Lakeside Park - Part V: Anna's Hummingbird

There usually are hummingbirds around Lakeside Park too. They seem to love the mesquite trees. Here an Anna's Hummingbird was catching flies:

Anna's Hummingbird with fly in sight.

Lakeside Park - Part IV: Turkey Vulture

There were lots of "park birds," Great Tailed Grackles, Bronzed Cowbirds, and a variety of common ducks.

Also present though, was a Turkey Vulture sitting in one of the mesquite trees on a hillside above the lake. He too wanted a photo. So I obliged:

Turkey Vulture

Lakeside Park - Part III: Double Crested Cormorant

Also present at Lakeside Park were a half dozen or so Double Crested Cormorants. They too seem willing to pose for photos:

Lakeside Park - Part II: Black Crowned Night Heron

The Elegant Tern was not the only bird though. I couldn't pass up several other birds without a photograph. I've said this before, the most reliable place in Southern Arizona to find the Black Crowned Night Heron is Lakeside Park. Day before yesterday was no different, We saw six adults and three juveniles. 

One of the adults put on a fishing exhibition which I caught on camera:

Black Crowned Night Heron

Here he is showing me what he caught.

Elegant Tern at Lakeside Park, Tucson, Arizona

I often go off to faraway wilderness areas to photograph wildlife. Sometimes there won't be another human in sight --- for days. On the other hand, sometimes a "rare" bird finds its way to a local municipal park amongst fishermen, dog-walkers, picnickers, etc.

Lakeside Municipal Park is such a place. A couple of years ago it was a Brown Pelican, last year it was a White Pelican, this year it was -- still is an Elegant Tern.

Yesterday I saw the ET reported at about 1:30 in the afternoon (ABA Birding News). Christine and I were there by 2:00. We walked around the lake finding the tern after a half mile or so. 

Elegant Tern

Black Crowned Night Heron - IV

The last of my "5" Star Black Crowned Night Herons is another juvenile. This one taken at Lakeside Park in Tucson. As I mentioned most BCNH spend their day in the trees. As I was scouring the trees at Lakeside Park I found two juveniles and their mom all sitting in this mesquite tree. While I did get photos of all of them -- including a group photo -- this one turned out the best:

Black Crowned NIght Heron