With the mild weather this winter, we were able to spend much more time in the high elevation grasslands of southeastern Arizona. Even though every place should be appreciated for its own uniqueness, you can't help but compare this place to the grasslands of Africa.
Sarengeti Grassland
SE Arizona Grassland
Of course, the wildlife we saw is far different from the African continent, there were some striking similarities there as well.
African Grassland Wildlife
SE Arizona Grassland Wildlife
Even the grasslands leading up to the mountains share a common look and feel.
African Mountain
SE Arizona Mountain
We gravitated towards this region because for most people it is just too cold. A snow birder will look at you in horror if you told them you were wintering in a spot where it drops below freezing at night and rarely gets above 70 during the day (even if it is relentlessly sunny every day). Unfortunately, we missed that this year. With the mild weather, we spent the whole winter sleeping with our windows open at night. Regardless, the region is still almost deserted when it comes to snow birders, and we've been able to find dozens of new secluded boondocking sites that aren't blabbed about anywhere on the Internet or other common RV sources. We plan on spending a lot of time here in future years!
African Bird Flock
SE Arizona Bird Flock
It's almost time for us to start our northern migration. We've decided to try out the colder, higher elevations of central Arizona next. Normally, the weather wouldn't allow it, but maybe this year, the Mogollon Rim and forests around Show Low, AZ will be open to us in March.
