Reid Park Serenity

Northern Pintail Duck by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

If I am going to town to get my hair cut, why am I taking my camera, binoculars, and birding paraphernalia (which for me consists of bird guides, notebooks, and hat)? But I am, because if I have time…

Reid Park Reflections, Tucson, AZ 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

…and I do. Though I have other errands to run, I think I will just stop by Reid Park for a few minutes. I can get a few new species here and it won’t take long. Reid Park is 73 acres in size and is located between Broadway and 22nd Street at 900 S. Randolph Way. I park on the west side of the Zoo and get out. To my surprise, the park is virtually empty of humans. Whenever I have been here before there were as many people as birds, but today is the first day back to school and work for most people. This day started out rainy, gray and cold, though now the sun has burst forth once again and all is bright in the world.

Pond Full of Ducks 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

I immediately head over to the large pond where I can hear the high-pitched wheet-woo of American Widgeons. The pond is full of ducks and as I start to scan the crowd someone at the east end of the pond brings out some bread and the flock flies up in a low rush to the far side away from me. No matter. A short walk along the pond’s edge brings me to this concentrated collection of waterfowl and I happily count and snap away.

Rock pigeons are as numerous as the ducks and a flock of over 100 birds parades proudly on the ground nearby. When I was young I use to help a man who raised racing pigeons. These birds are the wild escapees of the same species. Though they have a bad reputation and I don’t want them at my bird feeders at home, I still admire them from time to time. Today their flight as they rush by me seems almost magical. I am caught in a whirlwind of feathers and flight and I stand joyous and jealous as they wing past.

Pied Beauty by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

On the ground this one fancy fellow puffs up his chest and starts cooing. He has to be one of the prettiest males I have ever seen in his pied black and white beauty.

Great Egret by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

As I wander the grounds of Reid Park I can hear the distance hum of traffic racing by, but here in this green fortress I am lost in a world of birds. They seem to be everywhere I look. I find a Common Egret fishing in a shallow pool surrounded by a carpet of golden leaves.

Orange-crowned Warbler eating an olive 1-5-09 by Kathie

Beyond the egret I find a tree full of birds. It is an olive tree ripe with fruit. House Finches, House Sparrows, and Verdin weave busily in and out of the thick foliage. Then a flash of yellow flits by and I find an Orange-crowned warbler feeding greedily.

Overhead a winter starling watches and waits.

Reid Park Blue Bridge 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

Reid Park is wonderfully designed with hills and creeks, treed areas and open space. Little bridges cross the creeks and creek beds. Paths wander here and there. Pine trees tower alongside eucalyptus trees. Palm, Olive, and mesquite trees dot the landscape along with Palo Verdes.

Palm Trees and Roses 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

On the eastern edge a rose garden grows, with roses in bloom even now, in winter. Most of the blooms are edged in brown from the recent cold, and some of the buds are frozen in time. Will they open still, or fade and fall unfulfilled? Do the sparrows huddled beneath their branches care if these blossoms fade and fall? I walk the circular path in search of that perfect bud or blossom. I lean over tenderly to see if they have any fragrance, but the perfume is faint or nonexistent at the moment. Perhaps a few days of warmth will bring it forth again.

Rose name: Solitude and Artistry

I am amazed at how empty the park is. It’s almost like I have it all to myself.

I wander to the northwest corner, where I have found a Lewis’s Woodpecker before. Today it does not show up, but I find a lovely Red-naped Sapsucker...

Vermillion Flycatcher by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

...and a Vermillion Flycatcher to boot. I stroll the northern perimeter in hopes of finding some juncos, which I have seen in this area before, but all is quiet. Then, I pause in my steps as I realize why.

Cooper's Hawk with Prey 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

There on the ground ahead of me, beneath a tree a Cooper’s Hawk is standing on its feathered prey. I do not want to disturb the bird. After watching them attempt to catch birds in my yard, I know how hard it is for them to get a meal. I stand where I am and raise my camera to get a distant shot, but after a couple of snaps of the lens the bird sees me. It grabs its meal in its talons and flies to the nearby trees. Once it is gone I walk over to the downy feathers scattered on the green earth. Dappled sunlight highlights a few remnants of the life that was. It’s always a hard thing to accept that one life must end for another to continue, but that is the way of things on this earth. Perhaps in a distant future, this will not be necessary, but for now this is the way. I suspect the prey was a mourning dove. A glance at the nearby fence surrounding the baseball fields reveals a number of them perching in the slanting sun. Do they have any consciousness of the loss of one of their own? It seems to me they go on as usual, now that the danger has passed.

Feathers by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

With these solemn thoughts I head back to my car. I have been here for two hours! It’s time to go home. It will take me 25 minutes to reach the grocery store in Rita Ranch, and another 15 to 20 minutes to get home from there. The sun is setting as I drive up the road to my neighborhood, but inside I carry the serenity of this day, spent in a city park, virtually alone doing what I like best.

Peaceful Dove in Reid Park 1-5-09 by Kathie


Click on any photo to enlarge for the best view and please visit...

IATB Edition #91 Hosted by T.R. at The Farway, Nearby

Thanks T.R.!

Photographer's Notes: All of today's photgraphy is by Kathie Brown with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300mm lens set in sports mode for bird shots, close-up mode for flowers and Programed Auto for landscape shots. All photos are copyrighted by the blog author. Please do not use without permission.

Big January List Update:

I saw 24 species of birds today at Reid Park in Tucson. This added 11 more birds to my Big January List.

48. Pied-billed grebe

49. American widgeon

50. Northern Pintail

51. Great Egret

52.American Coot

53.Vermillion flycatcher

54.Orange-Crowned Warbler

55.Great-tailed Grackle

56. Redhead

57. Red-naped Sapsucker

58. Mallard

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