Transmitting from the Mojave Wilderness in Joshua Tree, California.

Now is the time for Desert Oracle Radio, the voice of the desert.

Night has fallen on the desert.

It's usually fairly quiet here at Desert Oracle by choice. Not a lot going on.

We drive down to the post office every couple of weeks and gather up the mail from the

PO box. And otherwise the breaking news is rare. But now and then everybody's texting and direct messaging and tagging you, and when you

finally sit down with a cup of coffee and go through it all, you realize it's all about

the same thing. One of those rare times every year or two, when a desert story makes headlines around the world.

We were speaking with Mr. C. del Desireto wildlife biologist in the southwest just a couple of weeks ago about

his various adventures tracking and counting eagles and other such flying dinosaurs and one thing he

mentioned is how in his profession, they use helicopters to get up

in the real rough country, to see the eagle nest

on the canyon walls and so forth.

And I was thinking how that's got to be the most disturbing thing to the animals to have this

enormous hellishly loud, whirly birds circling around so that the bird counters can get a number and see the eggs or the chicks or whatever.

But of course it's better than building a road into the roadless area and the helicopter is gone after a few minutes

unlikely to be seen again for another season or another year now if you've ever been to Boulder city

maybe you know about the wonderful little city park at the edge of town,

just a normal American park with green grass and picnic tables.

But if you happen to be there at sunrise and you happen to be alone and very quiet

and maybe sitting at a picnic table with your coffee and your camera.

You might just see a bunch of desert big horn sheep appear from the dry red hills and gullies.

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