Catching up last Weekend; As I Begin This One

Before I even start - I know that I now have Florida pictures that have aged almost a month, and CFO Convention pics that are at several weeks, but this is targetting low-hanging fruit in the backlog.

Last weekend didn't offer a significant amount of time for birding. An annual Memorial Day BBQ loomed large on Monday and was going to require some yard, house, and meat prep-time. So early Saturday morning was my window to get out while I could. I had a marginal plan to head up towards Georgetown, and perhaps Guanella Pass for some White-tailed Ptarmigan. After seeing that the road wasn't going to open until late morning, and that the Mount Evans road was open to Summit Lake I quickly changed to that option and headed up above treeline.


I was greeted by wind, and quite a bit of snow. Unfortunately the area surrounding the lake was still deeply buried, and the Ptarmigan were not present, but the American Pipits were.


In the brown grass nearly invisible, but better seen when posing against a snowy backdrop. Even so, nothing stands out above treeline quite like a Yellow-bellied Marmot. (Unless it is later in the year and you get to see larger, critters.)


Skipping ahead a bit, I next ventured out Wednesday at lunch. It was a muggy afternoon, and while the birds weren't exceptional, this Snowy Egret was enjoying the full creek. I really enjoy watching them climb slight inclines, the extended yellow feet are awkwardly entertaining.


The rest of my weekend, when not prepping for, bbqing, or cleaning up was spent contributing to the construction of this fine architectural marvel - a shed!


The marvel is that it is standing! Bah-dum-da! Actually, with the bulk of the planning and management being done by a carpenter/contractor friend the damage that myself and the homeowner could do by 'improvising' was limited. As renter, my contribution conscience is clear and a Saturday of destination birding has a plan forming in my brain.

Have a good weekend everyone, and a very Happy Birthday to my Dad!

RMNP Trail Ridge Road Mammals - August 6th

Yellow-bellied Marmot

There was a whole family living under the back side of the Alpine Visitor Center. I had worked my way around to scan the snowfields and a few of them would brave the rock ledge just below my feet.

Elk

There were a group of four bull Elk just off the side of old Fall River Road. I had been looking uphill at some Pine Siskins when this fellow appeared from behind the ridge grazing his way towards me.

Elk

Always memorable in the early light.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

This little guy and a few of his kin were working hard cleaning the pad where the dumpster sat.

Moose

Finally, I have been trying for a photo of a Moose for as long as I have been taking pictures of nature. I have seen Moose, and I have taken many pictures, but until I saw a group of three bulls just off the side of the road outside Grand Lake I hadn't been able to combine the two.

Moose

A good karma story. No more than 20 minutes before I had been driving along the Colorado River headwaters, and had pulled aside when I saw stopped traffic, - a sure sign of Moose. Here comes a guy with a fully extended tripod around the back of his vehicle, as a cow Moose went past the front. The guy then closed on her in the middle of the road, leaving the somewhat blind of his vehicle and I guess trying to get even closer than the few dozen feet of range he was already at. Fortunately he only chased the cow into the woods - never getting his own shot and ruining the moment for the rest of us - not to mention disturbing the Moose in her environment. Had she had a calf following her from where she had come he might have placed himself between them, and been in a real bad spot. I choked back some rage knowing that I at least respected the animal I had missed a shot of, and consoled myself with the hope that I would be rewarded in due course.
Talk about immediate gratification. Three bulls, who were doing there own thing, and not disturbed by my unobtrusive presence. I got to see their faces, (although obstructed), and he hopefully only got a blurry shot of a fleeing backside.

Moose

Again, if you have Moose in your area, or visit one that does, enjoy - but do not approach. They are massive, and while generally docile may decide to hold their ground rather than moving away as you approach.

Elk

Last shot, this Elk was at Windy Gap Reservoir. Windy Gap is a wonderful bird trap just outside Grandby, Colorado; featuring more waterfowl in one place than I had possibly seen in the previous month. Unfortunately, I was looking south at mid-day, and got a bunch of horrible shots from distance. Had it not been for this Elk I would have been disappointed, but it dashed out onto a mudflat, obviously under attack by many biting insects. As it went it couldn't resist scattering Pelicans and Cormorants that were perched along the edge, before plunging into the water itself. It swam to an island and had a good 'stick-your-tongue-out' shake before settling back in to graze. Good times.

Wild 'Marmot' Chase

I would imagine that the majority of the readers of this site will already know where I am about to head when I title a post "Wild 'Marmot' Chase" (The 'Marmot' is just a reference to the picture I had left over from last weekend.) For those who don't, you are going to have to wait, because I am pretty sure that writing about what I am diving into in advance is bad juju.

Let's just say that all my previous overnight adventures in birding consisted of deciding to head to a place, and see what I could find there. This weekend I am doing just the opposite.

In the process I have a feeling that I will be exposed to people who carry this 'pursuit' to a whole new level. I can't wait, the people watching should be spectacular, even if the birdwatching disappoints.

So, if this post of loose allusions makes sense to you, and if you are sitting at work, watching the time creep by like I am; waiting to chase the exact same bird...well then look for me in the crowd - after we have all gotten good looks of course!

Arapaho Lakes - Fur

Back online - with a post that includes honest to goodness photographs this time!

Over the weekend I escaped the heat by heading up into the mountains with some friends. Camping well above 10,000 feet is a recommended activity when the thermometer is registering triple digit temps! On Friday two friends and I headed from a trailhead near Forest Lakes on a hike that crossed several ridges, hanging mostly around treeline.

The birding didn't include a lot of diversity, but had a real highlight that will be featured in a future post. For now though, the mammals get the spotlight. The critter above is one of my favorites in the high-country - the Yellow-bellied Marmot. Like the one above, they seem to really like perching on rocks and soaking up the sun. It makes them a fun photographic target.

This next mammal is a little less obvious, but a few minutes sitting still above the lakes let me get a few shots to welcome it to the blog:

The Pika. (PYE-kə)


Pikas live in the Alpine environment, and seem to love scurrying around in the scree fields. Their coloring and small size makes them nearly invisible, only really showing up when they make a dash across an open space. Perhaps because of their well suited cammo they will perch in the open - so a bit of patience can pay off when they do reemerge from the rocks or their burrows.


Those big ears may make them look like cartoon characters, but listening for predators is no laughing matter. Pausing to take a look around helps to.

It never pays to stray to far from a nice safe crease in the rock - where shelter is just a hop away. For this little Pika there was no threat, its efforts gathering grass for a nest were undisturbed. I had a good time stopping to watch this one as it darted back and forth across the clumps of grass, hopefully I'll get a few more sightings before they hunker down for winter.

Spectacular Sunrise

Guess where I started my day on Friday!



Here's another clue.

I'll have more pictures from one of my favorite visits to this popular destination coming soon....there are a lot of pictures to sort through.