Shapes and Sky

While at lunch today I found myself once again at Standley Lake, and once again fighting some tough light. This time a subject presented itself particularly well for some silhouette shots. White-faced Ibis. I saw one last year on a snowy morning in Estes Park, but this was the first time I had seen a large group in migration. A few Franklin's Gulls were moving through the area as well. Last Thursday I saw over a hundred at Lower Church Lake. Today there were only a handful in flight, but a fun species, no matter the number. The Ibis were a real highlight though. Seeing a flight of birds and recognising the shape immediately is a real treat - granted this is a pretty memorable shape. So, here's to shapes in the sky - may they all be as easy to id as these!

Guess Where I Went Before Work this Morning!

Yep.


I was back to see the owls. Now the story. After last night's tease I set the alarm for well before five, and headed back out before light to see if I could do any better with the owls. I set up a blind, and had the scope dialed in on the nest as I preset the camera and scanned for activity with my bins. This morning the serenade and much more detailed scope view was even better. A returning parent announced a coming arrival with a series of hoots - but then waited for the chicks to perk up before approaching the nest. They started moving a bit and did a bit of stretching before the parent returned. I was mostly obscured in the by the angle of the parent in the blind, but was amazed as I observed the lower feathers spread like a veranda over the nestlings as they fed. Once breakfast (or is it dinner for owls?) was over I broke down my gear and headed back for the truck. As I packed everything up I noticed that there was a bus stop just below the nest on the side of the busy street - one stop down from where I used to wait at times. I made a long loop along the road to see if the view from there was any better. The results tell the tale. A rider was waiting as I grabbed my few shots, he asked what kind of owls are those. I told him and then zoomed in on a couple of the shots to show him the nestling. Hopefully it jump started that guy's day like it did mine!


I'll give them a bit more time as a break, but will try to get back again before they fledge. This owl nest is in a very public and highly trafficked area. I have approached this nest a bit more closely than I normally would - doing so only at the bus stop where humans stand every thirty minutes or so in the mornings. These owls chose the location, and the site has been a successful one for owls and raptors in past seasons. There is a social shortcut trail that cuts almost directly beneath the nest, which I have avoided, but was still being used frequently this morning. These owls are well conditioned to humans, but will still keep an eye on the camera 'eye' when it is aimed at them from such a close range. If anyone decides to try to observe these owls, or similar nests in their area please be considerate of the animals' needs and move on quickly. Or better yet, pull back a ways and view from a scope within a blind. I am thrilled with the images I captured today, but keep reliving the interactions I witnessed through the scope in the hour or so before.

Overcast, but Full of Possibilities

As I had mentioned in my previous post I was looking for the Avocets, and a reported Great Egret at the small drainage ponds behind the King Soopers in Broomfield. I was 50% on those two species, but on a gray spring evening there was plenty to see.


A Say's Phoebe, a flycatcher that can often be seen on any lone tree or shrub rising up above an open grass area, was back and making a feast of a very active and healthy insect hatch. The overcast allowed me to catch the motion of the flight, but kept the detail to a minimum.


The light was fractionally better as this Killdeer noisily arrived on the near bank. After I had circled the ponds and made sure I hadn't missed any other species of shorebirds I decided to head north past a large open space to McKay Lake, where I thought an Egret may have moved on to. I didn't find an Egret, but did add another grebe for the season, this time a Western Grebe.


I wandered back and forth through the clump of woods on the north side of the lake, hoping to catch an owl getting an early start on the night. After an hour or so I abandoned the plan, and in consolation decided to stop by for a quick peek at my 'neighborhood' owl nest. We had an inch or so of pea sized hail on Saturday night, and I was curious to see if that had any effect on the inhabitants.
When I arrived I was concerned, there was no sign of horns above the outline of the nest. Had it been abandoned? I walked closer with my bins and camera, and checked the trees to see if I could make out a silhouette in the trees against the lighter sky in the distance. Still nothing, but then I began to hear a wonderful duet, both adult owls, one from somewhere in the trees, and the other from atop a lamppost over a busy street began to hoot.
At first I was a bit bummed, if they were hooting I thought their nesting attempt may have failed, and they were reacquainting for another attempt. Then, the owl on the lamppost dove almost straight down to the roadside. After returning to the lamppost, and more hooting I suddenly caught motion again:


Both parents had returned to the nest, and each took turns feeding the hungry nestlings. There were at least two, and maybe three there, and after a few excited minutes watching I left them to their dinner.


I left giddy, the owls were doing well enough to be seen over the top of the nest, and hopefully I would be able to see them again with more preparation.
I had one more fun surprise, the last photo above was taken with ISO and Exposure Compensation dialed way up, as the owl had been perched at the top of the post, with a lighter sky behind. The additional light from the streetlight itself was enough to freeze the owl, while the panning and noise gave the background an impressionistic feel. Gotta love gettin' lucky!

American Avocet - What are you doing?

I am a big fan of American Avocets! (They are a big, easily distinguished shorebird with cool coloring, what's not to like?) So when I heard that dozens of them had been seen along with a Great Egret in Broomfield yesterday I decided to head over after work. The Avocets didn't disappoint, although the weather did, and the Great Egret was nowhere to be found.


When I arrived there were 15 or so of the birds spread between the three ponds. They were generally paired off, but seemed to still be sorting those associations out among one another. There was plenty of noise and commotion when six or more birds would get close to one another.


These shots had me wondering about this Avocet. American Avocets are ground nesters, and build their nest by first scraping and then lining a nest area on a clear area of shoreline. Or so Birds of North America Online tells me.


This bird seemed a bit early in the process though, and hopefully will give a bit more though to location. I would think that the multitude of predators in the area would make quick work of any eggs left on that bit of shoreline. My reading also indicated that males will do more nest searching early on, and that some of it is ritualized as a part of courtship. He, (if he is a 'he') seemed to be the only one showing off any digging skills. Hopefully his lady was impressed by his bravado, and will let him know that his poorly executed effort was appreciated!


I enjoyed watching these colorful birds, and hope a few of them do find good nesting spots in the area. The American Avocets were great to observe, but they had competition for my attention...

Got Grebe?

Just when I thought I was back to a routine last week my car battery started acting up. So, quite a few days later I was back at Standley Lake Park checking to see what was about at lunch time. I was fortunate, one of the Horned Grebes was still around. It was fairly close to shore, and in better - if overly bright mid-day sun. I parked and approached along the shore from the west. That gave me better looks than I had gotten when looking directly south from the road. Grebes, for those who don't know, are diving ducks. They submerge for long periods chasing after fish like the one above. While they are underwater is a great time to gradually move along the shore towards them. As I was conducting the 'squat and scurry' routine two geese arrived to confirm that I was not some aggressive predator. I am not a huge fan of the Canadas, but these two, (there were two), swam along shore to where I was standing, emerged and circled me within arms distance. Waited, I guess to see if I would feed them, and then after getting a drink headed back to the water. There are a bunch of fishermen along the shore, so perhaps they are conditioned. These two weren't overly aggressive - they just checked my spot to see if I was at a good feeding spot and then went on their way. A handful of gulls were out as well. All the individuals that I could see were Ring-billed. This picture and one other did raise a good photographic question though. I was panning with the birds, from about 12:00 to 10:00, starting due south. Notice the ghosting? I am curious if that is an effect of the camera's processor computing light and dark regions vs the rate of panning motion. Any ideas or thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. *Update - just looked at this on a different monitor and the image looks fine* Gulls and Geese aside, this little Grebe definitely stole the show today!

Standley Lake - a few changes

There is a nice silver lining to taking a few weeks away from the back of the camera - things change. Specifically, the rookery at Standley Lake Park is now a happening hot spot. Although, April being April, these Great Blue Herons were taking shelter from the wind where they could find it.


Still, the nests are filling up...


...and the strong breeze made capturing some approach flights possible. Despite tough midday lighting it was good to be out.

I even spotted some unusual grebes out on the glittering lake surface.



Tough shots, and from that vanatage I can't determine if those were Horned or Eared Grebes; thanks to Daniel McAdams for the Horned Grebe confirmation. Maybe I'll try to track them down tomorrow early in the morning, although with a big lake refinding anything is iffy at best.

Quiet

Around here, no?

Bird blogging has taken a back seat in the last two weeks, and probably will continue through much of next week as well.

The unexpected success of the Colorado Buffaloes BasketBall teams has kept me busy being a fan. Last weekend I did get to hike at the Cottonwood Marsh, Walden Ponds area, but was there at a poor time for photos. I also had a great ski day at Vail, but did not tote the camera - so no pictures of Gray Jays to share. Then, just as there was some down time coming before the final games of the NIT, I got an unexpected handoff desk for my room at home, and that one thing has thrown my living space into chaos.

The new desk meant that an old Sante Fe style behemoth entertainment center had to go, along with a particle board desk that I had been using. The entertainment center doubled as a bookcase, and now I am trying to match something to the discontinued nice bookcase I already have. So I am living at the moment like I am in the midst of a move, and spending spare time looking at furniture (torture) and trying to find a flat panel tv in the size and with the features I want. Anyone in the Denver/Boulder area need an entertainment center - and have a truck?

Once all that is stabilized I get to do taxes!!!!!

So it is going to be a fun weekend. Never fear though, my eyes are still on the skies, and I am looking forward to some more nature(y) activities in the not too distant future. This morning I saw a full bright pair of sundogs as I walked into work. I see those in the mountains in mid-winter occasionally, but have never noticed them down here before. Anyone aware of wildfire smoke creating that effect?