Waxwing Walk

There's a crab apple tree down around the corner along my walking route to Lake Arbor.  It's been loaded with old dried apples since last fall.  I keep watching it, thinking it might attract some waxwings, as I've heard reports of them locally in the past couple weeks.  Finally the other morning, I saw some birds flying around the tree as I approached.  Yep, cedar waxwings.  I ran back to the house and crabbed my photo gear.  Got a few shots of the birds feeding on the dried apples.  First really decent shots I have of waxwings.

Got a waxwing story.  When I was growing up in Memphis, the neighbor had a holly tree that was often loaded with berries.  On more than one occasion, a flock of waxwings would come in the winter or spring and gorge on the berries.  Once, I noticed some of the birds falling out of the tree.  I went over there and the ground was littered with birds!  They looked dead, but when I gently picked one up and held it in my hand, I could see it's eyes were open and I could see it breathing.  I put it back down and just went back home and watched.  Pretty soon a couple of the birds were up wobbling around like a drunk.  I went about my business, but looked back later and they were all gone.  I learned later that they were indeed drunk.  They eat so many berries that they have to store them in their esophagus, as waxwings apparently don't have crops like other birds.  The berries ferment in the bird's throat and they do indeed become intoxicated.  I didn't see the birds here acting drunk, but they sure were packing away those apples.  I don't know how they hold so many.  They just about cleaned that tree off in a couple days, however.  They are such beautiful, sleek birds, I think they're one of my favorites. 

January Color

It's been a dry dry winter here.  Very little snow down here on the plains, but a fairly frigid snap for a month or so around the holidays.  Glad it's warmed back up, but we sure need moisture. 

Couple weeks back, right after New Years, I had the urge to go camping and try out my new aluminum dutch ovens.  Got a nice big one for Christmas and bought another little one to go along with it.  Went down to Pueblo where it's always a couple degrees warmer and camped out and made bread and beef stew.  About the time my bread was ready the ranger came along to check my permit.  Said I was pretty hardy as I was the only camper in the park that afternoon.  I told him I was anxious to try out my new dutch ovens.  I invited him over to take a look as I took the bread off the heat.  He was impressed and I shared with him a piece of hot buttered bread.  He thought that was amazing.  I was impressed myself.  Very yummy as was the beef stew.  Dam, that Bill can cook!

Anyway, the next morning the resident curved-bill thrashers and canyon towhees showed up.  Got a nice picture of one of the thrashers all puffed up against the cold morning.  It was cold that morning.  17, I think it was. 

Went out along Clear Creek the other day.  Really nice day.  Saw some colorful ducks in the creek and in the bit of open water in the pond at the Wheat Ridge greenbelt park.  My favorite are the red-breasted mergansers.  I just love that ragged crest of theirs. 

British Bramblings

A local birder recently located a brambling in a park near here.  It's a Eurasian member of the finch family native to the British Isles and Europe.  Quite rare in the western, lower 48, but not unheard of, apparently.  I went out to the described location and there were about fifteen other birders anxiously awaiting it's appearance.  Didn't have to wait long, but just about the time it appeared my phone started ringing with a real estate emergency - trying to sell my house.  Got a couple of shots, but nothing great at all.  Didn't have time and the polite thing to do was stay behind a rope barrier not to intrude upon the bird.  I would have gone back later in the week for a better shot, but didn't have time, and folks stopped seeing the bird.  I might still go look for it. 

It was like summer in December today.  The entire fall has been like that.  Not good.  Lots of folks out today for mid-week.  Went along Clear Creek for a bit to see what I could find.  More gold panners than birds in the creek.  I wonder if they make any money?  There were a few green-winged teal in the creek, and the usual mallards and gadwalls.  I saw this one mallard drake that looked a bit odd.  A white-breasted mallard drake!  Wonder if it's a hybrid deal or just some leucism.  Maybe a long lost relative got mixed up with a white domestic duck.  Anyway, the other drakes seemed to be picking on him, but he appeared to have a content mate.  He was quite handsome. 

Mundane, Mandarin and Not So Mundane

It's looking more and more like winter.  Most the leaves are off the trees, the days are so short, and shadows so long.  I'm not good at wintering, but I do look forward to the colorful ducks of winter.
So far there haven't been too many, or at least I haven't seen many.  Just been too warm, I suppose.  Not complaining about that, but we could use some moisture.  But, like I said, I'm not so good at wintering.  If I were a bird, I'd be WAY south by now.  Way south!  I'd chase that retreating sun as far as I could. 

Was just poking around the other day at Prospect Lake in Wheat Ridge, and there was the mandarin duck! That'll brighten up your day!  I suppose it's the same one that's been around there for almost two years now.  Certainly can't be many of those around.  I hadn't seen it in a good while, however.  But, there he was, guarding his mallard female with great vigor.  Another man photographing the duck said last year the male mallards beat up on him and he was looking pretty bad.  He's certainly gorgeous right now.  Just looking fine.  No wonder the male mallards are jealous.  What a beautiful bird! 

Other ducks along the creek that I got shots of were some gadwalls, American wigeon, and Northern shoveler.  Most of the male shovelers are still molting or in their immature first-fall plumage, but there's a few that are showing their colors.  Of course there were plenty of mallards, and a few green-winged teal, but couldn't get any good shots of the later.  Haven't seen any mergansers so far this fall.  Ducks are so beautiful.  I just marvel at them regardless of plumage or state of molting. 

Walking around Lake Arbor in the neighborhood this morning, I noticed a pair of greater white-fronted geese mixed in the with the hundreds of white-cheeked geese grazing in the grass.  They've just been coming in in waves.  The other morning the lake was practically covered with geese. Went home and got the gear and found them in about the same spot, but in the water.  Got a few shots.  In the past two weeks I've seen those white fronted, and a single immature snow goose mixed in the white cheeks.  I find it fascinating how those different geese get mixed in with other species.  I wonder if they get mixed up during migration or just what happens, but it's fascinating. 

Usual Suspects

Made another overnight camping trip down to Lake Pueblo State Park.  First went to Canyon City to explore Temple Canyon Park.  I've wanted to go there for years.  It's kind of a steep rough road and I had to take it pretty easy in my camper, but I made it up there.  Want to go back and hike the old railroad grade up Grape Creek, and hike down the canyon to the temple.  Looks like a pretty cool place.  Place was crawling with townsend solitaires.  They were just everywhere and singing, too.  Didn't get any great shots, however.  Drove threw a large flock of mountain bluebirds.  They took off in a wave of light blue.  Thought they might come back down in photo range, but I lost them.

Spent the night at Lake Pueblo State Park.  I had the entire campground to myself.  Lots of hooting owls during the night.  There was a full moon so I went out looking for them, but never saw them.  This morning, I experienced another mimidae morning similar to a previous post.  Had both northern mockingbird and several long-billed thrashers in camp, plus canyon towhees - all usual suspects there.  Birded along the river down stream of the dam where I saw several killdeer working along the riverbank.  Right below the dam I found a shrike.  Not sure if it's a northern or loggerhead.  Got a shot, but it was pretty far off.  I could use help in an accurate ID of this bird.

Season of Acorns

Folks down by Pueblo have been observing a pair of acorn woodpeckers for about a year now.  I finally got away to go look for them.  A birder lady I know told me where to find them.  I no sooner pull into the parking lot of the Pueblo Mountain Park and see one fly over by truck.  I got out and there they were right on the granary tree she had reported.   I watched them for quite a while and got a few shots, but nothing really close.  At one time I saw three woodpeckers, but I couldn't be sure they were all acorn woodpeckers.  The big old dead Ponderosa they are using for their granary or larder tree is pretty old and brittle.  I hope it doesn't blow down on them.  They have it pretty well stocked with acorns it appears.  Acorn woodpeckers are noted for living in communal groups where all the individuals help gather and stock acorns in their chosen tree.  There's plenty of scrub oak in the vicinity so they should have plenty of acorns.  However, with the dry dry summer I wonder how the acorn crop is this year.  The woodpeckers seemed to be pretty busy, so they must be finding something. 

When I left the park, I drove up a road out of Beulah where there was supposed to be a free Forest Service campground.  I never did find it.  I did see a flock of wild turkey's in the yard of a summer cabin, however.  Plenty of scrub oak on the hills there.  I think turkey's like that kind of habitat. Probably like the acorns, too.  Thought I might see a bear, but no such luck.

Drove back to Lake Pueblo State Park where I camped both nights I was out.  I like it there.  Never many folks there in the fall and winter. It was a warm sunny day so I drug my boat the 100 yards or so to the low water  in the reservoir and did some paddling.  Hooked what felt like a very heavy, large fish, but it managed to get into some submerged brush and I lost it. 

I did see the usual resident curved-bill thrashers and mockingbirds (see past post, Mimidae Morning), but none posed for a picture.  Second morning I went birding along the river below the dam.  Found a mixed flock of sparrows - white crowned and chipping mostly.  Also some groups of feeding warblers.  I couldn't positively ID all of them.  Most appeared to be yellow rumped.  They were flitting about rapidly in some yellow ash trees.  Never was able to get a good look or a decent shot of any of them.