Finding the unexpected

Several weeks ago while I was walking at the Preserve on the lookout for something interesting and unusual, a birder with the requisite long-lensed camera hurried up and asked me if I’d seen the spoonbill. I had to tell him no, but instant spoonbill-spotting envy struck. Unfortunately I didn’t see hide nor hair of one . Maybe beak and feathers would be a better phrase.

Today I reversed my usual path and although it was a lovely, cool morning, I didn’t see anything exciting until I stopped at one of the little open areas along one of the lakes where I often see egrets, which by now are usual. I did see an egret…and then by golly, a roseate spoonbill! And I was the only photographer in the area. 🙂 Oh, yeah!

Water, trees, and a vermilion flycatcher

In the desert, it’s all about the sun, but two things can mitigate against it: trees and shade. Best of all is if the two are found together, the way we found them at Sweetwater Wetlands.

As we walked along the path, if we stepped down a few inches closer to the cattails, the temperature dropped dramatically. It was a fascinating phenomenon and a welcome one where it was already hot at 8:30 in the morning.

Just the appearance of water can make you feel cooler and more relaxed. For birds, insects, and other animals, it can be the difference between life and death. Of course, it’s the same for humans, although you wouldn’t want to drink the reclaimed water at the Wetlands.

Monday walk…Sweetwater Wetlands

Saturday we took another exploratory drive to Tucson, this time to the Sweetwater Wetlands, a 60-acre water treatment facility, urban wildlife habitat, and outdoor classroom. It’s similar to the Riparian Preserve, although smaller and with different flora. One feature that I quickly learned to appreciate in the desert is that it has trees.

There must have been thousands of dragonflies of all colors and sizes.

One of the most prominent features was the overwhelming number of cattails, most of which were 10′ or more in height. Much of the water area was home to these giants which, as you can imagine, provide perfect privacy for ducks and other creatures.

Monday walk (cycle)…Moraine Hills State Park

After having worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for many months, I finally was given some Sundays off, the better to be able to spend some quality time with my husband!  Although I’m a walker, he’s a cyclist, so I went online to find somewhere he hadn’t cycled that we could enjoy.  So…

Two weekends ago, we ventured up Rt. 59 which, being a highway running through many Chicago suburbs, takes ages to deposit you anywhere.  Not long before we would have arrived in Wisconsin, we pulled into Moraine Hills State Park,  named for the rocky debris left by a glacier.  As you might imagine, there are lots of marshes and wetlands here.  In fact, there are several areas of wetland reclamation and where there’s water, there’s often good fishing!