Finding that Virtual Shoebox of Pictures - Part 2

Black-capped Chickadee

Spotted Towhee

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Complete, simple white eye-ring; plain gray above contrasts with plain white below.

For Gnatcatchers look to the tail, white on the sides with a tapered progression of tips locks in an id, if the bird cooperates!

Finding that Virtual Shoebox of Photos - Part 1

Orange-crowned Warbler


So, admittedly it isn't like finding a Micky Mantle baseball card, or a Van Gogh behind a family photograph in an ugly frame - but I did see that my camera had rolled to a new folder and saved another 200 pictures from my walk last Friday morning. Here are some fun shots of Orange-crowned Warblers.

Even on bright, sunny days they are good at hiding in the shadows.

Holding a snowy bill up in the sunlight is a dead giveaway though.

On the rare occasion where they catch the sun right a good shot can even reveal how they get their name.

Reflecting light from the snow helps.

One more set of some odds and ends coming, and pictures from a cloudy lunch today to check through before I wipe my cards and finish packing.

Warbler Wowser Wakeup

I had a feeling this morning had a chance to be good. The weather had been socked in last night, and the forecast called for a bright morning with some areas waking up to an overnight dusting of snow. Based on my understanding of "fallout" that seemed about right. Instead of anticipating the predawn bird alarm with dread, I planned for it, and was out the door before six this morning. Everything seemed to have come together perfectly.

I returned to the South Mesa Trail parking area, and revisited the area where the Worm-eating Warbler had been seen previously. I had no more luck with that species, but it was a banner day for more common varieties of warbler. The Yellow Warbler (top), is one of my favorites. Bright and easily identified, it really works well in pictures. The accumulated snow didn't keep the Myrtel's Yellow-rumped Warbler (above), from enjoying a bit of breakfast. It just plowed off the branch as it went.

Next up was a Wilson's Warbler. It remained deeper in the understory, only occasionally popping up to the higher branches.

Virginia's Warblers were also about. They show that yellow spot in the middle of a plain white breast, and another below the tail. Virginia's also have a reddish crown, (click the picture to get a larger view) and an unbroken, bold eye-ring.

Just like any warbler they always have a next place to get to, and are usually off sooner rather than later.

It was a perfect combination of elements this morning; clear skies and no wind, enough snow to cover, but not so much as to damage the new growth, and colorful migrant birds to share it with.

There aren't many better ways to start a day!

International Bird Migration Day is tomorrow, what species are passing through your areas?

***Update: I found more pics from this trip that had rolled onto a new directory on my camera, the posts are visible here and here.

A "Swift" trip to the South Mesa Trailhead

After my sunny lunch trip to Boulder I went back up after work, this time to the South Mesa Trailhead. It was a bit different, as the seasonal "black cloud over Boulder" had made its afternoon appearance. I took shelter downwind from some heavy brush as the front blew through, and was able to watch a group of White-Throated Swifts soaring on the strong breeze.

After the rain cleared I was able to locate this Yellow Warbler singing as it inspected the new growth for insects.

Within minutes the sky was back to eggshell blue, which brought out this Bullock's Oriole to sing in the treetop.

It also brought out this Bullsnake, who was not singing. It did a lot of hissing and I did some yelling when we found one another well inside our comfort zones after I came around a bush in the trail. Fortunately my heart did not explode in my chest despite a good shot of adrenalin, I wonder if snakes use adrenalin, and if so did it have a story to tell its friends later that night like I did?

Neither of use were any worse for the wear, and I watched - from a few additional feet away - as he worked his way into some rocks that offered more cover. Oddly enough the picture above was the first I took after I had scrambled out of his way. The later attempts failed to get his head in nearly as tight focus.

2009 Count: 147

Lifetime 160

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