A Race Against The Sun

I ran and ran to get here.  The sun was already in its decline because as you may or may not know, I have this little issue known as work.  It interferes with my travel plans every single day! Several weeks ago, I posted on the Great Horned Owls.  When I returned to the area where the nest was, this is what I found.  The Red Tailed Hawk had returned and reclaimed the nest.  The Owls....gone.

But when one door shuts, another opens and my observations begin again.  As I got closer to this hawk, it would screech out a warning.  I stayed my distance and respected the air space around the tree.

Here I catch her with my longer lense screeching at me.  It can be rather chilling.  Why was the bird doing this?

Pull back from the situation and have a look.  Nest in left tree.  Guardian on the right.  I was disappointed that my Owl friends moved elsewhere but was granted the gift of an angel in flight.  A quite shocking thing to see in a mostly brown desert wash.  A large Great Egret flew above my head....and a rare sighting it was!

Another gift from birding alone.  It was solitary and flew high above the trees in a descending fashion.

The Great Egret

As the sun set, I knew I only had a matter of time to get out several more shots.

And as this large bird descended, I was reminded of the grace and beauty that surrounds us everyday.  And today was yet another unintended special day. I ran out of work.  Literally....ran.

And like this bird, I landed exactly where I was supposed to be.  Here.

Night  began to cover the skies.  I left the trail and headed back into Tucson with another sighting!!!  Javelina!  The world stopped and watched the families cross the street slowly. The desert is full of life. We just have to look closer than most people to "see" it.  And then.  The sun faded from the sky.  

Birding The Renaissance Way

Peregrine Saker Falcon

Cleverly done.  An education program for the public on history and the birds of the Renaissance period.  I had not expected something like this and was surprised to see this exciting show out in the open at the Renaissance Festival near Florence.  It was the first thing we saw as we entered onto the grounds.

Red Tailed Hawk

It began with a presentation on the Red Tailed Hawk.  If you read history novels, you'll find many of these birds mentioned as they were used for hunting purposes by royalty,etc.  My eyes were drawn to the hawk as it flew over my head.

And out from my side, the camera flew into action as I caught this bird in flight.  How were these birds used in ancient times? And how did the hunter operate? The hunter would need a horn for communication with the other hunters. In addition to this the hunter depended on the assistance of certain domesticated animals. Three animals in particular were essential tools for the medieval hunter: the horse, the hound and the hawk (or falcon).

"Medieval terminology spoke of "hawks of the tower" and "hawks of the fist", which roughly corresponds to falcons and hawks, respectively. The female hawk was preferred, since it was both larger than the male and easier to train. Hawks were captured all over Europe, but birds from Norway or Iceland were considered of particularly good quality."

Eagle Owl

"Training a hawk was a painstaking process. It was normal at first to "seel" the bird’s eyelids—sew them shut—so that it would not be scared or distracted. The trainer would then carry the hawk on his arm for several days, to get it accustomed to human presence. The eyes would gradually be unsealed, and the training would begin. The bird would be encouraged to fly from its perch to the falconer’s hand over a gradually longer distance. Hunting game would be encouraged first by the use of meat, then a lure, and eventually live prey. Such prey included herons, sometime with their legs broken to facilitate the kill. " Source Wiki

They also had owls here at this presentation.  What I like about the Birds of Prey presentations held in various outlets like our Renaissance Fair or the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson is that many of these birds were rescued and saved from near death.  They are cared for with the utmost respect and are given a second chance at life.  Reasons why they come to a program such as this....humans, a broken wing, fallen out of nest, mother killed in the wild and babies left in the nest, etc.

They then take on a new role in life and educate the public.  This was a really nice surprise for me and made me smile.  Why?  Because there were a lot of people in attendance at this festival watching this program.  Smarter educated humans make better decisions when they come into contact with majestic birds such as these in the wild or around their homes.  For the next shots, I'd like you to take a look at how BIG this Eagle Owl is!!  The above pictures show it flying to the perch.

The wingspan is incredible and they are able to lift larger animals off the ground....like yappy little puppies:) Their wings have also been known to break a human arm. Check out this pic below to see the size of this owl!!!

I'm in love and forever will be with the owl species.  When I heard that there were owls in this show, my heart started beating quickly.  I stood and just stared like a little kid into the owl's eyes.  Let me put this into better perspective....there is the man and the owl flying past his head.  When I saw this picture from my shots, I was just floored by the wingspan next to the human body!

A story that touched my heart.  The Eagle Owl does not live here in Arizona but it is related to the Great Horned Owl....which does live here.  The pic below is a rescued owl with one blind eye.  Many of these cases are human caused and the more I educate myself; the more angry I become with human ignorance...whether it be with a plant, bird or animal.  There is good but there is also ignorance which I have witnessed on many of my treks.

Great Horned Owl

Owls were symbolic and continue to be today.  Intelligence, brilliance, wisdom, power, knowledge,
intuition, messages, mysticism, mystery, unconscious, silent observation, independence, protection, bravery, transition, longevity, reincarnation......."If you are drawn to owls or owl symbolism, you may have this same ability to uncover secrets. People may feel uneasy around you, as if you are able to see through pretence. The owl also teaches us to acknowledge the dark side of our personality, and in that darkness we may find food for growth." Source

Finally, the most associated bird during the Renaissance times was the Peregrine Saker Falcon.  It was the easiest of birds to train for hunting purposes. Fast, quick, agile.....this guy had my heart racing as he sped through the air at high speeds.  The trained Falconer used his chain and spun it around in the air.   The bird took flight quickly.  As the falcon spun through the air at high speeds, an item was thrown up where it was caught in NO TIME by this bird.  I was amazed by the fast movements!

Up up and away! You'll see several of those shots below.....and did you know that Falconry has been around for 3000 years!!!  And guess what? It continues today.  Airports use the Peregrine Falcon to chase birds away from the airstrip.

Spin, spin and turn.  Catch, spin, return.....

....to arm of the Falconer!

Amazing!

The show is called the Ancient Art of Falconry and it shows several times during the day.

Vulture

The Renaissance Festival is here until April 1st.  Check it out Saturday and Sunday. 

Rapture

Who says the desert doesn't have life?:)  There's life all around....you just have to keep your eyes open.  Lately I have been fascinated by hawks because they have come into my life.  I started feeding birds this summer.  By feeding birds, I attracted the hawks.  To date, we've had Cooper's Hawks and a Red Tailed Hawk visit our area.  Those links will take you to the El Presidio grounds and give you a closer look at these fascinating creatures.  Today I'm adding another hawk to know about here in the Tucson area.....the Harris Hawk.

These birds are amazing and they all have different characteristics.  I've been watching them closely as they have been watching me:)  Should I be scared?  No.  They are extremely intelligent creatures who work together as a team.  The Harris Hawk is not native to Tucson and orginally hails from South America.  But as ranchers spread out over the desert land, they brought their cattle and created water sources for this hawk.

These hawks have to be careful with our hot summer days.  The birds work as a unit flying around and catching food like jack rabbits(which can weigh up to 8 or 10 pounds!)  I snapped a shot of these birds working together in unison catching prey below.  They were extremely gymnastic during their flight. During summer days, they will hunt for prey during the earlier hours and disappear during the afternoon hell.

I'm very OCD so I asked the experts....what's the difference between these 3 hawks?  The Cooper's Hawk works as a team of 2 where the Red Tailed Hawk will swirl the highest of them all in a solitary fashion and then from out of nowhere come crashing down on its prey!  The Harris Hawk flies in a family unit.  In fact, the Red Tail Hawk will hang off to the side while the Harris Hawk flies around the sky....so you could say that there is a "pecking" order among hawks:)

I have been on the hunt for the Great Horned Owl here, but instead I have been finding nothing but hawks all around me....and to be honest, I'm totally okay with that:)  I've written in the past that I usually go with the intent to film or photograph one thing but end of getting shots of something else.  That's just how it happens.

So I headed to the Desert Museum to participate in their Rapture Free Flight show which is happening now until April 15th.  Plan your time accordingly as the shows only happen at 10 AM and 2 PM daily.  The Harris Hawks were incredible.  There was such a thrill in watching them fly all around us.  Apparently at the 10 AM show, the Great Horned Owl is featured, but that is just rumour:) So I missed the owl but learned something new.  Cool:)

The information for this show is found here.

I have been fascinated by these birds for quite awhile.  The hawk population has increased in the West due to the fact that there is a lot of food provided willingly or unwillingly by humans.  People bring their cats and little dogs which provide an excellent food source.  I've seen  two instances where hawks have made those kills.  One scared me to death.  I was cooking in the kitchen when out of nowhere a hawk crushed a pigeon in front of my window in the backyard.  The second one was sad...really sad.  Skip this part if you love your pets.  I was again by the kitchen window when a hawk came out of nowhere and grabbed the neighbor's kitten.  For that incident, I ran outside but it was too late. I wasn't angry at the hawk, but it just made me sad for the cat and angry at the neighbors for letting the kitten outside.  They were upset and the mother was crying.  People who move to the desert need to be aware that there are a lot of things out there that want to eat your precious pets.  Coyotes love yappy little dogs....and I love that they love yappy little dogs:) So be forewarned newbies.  It seems to happen to a lot of Southern and Eastern transplants from places like Virginia or North Carolina.  Coyotes, snakes, hawks, jumping cactus are just a few critters looking for Ms. Kitty or Spot the Wonderdog:)

Movies are terrible these days, but shows like these are extremely wonderful to attend....and educational.  So while the ticket for the Desert Museum may run you 14 bucks, it's money well spent.  I have a habit of talking to myself while operating my camera which comes from my father.  A fellow photgrapher was looking at me and smiling because he does the same thing. There's something about waiting patiently for an animal or bird and then....BANG! They do their show, the camera snaps....and it's really exciting all of it.  I was laughing at the hawk's shenanigans .  The birds, literally, fly right by your head....and they're big!!!

I suffer from pic overload at times, but I thought they were all pretty cool and couldn't decide which one to put on this post......so I put them all on:)

So I'll let you enjoy the show........if you're in the area, check it out.  You won't be disappointed.  And when I find owls, you can bet you'll see them here first:)  If you see hawks in your yard, don't be frightened, but do watch your pets if they go outside.  They are extremely intelligent creatures.  I've watched them corral birds into people's windows(including my own!) which knocks the bird out giving the hawk a free meal.  My cats watch the 50 some birds outside my window everyday, but when they freak out and run for their lives, I know there's a hawk nearby.....especially when I see a large shadow block the sun:)

More cool stuff tomorrow....

Up!

Celebration.  School is out for the year.  I am on vacation. AND it was rainy cold today.  I walked out my door and spotted our resident Red Tail Hawk hanging out on our neighbor's Eucalyptus(it's dead, but I like how it looks against our mountains).

 I've been secretly hoping to snap shots of owls, but this was just as inspiring to see.  I wrote over a year ago that if you plant things, they will come....meaning the birds and critters.  And this year has been a real treat in the garden at El Presidio.

 It looked like an owl from afar, but my zoom lense took me closer.

 We have a little forest on the property here and lately hawks have been visiting.

 These two shots are a bit blurry, but I love how this hawk is puffing out the feathers.  I may not be id'ing this hawk correctly but I believe it's a Red Tailed Hawk and not a Cooper's Hawk because the iris is lighter.  If you click on the other link in the last paragraph, you can compare the photos.  All of these pics taken in my backyard:)

 And while we're at it, let's not forget our hummer friends.  I now run two hummingbird feeders and am reminded to switch them out every week.  I put them up and they fly around my head.  Interesting note.  There are two feeders on opposite ends of El Presidio and two sets of hummer families use them, but they will not cross one building over to feed from the other station.  Very territorial.

There  you have it!  I am looking forward to getting out on some amazing walks over the next several days for some little adventures.   More tomorrow....