John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- It was a warm and windy Fourth of July. As I approached the pond, the sound of Chimney Swifts and their successful broods greeted me. Arriving at the pond, I hoped to see the fledgling Yellow-crowned Night-Herons exploring for the first time.
John W Garbutt
Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 1.
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- “We must remember that the public can see all the animals we have in any good zoo, but to see them in their natural environment they must come to places like the Wichita”- Aldo Leopold, 1925.
Despite my numerous trips here, it was my trip on October 1st that I first noticed this quote. My trip was to see Rocky Mountain Elk which were extirpated from the area by 1875 and reintroduced in 1908.
Continued Observations of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Colony
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – On May 1st I set out to observe the herons hunting along the edge of the pond. I anticipated that with mouths to feed in the colony, I would find a lot of heron activity at sunrise. I laid on the ground using a Bald Cypress as a blind and its roots as a tripod as I awaited a heron to work its way toward me.
Observations of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Colony
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – March was winding down. The morning was cool, which made for a lovely morning to make another attempt at locating the Cooper’s Hawks’ nest in the riparian area of the park. I finally found it on the 26th. It turned out that the Hawks were renovating the previous year’s construction. Excited with the discovery, I decided to head down the path to scout where the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron pair nested the previous year near the creek.
Wintering Ducks
John W Garbutt, 2019 – I struggled on how to approach doing an article for the newsletter. I initially wanted to do one on ducks and the seasonal shift that brings them down in autumn. I also switched the theme from my enjoyment of them, my approach to photographing them, and interspersing information about the ducks into the text. After countless rewrites, this is mostly just the facts Joe Friday style.