I count my blessings every day that I have a job, and that the job I have is rewarding, varied, and filled with people, who while not my dearest friends are certainly enjoyable coworkers and good people to spend time with.
That being that, birders can make you frustrated at not already being happily retired at times. I have been reading reports of people who have enjoyed hours of watching a Snowy owl in a subdivision well south of Denver, and here I am fulfilling my obligations and getting in a bit of lunchtime birding on a few occasions. Today I was skunked for photography. At least I walked away with decent contrast on the Slate-colored Junco above.
The Juncos seemed to be working the edge of the receding snowpack for food. This seemed similar to the high alpine behavior I witnessed in Rocky Mountain National Park this summer when birds could be found around the isolated snow drift edges. There they are reportedly catching insects as the emerge from the ice, I would think the same was happening here. Even with that stretch for insight my walk today was beautiful, but quiet.
Despite having an oncall weekend rotation I may try for an early morning look at the reported Red-shouldered Hawk in Weld county. I am going to have to hope that the Snowy is content to hang around for another full week if I want to take my chance with it. Although based on the uproar between pro and anti birder residents, and the same between well behaved and rotten egg birders, and the cumulative effect they are all having on one another I wouldn't blame the owl if it packed its bags and headed back north before then.
Well it will be another weekend of hoping that good luck shines on my limited opportunities, even if it doesn't the trying will be well worth it! Take care all, and if you find yourself out birding please consider the effect your presence may have on the lives around you, both animal and human.
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