However, I got a much bigger thrill yesterday.

First, I came back up from moving the goats to find a very cold and half asleep toad quite literally clawing at the front door as if to say "Please let me in where it's warm". Poor guy. He was definately barely awake. Only about an inch and a half long, very rough skinned, with a white belly, olive green back, and many small solid black dots on his back and sides. His feet and legs, however, were pink! I was on my way to check on the cattle, so I carefully nudged him into a container and took him down to the lake on my way. The minute he hit that mud, he started digging in.

I wonder if he came with our old telephone poles, too? The ranch owner brought in a big pile of them. He is using them to build a new entry way to the ranch. The hubby was helping him unload them from the flat bed - when he came rushing to the house, his hands cupped around something, shouting for me.

I opened the door for him and he showed me a tiny mouse, now unconscious, cupped in his palms. He was afraid the little girl got smushed, she was in the pile of poles and he just happened to spot her when he moved them.

A veteran of pets of the rodentia type, I knew the first order of business, and often the only first aid required, was to warm her up. So he went back to work and I bedded mousie down in a International Coffees Mocha box (empty) with a bit of alfalfa for bed and munchies. Our oven isn't working, but I had a pot of water keeping warm for tea and the stove top was warm, so I set her on that and went back to work at the computer. I checked on her every now and then - and by the time the men were done with their job and wanted dinner, she was perky enough to try and hop out of her box. All her legs seemed to be just fine! So when we tucked the goats in for the night, we took her down and released her in the back pasture. I'm thinking she was a Southern Grasshopper Mouse.

The toad is a mystery though. From my Audobon I was sure he was a Colorado River Toad - as he definately had a white wart at each corner of his mouth. Today I went up to nature.com and their photo of a Colorado River Toad doesn't look a bit like him. Ideas, anyone?

After releasing the toad, I headed on down towards the cattle tank, watching both sides of the road as I always do. I see so many great birds on my way down there - it is pretty much unspoiled Sonoran Desert. Even so, I was so amazed I about fell off the Mule (our little 2WD all terrain runabout) when three Sandhill Cranes flushed from a mesquite tree where they had been roosting, and flew away right over my head.

When I got down to the cattle pen, I got a great look at last at the big hawk who roosts on one of the tall fence posts there. He is always there, but usually takes off when I get near. Yesterday I got lucky. The horses were at the tank also, so I walked over to say "hi". Standing behind one of the horses I was able to get quite close to the hawk. His head moved up and down and sideways as he tried to figure out how the horse came to suddenly have six legs. Finally, he figured out I was there and took off. I still am not quite sure what he is though. He doesn't quite fit the description or photos of any of the hawks I've found that range here. He is black or slate grey on his head, back, and wings. A white breast, with a black streaky band around his belly, and his wings and tail on the inner lining are striped black and white. Legs are bare and yellow, as is his beak, although it seems to have a black tip.

The Common Black Hawk is all black. The Harris is a good possibility - given we have quite a few of them - but he is darker. He is too big for a Swainsons or Sharp-Shinned - although I've seen both of those here, too. Now that I've seen the Northern Harrier a couple of times, I'm sure he doesn't have their interesting facial feathering. Hmmmmmm...

As we drove in Sunday, we passed several road kills, mostly rabbits. By this morning one of them was pretty awful looking and we mentioned, time for the Vultures to come clean up. Then realized we have not seen a single Vulture of any kind since we have been here. It seems that the Ravens are the local clean-up crew.

It's so much fun to learn someplace new...

Good birding!