it continues to grow. Another possible cause is lack of water. It is very obvious when a cactus has enough water as it looks a bit plump and when with not enough water, shriveled. So now you know why one cactus will have arms upward and another may not!
There is a huge age difference in these cacti too!
It wasn’t a birding trip. Yet birds are everywhere in the world so how could I not notice birds in Australia and New Zealand! Here are some birding moments from my trip!
I consider myself a “birder in learning mode” since I have only been at this activity a few years. My acknowledgment of certain birds was due to “that bird looks similar to a bird I know”. Considering not having my binoculars or a 500 mm camera lens to look through and see any bird better, I think I did okay! (I did use 18-270 camera lens and cropped photos.)
Oystercatchers and this one is a sooty oystercatcher:
Sooty oystercatcher
I love pied-billed grebes and here was a Great crested grebe:
Great crested grebe
So many types of cormorants! How about this one drying its feathers, a little pied cormorant:
Little pied cormorant
There’s all kinds of herons, but I thought this is either a green or night heron, and I discover it is a Nankeen night heron:
Nankeen night heron
As I learned at home, sometimes one needs to take a close look to truly identify a bird.The magpie made me look closely to discover the difference between an Australian magpie and a magpie-lark! Fun fact: the magpie-lark is neither a magpie or a lark! Check out the photos:
Australian magpie
Magpie-lark
The magpie-lark is actually more closely related to fantails. Here’s one, New Zealand fantail, that took me forever to photograph as it jumped around in the tree! I see more of these birds during my travel but have no time to photograph them as they are crazy active!
NZ fantail
I discover house sparrows are all over Australia and New Zealand! And so are common chaffinch and masked lapwing.
Common chaffinch
Masked lapwing
At times I found myself on a mission to find a specific bird. One was the tui. This was a bird in New Zealand, always pictured with a white-tuft of feathers. I wanted to see it! After many days and awful photos, this was my best photo of a tui:
Tui
I remembered some song about the laughing kookaburra in an old gum tree, so that was another bird I hoped to find. And I did:
Laughing kookaburra
My biggest birding surprise! I was walking at Clifton Beach in Australia, returning to Palm Cove. While thinking about upcoming plans, I notice a bird in tall grass. Hmmm… sort of a different look to this bird from all I have seen in previous weeks. I photograph it with my phone. What a surprise when I discover it is a bird I have been looking for in Southern California, USA! Here it is:
Scaly-breasted munia
I hope I did not drive my fellow travelers crazy as I looked and listened for birds, spoke of Merlin Bird ID, and kept all aware of how many birds I saw per day. There seemed a genuine interest from others as they shared their observations and photos of birds. My Australian group was truly patient with me since by the end of my travel, I saw 70 new birds in Australia and 15 new birds in New Zealand! My love of birds and eBird list has grown!
New Zealand’s population is just over 5.5 million people, predominately on two main islands: North Island and South Island, yet technically it is made up of over 600 islands. Besides New Zealand’s beautiful landscape, I felt a beauty in their heart. I say this because there was recognition of Māori language in signage throughout the country and an appreciation of wild land and wild life.
To take one example, we stopped at a bird sanctuary. Notice the languages on the sign:
Notice languages and the bird
Punanga Manu o Te Anau … Te Anua Bird Sanctuary … has the only surviving population of takahē, a flightless bird once thought extinct. They were rediscovered in 1948 in the Murchison Mountains nearby. The once captive breeding program hand-reared the chicks; however, now eggs are left on the nest for the adult takahēs to rear.
Takahē bird
New Zealand’s goal is to be predator-free of rats, stoats and possums by 2050. Currently they have more than 110 predator-free islands so native species can thrive. Unfortunately it was human-introduced pests that preyed on the island’s wildlife causing some to go extinct. Now New Zealand works to get its native wildlife back by 2050.
I also appreciate the effort by New Zealanders to include Māori language on signage throughout the islands. While this may seem a small thing, Māori are the second largest ethnic group in the country, at almost 18%, and deserve recognition, especially as travelers visit the country. I understand efforts continue to acknowledge the history of this country as we, in the USA, have similar work to complete with our Native Americans. May the work continue to save and respect wild and human life.
New Zealand has many beautiful areas. During our 7.5 hour drive to Milford Sound we passed Lake Te Anau and drove through the 3/4 mile engineering wonder, Homer Tunnel … it was drilled through solid rock! We stopped a few times on our drive in Fiordland National Park. This bird caught everyone’s attention … it is a kea.
One stop we saw 3 of these large parrots -keas.
Fiordland National Park
Finally we arrived at Milford Sound. This is an iconic place. I had seen photos from here through the ages and now I am boarding a ship for an overnight cruise of the sound. It was Rudyard Kipling who dubbed Milford Sound as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. The water, the waterfalls and Mitre Peak all add to a spectacular sight!
While I wished to jump on a tender or kayak to have another water experience off the ship we are on, I did not. No regrets as I learn more about my own body with this patch behind my ear to help me not be motion sick. I want to enjoy this experience and scene, get a good night’s sleep on the ship and feel great in the morning! Of course, the one crazy thing I will never do is jump in the very cold water. Our guide and driver did! 40 degrees Fahrenheit, no way! Such craziness …
Our ship, Milford Mariner, can sleep 64 passengers and we have only 50 which is wonderful. We move around with ease. I love my room. There’s plenty of food provided. Twenty minutes before dinner there was food, and a bar to order drinks, then a buffet dinner with many flavorful foods. Desserts were delicious too. After the naturalist’s program, it was time to check out the dark sky. Well the moon had a good shine, so only the Southern Cross and a few constellations were easy to identify. Unfortunately, by 10:30 pm I saw no aurora and decided to hit the sack.
View from my room onboard Milford Mariner
View from rear of the boat.
Our boat
Fiordland penguin… thanks to person in our group who took this photo.
Amazing waterfalls! This is only one of many!
Breakfast at 6:45am: continental choices, 7:00 hot meals, and 7:30 we are to be done with breakfast. We were to gather our items and keep our bag on one side of the room as staff come through to start room cleaning. This ship has a couple of day sight-seeing tours and another overnight so this staff keeps to a schedule to have all ready as needed. Their service was fantastic!
After our breakfast, the morning boat ride was to the Tasman Sea but the captain decided not to go into it as the swells were good-sized. But we did move closer to the shore where I was able to spot a fur seal and 2 Fiordland penguins, also called yellow-crested penguins. That was great!
Long ride to Queenstown, check in at hotel, dinner and a few of us went to Smith’s Brewery. The Cassel’s milk stout was good. I will admit I think I drank as much beer as wine while in New Zealand.
My time at Milford Sound was great … a sunny day on arrival and the next morning a gray day with waterfalls really flowing. It was all good even with the long drive before and after. The beauty of the area will remain in my memory for a long time.
Gray weather when we left the next morning.
I loved being at the Milford Sound in New Zealand!
We flew more than 1,000 miles from Yulara in the Northern Territory to a different city and state, Cairns in Queensland. Then drove north to Palm Cove; our tour guide actually lives about 30 miles further north in Port Douglas. Palm Cove is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn which delineates warm, tropical climate on our earth. And yes, Palm Cove today is 81 degrees Fahrenheit with 70% humidity.
It was interesting last night and today when I had opportunities to wander. It becomes very clear how one could walk in from the Pacific Ocean and the Coral Sea, onto a beach front in many places of Palm Cove. Or closer to Clifton Beach there is an area thick with mangroves you would discover on your walk inland. Nowadays there is housing, but on the backside of them you can see the clouds hanging above rainforest. In another day, we will visit a rainforest.
On this day, we visited Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. It is Australia’s first and oldest facility to breed crocodiles in captivity. At the same time there are daily activities for curious visitors. You can pose with a snake or koala bear, or walk the discovery trail to see kangaroos, wombats, crocodiles and other animals. But the highlight for most people is to see the saltwater crocodiles be hand-fed in a show while another wildlife keeper explains the croc’s behavior. I always have mixed emotions with these shows, but at the same time, I understand humans seem to need this entertainment to realize the importance of other ecological and environmental messages. So be it, while these professional and experienced keepers interact with the crocs.
Only professionals with experience feed these crocodiles.
They did have an informative film on the operation of this crocodile farm and how it contributes to the conservation of wild crocodiles and their habitat. While on the boat cruise in their lagoon, the boatman did point out an alligator nest. Interestingly, the eggs are collected on site and artificially incubated. As the young crocodile ages, they are fed less times per week and always at the same time, by the same keeper with a routine to keep the crocodile’s stress level low. Within 4 hours after feeding the crocodiles, their tanks are scrubbed clean so no bacteria can grow. Those crocodiles in the lagoon feed on their own and know chicken will be available when a show happens. All parts of dead crocodiles are eventually used.
Keepers try to get the crocodile hog, then to roll and/or a head shake.
There are 216 species of snakes in Australia and half of them are brown. The keeper of this huge, venomous King Brown snake had a most interesting talk. She almost convinced me, as she once tried to convince her parents, that a snake is an easy pet to have. It didn’t work and they still don’t understand her love of snakes. Surprisingly and statistically-speaking, the most common age group to be bitten by a venomous snake is 50 -60 year old males … and possibly with alcohol involved. I don’t know why, but I was surprised with that fact.
I will say our tour group had an opportunity to hold a crocodile, which had its snout taped shut, and an olive python. I have felt both at other times and passed on this opportunity.
Other animals at the adventure center:
Perenti, the largest specie of lizards
Seven new birds were seen by me at the adventure place. None of these birds were caged; therefore, I could record them in my eBird list. Here’s an interesting bird … Australasian figbird:
Australasian figbird
Unfortunately this bird I could not include as it has a clipped wing and is now a resident here. I understand healthy black-necked storks can fly as high as airplanes. Wouldn’t that be a kick if I happen to see one in that environment! Black-necked stork:
Black-necked stork
Back at Palm Cove, I wandered 1.5 miles south to Clifton Beach … only 4 other people on the beach with me … lovely! So was my morning walking meditation on the beach in front of our hotel. We are here 4 nights so I am sure to get plenty of beach time in. It will not be swimming as I find the water cold … and after seeing this sign, not all that inviting.
I’ll pass for today!
But one amazing discovery! I have looked all over the southern coast of California for this bird and here it was sitting in grass in Clifton Beach, Australia!
Scaly-breasted munia
Tomorrow I am off to the Great Barrier Reef for my first snorkeling lesson … I’ll keep you posted!
As we traveled further north in Tasmania, we left millions of sheep and now there are more Angus beef bulls and dairy cattle in the fields, along with pink and blue trees every so often. Old trees do not decompose quickly since there are no termites in Tasmania; termites are on mainland Australia. Anyway, you might see an old tree painted blue to remind all the importance of mens health or you’ll see some are pink to remind all about breast awareness.
At higher elevations the temperatures are getting colder; 35 degrees Fahrenheit on our arrival. Snow can be seen on the tops of mountains as this is the start of spring here in the state of Tasmania in Australia. The locals have shorts on while the rest of us, “rug up” … meaning we are layered with clothing.
Cradle Mountain National Park is part of Tasmania’s World Heritage area, best known for its national park. Mountains, lakes, and moorlands with many hiking trails all available for exploration. We took 2 short hikes: Enchanted Walk and Pencil Pine Trail. Here are some photos:
Our longer hike was about an hour on Snake Hill Trail. Beautiful mountainside. On these hikes I learned that wombats have cube-shaped scat and wallabies have a more oval scat. I’m hard-pressed to know how it comes out cube-shaped! Here’s proof:
Cube-shaped wombat scat
Wallaby scat
I liked the chicken wire on the boards we walked on. Then we went to Dove Lake with no success in seeing Cradle Mountain.
Out there is Cradle Mountain; however, on another tour, the guide had a beautiful view of it. See below!
Cradle Mountain on a clear day; photo from Mark, our guide, when he was on another tour. How I wished to have seen that beautiful view! Thanks for sharing the photo Mark!
I was safely driving through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from Wyoming to Idaho. Unfortunately though, not all raptors flying through the area are successful! An ill, orphaned or injured raptor could end up at the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming. There they will receive an assessment of their injury, possible rehabilitation and hopefully be returned to the wild!
Wild birds need to remain in the wild. However there are times a bird’s injury cannot be repaired thus hampering its ability to survive in the wild. At the Teton Raptor Center, these birds may be considered for use in their educational programs. Also, birds once used in falconry cannot return to the wild since they are human imprinted. Otherwise, the goal at this center is to return each bird to the wild!
To best view raptors during your visit, book a reservation for one of the programs at the Teton Raptor Center. The staff are knowledgeable and offer a variety of programs. I enjoyed the hour-long, live-bird presentation where I learned about, and saw up-close, three of their “bird ambassadors”. So many things to check out at the center! If you live in the area, I hope you visit. If you are traveling to Yellowstone or Teton National Parks, add this place to your itinerary! Let’s keep wild birds wild!
