Thursday, May 28, 2009

A "Swift" trip to the South Mesa Trailhead


After my sunny lunch trip to Boulder I went back up after work, this time to the South Mesa Trailhead. It was a bit different, as the seasonal "black cloud over Boulder" had made its afternoon appearance. I took shelter downwind from some heavy brush as the front blew through, and was able to watch a group of White-Throated Swifts soaring on the strong breeze.

After the rain cleared I was able to locate this Yellow Warbler singing as it inspected the new growth for insects.


Within minutes the sky was back to eggshell blue, which brought out this Bullock's Oriole to sing in the treetop.


It also brought out this Bullsnake, who was not singing. It did a lot of hissing and I did some yelling when we found one another well inside our comfort zones after I came around a bush in the trail. Fortunately my heart did not explode in my chest despite a good shot of adrenalin, I wonder if snakes use adrenalin, and if so did it have a story to tell its friends later that night like I did?
Neither of use were any worse for the wear, and I watched - from a few additional feet away - as he worked his way into some rocks that offered more cover. Oddly enough the picture above was the first I took after I had scrambled out of his way. The later attempts failed to get his head in nearly as tight focus.
2009 Count: 147
Lifetime 160

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