Evenings

Wednesday evening was beautiful, and rather than heading right off from work I walked the trail towards highway 36. I got an improved look at the local Belted Kingfishers. Fortunately they seem to be hanging around, and I'll keep trying to get a clear look. Why do I think they'll hang around....well one was doing some house hunting at dusk.


That might just be a bank to keep an eye on! For that moment though, the bird was keeping on the move. There are several similar holes in the bank, and from what I could tell some serious courting, Kingfisher style. I'll have to do a bit of reading on their nesting and mating practices to see if that was courtship or setting up shop.


As already stated, today became very windy. I returned from my lunchtime drive and found a young Redtail Hawk taking shelter in a tree behind our building.


It moved on to the next tree in the row, and I followed. I guess misery loves company!


Actually I am not sure what drew them together, but there was something below that really had their attention. Or, perhaps they were just ducking out of the gusts.

I ended up near home this evening, and Red-winged Blackbirds wanted to make sure everyone knew that evening was just as good as morning for showing off.


This evening was supposed to have been errand night, but as I drove past my neighborhood something caught my eye. I parked, and with camera in hand returned to get a confirming look at what I had seen.


Tufts on a nest! That makes two within a few miles of home. This one is sandwiched between a busy street and a high traffic walking path. I kept well back, and with the wind never saw the bird turn my way.


The owls had pulled me in, and the Red-winged Blackbird kept me company when I had withdrawn to a small pond. I headed off to look for coyotes, and found an adult Red-tail instead, but it had grown fairly dark. As I returned towards the parking lot I heard a single hoot. I modified my route, and returned along the road instead of the path. As I passed, stealing looks out of the corner of my eye while walking at a steady pace I spotted the male. He was well below, and was turned away from me.

I hope the pair maintain their nest. It is busy there, bikers, joggers, fisherfolk, and dog walkers all frequent the area, and the roadside where I walked has a bus stop just below them. I'll be keeping my distance, but may walk the scope over a few times to see how things progress.

Nice Morning at Lower Church Lake

In a tease of what is to come this spring the weather set up one of those wacky days today. This morning temps were in the 40s, I know plenty of folks that would take that for a high and be happy. I was fine with the chance to get out in the mild weather before work, and made the local stop at Lower Church Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Northern Pintail were soaking it up as well. I have a feeling frequent visitors to the site are going the be reading that regularly.


It was a good chance to just enjoy the morning, in anticipation of good things to come. Red-winged Blackbirds are tuning up and trying out their poses to impress the ladies. Better them singing than me...that's for sure.


At least for the coming week the lake is set up perfectly for the morning sun. After the time change that may all be thrown out the window, but for now Mallards landing are a good challenge. I still don't quiet have a balance of frozen motion, glare prevention, and noise all worked out. I think trying to improve my shots will be enjoyable though.


One thing I forget over the winter is the work that goes into waterfowl shots. I make a conscious effort to hold my camera level, but panning to follow a moving bird sends that right out the window. Ripples and reflections on the water reveal all, so these shots got a touch of rotation before cropping. Practice, practice, practice.


In addition to its convenience, this site has the bonus of lying just beyond a curved railroad bed. Without passing beyond it I can remain out of the perceived threat range of these birds. They give me a bit of a look, but don't seem too bothered. The airplanes that fly directly overhead on their way to Rocky Mountain Regional Airport do seem to get their attention though. The Pintails did an about face when a larger jet made a low approach while I was shooting. I guess if one of your concerns in life is an eagle coming to snack on you, a giant flying thing headed your way is worthy of note.

40 degree temps to start the day were nice, but by lunch they were accompanied by fierce wind, making photos at lunch a near impossibility. I did drive over to the south side of Standley Lake, and the winds had pushed what was left of the ice into a large pile at the eastern end of the lake. Weather forecasts heading into the weekend are poor, but hopefully the open water will attract some goodies down to Standley. As I was driving I passed under a Bald Eagle and a Double-crested Cormorant both fighting the wind in the same location, but well separated as one was there on my way out, and one on the return. The Double-crested Cormorant was a first of season bird for me, and hopefully was headed for the rookery at Standley Lake.

Another Great Evening

After my lunchtime reptilian adventure I was ready for another round, so I made the stopoff at Stearn's Lake on my way home last evening. Of course Redwings were everywhere, and at times I can't resist the urge for yet another picture of their gleaming colors.

As a relatively new birder I am just loving this springtime migration season. I guess that starting in October is the way to go, as you get used to dry barren landscapes and 15 species checklists. Now I am able to filter out more of the common residents, and focus on the visitors and new arrivals showing up. I know if I was just starting out I would be in over my head trying to sort out Robins and female Red-Winged Blackbirds from everything else, (yes the female RWBBs still get me occasionally, but I am starting to put size and streaky breasts together more quickly in the field now).

Anyway, one thing that I have noticed a few times is the recurrence of a recently identified species. For instance yesterday afternoon I identified my first Spotted Sandpiper. Last evening I saw a number of additional individuals of the same species and got some much better pictures. It makes me wonder if these occasions are a coincidence of arrivals, or a heightened awareness of the presence of the species - and therefore a trigger in the consciousness to alert on the now recognized shape and pattern. Probably a bit of both, but an interesting phenomena nonetheless.

They are welcome to click with my mind whenever I can get this close!

I also had this Brewer's Sparrow stop on this clear branch with a bit of back lighting. Another lifer, a new species each time out is just fine with me! Will I now have Brewer's showing up each time I head out? Have they been there all along, and this is just the first time one has been gleaming in the sun to catch my attention?

The pair of American Avocets, (summer residents?), were at the same location, the first marshy part of the lake the trail passes. I hope that they remain, as I get a rush each time I see their cool rusty heads.

Back off for more today at lunch, hopefully I will have some new species that I can start seeing around every corner!

2009 Count: 127

Lifetime: 142

Windy Week Wrap

This is going to be quick for two reasons, after the Dipper there was not much blog-worthy birding in my world, and two I am about to dash home and head from there to Breckenridge for my first skiing of the year. Horrible I know. The twenty something deep inside hates me for not getting up before late February.
Tuesday began the wind, but I had an update from a fellow Broomfield birder that he had seen a Cinnamon Teal in Plaster Reservoir over the weekend, so I rushed over on my lunch to see if it was still around. If it was I didn't see it, instead it was lots of wind, and a harried lunch.

This American Coot was riding the whitecaps.

Last evening I had another go at the Cinnamon Teal, it had been so windy that I would not have been surprised to have missed it in plain sight. It was still absent though, so I had to make do with singing birds and a less windy pleasant evening.

This Song Sparrow kept well back in the vegetation, but some of his mates began to sing.

Red-Winged Blackbirds were singing everywhere.

The irony was not lost that I was enjoying an evening full of signs of spring before heading home to dig out my ski gear from all of last year's hiding spots.

Today at lunch I was looking for shelter from the wind again, so I headed to Eldora Canyon State Park for lunch. It was a bust, but I did spot a Slate-Colored Junco at a trail-head on the way back.

At first I did not even know that it was a Junco, it seemed to long, and light. After looking at the pics more closely I knew it was a Junco, and then noted that it had white wingbars.

From there I did some searching on the White-winged variety, and found that they are larger, and a paler shade of gray. Both of those attributes were what had kept me from initially nailing the id as a Junco in the first place. I guess at least I am getting better at noticing essential differences, even if they are not clear to me at the time.

Now I am off to the mountains, hopefully some good high elevations species while I am there.

2009 Count: 60

Lifetime: 90

Weather & Goose Update

This Red-Winged Blackbird had to adjust his perch this morning to accommodate some early season buds.

Bring the kid, simple things like spring buds deserve to be shared on a beautiful morning, even if technically it is still winter.

I returned to Stearn's Lake last evening and again this morning because of all the Chen Goose excitement. Chen is a family of goose that includes Emperor, Snow, and Ross's Species. It is amazing that experienced birders can come to the same lake that I visit and pick out many more abnormal species than I ever detect, but then those are probably the same people who can identify minutiae on a Gull to determine what species and age it is. I am nowhere near that level, and for those people, picking out a rare goose must be a nice change of pace.

I must content myself with my camera and bins, they certainly give me enough identification challenges at this point. So I checked the lake again with better light on my way to work. Two of the three Snow Geese were around, with the white one hanging out even closer to shore this morning.

Perhaps his pose indicates the attitude he has to all the attention that is being paid to his "blue" counterparts. Anthropomorphic I know, "butt" really, watch out where you point that thing buddy! After I took his picture a few times his ego must have been satisfied. He resumed a much more proper pose for a dignified goose.

The "blues" continue to draw interest to Stearn's Lake. I caught one of them while I was there this morning.

I believe that he is the same Snow Goose that has been causing ID questions for me all year. At least he seems to think all the people around are worth a laugh, or maybe they are just preventing him from sleeping in.

Two posts already this morning, and I am just off for my mid-day walk. I even saw the Bald Eagle perched in the trees across from my office earlier today, and that was just going for a cup of coffee. Hopefully other good things await.

2009 Count: 56

Lifetime: 86

1/9 Barr Lake State Park

On my Friday off I spent my day well at Barr Lake State Park. The weather ranged from mediocre to annoying, but even so the park seems to have a great deal of potential. For anyone who has already visited this site, or is familiar with it that is a bit of a no-brainer. As the home of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and a bird banding site it is one of Colorado's birding hot-spots. Thanks to the wind and overcast skies I had the place effectively to myself.
During my visit I hiked two miles out and back in both directions along the perimeter trail from the Nature Center.

My first hike took me north to the boat launch point. I had good views of Shovelers and Northern Pintails, and enjoyed watching Bald Eagles out fishing on the ice. On my return from the boat launch I had a great up close Downie Woodpecker who was willing to stay close while I snapped his picture a bunch of times.

I also got my first shots of a Brown Creeper.

The second out and back took me south into the wildlife preserve half of the lake. One of the highlights was walking out to the Gazebo under and through a cloud of 1700-2000 Red-winged Blackbirds.

I walked until I had gotten just past the Bald Eagle rookery. It was nice to be able to watch them back in the trees perching over a secluded pond or inlet. On the return trip I was treated to several Bald Eagle flyovers, and watched a Black-capped Chickadee as he hung inverted while working over a branch.

All in all it was a great day at the park. I am really hoping for a nice sunny day so I can get back to taking bright pictures again.

Update: Saw that this is a Song Sparrow, 7/17/2009

2009 Count: 46

Lifetime: 84