After School Special

I had been trapped.  So trapped by all of this....this stuff we call life.  I was tired of the heat, the crazy of my work and the do this and do that!  Constant and nonstop.

Verdin

And that's when I booked it after the last school bell of the day.

Bullfrog

I had to get on the road before the traffic got crazy.  And boy did I get out in a hurry.

Gambel's Quail

I felt a lot of stress inside.  I won't go into details but I will say this.  We need to stop making excuses for our youth and we parents need to hold them accountable for their actions.  We're heading down a strange road. And I'll leave it at that.

Go go go!!!  And then I arrived.  It had been two weeks since I last went out with the camera and that was with Kathie!!  For you, that post would have been yesterday.  For me it was nearly 2 weeks later!

I was alone and with my camera.  And as soon as I hit the trail, my anxiety and stress evaporated and I felt calm inside again.

The signs of fall all around me.  While subtle in the desert, they are noticeable after years of living here.  The ducks are back again in large groups.

Mallard Duck

And it was nice to see them again.  I got so used to their presence last winter that I took them for granted.  During the summer, many disappear and the ponds around Sweetwater are quiet. Not anymore:)

Northern Shoveler

And the Yellow Headed Blackbirds are back!!!!!  They flew in great numbers above my head and I smiled.  Last year at this time I was asking myself what these birds were.

Yellow Headed Blackbirds

The Dragonflies will disappear as will most of the hummingbirds.  But I'm excited for our winter guests to arrive.  And that includes several new birder friends that I met on my walks before summer.  And I can't wait to see their faces again.

Recently, I had a week off to explore Southern Arizona.  I went alone this time.  And it was incredible.

I went to Portal and I'll have all my discoveries and so much more coming up from that trip.

You'll see what I find on my adventures soon.  But like this Harris Hawk.....

.....I'm just going to be exploring all over this fall.

Harris Hawk

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  I write this post wondering what things I'll discover.  Everyday is like that for me when I don't have to work.  Routine is good, but sometimes no routine is even better.

And I will migrate my way......somewhere exciting. But for today, this walk cured me of my stress.  While it was hot, it still relaxed my mind from the troubles and anger of our society.

Looking Back-Birds Of Prey

I began this year. The beginning of my real wildlife photography would start.  I would learn to track flight, manual focus on the spot, and train my eye and hand to be quick.

Harris Hawks

Looking back?  My knowledge of birds is stronger.  The wildlife photography has improved.

I have yet to spot so many more birds, but my investigations began with Birds of Prey.  

They were larger and easier to spot in the wild.

Red Tail Hawk

Some were found right in my own backyard!  Like these two hawks. 

Cooper's Hawk

 Some would be found accidentally like these owlets below. 

Or this Turkey Vulture...

.......and in more exotic locations, birds like this Northern Harrier would fly over my head and catch my eye.

The assassin known as the Loggerhead Shrike would sit on a branch waiting for its prey.

My ears could not deny me my first discovery of this pair of Great Horned Owls.
 

...or the camouflage of this Western Screech Owl.

Slowly, I add to my birding lists and will continue to do so until I find them all:)   And that may take me awhile.

The Gray Hawk is quite stunning around Riparian areas.

Or the mystical Ferruginous Hawk.....

More importantly.  Everytime I investigate a new bird, I learn about the habitat, what they eat and how they sound......

.....and that continues to add to my knowledge base.

And that in itself is the living classroom....the one we find surrounding us.

And then there are the exotic places that I can only glimpse at faires.  Birds that are found elsewhere around the world.....the Birds of Prey that exist in Europe or South America.  And I yearn to find them in their natural habitat.  I've been exposed to a broader picture of the bird world.

Eagle Owls with massive wingspans, deadly buzzards from Africa......

....or South America.....

.....make my mind wander.  What more is out there?  Where could I find them?

And thanks to these beautiful birds, my hunger only grows to find more at each Rare Bird Alert that pops up on my screen.  Location.  GPS tracking coordinates.  It's all exciting stuff.  More to come.....