A beautiful morning - birds

What a sight to start the day! All those warm colors against a crisp blue sky. Not to mention a juicy green bug for breakfast - Mmmmm Good!

A pair of Mourning Doves were out enjoying the sunshine, they are fledglings I believe - having a more scaly appearance and less distinct eye-ring.

The hatch isn't over though, this momma appeared to be incubating while dad came back periodically with some patching supplies for the nest.

It is certainly a beautiful morning when a Coot can eat a glowing breakfast while swimming on a surface of light.

This jay even managed to make blue on blue look good this morning as he checked me out while flying by. Such a great way to start the day. I hope to get another chance this evening.

A beautiful morning - sans birds

At least once this week I rolled myself out of bed at 6:00 so I could get outdoors before work for some good light. Boy did it pay off! The colors were great and I got enough good or interesting shots to break out separate bird and non-bird posts. Here are the non-birds, starting with an impressive nettle bloom on the lake shore.

The lake itself held some excitement as well, there were multiple bass, (I believe), plucking insects or cottonwood seeds off the surface. Not sure if it will be visible on the web, but its whole body is extended in a backwards "C" below the surface.

A probable Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly stopped to rest in the sun. The yellow got a bit washed out - but nice to have one perch anyway.

I also enjoyed watching this turtle, (Spiny Softshell), swimming along between dives. Bird post from this morning still to come.

Spots and Scales

(Yep, there are snake pictures below, so proceed with caution if they give you the willies!)


A Boulder Blue-Winged Teal up close and personal.

I took my lunch at Waneka Lake and Greenlee Preserve this afternoon. Not quite the same experience as January or February. Today it was beautiful, and as such packed with Moms and Kids. I was glad to be out in the open soaking up the sunlight, but it was really a more chaotic and aggravating trip than all those quiet get back to nature walks I enjoyed over the winter.

Despite the crowds, I did catch this Spotted Sandpiper scavenging along the shore.

I also had a long distance view of these Wood Ducks in the wildlife habitat. There were goslings, Avocets, a Pelican that had one biker so excited he locked up his brakes to make sure I had seen it, and of course Yellow-Rumped Warblers all around.

But most exciting for me was this fellow who was slowly crossing the path as I walked up:

A Bullsnake! Snakes excite me because I have a primal, deep seeded, irrational fear of them. I have no issues with spiders, rats, sharks or any of the other typical "yucky" creatures, but snakes get to me. Over the years I have learned to manage this by learning as much as I can, and by seeking out opportunities for "controlled" encounters. For instance if I am at a zoo or someplace where there is an opportunity to touch a snake I will make myself do it, even while I am breaking out in a cold sweat.

On the other hand I am no hero when it comes to snake encounters. When a bullsnake was hanging out around an entrance to our work last summer I went out with a group to track it down. We all spent a good 20 minutes approaching it and retreating as it moved along the building. Then one guy joined us, looked at the snake for less than a minute, walked up to it and calmly pinned its head, grabbed it behind the jaw and walked it to a nearby field where he released it. Not in 1 million years buddy!

I like to respect the snake and observe it from a distance. I will still get within a few feet, and admire their creepy, reptilian beauty and efficiency - but that is plenty for me. The snake doesn't want me touching him or her, and I don't want them touching me, so we have a nice balanced outlook in that respect.

I just keep an eye out when I am hiking, and love to see them as much as any other less common fauna out there.

So soak it up you wild and crazy snake lovers, your moment of zen!

Now I'm off for an evening of feathers not fangs!

2009 Count: 126

Lifetime: 141

A Beautiful, Breezy Afternoon

After my trip to see the Trumpeter Swans Monday morning I was fired up and hoped for some more good birds after work. I did want to avoid as much of the wind as possible though. So I headed over to the Greenlee Preserve at Waneka Lake. There is a mile trail looping the lake, and the preserve has a wooden deck overlooking an adjacent marshland and pond. It is tucked into some trees - well sheltered from the wind. I fought the wind across the open areas surrounding the lake to get to the preserve, and then soaked in the peace and calm of the sheltered overlook. It was great!
The wind was clearing the air, and the sun was low enough to generate some good light - and frustrating shadows. I remained on the observation platform for an hour or so, enjoying all the sights and sounds I could, and relishing being back outside after the 4 days of sick. Nature was putting on a great show that afternoon. A group of Juncos were on one side of me as I arrived, and a pair of Downie Woodpeckers were working through the trees on the other. Robins, Chickadees, and House Finches all were busy around me; apparently they enjoyed the calm in the trees as well. Shortly after I got there a Red-tail, likely this one, took off from a spot further down on my side of the pond and made a slow circuit before settling on one of the far side trees. Red-winged Blackbirds were scattered throughout the reeds, displaying their epaulets and singing in the setting sun.
My photography was unproductive. The shadows of the tree limbs and thick branches made many shots cluttered, and many birds dark. It was one of those days where anything at a distance was in good light, and anything close was not. Even this Song Sparrow working an open area in the marsh grass was partially obscured.

That sun sure was nice, and down in the grass he wasn't feeling the wind at all.


Not the best pic of these Green-Winged Teal taking off, but the light caught the namesake green patch on the trailing edge of the male's wing.


Mmmmm! Tasty! I'm not certain what the main course was for this Ring-billed, but it looks suspiciously like a crayfish or shrimp head.

So I didn't add any more species, and there were no spectacular images captured, the day was beautiful despite the wind. Now that the Colorado weather has turned wintry again it is very nice to have a springlike memory from just two days ago.

2009 Count: 57

Lifetime: 87

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

Good Lunch Birding

Will update or repost later, but my lunchtime trip to Waneka Lake/Green Lee Preserve was definitely good.

I have not updated my numbers, but I had some good species counts and saw some fun birds. A highlight and one worth a closer look. The Great Blue Heron seems to have donned his breeding plumage. I don't know if those molt or can just get puffed up in the cold.



The hawk is evading me until I can get home and double check some guides. Mostly dark head, (maybe a white chin), streaked body, and all white undertail.





The puffed feathers are making it tough for me to gauge if the streaking is representative, or if the bird would appear darker when unpuffed.





If anyone has insights feel free to comment, otherwise I will update when I have a chance to look more closely. Of course it is back to overcast winter here, so unfortunately there is less detail than I would like.