The beauty of Pinal County continues to amaze me. I have lived here for over 20 years and I have not yet gotten tired of exploring the diverse environments found here. Honestly, I don’t think I ever will. Every adventure I find, see and learn something new.
My husband and I are on a mission to document, research and share as many of our observations and journeys with you as possible. Sometimes, information about sensitive and protected areas we visit may not be shared in order to help protect that resource.
Today, was one of those days that just kind of happened because we were open to the possibility it held. The morning brought a blaze of color and lit up our backyard. As is our habit, we are usually up to enjoy the sunrise while sipping hot coffee on the back porch. Sunrise and coffee just make the day start out right.
So, after coffee, we enjoyed an outing not far from home. It was slightly overcast and rain clouds were hanging around the Valley. We are loving the cooler weather January brings so the clouds didn’t bother us. We will take clouds over blizzards any day of the week! We loaded our gear and headed out in search of adventure.
After a short drive, we hit our first dirt road. We continued on and soon we could see two very large cottonwood trees in the distance. Coming closer, we could make out the edges of a large pond. Tall cattails and reeds extended around the entire circumference along with many other types of bushes.
The trees were an impressive size and obviously very old. The trunks of each were at least 5 feet in diameter. There was also the remains of a larger tree and trunk on the ground nearby. There is a certain magic that trees have about them. Large trees in the desert are a rare thing, and most are dependent on a reliable water source. Such is the case, here. The pond being the result of irrigation water collecting from nearby farms as well as rainfall. To me, that does not matter. What I focus on is the amazing environment that water creates around itself. Even here, wildlife, insects, and nature thrives. Got water? Life will find a way.
We quietly waited, listened and observed. Birds began to chirp and chatter. Small fish began to jump. A small frog croaked and swam through the murky water. We sat patiently and tried to identify each bird we saw and heard. Song sparrows, coots, ravens, killdeer, mourning doves, road runners, and surprisingly, a few Marsh Wrens, a new bird we had never seen before! We added it to our Life List. Another great discovery in our beautiful county.
As we watched and waited, we were gifted the sight of a large Night Heron as it lifted up from the reeds to relocate further away from us. That too, was a delightful surprise from Mother Nature.
To us, this day and the beauty we were given, was a gift.