By Karen Gleason
I made my way to the Rincon Del Diablo along the San Felipe Creek last Saturday morning.
I hadn’t really spent any significant amount of time there for at least a month, and I wanted to see the effects of our February deep freeze on the birds and vegetation.
At first, I felt like an interloper, a stranger, but I reminded myself to slow down, to breathe deeply and move deliberately. You can’t just walk around at a normal human pace and expect to see and photograph birds.
I started by standing still and just looking around. Most of the vegetation seems to have withstood the cold days and snow we had last month, with the exception of a grove of large tamarisks close to the creek. Only time will tell if this grove will recover.
As I looked around, I saw a female Vermilion Flycatcher perched on a low branch of a small mesquite near the center of the Rincon.
I began walking slowly in her direction, and my progress went something like this: Step, step, pause, take a photo. Step, step, pause, take a photo. In this way, taking my time, I was able to come within a dozen feet of her before she decided I’d come close enough and flew off.
After the flycatcher left, I saw a small flock of American Robins foraging on the ground near the city’s lift station. They were less sure of me than the flycatcher had been and flew off almost as soon as I started moving in their direction.
My attention was next drawn to a group of small birds foraging in the tall dry grass near the tamarisk grove. I circled around behind them so the rising sun would be at my back, better for taking photos, and advanced, once again moving very slowly and taking care where I planted each foot.
To my joy, I saw that this was a large, mixed species flock, containing Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows and – most exciting – three female Morelet’s (formerly White-collared) Seedeaters.
I followed the flock for some time, working hard to move in a slow, non-threatening way, but always inching closer for the chance to take better photos.
After almost an hour, the entire flock moved closer to the creek, and I decided it was time to head back home.
When I returned from my outing to the Rincon and pulled into the parking space outside my home, I saw a Barn Swallow sitting on a utility line near the street. I welcomed him back home and knew that spring was here to stay.
