No arrests were made…

 

Tracy and I had a great time today.  We managed to avoid any trouble with the “authorities” on any level.  :) 

We went to Estrella Mountain Park to the Tres Rios Nature and Earth Festival.  It is in support of Tres Rios Wetlands that I have been thinking about visiting lately.  Now that we have the correct information, we’ll definitely be making this a trip in the next few days.  I was hoping today’s trip would supply us with some water shots, but that was not to be.

There were several examples of all kinds of wildlife there.  We steered clear of the s-n-a-k-e-s because of You Know Who. This is an American Kestrel.  It was a beautiful bird, but smaller than I thought.

These two shots are of an immature female Red Tailed Hawk.  The females are larger than the males.

I learned quite a bit about falconry…just enough to be dangerous.  There is a real dedication required to complete all of the education and licensing that goes into it.

This is a Harris’s Hawk.  This bird has beautiful rusty coloring on its shoulder feathers.  And speaking of feathers…

They were so gorgeous. I just wanted to touch them…but wisely didn’t.

Some of the birds were rescued from owners who didn’t understand the commitment required to care for these types of birds.  And some were wild rescues.

This Raven was so glossy.  They are quite intelligent birds and according to the docent, this one has a bit of an attitude.  She has been known to appear to derive pleasure from cutting unsuspecting handlers with her sharp beak.

Owls are an all-time favorite of mine and this little Short Eared Owl didn’t fail to make me smile…or to take several pictures.

The Great Horned Owl was regal and stately.  You can see how they blend in so well in the wild.

We got to listen to a very knowledgeable biologist and nature photographer.  He had such unbelievably great shots from all over the world and a wealth of information to share that the short time period didn’t really allow.  His power point presentation would have be much more enjoyable (for You Know Who) if he didn’t like to take so many pictures of s-n-a-k-e-s.

I know that Tracy worries that we will have so many of the same pictures when we go to these places together and doesn’t want to bore anyone with repetitions.  But I say she has such a unique and wonderful way of looking at the world, her shots are always uniquely her own.

PS:  And in reality, I was glad to avoid the s-n-a-k-e-s because I’m pretty sure that was where the s-p-i-d-e-r-s were.  :)