Category Archives: Nature

Lovebirds

Birds, Nature

 

Chris and I went to Usery Park to look at birds. The highlight was the Rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) [formerly the rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), also known as the rosy-collared or peach-faced lovebird. This is a species of lovebird native to arid regions in southwestern Africa such as the Namib Desert.

They had beautiful green, rose, and orange plumage. They are common in the pet industry. These birds are descendants of escapees from someone who owned them. They are not native to Arizona but this group has been here for years and seem to be enjoying life in the Sonoran desert. Most exotic birds are not able to survive in the US, but these found congenial conditions in the Phoenix area. Many people welcome them, as does Usery Park where we photographed these.

I love these birds

I am an Inspector of Sunsets

Nature, Sunsets

 

One late afternoon, after a swim I went for a walk in San Tan Mountain Park–together with Usery Park–one of my favorites. It felt great to be back. And it ended with a real happy ending–not the kind that some masseuses provide. The happy ending was a near divine sunset.

It started out as sunsets often do, with a whimper not a bang. Yet I have learned through my years of sunset inspecting, not to give up too soon. Henry David Thoreau called himself an inspector of snow storms; I call myself an inspector of sunsets. This was dandy.

A passerby who saw me setting up my tripod,  hollered out, “you’re going to have great pictures.” I was not sure she was right. Like J. Paul Getty said about money, who wanted “more” I wanted more too. I had hope, not confidence.

It started out dull and gray, but I noticed it had some cracks. I knew from past sunset experience that small cracks could allow great beauty to emerge. And it did. Like Leonard Cohen said, “There is a crack in everything and that’s how the light gets in.” That applied perfectly to this stunning sunset.

After the sun dropped behind the mountain, and then a soft yet powerful pink color emerged in the sky above where the sun had been, turning to crimson. It was a perfect pink smudge right behind a Saguaro cactus creating a lovely silhouette. So often the best sunsets occur after the sun has dropped out of view. Briefly, I was in paradise.