A Walk on a Golf Course

It’s always a nice morning to walk there

The summer’s heat has kept us away from our regular walks but last week we finally returned to the course. Just before sunrise, we could see a rainstorm with lightning to the east of us and another with lightning far to the west. A rainbow greeted us as we began.

The first bird of the day was a Pied-billed Grebe taking its morning bath. The water drops were flying everywhere. This Grebe looked a bit different from usual. We didn’t see the tell-tale “pied-bill” with a dark stripe down the middle.

Here is a photo of a Pied-billed Grebe taken at the same location several months ago. This shows what we typically think a Pied-billed Grebe looks like. That black stripe down its bill and the dark throat is part of its breeding plumage.

Now that we are past breeding season, that black stripe will fade and the bird’s bill will turn a yellow-ish. The black feathers on its throat will be replaced by white feathers. I like the circling ripples of water created by this active Grebe.

On another pond we saw an immature Black-crowned Night Heron patiently standing still. It may have been fishing or it may have just been resting. This bird does not have its black crown yet. It takes this species about three years to achieve its adult plumage and become truly “black-crowned”. This bird already has red eyes, a sign of adulthood, but the brown feathers have yet to transition to the black, white and gray feathers of an adult.

A Flame Skimmer was one of many dragonflies present. The end of summer seems to bring a surge of dragonflies to our southern Arizona.

The numbers of American Snout butterflies also seem to explode after our monsoon season begins. This species is appropriately named and easy to identify thanks to their very enlarged snout!

One Texas Ranger plant was full of blooms and this Anna’s Hummingbird was taking advantage of the nectar in each flower.

I see Black Saddlebags dragonflies in the air but rarely find them resting. This one was perched in the sun and remained very still for a long time.

As we walked off the course, we saw a Blue Grosbeak atop a very tall mesquite tree.

The Blue Grosbeak repeated his calls over and over again. You can listen to one recording of his song here or find a variety of his songs and calls here.

We took over two hours to walk about a mile and a half. Birding is a slow type of walking but it was a very good walk.

“The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy, walk and be healthy.”.....Charles Dickens

“Life is already too short to waste on speed. I have a friend who’s always in a hurry; he never gets anywhere. Walking makes the world much bigger and thus more interesting. You have time to observe the details.”.....Edward Abbey

“The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.”.....Carly Simon