"Great" Expectations

African Brown Goose

On a slow day, I went to take a walk at Columbus Park in Tucson.  I wanted to take advantage of the cooler temps and see if I could spot something different.

Great Egret in flight

And while I didn't have lots of new sightings, I was able to capture the "Greater" birds out in the open.  Some of them were the closest I've been able to capture on camera!

Great Blue Heron

Like the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets.  They walked slowly around me as I watched them eye up fishermen and their bait:)

But for the first time, I was able to spot wildlife and then spot people walking towards them.  And at this point, I was able to predict their trajectory as people and dogs alike spooked the birds into flight.

And that is where I set my camera waiting with great expectation for "the" shot.

Great Blue Heron in flight

It was also the perfect time of day to spot Great Egrets as the sun wasn't as strong yet to make them "glow" in the sunlight.

And so while nothing major happened, I was able to get close to some amazing birds.  There's never a dull moment while birding:)  More tomorrow....

The Neutral Zone

By accident, I found a place where man and beast alike roam in the city of Tucson.  It was shocking.  Behind a lake, I found an area between Columbus Park and Sweetwater Wetlands that was teaming with wildlife.  I went to find buntings and more buntings(reported by a birder), but I found much more than that......

Male Lesser Goldfinch in the shadows of this mighty Mesquite tree

I walked alone again on this cloudy afternoon during our monsoon storms.  It was cool and quiet.  The bugs were out in full force.  Even if a homeless person wanted to live in this area, they couldn't or if they did, they'd face being eaten alive.

It was oddly exciting for me.  And I began to connect the dots. A river ran through this forested area of Mesquite, Arizona Cottenwood, and other dense shrubs.  It was like a secret forest left untouched.  If humans decided to build here, they'd face the threat of losing their home in this wash or worse....their lives. Because of floods, etc., this area is a no man's land that cannot be touched by people at all. So the wash had evidence that people were present, but it was clear that it was a safehaven for wildlife like coyotes and mountain lions to hide.

Mexican Amberwing Dragonfly

I walked among the ruins overrun by mequite trees growing from the tops of concrete waste.  For a year now, I have tried to understand how Mountain Lions were entering the Sweetwater wetlands without being noticed.  That is until I went from the other side of the wash and discovered this lost haven.  There were things that lived here that I had never seen before in the city.  I mean....strange new butterflies, birds and animals.  You'll see them all.  It was a real treat.  Again, I heard the Lazuli Buntings in the dense forest and surrounding grasslands but because the bugs were so intense, I stayed out of the area.  Plus there were other desert things lurking in the dark.  So I played it safe.

Now there were all kinds of critters.  I didn't realize how many of you loved lizards until several weeks ago so I'll take more pictures of them for you all.   Right now butterflies and lizards OWN the desert:)  They are everywhere.

Zebra tailed lizard

So I forgot about the muggy weather and had a blast taking pictures and capturing everything on camera.  Over the next several days you'll see some extremely exciting desert wildlife come alive:)

Goldfinch

But like all good things, my walk had to come to an end and I had to return home, but I didn't want to....this summer heat carries a price.  I respect the desert and listen to my body.  Heat exhaustion is common here in the desert and can come on suddenly without warning.  So I look forward to the winter weather more than ever!  I'm craving long day hikes again.  More tomorrow....

Letting Go

You cannot erase the past; you must let it go.

You cannot change yesterday; you must accept the lessons learned.

You cannot stop time or stand still in a world racing around in circles;

you must dance with the wind and sing with the songs that are playing.

Let whatever mistakes you have made remain in the shadows of times gone by,

and let love be the answer to the mysteries of life.

-Author Unknown-

Coyotes

It's hard to say why things are so complicated in life.  Sometimes it's one thing.  Sometimes it's a combination of things.  But whenever the camera comes out, the complications of life go away.

It's just me.  It's just my camera.  I dare not speak as I don't want to disturb the life around me.  For so many years, I went went went......and to where? And for what??   Today, I know that you don't have to go far to find the magic of your own home or garden.  It's always been there. Just took me awhile to figure it out.  Just be.

And when I see these amazing things around me, I forget everything and just stand in awe of the power that nature provides.  There are even moments when a tear forms at the corner of my eye.   I don't even care if anyone knows that anymore because it's true. Some call it God.  Some call it Nature.  Whatever It is, I can certainly feel the power and wonder of our Universe at work....but It is.  And when those moments happen, my camera has a hard time focusing.

Today I happened upon Coyotes.  I was alone.  Not scared. But I was respectful of our space.  And that little kid came out with a little laugh....but never anything loud because our little laughs make the wild things run.  And it takes awhile to find them safely hidden from people.  I wondered if these Coyotes were ever chased by people.  What was their experience like around us?   But I didn't let the thought linger too long because it bothered me to think what the answer might be. 

We looked at each other for a moment.  My work was unimportant, my life meaningless.....because here in this moment was something called perfection.  And if glow were an emotion than that is what I was feeling. And I begin to understand why the Native people's used the Coyote as a symbol.   It was that powerful.

Oasis

Neotropic Cormorants

On a tip from several birders, I discovered that near the Sweetwater Wetlands, there is a park with a lake and an island!  And it was here that I discovered my best views of Herons, Egrets, and Neotropic Cormorants!  They had been flying into the wetlands but not sticking around......Where were they going?

Thanks to a tip off from my friend, I was able to visit this park for the first time and find the Great Blue Heron rookery located on the "island" in the middle of the lake. Granted it's not Lake Michigan big, but it was a larger lake stocked with fish and that's were I found all my larger water birds. 

It was fun to stop here.  How long have I lived in Tucson and never been to this area?  It makes me think that there are more of these little gems hidden around town.   We arrived at the park and quickly identified the island in the lake.  It was far away from humans for the herons to build their nesting area.

The Neotropic Cormorants are strange birds but they all hang together in a group.  The eye color, long neck, and slinky water movements sometimes remind me of a snake, a seal, or the lockness monster.

While the Neotropic Cormorant freaks me out a bit, the opposite can be said of the graceful Great Egret.  These birds weren't with the Cormorants or Herons but off to the side of another lake.  Absolutely gorgeous birds.....

It is always bizarre for me to see water in the desert. But stranger still are the birds that hang around these water holes....

The Christopher Columbus Park is located off of Silverbell road and is near Pima Animal Control.  It is also one of the few lakes stocked with fish in the city.

I had a lot of bird sightings which included a variety of smaller birds like the Vermillian Flycatcher, House Sparrow, etc.   There were also a lot of butterflies in the area.

During this day, I met up again with Sally and Robert and they were such a wonderful couple.  I laughed a lot because they both were very similiar to other birding couples I've met.  One is the extreme birder while the other enjoys hanging out with the other person and is the camera support.  That's my relationship with Pat as well.  We laughed a lot because they had some wonderful couple sparring going on.....and it was good for Pat to see because we have the same discussions/playful fights.  "You said you'd only be 15 minutes!!!  It's now a half hour later!":)  What is love if it wasn't for this kind of stuff?  And to be honest, I would miss that joking/serious poking at one another.  It's nice to know that we aren't the only ones who have these "discussions". 

So in the middle of this desert city, you will find an oasis here and there.  You just have to keep your eyes and ears open for them. Or ask other birders:)

And speaking of Oasis...check out El Presidio Gardens own little Oasis!!!  Two hummingbird nests!!!!  Here's Mom on her eggs:)