Portal, Arizona! Where the Hell is Portal, Arizona? Well, it’s on the AZ/NM border about 8 miles from Rodeo, New Mexico and 60 miles north of Mexico. It’s in a part of our country that has no gas stations; no grocery stores; 2 cafes that may, or may not be open; and a lot of land covered with mesquite and creosote bush. If you’re in Portal and need gas it’s 30 miles by gravel road back to I-10. So why would anyone want to go there? It’s for the birds! Birds that live there; birds that migrate there from Mexico and South America; desert birds and mountain birds. This was my second trip there, lodging and dining at some single cottages after loading up on groceries (and some beer) for the week before I left Tucson.
Cool weather had delayed the migration so most of the birds found were residents. But the week provided some excellent opportunities for photography, over 20 species. Here are some of the results: