Where Have You Been?

Everywhere I go, 

your beauty spills 

into my day. 

The trees were 

never this verdant. 

The birdsong 

never this sweet.” 

~ Kamand Kojouri

The day dawned misty and grey. It would be a chilly walk and, perhaps, a slippery drive. It was the kind of day when the eagles might be perched over the ponds.  After walking in the park we headed to the ponds in hopes of seeing one of the resident Bald Eagles.

Meadowlarks flew through the fields. Caracas perched in the trees. Bluebirds and sparrows landed on the fences and flew again. And, as hoped, the eagle surveyed the ponds - high above this former river bottom.  

Then there it was. A flash of red drew attention to the tiny bird we had not seen in months.* The Vermilion Flycatcher perched atop a tree almost out of range. It once haunted the tanks and ponds at the turn in the road. More days than not the flycatcher would perch on the barbed-wire fencing, flying back and forth taunting the watcher. 

Or maybe it was simply a curious bird. "Now who is this person," it seemed to be thinking. And it almost posed for photos.

Whatever the case, it went "missing" as far as I knew - no longer patrolling the fence-line. And though I'd been told it had moved down the road a little way - down to the end - a rugged area that's hard to negotiate,** I had not seen it there either.

And there it was this morning, almost at the end of the road. It seemed to wait just long enough for me to take a few photos and give thanks this brilliant creature still wanders this small area of intermittent ponds and meadows. 

Fall is coming in fits and starts and as the leaves fall, the birds are disclosed....the ducks have started to arrive. And the Vermilion Flycatcher showed himself once again.

Park sights:

Great Blue Heron under the pedestrian bridge.

Fox Squirrel - an early riser.

The squirrels are busy gathering pecans.

One of two Belted Kingfishers flying arial tricks. Perhaps they were fighting for fishing areas.

The other Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

One kingfisher often perches over the creek within a short distance of the courthouse.

House Finch

Other visions from the ponds:

Loggerhead Shrike

Meadowlark

Crested Caracara

Bald Eagle

Northern Shovler 

Blue-winged Teal

Great Egret

And just down the road:

Crested Caracara tree

Such striking birds

Initially I was surprised to see no kestrels. Then they appeared almost every hundred yards.

Savannah Sparrow

As I came around a corner a buck and doe were lounging in a freshly cut hay field. I never see them at this time of day in this area.

Another American Kestrel

And an American Crow - one of many who have arrived in numbers.

NOTES:

* Since February.

**Because the road is rough...because the houses are clustered there...because a shooting had occurred there not all that long ago.