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‘Good journey’ to butterflies and The Boy
Published October 18, 2009
They came slowly at first, a barely-noticeable trickle of orange-and-black specks riding south on the first strong north winds that blew down from the High Plains several weeks ago.
In the past few days, that trickle has become a steady stream, a river of Monarch butterflies winging inexorably southward, following by unknown means the pathways that will at last bring them to their wintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico.
I look forward to this great annual migration every year, and every year I am filled anew with awe and wonder that such small and fragile beings can even undertake such a long and perilous journey.
But today another journey occupies my thoughts. The Boy, my son Tim, who has been living with me since February, set off this morning on his next adventure, a year of trade school in Orlando, Fla.
It has been a great comfort to me to have Tim here with me, especially since Mike has been in Iraq.
Over the summer, both Tim and I received new Nikon cameras, which we have since tried to put to good use.
On Saturday morning after having breakfast together, I took Tim to the creek with me, and we spent several hours in the quarter-mile stretch between the Tardy Dam and the Dr. Alfredo Gutierrez Amphitheater, chasing kingfishers.
One amazing aspect of this quarter-mile portion of the creek is that one can see all three species of North American kingfishers here, usually without too much trouble.
On Saturday morning, Tim and I quickly found a male Ringed Kingfisher perched on a utility line (of all things!) on the creek side of the San Felipe Neighborhood Facility. He flew off at our approach, chattering loudly. He didn’t go far, though, and we were able to follow him and take several good photos. One of Tim’s is printed below.
The Ringed Kingfisher is big, big, big - the size of a crow or a small hawk. Its massive bill makes its head appear oversized. It is also boldly colored, a deep slate blue, a rusty red and a brilliant white.
The Green Kingfisher, the smallest of the North American kingfishers, is also easily found along this stretch of the creek. On Staurday morning, we saw several Greens near the Neighborhood Facility.
These tiny, dark green sprites are easily overlooked because they fly so close to the surface of the water.
The only kingfisher we didn’t happen to see was the Belted Kingfisher, but I saw one last Saturday, so I know they inhabit this area as well.
We found an Osprey, possibly the same one that I photographed last Saturday, and spent some time getting different shots of this beautiful raptor.
Of course the best thing about Saturday morning was spending time with Tim. I am glad that he is working so hard at becoming a good photographer. As his mother, I am of course sorry to see him leave Del Rio again, but I also understand that he has his own life to live, and, like the Monarchs, his own long journey to take.
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