South and Middle Parks

Got to thinking about it the other day, and I've gotten to camp in all my fav spots this summer.  Got my fav spot at Elevenmile Reservoir couple weeks back.  Didn't catch any fish, but had a good time paddling around.  It was hot.  You know it's hot when you sit in the shade with your mister in South Park at eight thousand feet or so.  It got up to 88 that afternoon.  Had a couple of antelope walk by going to the lake for water.  Certainly no water anywhere else out there.  It was dry, dry, dry.  Been that kind of summer.  In fact, I could see a pyro cumulus to the east with the Springer fire.   Always lots of horned larks around the campground. 

Week later went up to camp next to the Colorado River just west of Hot Sulphur Springs.  Lots of green-tailed towhees around there.  Pretty butterfly.  Haven't looked it up, yet.  Cute little baby bunny hanging around camp.  In the morning, I was out looking for birds, and out of the corner of my eye I see this fledgling brown bird, and a little yellow warbler keeps flying over it.  Then I notice the warbler is feeding it.  I realize it's a cowbird chick obviously raised by the warblers.  Pretty unusual to see this tiny little yellow bird taking care of fledgling twice it's size. 

Lair of the Bear and White Ranch - Yet Again

Two of my favorite places to bird are Lair of the Bear and White Ranch, both Jefferson County open space parks.  On the east side of White Ranch, you can almost always see black-headed grosbeaks and lazuli buntings.  They're both so beautiful and both have such melodious songs.  I got nice shots of both the other day.  Quite a few catbirds singing their nice song, but didn't get any good shots.  The little creek is usually a rushing brook this time of year, but this year with the snow-less spring, it's barely a trickle.  Some recent rain has helped a bit, but it's just a trickle from what it usually is.

At Lair of the Bear the other day, I found several cedar waxwings.  I've seen them there before, but never in large numbers.  I've observed them doing fly catching over the creek.  Never have gotten great shots of them, but they're so beautiful and sleek, I thought I'd put this one in, even though it's highly cropped and not that sharp. 

Down the canyon at the Morrison town park along Bear Creek, I found this family of dippers.  The juveniles were already doing the namesake dipping behavior - they do this constant, nervous dipping.  They must have very well developed bird knees. They were also actively hunting for themselves in the water, but this one had just been fed a bug by a parent. 

Hasn't rained in days, but there were a couple of mud puddles along the road.  There were a variety of butterflies soaking up moisture on the mud.   I'm certainly no butterfly expert, but I think what we have here are several pale swallowtails, an aphrodite fritillary, and I think some kind of metalmark.  There were some others, but so tiny I didn't get good shots of them.  Some kind of checkerspots, I think.  I've always found it fascinating how butterflies seek moisture at mud puddles.  I think, if I'm not mistaken, they soak up moisture through their feet.  Anyway, they are remarkably beautiful creatures.  I always enjoy trying to get shots of them. 

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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.