It was 6:15 am and Janice, that’s my wife, and I were heading to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, in Gilbert, Arizona, just a few miles south and east of Scottsdale. Riparian, an unusual word, means relating to wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams. I’m relatively new to wildlife photography and even newer to birds in flight, which some say is the most challenging type of wildlife photography there is. In 2014, I got an invite to attend a wildlife photo…