No matter how hard I try to switch it off; I can't. It grows everyday. Elegant Trogon, Rusty Blackbird, Crissal Thrasher, Mountain Plover, Rufous-capped Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow, etc etc. The list never ceases to amaze me. The Elegant Trogon arrives in March to find a nest for his partner. If she doesn't like the nest, he's in big trouble. Mountain Plovers are in a field and will only be around for a short time before migrating out of our area. The Rufous-capped Warblers come down the canyon(around 9:15 AM) and then head back up. The Golden-crown hides within the White-crowned Sparrows near the second dry river bed. And the Crissal Thrasher? My new nemesis is one shy bird! Around 8:30 AM for this one:) But I get distracted so easily with everything else that comes my way:)
Hepatic Tanager
I remember as a boy running into the country fields searching for butterflies, chasing Killdeer, and catching frogs. As I grew up, I stopped playing outside like I had done as a kid. I never stopped loving the outdoors. And I certainly never stopped exploring. But I had forgotten what it was like to be the bird, butterfly, frog or animal. I didn't lose interest; I just forgot. My camera has always been a part of my treks. I look back on those old pics and think, "Really? I took those shots?! They're terrible!"
Double-crested Cormorant
My blog began because of plants. My garden. My world. I am trained in the way of plants. They connected me back to the wildlife again. As my garden grows and flourishes; so does my appetite for knowing more. 3 years I have blogged now. It all began with my Oak trees dropping their leaves in spring(normal). I had thought I'd lose them. We purchased our place because of these trees. There was also a side area that was empty, full of gravel and a dead Euc leaning against the building. I then began my dream of creating a garden. 4 years later, the plants continue to grow bigger and bigger. It's still being worked and reworked but the area has become a magnet for wildlife.
No zoo on these trips. Nothing but the real deal! A Javelina drinking from a stream:)
A better camera. Becoming a docent. Selling my photography. Documenting birds. And meeting new people have changed me in ways that I cannot even begin to explain. My Spanish ability has enhanced my new passions playing detective out in the wild. This summer I will be heading to Guatemala and other Central American countries for a month documenting birds, plants and culture. I've been to most of these places before but what is new are the set of "eyes" I have developed. They are now trained for the slightest movement. I have worked hard this past year and a half learning about birds around Arizona.
As I walk to the edge of the world, I will share with you these most precious moments. I can't explain the quiet peace within my mind.....the one that erases all the negative matter around me.........I just know that I am on a most sacred quest. There is a singular focus now. It's running again in those fields chasing butterflies, looking into the eyes of the coyote and knowing.......it's about being in tune with my surroundings. In tune with my life. And whether I see an Elegant Trogon or not, doesn't matter. Well maybe it does:) A little. Okay maybe a lot:) But it seems that something else always presents itself. The Double-crested Cormorant. The Plumbeous Vireo. The Coyote.
Singing with this Sparrow:)
On this 3rd year of revelations, I thank you all for following. I am excited about this year. We learn together. We grow together as a family. But most of all, we sometimes forget the benefits of blogging....the writing, the photography, the learning, the names, the research, and most of all.....the virtual friendships that development. We represent Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. One life. So many possibilities. Life is indeed the adventure. And if you watch Star Trek, you already knew this:)
In my moments of solitude, I ponder what is yet to come. I worry about this world. But I also feel energized about the experiences on each outing.
In my mind. On a plane. A boat. A bus. While riding a horse. This is the song that plays within my head. When I gaze upon the beautiful animals, I want to protect them from all those who would have them harmed. Because witnessing a coyote, javelina, skunk, coati, or deer in the desert is a magical thing. People will walk by them and I know they are there. Their secret is safe with me. We can't really see if we walk too quickly. We can't really hear if we aren't listening. We live in a world full of wonder. PS. I'll be getting to blogs starting this Wednesday. We are still on an epic hunt which I hope to report on soon. I'm a bit behind and I'll be stopping by to catch up with everyone again:)
There is no doubt in my mind that we live in the desert. Many of you see green in a lot of my pics with our Sonoran desert and you may think that unusual for deserts. Well it is. The Sonoran desert is considered the greenest desert of the world. If you've been here, you know it is very brown and dry at times. But what makes the Sonoran desert unusual is that we get regular rain(monsoon), sometimes on a daily basis, during our summer months. Today check out what happens when storms happen on Part 2 of this monsoon series.
This monsoonal weather pattern can cause chaos around here:) We still have those hot hot temps which spark the moisture in the atmosphere and BOOM!!! Some of the best lightning shows begin.
Shorebirds from Mexico and California are thrown off course and end up around our watering holes in Tucson. During the time of this shoot, it was reported that several Brown Pelicans were spotted at several of our parks. So I jumped in my car to get these fun shots.
About three large blocks away, I found the Brown Pelican immediately. Even better were the sightings of the Cormorants(both Double Crested and Neotropic!). Oh it was hot, moist and very tropical this day, but I didn't have to walk very far to find this guy:)
So you may ask, "What happens when these ocean birds end up in the desert?" Sometimes, several have to be rescued right away as they are in poor condition, but during this last storm, 6 were healthy happy and feeding on the fish from our "lakes". These guys are rounded up and then taken over to San Diego where they are released back into the wild.
Brown Pelicans are interesting birds but I liked these shots the most because they show something different. Pelicans do a lot of funny things with their beaks. Observing this particular behavior, I would imagine that this guy was cooling himself off:)
I also found out that a group of Pelicans are called a Pod. Fun! The bonus of finding a Pelican also means that there will probably be some colorful characters around the area as well....like the 3 stooges above. The Cormorants kept the area interesting. Sometimes the Pelican would smack them on the head and they didn't seem to mind:) More tomorrow...
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