Feeder Flight Shots

One of the things I enjoy most about the Wingscapes Birdcam is flipping through a series of shots for the first time and seeing what it has captured. The flight shots that it captures are surprisingly good. I love the shot, (above) of the American Goldfinch slowing down to land. The speed setting captured just the pauses of the wing and tail at the top and bottom of the beat. A shot like that makes me think of a backstroke of a canoe paddle. That first back force in the water which creates eddies and whirlpools which dissipate the forward momentum. Air doesn't let us see that effect from wing-beats, but the cup shape created by the tail and wings would seem to create the same patterns.
The House Finches can hardly avoid getting flight shots with all their activity in the area.

Even the intrusive House Sparrow female, bland as she is, can look graceful when fully extended.

This shot may require a click on the photograph to see, but it captures a House Finch looking on with interest as an American Goldfinch makes a banked approach from below.

I just love that this little camera is hard at work while I am doing other things!

Feeder Variety Improving

A beautiful weekend, overshadowed by a forecast of FEET of snow for my upcoming four day trip to Estes Park and RMNP with my family. Looks like I will be packing some spare winter gear for the family! Despite that news this morning I had a great time Sunday driving my folks around some of the areas near my home that I have *discovered* since their last visit. Doing so, I left the camera at home, and will use the automated efforts of my Wingscapes Birdcam to show some of the more recent arrivals at my feeder.

I saw my first American Goldfinch in the yard late last week, and accordingly this couple had their photo taken to mark the event, (top). House Sparrows (above) aren't new arrivals, or uncommon, but they have taken to the Nyjer Feeder and were regular visitors in my latest batch of pics.
Of course the House Finches are always around as well.

At times the species seem to share the feeder without much visible friction, here a female American Goldfinch and House Finch seem to be tolerant of one another.

A later shot, however, shows that their tempers can flare. This view seems to show a bit of 'communication' between the two.

I am really enjoying the fact that even when I have other activities going on the Birdcam is happy to keep tabs on things for me. My hope is that I will be able to use it on my upcoming trips and take it along camping as well this summer. Any goodies will be shared here, so check back for updates.

Morgan County Day Trip

On Saturday I decided to undertake a self-guided birding excursion. It was to be the better of the two weekend days, and I wanted a chance to really get out and enjoy the high plains environment, beyond the urban sprawl of the Front Range corridor. Flipping blindly through my Colorado atlas, and doing a bit of reading on the Colorado Field Ornithologists' birding website, I decided to head out to Morgan County for the day.
Morgan County is a 'smallish', rectangular county in Northeastern Colorado. It is the next step east from my large, neighboring counties of Weld and Adams. The county features a state park on a good sized reservoir, a well developed agricultural and commerce corridor bordering the South Platte River, and it is handily located along interstate I-76 - making getting there a snap.


My first stop, and main birding area, was Jackson Reservoir State Park. Having left my home at just after 7:00, I was pulled in and counting birds before 9:00. My first sighting in the park itself was a male Ring-necked Pheasant. A good sign of things to come, but on this outing the photography was taking a back seat. I was trying to lean a bit more on my ears and bins first, and get shots as an afterthought. It was a good decision, when I got back that evening I found that my sensor had somehow picked up a collection of dust to rival the area beneath my bed - yuck. Despite that there were a few pictures worth sharing, and species that didn't make the cut.
Above were a group of gulls taken from the pier on the west side of the lake. It was near an area of open water that had some great birds hanging out. Before getting to the gulls in the picture believe me when I say that my report of 48 Bald Eagles was conservative. I had to stop looking for species after I had arrived and just do a sweep of the area to count individuals before they moved around too much. Adding to the impression of the sight was the fact that only 10-15% of the lake was open, so the birds were gathered in a small area of the rather large lake.

Back to the picture above though. I caught the two gulls contesting a catch which was fun, but check out the darker guy on the right - a California Gull. I tallied the California, a good number of Herrings, and of course Ring-billeds at the park. Three gull species, not bad, I guess my gull watches are having some effect.

Gulls are still frustrating though, so lets pause to admire a posed Dark-eyed Junco. "Ah, that's better." The Juncos were part of a loose mixture in the trees as I cam back from the pier. I had American Robins, Mountain and Eastern Bluebirds all interacting with them. The Eastern Bluebirds were the first that I had seen in Colorado.

After checking some of the Russian-Olive groves in that area I met another birding couple who mentioned having had a group of 7 Long-eared owls fly into the trees near them back near the visitor center. I stopped by on my way out of the park. I never saw the owls, but enjoyed this odd moment of nature from the parking lot. Two tom Wild Turkeys were displaying and competing with one another, but were separated by a chain link fence. I have no idea how long the dominance display lasted, or if in a Turkey's mind such a thing can be decided when there is an incomprehensible barrier dividing rivals. It was good for a watch though, and more comical as there was a large opening in the fence just to the left, but these two were so hung up with one another that they may still be there now.

After a very enjoyable time at the park I headed off for my next target - a pair of adjacent parks in Fort Morgan along the South Platte, one of which was appropriately named Riverside Park. A pond there had the full compliment of exotic waterfowl, along with high numbers of both Canada and Cackling Geese. Riverside Park was a bit overdeveloped and crowded on a mild Saturday afternoon, so I headed for the more natural Canfield Park. I had to work for birds, as my walk out was pretty quiet, but eventually birds started appearing. The river itself was strangely dull. I saw 6 Mallards and 11 Killdeer on the banks or in the water, and that was about it. On my return trip I stayed more inland, and was rewarded with more cooperative subjects, like this American Goldfinch.

As I turned from the Goldfinch a Wilson's Snipe exploded from the bank of a fishing pond behind me. A few minutes later a fisherman on the far side flushed it again, and it landed briefly in the open to allow a single shot in the light.

As I walked along I added a pair of Downies and dozens more Red-winged Blackbirds, and got this shot of an Eastern Bluebird posing with the sun at its back.

It was now mid-afternoon, and I had one more area I just had to check out. One of the locations the CFO site listed was a winding county road that cut through the dunes in the southern portion of the county. I wanted this route as it was reported as a great site for raptors, and who doesn't like winding country roads through dunes?

On my way south I picked a road at random from my atlas, county road "Q", and drove east. It was while I was on this road, trying to reach my target while swinging past a SWA, that I witnessed a site that many are inspired by, hundreds of miles away at Bosque del Apache. That site was the rising of thousands of white geese from a reservoir that was dammed immediately to my right. Because the light was fading my pictures were a sad display, but I will be back in the area again to try to do justice to what I was able to witness. Just incredible!

To that end, if any reader happens to know the area, please feel free to reply to let me know if the large processing plant on the south side of that reservoir has any public access to the lake? It is just south of County Rd Q, and west of the Brush Prairie Ponds SWA.

In the fading light I did head on, and reached my target road. I saw no one for ten miles, just two dogs that chased me for a mile or so, and one Red-tail Hawk. I wouldn't have traded the experience though. At one point I stopped to pull a jacket from the back seat, and got out just to listen to the silence. I wasn't rewarded with any sightings, but that didn't matter right then. Finally as I was returning to a paved State Highway and turning back to the interstate in the cloud induced early dusk I had a pair of Harlan's Hawks, one flying and one perched, in my area. A good sighting to wrap up my first of many visits to Morgan County. The hundred Ross's Geese I saw added one life bird to my list in force. I had hoped for photos, but there should be more opportunities as migration approaches.

2010 Count: 70

Lifetime: 207

Spring Fever

It is way too nice for the 12th of January. I spent my lunch in a short sleeved button down shirt, and was warm, standing still in the shade on a snowy trail. Snow will fall again soon enough, but today was so worth it.

There is a very mild bit of rodent steak visible at the end of this post - so little I hesitate to add a warning - but some are grossed out by the realities of nature - you have been over warned!


I headed to the South Boulder Creek Trail today and didn't ever make it far from the Bobolink trailhead. A male Belted Kingfisher posed for me above the bit of open water emerging from the overpass. Most of the creek is solid, but won't be for long if these temps remain mild.

After a few hundred yards of mostly quiet going I found the birds. It was springlike. I was in the midst of a group of finches, both House and Goldfinches, with a number of Juncos and the lone Downy Woodpecker (above) joining in for good measure.

All of the species were singing, and with the mild temps it was nice to just stop and watch them all busy moving about the underbrush. It truly was one of those days when playing hooky would have been all to welcome, but responsibility does tend to win out, and I left group to its own devices.

As I neared the parking lot on my return I was looking up to id a poorly lit flicker, when movement caught my eye from the next tree along. I found something enjoying a big old lunch!

This American Kestrel was more distant and naturally posed than the one that was so cooperative on Saturday. Fortunately, the feeding shots more than made up for the lack of clarity and harsh light. Kestrels are fairly common, and seeing them hunt and consume critters like grasshoppers and crickets is something I have been able to do in the past. I know that they also add small rodents such as mice and voles to their diet, but seeing this little guy consume a prey item that appears to be half its size was impressive.

Beware, in nature the colorful face that you note for its beauty one day may be the hunter, noted for its ferocity, the next.

Begin the Day with Birds!

What better way to motivate for a workday than at a lake, at sunrise, surrounded by the textures and colors of birds?


Mourning Doves are common, but the low sun shadows make the spots on this one's back merge into the layers of texture. Even the mundane can provide beauty.

A Song Sparrow's song is just right to clear the mind and rejuvenate the soul.

This young Bullock's Oriole explores all the ways a barbed wire fence is like a jungle gym. Even prickly situations can be fun.

The subdued colors and contemplative nature of this Double-Crested Cormorant offer a reminder, that reflection and patience have their places in daily life.

Then an American Goldfinch finds a perch under cool green leaves and before a crystal clear blue sky. Make the most of conditions that favor your best qualities!

Finally, never be content with the way things are. The familiar may not be the best, be open to change if it brings an improvement! (Check out the new and improved Great Blue Heron header!)

Coot Lake and a bit of Boulder Reservoir

Friday evening I headed north through Boulder, thinking that I may stop by the Walden Ponds - Sawhill Ponds Complex to see what all was in the area. Due to being on a different road than I realized I was actually further east than I had planned and missed my turn. So instead of fighting traffic and guessing on backroads I continued on up to Coot Lake, just north of Boulder Reservoir.
In addition to many dozens of Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Western Meadowlarks, and six colorful spinning parachutists I got to see an photograph 8 Eastern Kingbirds. Since I wasn't looking for this species I got to try to categorise it based on observations while I was taking pictures. They were actively hunting insects, and let me get very close while they did so. I could watch as they waited, launched, and then made an aerobatic attack before returning to their preferred perch. I had a "duh" moment when I compared my pictures to the guides, and the pictures I had of two Western Kingbirds that were in the same area, behaving in a similar manner.

The colors of the Western are eye catching, but the contrast of black and white on the Eastern, along with that brilliant white tip of the tail make it equally pleasing to watch in the field. These two are definitely favorites.

The picture above was a great surprise. It is a Cliff Swallow that was hunting over the mudflats at the outlet of Boulder Res. I was getting ID shots of some Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer on the far side, and took a few frames of the swallows as well. I had basically dismissed them in my fascination with the bee in the previous post, (I saw it minutes later). So when I was flipping through this morning and saw this swallow in flight, with it's eye frozen, looking at me as if to say, "Whats the big deal?" I was just blown away. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!

Just after the random Cliff Swallow, and the European Honeybee, I saw these two Tree Swallows. Their impending activities were a fitting site for someone photographing both birds and bees on this day. I left the happy couple to themselves and finished my walk in time to head for home and catch the end of the Nuggets playoff chase. One less distraction now from the wonderful world of nature and summertime pursuits.

To close, here is a Goldfinch that was in the grass just off the trail. It sat while I took shots as a woman approached walking her dog. I anticipated that it would take off, giving me a chance for a flight shot, but it never did as she approached, only later as we talked did it head for a more distant treetop perch.

2009 Count: 151

Lifetime: 164

The Ones That Get Away

There are some species out there, like the American Goldfinch, that are easily identifiable, and photogenic. On my lunch today along the Coal Creek Trail I took the picture above. It is in poor light, and has a branch in the foreground, but nonetheless tells the story that I saw a Goldfinch on my walk.

Much the same, this Say's Phoebe accompanied me on my cut across a field along a barbed wire fence. Despite being very close it always remained "up" sun from me. That made good eye shots impossible, and washed out a lot of detail. Even with those challenges identifying the bird was no challenge, and after a first glimpse I knew I was walking with a Phoebe.

Here is my mystery guest though. Much like a Yeti, Loch/Sea Creature or Missing Link it evaded any clear picture of its head or breast. This was despite the fact that I was a few feet from it, and it didn't flush immediately.

It was crafty in its ability to move between leaves and branches, and despite the moves we both made, I could not catch more than a fleeting glimpse at any time. All the same I had the impression of a small, uniformly brown, finch like bird. This was between two longer observations of American Goldfinches, and it gave off the impression of being close to the same size beak to tail, but of being more sleek as well.

It remained quiet while I observed it, and stayed close to the center of a shrubby tree right on the bank of the creek. It continued to deeper cover based on my position with a series of small jumps or hops, rather than flights of any kind of distance. However I should state that when I lost it I could not relocate it in the same tree despite watching for some minutes.

Have you ever seen this bird before? Do you recall a similar experience with an unidentified feathery flier? After multiple searches and slow looks through my copy of Sibley I am resigned to not finding the answer after this encounter, but that doesn't mean I wont be back looking again.

In the meantime just another one of those birds to keep me scratching my head in wonder.

Starting the Weekend Right

Is there a better way to start a weekend than by exploring a new stretch of creek bed?


Not much, when you get a good view of a Yellow Rumped Warbler - aka Butterbutt. This was a much better look than I had on my previous sighting, and the first time that I had located one myself rather than having it spotted by someone else in a group. I was impressed by the brilliant yellow stripe in the middle of the plain grey head.

Even more yellow was to be had with this American Goldfinch.

Not to be outdone, the Black-Capped Chickadees made up for their lack of color with their activity and song.

No new species, but a lot of improved looks and just a great evening to be out.