Phainopepla

Phainopepla
Phainopepla

Monday, September 28, 2009

Sliding Downhill from the Equinox

Once the Autumnal Equinox has passed and we're offically in autumn, it should be illegal for the temperatures to reach 100°. After we have suffered through a brutally hot summer and a pathetic monsoon, don't we deserve some small reward for our patience and forebearance? Alright, I admit the nights have been blissfully cool and it's a joy to sit on the patio in the early morning with a cup of French roast, savoring the soft sounds and scents of the desert.

Today my birding group met at 7:30 at Tucson's Sweetwater Wetlands for a morning of birding and general nature-watching. The temperature was already climbing, on its way to 102°, but the birds didn't seem to mind and our lists grew rapidly - many species of warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers and ducks, hawks, falcons, herons, egrets, grebes, hummingbirds, tanagers, killdeer, wrens, sandpipers, cormorants, a kingfisher and a roadrunner, cowbirds, yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds and quail. In the non-bird category were turtles, cottontails, lizards and dragonflies by the thousands. No snakes today unfortunately. A very pleasant morning, and better than what I'll be doing in the heat tomorrow - playing golf! Am I crazy??

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