San Miguel is for the birds

 I ended up doing over 19,000 steps on Sunday in San Miguel de Allende, split up in three different walks. The first, in the morning on my own, took me down the hill to the centre of town and then back up the hill on the exit road to Queretaro, a main thoroughfare out of town. I wanted to make my way back to the large grocery store we went to on our second day so I could cut cross country through this cactus peppered park near our place. The second walk was with Heather in the afternoon, through said cactus peppered park to the mall and then back again. The final stroll was up the road to the botanical garden as day went from sunset to dark.

As I walk, my camera is in my hands at the ready. I’m always engaging with the environment around me, watching for anything of interest that may pop up. Yesterday was largely about the birds. They seemed to be everywhere. I even saw multiple hummingbirds, though none were close enough to photograph. 

This vermillion flycatcher was particularly generous with his poses. He seemed to be following me, trying to take me as far away as possible from his female partner.

This beautiful yellow bird was with its partner up in a beautiful tree on a property just as I emerged from the preserve.  The challenge in taking pictures of birds in trees is getting the focus correct. Some work out, many don’t.

I was struck by these murals on a large walk next to the modern mall, just on the outskirts of town where the cobbled streets meet regular pavement.

This windmill caught my eye, too. It seemed like a relic from a different time.

There is absolutely no ambient light in the area around the botanical garden about 1 km from our rental house. While it was not completely dark, the stars were popping out in force as we wandered back.  We’ll return one night when it is completely black as it is a rare opportunity to view the night sky in this way.