Raptors!!

After breakfast on Friday we decamped to the Sonora Desert Museum to photograph raptors in free flight. My pals are very experienced in identifying and photographing birds, but I know nothing, so my expectations were modest. Despite never having done this before, I was thrilled to be able to capture a few species, some in flight, and ended up with a few decent images. This Cara Cara looks like he’s wearing a toupée! We dubbed him the used car salesman.

A great horned owl was very accommodating, holding a dignified pose.

Camouflaged in the brush, he’s barely visible, with Mexico in the background.

The Harris’ Hawk is quite the hunter, and he buzzed the crowd en route to snagging a small animal for lunch. He was also a vain poser!

The Desert Museum has much else to recommend it as well: a myriad of cactus species, an aquarium, a butterfly garden, a mountain lion named Cruz (who refused to emerge from his nap), two sleepy wolves and a lethargic lizard. Yes, those butterflies below are mating!

After our morning in the hot sun, we visited my friend Cheri, who made us a delicious lunch on her breezy patio. As I expected, the three of them hit it off famously, and I hope they’ll cultivate their new friendship over shared interests.

I didn’t expect to find wetlands in Tucson, but Sweetwater was a lovely, serene spot to watch ducks, coots and a little piping fellow whose name I forget.

For a change of pace, on Saturday afternoon we followed Cheri’s recommendation and sought out the Mini Time Machine Museum, a fascinating collection of over 500 dollhouses and roomboxes. The detail was just exquisite: if you didn’t know these were miniatures, you’d think from the photos they were full-sized. I was amazed at the fabrics, laces, chandeliers and wall art in these rooms, the minuscule titles etched on the book spines and the labels on the foodstuffs in the general store.

Sunday morning was cooler than usual, perfect for a last walk in the neighborhood. It seemed that the cacti burst into bloom overnight.

Such a lovely trip! I was so grateful to see my friends Jen, Marsha and Cheri again, and play with our cameras together. And so home I went, anxious for another adventure.