Out on the Plains

Went camping and paddling out at Jackson Lake Reservoir recently.  It's about 65 miles east of Denver out towards Nebraska.  I've always like the Great Plains.  It's nice out there in the spring before it gets too hot.  I had the entire non-electric campground completely to myself.  Very nice and quiet.  The western kingbirds were very numerous and very noisy.  Didn't get a decent shot of one, however.  Also present were a pair of eastern kingbirds.  I got a nice shot of one sitting on a post right next to my campsite.  Also present in good number and very chatty were Bullock's orioles.  One kept coming down out of a nearby cottonwood to scoop bugs on the ground.  There were lots of red-winged blackbirds in the wetlands.  I've seen and heard turkeys there before.  Right next to the park headquarters I saw this female walking along.  I got a couple of shots.  Shot this azure butterfly soaking up moisture in a muddy spot along the trail.  Around sunset a couple of white pelicans were cruising along the shoreline.   And, in the morning there were a ton of bunnies out.  Couldn't resist taking a picture of one. 

Couple days later I was out at Bear Creek Lake Park here in Lakewood.  Didn't get any great bird pictures but in this little pond I often visit, I saw these three huge snapping turtles.  They are quite wary and difficult to sneak up on, but I sat quietly till one of them came back up to check things out and see if it's fav sunning spot was safe.  Those things grow to be so big.  I bet all three must have been in the twenty pound range.  Must be plenty of tadpoles and other things to eat in that little pond.  Lots of big frogs sitting around the edge of the pond, too.   I've wanted a shot of a belted kingfisher for a long time, but they don't seem to like posing much.  While I was sitting waiting on the turtles, one came rattling along.  It's not a great shot, but the best I've gotten so far.  Sometime I'm going to go sit in my blind and see if I can get one.

Pueblo Post

Recently spent two days camping down at Lake Pueblo State Park.  I go there a lot.  It was like summer down there.  Almost hot.  And it's only May.  Quite birdy, too.  Had a pair of canyon towhees that shared my camp.  I spilled a few pieces of pasta and they spent some time pecking away at that.  Lots of mockingbirds in the campground.  Nice song in the morning and evenings.  Lots of noisy western kingbirds, too. 

I'd walked up to get some water from a hydrant and heard an unusual call I'd never heard.  Up on a picnic table shelter was a rather large bird.  At first I thought it was a roadrunner, but turned out to be a scaled quail, a lifer for me.  Got my water and raced back to the truck for my camera.  Man those birds can really run.  There were quite a few around the campground.  A local told me Pueblo West, the neighborhood to the north of the park is loaded with scaled quail, but I'd never seen them there before.  Never did as close as I did to that one up on the shelter, but did a couple of shots. 

There was a phoebe up on the roof of the pay station.  Think it's a Say's. 

Quite a few wildflowers in bloom.  I love the yellow primrose. 

Spring Mix

A Variety of critters here.

First, what I'm pretty sure is a townsend's solitaire at the waterfall on my backyard pond. At first I thought it was a catbird or a mockingbird when if flew down, but no wing bars that I can see, and a bit of an eye ring. I've just never seen one in town before.

Later in the day, the resident pair of Eurasian collared doves were out by the pond, but I spooked them. They both sat up in the ash tree waiting for me to go back inside. Those birds have extended their range so rapidly. We never had any just a year or two back. Now they seem to be everywhere.

The great horned owls over at Bear Creek Lake Park are still sitting on their nest.

Then went over to Kountze Lake behind Lakewood City Hall the other day. Saw a female wood duck, when I first got there, but pretty far out in the lake. Walked around the whole lake, not seeing much. Then, right in the closest small pond were a pair of wood ducks. Is the male wood duck not the most beautiful thing on the planet? The female is quite interesting, too.

There was a muskrat swimming around, too.

I saw a pair of great blue herons come in and land. Found one stalking fish over on the far side of the pond. He was really going after a huge school of little stripped bass and blue gills. I watched it for a good half hour eat at least half a dozen.

Up in the brush on the shore sat a family of big fat bull frogs. Two big ones and a little one. And on their usual perch sat a couple of western painted turtles. I've seen as many as ten sit there, some quite large. These were of medium size. I really like turtles. I think some are quite colorful.

Mimidae Morning

After a snowy cold February, I was itching to get out and do some camping. Really, almost summer-like week of weather here in mid-March, so I took advantage of it and went down along the Arkansas River. Spent the first night at Hecla Junction down in Brown's Canyon, one of my fav spots on the planet. In the spring and fall that is. Rafting circus in the summer. Didn't see a lot of wildlife this time. Some cassin's finches, but didn't get any good shots. Got pretty chilly there by morning. I had my pal, Ty, with me. He's a friend's dog I was sitting. Part Siberian and part Golden Lab. Beautiful fluffy blond dog. Great dog, too. The bestest dog ever, I think. Anyway, he was sleeping up in the back half of the cab, so I kind wondered if he was cold. I had the window between the camper and cab (boot between the two) open so some of the heat from the camper could get up there. He loves being back there. Once it starts to get dark he sits by the truck, ready to go to bed. He was tired from watching cows along the highway and swimming in the river.

Second night we spent at Lake Pueblo State Park. Almost like summer there. Spent the afternoon around camp in my shorts and t-shirt. Next morning, woke up to some beautiful bird song. Sounded like a mockingbird! Sure enough it was a northern mockingbird. Never had seen one around Pueblo before. I grew up to mockingbird sound - all night long, sometimes - growing up in Memphis. Then, a different, yet similar kind of song. There in the same tree sat a curved-bill thrasher. I think they were trying to sort out who's pinion tree it was going to be.

There are lots of Prairie Dogs at Lake Pueblo - tons of them. A couple with burrows right in camp kept poor Ty tantalized. Had to keep his rope short, but they were driving him nuts. I had to take a shot of his total concentration.

Down along the river below the dam later in the morning, it was so warm there were a few butterflies, out. Shot this white. Not sure what kind of white it is. I think butterflies are much more difficult overall than birds.

Going to throw in a couple of shots of some American wigeons I shot along Clear Creek in Wheat Ridge. Also a nice Mallard. It's like he's walking along talking in some commercial or something. Very handsome drake. Mallards are so common sometime you just take them for granted.

Beep Beep!

Been reports of a greater

roadrunner along Dinosaur Ridge at the foot of the mountains for the past month or two. This is very far north for roadrunners, so it has been a very popular birding activity in the area. I'd been out four times looking for it before I finally saw it yesterday. Beautiful sunny day, very little wind, in the upper 50s. Sat for about two hours at one of the spots where it has been seen frequently, talking with some fellow birders, waiting for the bird to show. Finally a lady on a bicycle came down the road and said birders further up the road were seeing the bird. I hustled up there, and sure enough there it was. Got a few shots, but it was pretty far up the slope and in and out of the scrub oak. Even though there was only about a half hour or so of sun left, I decided to hike around the corner and see if I could catch it from above and get a bit closer. I no sooner topped the ridge and there it was. I got some pretty good shots. Observed it for a good twenty minutes as it worked along the slope below me.

The big speculation has been about just what is the bird eating around here this time of year?Certainly aren't many little snakes, lizards or bugs out this time of year along the Front Range. People have reported seeing it pecking at the ground like it's finding bugs. Of course, juniper berries are very plentiful up along Dinosaur Ridge, but not much protein in those. I did observe the bird pecking at things along the ground, but couldn't tell what it was after. I certainly didn't see many bugs around. A couple of flies, that was about it. I also observed the bird sharpening its beak on rocks, and it took a quick dust bath while I watched it. Didn't get a shot of it.

With all the juniper berries on the slopes, there are plenty of Townsend's solitaires around. Got a couple of shots of one.

Pretty cool to go out and find a rare bird like that. Took my mom out around Barr Lake earlier in the month to look for a reported snowy owl. We found it, and but it was quite far off in a field, much too far for a decent shot. Some other birders allowed us to look through their high powered spotting scope, so we got some pretty good looks. Mom found it quite thrilling to see such a rare bird.

Winter Color

About the only color around here in the winter bird-world are the wintering ducks and our residents woodpeckers. Been out a few times recently. We'll start in my backyard in Edgewater. I have a seed feeder and a suet basket. Every winter for the past couple years I've had a pair of Downy's who frequent the suet.

I enjoy going out and looking for ducks in the winter. It's been persistently cold so most of the lakes are totally ice covered. A few little open holes, but not many. So lots of the ducks go to the creeks and rivers that say open, making for closer approaches. Gadwalls aren't the most colorful of ducks, but the males do have some color on their backs, and both sexes have nice mottling on their breasts, I think. I always enjoy the Green-winged teals. Shovelers are ever present in huge numbers here in the winter. Don't often see them in running water, but I found a couple along Clear Creek in Edgewater. The weak afternoon sun was just right on this one male. .

Down along the South Platte last week, I found a couple of Great Blue Herons in the ponds below Chatfield. They looked very cold.

Was out at Bear Creek Lake the other day looking for ducks but never got anything good. Was walking out thru the downed Cottonwoods and the shadow of a big stubby bird flew over. No, two. I'd spooked a pair of Great Horned Owls. They were anxious to get back to sleep so I worked quickly, but got a shot of both.

Walking around Sloan Lake the other day watching a flock of Canada Geese taking off from the lake to go feed up by the tennis courts. I noticed one that looked a bit different. They were moving fast, but looked like a white head in the group. I finished my walk and got my camera and binocs out when I got back to the car and went looking. I spent a good twenty minutes glassing the hundreds of grazing birds before I picked out a dark Snow Goose. Certainly sounded different, but seemed perfectly happy in with the White Cheeked fowl.