By the time you finish the movie, you're about scared to try hiking the refuge for fear of tromping on some buried WWII ammo and blowing your leg off - LOL.

We completed the process and planned a hike for Sunday morning. The road to the gates of this section is ostensibly passable by a family vehicle - although the ranger at the station strongly advised against it. Another docent at the station stated he made it down in his sedan. We thought we would try it and if not, hike the rest of the way. There are places you can drive into the refuge - but those are part of the missle range and you have to call in advance. At the moment, we don't have any minutes on the cell phone and can't make a call.

Like all of the directions we've gotten in Arizona, the directions and even the map are vague and subject to interpetation. We arrived at the refuge office, thinking that the road took off from behind it. We couldn't find a road - but we did observe a Verdin, a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, and a Curve-Billed Thrasher while sitting in the parking lot!

We decided to walk the little path around the office that led to the pond behind it, and down to a dry wash. A hummingbird hovered right in front of my husband, but darted off before he could gather his wits and notice field marks!

We saw flocks of white winged and mourning doves, there for the morning water.

A flock of Gambel's Quail played games through the brush with my husband, who was trying to photograph them. The pursuit looked like one of those chases on the old movies where the participants are zooming in and out of doors on a long hallway, missing each other coming and going.

An orange-crowned warbler flitted among the creosote bushes down in the wash. We never did find the road in, but we added quite a few birds to our life list anyway!

This morning some pretty little birds were insect catching outside the rec room window. They struck me as phoebes. Grey with a crest and pale yellow rumps. I can't find anything like them in this audobon of the Southwest. In our creosote bushes this morning, a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher flitted about.

I do love traveling. Most of the time, all I have to do to add to my life list is look out the tent in the morning!

Good birding!