Louisville Arboretum

Little ol' Louisville has an arboretum. It isn't as fancy as say Denver's Arboretum, but is a nice little area in an open space near my work. I had a few minutes to waste after a haircut, so I stopped by on the off chance that something was hanging out in the now bare trees. I had heard the Blue Jays in the pines as I arrived, but I looped wide to get them on my return with the sun at my back.

At first the only birds in the open were House Finches.


This little lady has her cherry red lipstick on. They were really working on the leftovers of some decorative cherry tree's crop. They look like maraschinos to me.

As I worked back towards the lot a lone brave Blue Jay tolerated my presence as it flipped through the wood chips on the ground.


I'm not sure it was finding much, but it was working hard, swinging its bill from side to side and flipping a chip on each pass.


I realized that the bird had several companions in the pines, one of which I captured in the lead photo. Blue Jays, along with the other corvids, have a reputation for intelligence, and did not remain perched on an open branch of a tree when a long lens is aimed in their direction. I was trying to catch one exposed, when a bird exploded from a closer pine and passed within inches of me a knee level. I instantly thought it was another jay, but it buzzed an American Robin on the ground and then perched atop a barren sapling. A glance at the perched bird was all I needed, an American Kestrel.
I was amazed that it would perch in a pine just feet off the ground, that it would even bother to buzz a Robin, and that it seemingly used me for cover. Always something new out there to be seen. For a small suburban arboretum this sure packed a big punch.

Merry Christmas! Winter Wet!

Ah, back home for Christmas! It is always fun to return to your childhood home, especially with the nostalgia of the holiday season. Add in 18 inches of snow on Christmas Eve, and the magic of Christmas is in full effect. Regrettably the snow was measured in feet at my Sister's home in Iowa, so the holiday focus has shifted from childhood exuberance about presents and Santa to good times and relaxation with my parents, Aunt and Uncle, and cousins. All of the present exchanges are on hold until my sister's family can make it into town, so working a few jigsaw puzzles and just catching up while watching the snow fall and the birds visit the feeders has been the order of the days.

This morning after a great Christmas breakfast I was off to break a trail through the snow to Mt. Normandale Lake Park. Unexpectedly the snow changed over to rain, and I was in for an increasingly strenuous, soggy, postholing adventure through the snow.

For the first hour I didn't see a bird besides Chickadees, and didn't even dig my camera out from the dry shelter of my coat. Eventually I reached the woods, where the steady rain/sleet/snizzle was broken by the trees, and exchanged for constant large drops everywhere. Despite the damp the walk was great. It was warm and calm enough to stay pleasant, and even with poor light I was able to see some fun birds.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers seem to be my constant traveling companions, greeting me wherever I visit east of the plains. I also have never seen as many Blue Jays as I did today, there were multiple groups of four as I moved along. I had Northern Cardinals as well, but despite their bright colors none were captured well enough for posting here. I did however get a poor shot of a passing Red-tail Hawk. Shooting up in low light with falling snow is a bit of an effort in futility, but the shot below after a bit of brightness adjustment shows the Minnesota version of the species that is everywhere in Colorado. A bit more of a treat to see this one in suburbia.

Continued Happy Holidays to all!

Yesterday's Lunch Update

I did some more work on my photos from yesterday, and am going to rule the hawk a Red-Tail. Unless someone can tell me differently. I can't see legs from where the bird is perched, so Ferruginous hawk can't be confirmed, and I don't see anything in the guide about an intermediate Ferruginous. The white undertail still makes me wonder, but hopefully I will catch him on another day in better light and get a conclusive Red-Tail.

The summary of the work was benneficial, I added two species to my year total, the Blue Jay pictured above along with two of his pals, and the Great Blue Heron whose picture is in the previous post.

2009 Count: 54

Lifetime: 85