Thursday, November 8, 2012

Moonlight Sonata

Sacred perfection.  Kathie and I set out to Sweetwater.  It would be her first outing to this place since she moved back to Tucson.  For me, it would mark our first outing together here after dark.  But even more remarkable were the finds.  With birder buddy near, we dared to stay until after dark and that is when the magic happened.
Two elements kept my thoughts together.  Kathie.  And "Bob".  He is always at Sweetwater on Sunday nights with his baseball cap and checklist.  Two people who have the observation skills of a Red Tail Hawk hunting prey.  We got stuck at the recharge ponds because of the high amount of bird/duck activity.  It was incredible but unfortuneatly, the sun is setting earlier and earlier and the time for camera documentation began to dwindle.  And before we knew it, the sun had set.
The sky was darkened not only by the fading light but by the flights of hundreds of Yellow Headed Blackbirds, ducks, and other birds. So much life.  So much power and beauty.
As it grew quiet, the sacred Great Horned Owl flew with its HUGE wingspan across the dark night sky.  Quiet. And breathtaking.  And for the first time, a Green Heron magically appeared out of a tree and it would mark my first photo documentation of this bird.  But even more special were the Lesser Nighthawks that flew above our heads.  The Black Capped Night Heron began its ascent over the wetlands.  And "Bob" reported that we passed a Diamond Backed Rattlesnake.  That would have been incredible to spot but Kathie was happy we hadn't:)  And throughout the hushed and darkened skies of Sweetwater, the sparrows and songbirds huddled together and sang their nighttime music safely together in the bushes.
Never had I stayed so late at this place that I like to bird. The wild things roam here during this time and one must keep their eyes open for snakes, Coyotes, a Mountain Lion, Bobcats, etc.  As we left the place, I felt recharged and happy that we were able to spot so many incredible night birds. Which of course means only one thing.......I have to investigate more on this birding at night bit:)  My Monday began calm and relaxed with lingering thoughts of the Great Horned Owl in flight..........
Here's another song that I've been listening to in my car. This song is close to my heart and relates to a someone I know.  If I had seen this video 5 years ago, I would have thought that this would happen to other people, but indeed this scenario had played out in someone I knew in my world.   Part of this blog is about the journey and documentation of all things which includes the background experience of a trip. Those things that are on the back of our mind while we hike and look for birds and other wildlife.

19 comments:

  1. What a lovely post Chris. Felt as though I was there with you guys, and wish I was now. The Ed Sheeran song, played a lot here and one of my favourites!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The turtle is my favorite...Beautiful pics..have a nice day

    ReplyDelete
  3. I actually thought when I first glanced at the title of your post it was "Moonlight Sonoita"

    Go figure!

    I like the peaceful music to go along with the views. I liked it so much that I played it again and then I bookmarked it - Thanks!


    -

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pretty powerful song. Sadly, this goes on all over our country and other places. I won't say much other than it was difficult to understand. I think things are better now for this individual but it has been awhile since I last heard anything.

      Delete
  4. What a feast. What is the terrapin? I wish you could get a picture of the snakes. I have always liked reptiles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a small Freshwater turtle...but that's as far as I've gotten:) They're edible apparently. I have one snake pic coming up for you. As for the diamondback....I've been having to watch out for them. We've barely missed them but if I get a safe distance from one, I'll take a pic. Promise:)

      Delete
  5. Love the Green heron, great sighting. Sounds like another great bird outing with Kathie! Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You've found a great birding buddy! And the shots are good even if it is already dark, as you said. I've watched 2x when the birds simultaneously come back to roost, and the flight is really fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You and Kathie make a great birding team. You got some great photos again.

    ReplyDelete
  8. congrats on spotting the green heron! did you see my giveaway this month? :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Night birding and camping go together well. That's when the tripod comes in handy.

    The video is disturbing and I'm sorry anyone you would know had to go through anything like this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard not only for me to grasp but for others in our group. It wasn't easy during those difficult times....especially for the parents. How do you reach out to someone in a situation like this?

      Delete
  10. What an adventure! I was telling Tracy that now that the weather is getting better, we need to venture back to our wetlands.

    So sorry we weren't able to make the trip down right now. We will have to plan something around work schedules. We both want to meet you and begin blogging adventures with you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Still thinking about the headress on the deer in the last post.
    Is that Turtle edible?? Ohhhhhh I Just kidding!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds like a great adventure :)So sorry and sad that someone you know has experienced something similar to the video scenario.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You have some great night birds to see over there Chris. My mouth was watering just thinking about nighthawks, a Great Horned Owl and all those blackbirds flying noisily into their roost.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think this is a familiar situation for way too many young people today Chris, as a mother myself it breaks my heart to see .

    ReplyDelete
  15. Another great adventure:) Birding at night sounds fun! Great Horned Owls are one of my favorite birds. I often only hear them though, especially on my before sunrise, early morning runs.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by!