We began a sunrise morning bird walk southwest of town. We looked towards the Tucson Mountains and saw what I captured in the photo below. We were stunned! A Google AI search explained this as a “dramatic atmospheric distortion of the Tucson Mountains, probably caused by a temperature inversion and unusual refraction of light through layers of air at different temperatures.The striking feature is how the mountain ridgeline appears to have been stretched into horizontal layers, with enormous gaps and flattened, mesa-like shapes.” This is called a “Fata Morgana.” AI continued: “A Fata Morgana is a particularly dramatic type of mirage in which distant objects appear distorted into shapes that look completely different from reality. The name comes from Morgan le Fay, the enchantress of Arthurian legend, who was associated with mysterious castles appearing over the sea.”
A pair of Great Horned Owls returned to a friend’s midtown neighborhood. I believe this one is the female of the pair. It is now a month or two from nesting season so I’m hoping they’ve settled in for the winter.
At El Rio, one of the wolfberry plants was full of fruit and yet still was flowering. This is an important plant as birds eat the berries and hummingbirds and pollinators love the flowers. The plant is thick with branches and leaves that offers shelter year-round for birds.
Just west of El Rio along Twin Peaks road, Marana recently dedicated a sculpture at Rattlesnake Pass as it passes through the Tucson Mountains. No surprise about what the sculpture in that place would be! The sculpture and road improvements were completed in September. https://www.maranaaz.gov/Newsroom-Entries/2026/Marana-installs-new-public-art-as-part-of-Rattlesnake-Pass-Widening-Project
Although the weather is cooling down, there are still plenty of dragonflies around. This is a Flame Skimmer.
On my trip through the agricultural areas in Santa Cruz Flats, we saw a Great Egret perched atop a berm. Great Egrets are a global species but recently, they have been split into four separate species, based on vocalizations, breeding coloration, and feather structure. So now these Egrets in our hemisphere are known as American Egrets.
On a walk through Sabino Canyon, this Empress Leilia butterfly was resting on a wooden beam. This butterfly seems to have had a tough life that included at least one escape from predation as evidenced by its right wing.
There are interesting things to see wherever you go.
Interesting cross section today including the mirage.
I've never seen anything like that mirage. Amazing.