Year or two back I was camped at Lake Pueblo State Park, having dinner on a beautiful, warm, late Sept. evening. Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement down around my feet. I jumped up when this big tarantula marched by - a big brownish tan spider. I thought, what the hell. Is that thing a pet escapee from a near-by trailer? I ran to the truck to get my camera, but by the time I got back I couldn't re-find the giant spider. It was trucking right along when I first saw it. In the morning when the ranger came by checking camping permits, I told him about the spider. He said, oh, yes, some falls they come out in great numbers, mostly males looking for mates. In all the years I had been coming down to Pueblo I had never seen one before. I had no idea we had tarantulas in Colorado. I did some research when I got home and found out they are quit common in the southeast corner of the state, and indeed, some falls the males do come out in numbers looking for mates. You never see them the rest of the year. I guess sometimes they are so numerous there will be hordes of them marching across the roads.
So earlier this week, Rocky and I set out for Pueblo to look for giant spiders. The first morning we had walked down to the lake shore for Rocky to take a swim. On the way back to camp there was a spider trucking along up on the flats. They can really move along. Got a couple of pics. Rocky didn't quite know what to think of it. I didn't let him get real close. I kind of kept my eye out for them the rest of the time we were sitting around camp. They seem pretty docile, but I don't know what Rocky would do with one if left to his instincts.
Didn't see a whole lot of other wildlife. Lots of bunnies, he usual curved-bill thrashers and canyon towhees were around camp. Saw the resident osprey catch a fish. We camped in the same spot we camped in a couple weeks back in late August when we saw all the little lizards. No sign of them this time. I wonder if they have already gone in for the winter? It was quite warm this trip, but no sign of them.
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| Camp at Lake Pueblo State Park. Rabbit brush is about the last thing to blossom in the fall. |
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| Cruved-bill thrasher checking out camp. |
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| Tarantula at Lake Pueblo State Park, Sept 25, 2016. |
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| Curved-bill trasher at Lake Pueblo State Park. |
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| Two cedar waxwings along the Arkansas River below Lake Pueblo Dam. |
The morning we left we saw a flock of cedar waxwings down along the river.
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