Birding

I have a good friend who lived in Kenya for 14 years, and while she was there she started birding. Africa has so many species of really fascinating birds to spot and identify. I'd never paid much attention to birds one way or the other, but my friend pointed out how many varieties of humming birds we have in Arizona, and so I've started to notice birds, on occasion. The fountains in our back yard are a big draw for the humming birds, and it's pleasant to glance out the window and watch them flitter and sip from the fountains.

Imagine our surprise when our out-of-town guests over the weekend casually asked if it was indeed a falcon quenching his thirst in our back yard? The Mister snapped a photo through the window, but you need to click on the picture to get a better look:



We watched him for five minutes or so, and then as I snuck quietly out the door to try to get a closeup picture, he decided I was too dangerous and left.

We have also seen an osprey a couple of times, but haven't been able to get a picture. I suppose we get an occasional stray visitor from the Riparian Preserve right around the corner. That's the place to go if you are a true birder. It was fun, though, to have a gander (pun fully intended) at an interesting bird right in our back yard, coffee cup in hand.