Tic-Toc

In 24 hours I will hopefully be minutes from departure. I am off for adventure with a couple of old school buddies, to explore a new locale and escape the reminders that Colorado keeps throwing out that winter isn't that far gone. So in the meantime a few more shots from Sunday. Nothing new from yesterday, I ran a couple of errands and moved 96Gb of pictures, (the first 1/3 of 2011), to external storage freeing up some space on the ol' laptop. The first shot (above) is a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Not a particularly well lit shot, but finding one perched as opposed to zooming around above a lake was worth noting. NRWS show that buffy arc across the top of their breast, which can also be a good field mark when looking at rows of swallows on power lines.


While looking for shorebirds at the edge of one pond, a bird decided I had gotten too close and took off across the water.

I just had to head along the bank to make sure the large bird that had just flown quietly away was what I suspected it to have been.


A Great Horned Owl. I backtracked, as I intended to take a different route through the maze of small ponds and having confirmed its identity I was content to leave the owl in peace rather than risking flushing it once again.

A lone Great Egret had set up shop in a pond which I was gradually working my way around. I believe that this was the same bird that had started my morning with a flyover as I parked.


Further along I heard dull tapping coming from a tree. I paused, and quickly realized that it was the sound of a woodpecker excavating a nest cavity. I circled the tree until I found the hole, and then waited....


Northern Flicker, maker of holes.

One of my real highlights from Sunday was this sight, Wood Ducks in the woods. After seeing the Wood Ducks last week in Wheat Ridge I had been hoping to find some roosting, and finally got the chance. They moved deeper into the trees when a nice couple walked up to me with their dog, but I got to follow their progress through two more flights.


Finally, a Great Blue Heron for kicks.


I had a great series of this bird taking off. Unfortunately I was aiming somewhat into the poor light, but fun to see them in their breeding finery.

So now I am back to watching the clock and ready for travel. My hotel will be a few minutes walk from a National Seashore, so I hope to get my bird on in the early part of the day, and my chill-axin' tourist on in the afternoon and evening. I already know the trip will be fun, and my first visit to a shoreline since beginning birding has my mind spinning with the new species I may get to see and photograph.