Just another Red-tailed Hawk

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but based on my previous post, and the revelation that I was looking for the Red-shouldered Hawk, that has been seen near Windsor, Colorado I am a bit disappointed to have this as my featured bird in this post.
OK, not really. It was a gorgeous bird in the still early light, and the visit to the Kodak Watchable Wildlife Area was worth the drive. I just did my walking in the wrong half of the area, and (as noted) my time was not all my own this past weekend, so I didn't have the time to explore the area where another birder reported seeing the bird. Hopefully I will be able to get back up there soon.
On to more important, and less birdy matters! The Minnesota Vikings, (American Football Team), won their first playoff match up in convincing style and advance to the NFC Championship game next week. Don't worry Colorado readers, I am still a Bronco fan, as I have been for my adult life, but the Vikings were the team of my childhood, and until Minnesota gets its Superbowl monkey off its back myself and millions of Minnesotans will be quietly hoping that this could be the year. Of course history has taught us, and outwardly we will brace for, yet another calamitous collapse - but needless to say yet another week will go bye where birding will come second on Sunday.
More important, in a values sense, is that today is my Bonfils blood donation day. Many birding blogs have noteworthy charitable organizations associated with them, and I made a decision a while back to promote the importance I place on giving blood and organ donation. I have been doing this for a couple of years now, and gladly follow in my Dad's footsteps as he donated regularly as I was growing up. With the recent tragic earth quake in Haiti the decision to give blood is more visible than ever. In my area Bonfils handles the local Blood supply for Colorado, but in many areas in the US and internationally that responsibility is met by the Red Cross. While your blood donation may not be sent directly to Haiti, keeping your local blood supply full allows excess blood to be shared with regions hit by unexpected crises. So if you, like I, have been moved to make a financial charitable contribution on the heels of the suffering that we have all seen, please also consider making one additional donation before the media blitz ends.

Short Days

Despite the beautiful weather we have been having here in Colorado for late November and early December I have not had many productive birding trips since Thanksgiving that have generated any blog content. A trip to Boulder Creek in the midst of the CU tailgate only produced Mallards, Robins, and a handful of Chickadees.

Monday's lunch was spent running errands, so I used my early afternoon to head to Chatfield State Park, where I picked up a new annual pass. I must say that the pass office staffer was one of the nicest I have met. I had to convince her that I was happy enough to purchase my new pass a few months earlier than my previous vehicles would have expired. My thoughts being that, I had already gotten more than my value from my previous pass, and if there is an organization that I don't mind giving a few extra dollars to it is the State Parks.

I am glad to have my pass again, and am glad to have had a chance to drive through Chatfield State Park while I was there. It was a bit to dark by the time I was done for pictures, but I got a feel for the area, and took a brief stroll in the fading light where I saw a number of geese, a noisy group of Black-billed Magpies, and a lone Great Blue Heron that buzzed my tower as it flew up Plum Creek and over the bridge I was crossing at the time.

Hopefully pics later, in the meantime please consider letting family and friends know about your intentions to donate organs and tissue in the event of an untimely tragedy. It is something that is easy to put off, but something that if clearly stated as an intention before the fact can take a burden off of family members and do so much good for so many others. Don't forget to give blood as well, eligibility comes around every eight weeks!

Better than Birding!

The title of this post can mean different things based on your attitude to birding. To some readers that statement can only be applied to the birth of their children, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut, or just possibly getting kisses on the nose from a few week old puppy. For others, the list includes major dentistry, laundry and taxes. I find myself somewhere in between, take a guess which pole I am closer to!

Despite all the attitudes encompassed in the spectrum above there is one thing that hopefully we can all agree is more important than an ever expanding life list, saving human lives!

Yesterday was my opportunity to once again take less than an hour from my busy day to do just that very thing - I gave blood! It is an opportunity that I get to seize once every 8 weeks. I have written about it before. I am sure I will again. This is today's version.

In Colorado the primary blood banking organization is Bonfils Blood Center with whom I donate. They have a bus that comes to my work several times each year, and I make my donations when I am eligible in between those visits at one of their local blood centers.

I know that for some the idea of voluntarily being stuck by needles is abhorrent, but what better reason could there be to confront a fear than knowing that by doing so you will be saving up to three lives? If it is any assurance, for a man like me without even exceptionally hairy arms, the pulling off of the tape they use to hold the line in place is by far the most painful part of the experience.

If you are outside the Colorado area please check http://www.givelife.org/, the American Red Cross blood drive search page. Outside the United States? Don't worry, I'll give you a starting point. These groups promote World Blood Donor Day any of them should be able to provide local resources for your area.

Git 'er done! (Not too birdy)

Work is actually picking back up after the holiday doldrums. Not much birding news, the past two days have been filled with the much more important and the much more mundane.


Yesterday was the Bonfils' Bloodmobile day here at work. (Blood drop dude pulled from Google, credited loosely to bharatbloodbank.com). Not only did I get my free cookies and juice, a nifty "green" grocery bag (that I predict I will never successfully remember to take to the grocery store), and my warm fuzzy feeling of having done good. I also got my 1 gallon pin! Such an accomplishment.


Give Blood! It is easy, appreciated, and truly life changing to the recipients. While you are at it sign up to be an organ & tissue donor! Do it the next time you renew your license, and make sure your family knows of your wishes.


Being that I was a pint low in the afternoon I abandoned my lunchtime walk for a trip to the oil change place to have my car drained as well. As Murphy dictates I noticed on my drive home that the car lights behind me were making me drive home in a shadow. Sure enough, I was then one headlight down.

That ruled out an exceptionally early start to the day today, so no birding before work, and of course lunch was shot getting a car wash (too dirty to lean on) and changing out the headlamps.


With all that done I am ready for my three day "pager freedom" weekend. I plan to head to Barr Lake State Park tomorrow, and get some skiing in early Saturday, (maybe some Purple Finches or Siskins), before the playoff games get going.



If you are still reading feel free to check these sites to get the blood flowing:

Bonfils Blood Center (Denver area blood donations)

American Red Cross Blood Services (Any other US based Blood Donations)

Colorado Organ and Tissue Donor Registry


Government Organ and Tissue Registry Information