Thursday, June 14, 2012

Early Morning Beauty at Tohono Chul Park

Yesterday morning I went to the Park early for a bird walk scheduled for 8:30. When I got there I was the only person around. I stood for a while in the central part of the Park, what we call the Sundial Plaza, and just looked, breathing the fresh scents, listening to many birds calling (cardinal, Gambel’s quail, Bell’s vireo, lesser goldfinch, house finch, white-winged dove, cactus wren), feeling the faint breeze on my skin. It was so beautiful, so lush, that tears filled my eyes and I wished that everyone I know could have been there. 

Here are some of the things I saw. I only wish my photos could really capture the incredible beauty.

                                  Sundial Plaza 6-13-2012 8-29-00 AM 3616x2712

This is an overview of the Sundial Plaza, showing the circle with its beautiful flowers, including giant hesperaloe (red yucca), ageratum, and tecoma stans (yellow bells). There were small gray birds on the hesperaloe, probably young verdins.

Here is another shot from deeper inside the sundial plaza, with a shot of one of the two male cardinals who spent a good bit of time chasing each other away; I don’t know who ultimately won.

                                                                                         Cardinal 6-13-2012 8-31-24 AM 2647x2624

On a nearby desert trail, you can see why some early visitors to the desert thought the saguaro had a red flower; these fruits can be seen all over the Park, often with a white-winged dove in attendance.

              Saguaro fruit 6-11-2012 9-13-47 AM 1405x1539

Finally, on another trail, here is one of my favorite mourning dove nests. The mother, who built her nest on TOP of an old cactus wren nest, is raising her second brood of two babies (you can just see the beak of the second baby behind the first). They were totally motionless as I watched, no doubt certain that made them invisible.

                                                         Mourning dove and two babies on cactus wren nest 6-13-2012 9-25-24 AM 3616x2712

9 comments:

  1. Lovely! It's interesting how many of our birds are the same (cardinals, house finches and mourning doves come to our feeder every day) while others are never seen in Ontario.

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    1. You must come visit sometime (we have many Canadian visitors)! I'll show you pyrrhuloxias, phaenopeplas, Abert's towhees, and other birds you will never see up north!

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  2. Gorgeous. And peaceful. The fire truck woke me again today before the birds. Now you know why I thought my dove was dead: so stark still. She didn't make more babies in that nest. I thought my cardinal had gone away, but did catch a glimpse before I left the other day.

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  3. Your birds will be waiting for you when you get back. I'm sure they miss you.

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  4. More gorgeous photos. You spoil us.

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  5. Bert Latamore8:13 AM

    I particularly like lesser goldfinches. Th markings are very close to the eastern Goldfinch (we have so many here that we named our home "Charm Hollow". But the lessers are about half the size (and the eastern goldfinch is a chickadee sized bird).

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    1. I've never seen an American Goldfinch, but I'm sure they are beautiful. I like the Lessers. They are so cute! But I always assure them they are fine, healthy goldfinches, nothing "less" about them!

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  6. Anonymous4:21 AM

    What a great post. I feel like I am there with you. Saw a baby fawn yesterday must have been a day or two old. Sue

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    1. Wish I could have seen the fawn. You need to start taking your camera with you!

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