I have great respect and admiration for Rosy-Finches. They live year-round in a cold and bleak environment and eke out a living. Black Rosy-Finch is my favorite family member and it's a bird that I try to see each year on my June expeditions away from AZ (where I've also seen the bird!). This male was photographed at the West Summit of Beartooth Highway in Wyoming on June 29, 2004.

In Arizona, Sage Thrashers breed in the northern third of the state and winter in the south. They are fairly common and widespread breeders in sagebrush country of several western states, including Wyoming, where I regularly see them in almost-annual visits in June. This individual was photographed at Lake Hattie near Laramie, Wyoming on June 23, 2004.