Showing posts with label Pyrrhuloxia Tucson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pyrrhuloxia Tucson. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

With An Eagle Eye....

Cardinal in Sabino Canyon
 These pics were taken in the wild.  Not a zoo or refuge.  These are the beginnings of my journeys as an amateur birder. I went with a mission today.  Listen.  Observe. Locate. Absolute quiet is necessary.
So I followed my instructions and on my hike, I quietly walked listening for the Cardinal's sounds.  
And in the tree, I spotted both male and female.  Now one would think that these birds are easy to spot.  Quite the contrary.  It's not.  As I do this more, I become more in tune with my surroundings and I find balance from within.  And there is joy in this.
First I spotted the female(below) and then I turned around and found the male staring at me. We were both curious.   There was absolute perfection until a little kid popped out of nowhere and almost ran both Cardinals off!!  I put my finger to my mouth and the kid kept quiet until his mother screamed out his name.  Then they both flew away.  Personal rant.  I hate this view on men.  I know why we're seen as the enemy....especially strangers, but not all guys are bad people.  I educate...that's what I do, and the kid was greatful.  But I heard the mother say, "What were you doing over there with that man?"And he said, "We were looking at some Cardinals!" The world today is not a trusting one.  I can't say that I would be any different than that mother.  I'd have been protective of my own kid as well, but it still hurts me that men are seen in a darker light.  The same attitude applies in the education field...especially at the Elementary schools.  Why would a guy want to teach Elementary school?!  Well I don't thankfully(high school and college are my areas), but there are guys who make great role models for these younger kids because they love what they do.  I don't ask for the kids or dogs to follow me on my hikes...in fact, I wish they weren't there at all.  But that's not how life works.  Not all people are bad. Some actually try to do some good. End of rant:)
But most importantly, I succeeded in my objective.  Listen. Observe. Locate.(LOL:)  And I was really excited that on this photo shoot, I achieved my mission.  Find the Cardinals. But I would find so much more.  Tomorrow, I'll speak of the plant vs. bird tactic. While mostly all of my photos are taken in the wild, a few aren't.... like this Bald Eagle. I took this shot at the Bird Refuge in Green Bay. I hope to see a real one in the wild someday:)  But I can tell you, that my "Eagle Eye" is getting better:)  And what's a post without our National Symbol:) More tomorrow....

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Flashes of Red!

Northern Cardinals!
One of our colorful birds in the Tucson Desert during this time of year.
If you like birds, then you'll love the daily observations of the Pittswood Birds with Warren Baker.  I don't think there's a bad picture on this blog at all. If you're an avid birder, this is the blog to read.  More tomorrow....PS.  If you can't tell, I'm having fun with my new camera.  Went on several photo shoots today in the Gardens.  I love photography!