Tuesday, March 18…Blue Heron (Sarah Jarosz)

   Up early (for me anyway) so I sat outside watching the yard come alive again. My younger self would never have dreamed that her future self would become so enthralled with watching birds. She had visions of traveling to far off places...bird watching wasn’t on her radar screen. 😎

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   We had a plan for today: first, go to Costco and second, head to Sweetwater Wetlands for a walk.  Kim has been talking about going to Costco for an eye exam and new glasses. Today seemed like a good day to do that. We got there shortly after they opened, hoping for a walk-in appointment but no such luck. He was given an appointment for 4:20. Our time in the Tucson area just got extended.

   Armed with our cameras, we headed to Sweetwater Wetlands to see what birds would be hanging around today.  We were not disappointed.  Besides the usual shovelers, mallards, vermilion flycatcher,  and teals, we saw a couple of hawks hanging by the ponds and several Blue Heron in flight.  Being large birds, they are noticeable when flying, especially in a place where people are hyper-aware of birds. I figured there had to be several of them because we saw two flying away from the ponds, then ten minutes later two more flew away, and then a single one flew away. I never saw them fly back to the ponds, which most certainly would have drawn attention from all the people with cameras. So, more than two blue herons were at Sweetwater today.  

   The first time we visited 4 or 5 years ago, tall shoreline grass and reeds obscured the view of most ofthe back area ponds.  Could hear the birds but could not see them. A couple of weeks ago when we visited, the shoreline was clear, thanks to a controlled burn last fall.  The tall grass hadn’t grown back yet and allowed for a good view of the birds in their habitat.  Today, the view had changed again.  The grass has grown taller, seems to have spread out, and is starting to obscure the view again.  BUT, I spied with my little eye, a blue heron standing about 30 feet from shore, among the grass.  Thankfully, there was a spot where the grass interference was minimal, which allowed for a good picture.

   I thought I was seeing grebes in the pond today because they have very noticeable lobed feet. Got some good pictures that I could use to identify the specific type of grebe once we got back to camp.  I looked at many bird sites, compared online photos to mine, and listened to various bird calls and determined that what I thought were grebes were actually American Coots, a very common bird at Sweetwater. We’ve also seen them at Whitewater Draw withthe sandhill cranes.  Turns out coots also have lobed feet. I did not know that, having never seen their feet. Thought they had regular duck feet. Today the water was clear, they were swimming close to the viewing platform we were on , which meant their feet were very visible. Kind of disappointed that it wasn’t a grebe but glad to have learned something new.

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   By the time we finished at Sweetwater, we still had over two hours to fill until the eye appointment.  Time to eat lunch!  La Estrella Bakery, where I’ve bought piggy cookies before, is located in an open-air courtyard. I’ve seen people eating at the tables set up in the courtyard, so I figured the other storefronts would be restaurants. We headed that way for lunch.

   It’s called the Mercado San Augustin…Mercado being Spanish for ‘market’.  So, it’s a marketplace inside this little courtyard. Very quaint.  We ate at Seis Kitchen, which offers ‘regional Mexican cuisine’.  Didn’t know what ‘regional’ meant in this context, but we understood what Mexican cuisine meant so we headed in that direction.  Stood in line, ordered at a window and found a table. Easy Peasy!!  We both had burritos…the portion was large (I took half of mine home) and the food was tasty and according to the menu, made from scratch.   Upscale Mexican food in an outdoor setting…perfect for passing the time.

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   Next stop was Walmart to get some suet and seed rings for the birds. Not my favorite place to shop but I’ve not found any other options out here for my bird seed needs. The little birds have been going crazy over the suet and when we left this morning, they were in the process of finishing the last one I brought from Charlevoix. 

    Went to Costco for the eye exam…I stayed in the truck to read, while Kim went in to read little letters on a poster on the wall and pick out frames. That whole process took over an hour; then we were on our way back to camp.

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   One of the eaglets in the Big Bear Lake eagle nest was reported missing for a couple of feedings after a snowstorm hit the area on March 13; lots of speculation from the hordes of live feed watchers, but no official statement until March 15. On the date, the Friends of Big Bear Valley (the nonprofit organization that sponsors the webcam) confirmed that the eaglet had died.  It’s unsure exactly what happened, just that it was seen unmoving in the nest. Luckily, the other two eaglets appear to be healthy and growing. So, Jackie and Shadow are feeding just two eaglets now. The snow also appears to be quickly melting off the nest.

   Meanwhile, over in the Shenandoah Valley, Bella and Scout are still incubating their three eggs, but a hatching is expected soon. 

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   Last night didn’t pan out for imaging.  The clear sky chart was wrong about clouds clearing by midnight.  They were still hanging around which meant no imaging.  But tonight is a different story. There’s a clear sky with lots of stars showing and the telescope is ready to rock n roll!  Still gathering data for the Dolphin Head Nebula.