All posts by mjh

Mark Justice Hinton lives in New Mexico and loves the Four Corners region, as well as the Rocky Mountains. Write him at chaco@mjhinton.com.
sky

For the first time in a decade, you can see 5 planets aligned without a telescope

For the first time in a decade, you can see 5 planets aligned without a telescope

For the first time in more than a decade, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter — the five planets bright enough to be seen with an unaided eye — will all be visible at once in the sky.

You’ll have to wake up early to catch it. Starting January 20, it will be possible to see all five planets in a row, about 45 minutes before sunrise, Sky and Telescope reports. The planets should be visible in this arrangement until February 20.

(Sky and Telescope notes it might get harder to see Mercury after the first week of February, because of its low position near the horizon).

For the first time in a decade, you can see 5 planets aligned without a telescope

wildlands

The folly of “taking back” the West — Western states agreed to disclaim lands in order to become states

The folly of “taking back” the West — High Country News Ted Williams Opinion Jan. 20, 2016 Web Exclusive

Do 700 million acres of national parks, national monuments, national forests, national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Land Management units belong to you and your fellow Americans? No, according to the increasingly popular notion in the West that it’s time for states to “take back” federal land.

“Taking back” property that belongs to Alaskans and Floridians and everyone in between is even a plank in the GOP platform. A resolution, entitled “In Support of Western States Taking Back Public Lands” reads: “The Republican National Committee calls upon all national and state leaders and representatives to exert their utmost power and influence to urge the imminent transfer of public lands to all willing Western states.”

Taking back something that never belonged to you presents multiple problems, not the least of which is semantics. But this has never discouraged proponents whose first order of business is to ignore constitutional law.

Here’s a fact they don’t want you to know: As a condition for entering the union, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Nevada disclaimed all legal right and title to unappropriated public lands.

The folly of “taking back” the West — High Country News

newmexico

The Rio Grande Trail

A trail running near the entire length of the Rio Grande is a wonderful idea. It’s great to see it moving forward. Now, let’s add train service, beginning with Bernardo and Bosque del Apache.

Could Mt. Cristo Rey start new Rio Grande Trail? – ABQJournal Online

The Rio Grande Trail proposal is still in its infancy. Legislation took effect July 1 of last year, calling for the trail’s establishment. The trail commission’s early January meeting in Las Cruces was its third session.

Could Mt. Cristo Rey start new Rio Grande Trail? – ABQJournal Online

birds, photos

Cock of the Rock, the national bird of Peru

The first photo I took of a Cock of the Rock male in Manu, Peru
First photo of male Cock of the Rock (above)

I first heard of the Cock of the Rock years ago, after Merri led an impromptu expedition in Ecuador in search of the bird described as both showy and shy.

Last November, we were riding in a van for hours along miles of dirt road that skirt an edge of the Manu jungle region of Peru. Much of that day consisted of riding, stopping, getting out, standing by the road to look for birds while other vehicles roared pass. As we slowed for a turn before crossing a beautiful wide stream, the first Cock of the Rock male I’d ever seen landed on a branch, perhaps not 6 feet from my window (photo above). Snap! Be ready for your opportunities.

(The first female Cock of the Rock I saw was barely visible on a nest in shadow under an overhang above the Urubamba river in Aguas Caliente, near Machu Picchu. Dave Mehlman and I were wandering when a bus driver asked, “have you seen the Cock of the Rock on the nest?” Well, no actually.)

To me, the Cock of the Rock is simultaneously beautiful and ugly. The shape of the head defies logic. Look closely for the beak barely protruding from the feathers. The stark eyes are fish-like, or like the eyes pasted on stuffed animals. Yet the power of the intense red contrasting with the dapper grey and black is undeniable.

The next day, our group drove to a roadside viewing area adjacent to a lek, the competitive breeding grounds for Cocks of the Rock. Plastic tarps formed a wall to minimize dust and noise from passing vehicles. A local guardian kept the key to a locked gate that blocked the steep steps down to a narrow uneven path a dozen paces to a viewing stand, not a blind, but a rickety porch without other attachment, directly behind the plastic tarps. This viewing area looked down a hill that was dense jungle.

At the worst time, more than a dozen people jostled quietly on this platform for a chance to see and photograph one of the half a dozen or so Cocks of the Rock, mostly showy males. Viewing was very challenging through the tangle, though it’s easy to scan green for brilliant red. The loud sore-throat croak of the males also helps you find them.

Photographs required manual focus. There were just too many points to distract autofocus, but automatic exposure settings worked fine. Though the jungle was dim, these birds don’t move very fast.

Eventually, the flock of birders moved on, leaving just 3 of us to watch longer. During this time, the birds moved closer, still not as close as that first bird. It was a delightful moment.

Cock of the Rock males in Manu, PeruCock of the Rock males in Manu, PeruCock of the Rock males in Manu, PeruCock of the Rock males in Manu, PeruCock of the Rock males in Manu, Peru

More photos from Peru (about 170)

Chaco

Earth Notes: Chaco Canyon’s Ancient, Exotic Birds | KNAU

Earth Notes: Chaco Canyon’s Ancient, Exotic Birds | KNAU Arizona Public Radio#stream/0

Researchers recently worked out carbon-14 dates on scarlet macaw skeletons, most from the great house of Pueblo Bonito. They found that macaws were present at least a century before archaeologists thought—some as early as A.D. 900 to 975. The results from this direct dating method are considered more accurate than previous, relative dates.

Chaco was a central ceremonial place in the early Puebloan world, with a complex society and upper-crust elites. To archaeologists, the dates suggest that the elites, who controlled access to the highly prized macaws, were in power earlier than had previously been thought.

Earth Notes: Chaco Canyon’s Ancient, Exotic Birds | KNAU Arizona Public Radio#stream/0

photos, wildlands, wildlife

Our Trip to Peru, November 2015

We went to Peru in November, 2015. We traveled with a small group of friends, under arrangements made by Dave Mehlman, birdman extraordinaire. In the course of 2 full weeks, from Lima, to Cusco, to Machu Picchu, to the jungle of Manu, I took too many photos. In the 2 months since, I have taken too long to pull out these. I hope you enjoy them.

Each photo is a link to the album of 179 photos. Be sure to look at the 263 photos by Merri Rudd, as well.

(User’s guide: Follow the link to a page of photos. Select any photo for a large version with caption. You can step through photos or use the Slide Show option at the top of any one photo.)

Mockingbird (lucky timing)IMG_2559IMG_2745IMG_2895IMG_3214IMG_3328IMG_3676IMG_3813IMG_3990WP_20151111_09_17_55_ProIMG_4361IMG_5338\WP_20151114_11_25_09_ProIMG_6487IMG_7974IMG_7988IMG_8175

sky

Latest sunrise of the year on 1/5/16

The Sky This Week, 2015 December 29 – 2016 January 5 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The latest sunrise of the year occurs on January 5th, when Old Sol crests the horizon at 7:27 am EST here in Washington, DC. On that same evening sunset occurs at 5:00 pm, 14 minutes later than its earliest sunset back on December 7th. The total length of daylight on New Year’s Day will be 9 hours 30 minutes, four minutes longer than it was on the day of the solstice, and the days will steadily increase in length until the summer solstice, which will fall on June 20.

The Sky This Week, 2015 December 29 – 2016 January 5 — Naval Oceanography Portal

wildlands

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)

The National Park Service turns 100 years old in 2016 and we want everyone to join the party! On 16 days in ’16, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone.

Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2016:

  • January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • April 16 through 24: National Park Week
  • August 25 through 28: National Park Service Birthday
  • September 24: National Public Lands Day
  • November 11: Veterans Day

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)

sky

Perihelion 1/2/16 — as close as we get until the sun swells to engulf the earth

The Sky This Week, 2015 December 29 – 2016 January 5 — Naval Oceanography Portal

January 2nd marks the date of Earth’s perihelion, its closest distance to the Sun. On this date we’ll be a mere 147 million kilometers (91.4 million miles) from the fierce surface of the “day star”.

The Sky This Week, 2015 December 29 – 2016 January 5 — Naval Oceanography Portal

wildlands, wildlife

Find your quest

“Being here makes me realize I haven’t accomplished anything.”

We watched a great film about a most extraordinary man, Dayton O. Hyde, cowboy, writer, conservationist. After years as a rancher and cowboy, he turned his considerable force of will toward providing sanctuary — paradise — for wild horses otherwise doomed to slaughter or neglect. He shaped a chunk of the Black Hill of South Dakota into heaven on earth for these beautiful creatures. His wish is that when he returns as a horse, he’ll run among them.

They truly don’t make people like this anymore. However, he serves as an inspiration. Find your quest. Save your space from the profiteers. Love, listen to, honor nature, the land and everything on it.

Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde (2013) is a great documentary, weaving old movies and photos into the story. Just when you think you know the rest of the story, it proves you wrong, more than once. As one old friend says of Hyde, “he is a holy man.” It’s streaming on Netflix for two more days — see it NOW.

Chaco

Wood Sources Identified in the Ancient Southwest

2 Comments

This is follow up to an earlier post (Researchers say 2 mountain ranges provided wood for Chaco).

Wood Sources Identified in the Ancient Southwest

There’s a massive increase in the amount of construction—about half of ‘downtown Chaco’ houses were built at the time the wood started coming from the Chuska Mountains,” Guiterman said. To read in-depth about the ancient Southwest, go to “On the Trail of the Mimbres.”

Chaco

Researchers say 2 mountain ranges provided wood for Chaco

1 Comment

I’ve read before that the Chuska mountains were a source of Chaco’s wood. Distance isn’t the only issue considering that the Anasazi didn’t have wheels. Chimney Rock to the north is said to have provided wood from the surrounding mountains in the South San Juans. Chimney Rock is over 150 miles from Chaco by road; surely more than 50 miles away by any other route.

Looking at the map below, one has to wonder if wood came from the area around Mount Taylor, north of Grants (southeast of Chaco & next to Zuni), or from Jemez (due east of Chaco). Again, distance isn’t the only issue.

zuni-chuska-chaco

Albuquerque Journal | Researchers say 2 mountain ranges provided wood for Chaco

By Associated Press
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 at 8:59am

TUCSON, Ariz. — University of Arizona researchers have concluded that wood used to construct large buildings at what is now Chaco (CHAh-co) Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico came from two different mountain ranges.

According to the university’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, most of the wood for the building projects in Chaco’s arid setting came from the Zuni Mountains before the year 1020. That mountain range is about 50 miles south of Chaco and located southeast of Gallup.

However, the researchers say the Chuska Mountains became the main wood source became by 1060. The Chuskas are located about 50 miles to the west of Chaco.

Chaco is a World Heritage site. The area was considered a ceremonial and economic center for the ancestors of many Native American tribes in the region.

Albuquerque Journal | Researchers say 2 mountain ranges provided wood for Chaco

Uncategorized

Four Interesting Facts about Mushrooms in Our National Forests – National Forest Foundation

I though aspen groves are considered a single organism and among the largest. (I think this fungus was on an X-Files a decade ago.)

Four Interesting Facts about Mushrooms in Our National Forests – National Forest Foundation

Did you know that the biggest organism on earth is a fungus? One specific honey mushroom fungus ( Armillaria solidipes ) spans 2.4 miles across the Malhuer National Forests in the Blue Mountains of Oregon.

Four Interesting Facts about Mushrooms in Our National Forests – National Forest Foundation

wildlands, wildlife, wyoming

Wildlife “management” is Welfare for ranchers

Albuquerque Journal | Removals of grizzly bears up in Yellowstone so far in 2015

By Associated Press Sunday, November 1st, 2015 at 11:52pm

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife managers have euthanized 24 grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so far this year, the highest number in the past five years.

Most of the bears, which are a protected species under federal law, had killed livestock or had become habituated to human food sources, according to information posted on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team’s website.

Albuquerque Journal | Removals of grizzly bears up in Yellowstone so far in 2015