This shot was taken just outside the tiny village of Portal, and is of part of the staggeringly scenic Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. This area is a Mecca for birding in the US, holding a dizzying variety of desert species in addition to woodland birds that take advantage of the "sky island" oases in the "sea" of desert that abounds there. Just a few of the magical birds that can regularly be found there include the showstopping Elegant Trogon, Flammulated and Elf Owls, Painted Redstarts and Red-faced Warblers all in the woods; while Bendire's Thrashers emerge onto the yucca tops in the early morning sun; and Greater Roadrunners make mad dashes across the desert-lined highways.