Red Rocks Trading Post

So much chatter about exciting things at the Red Rocks Trading Post I finally adventured over there today. I left at 5:00 to avoid Denver traffic and that worked beautifully. In fact, I think I'll be making it a rule.

Good News! I think I figured out a plan for all these silhouettes:

I'm going to organize them here; and use them to practice identifying

 birds by shape (you know like the end covers in the Peterson guide?) 

So excited to have a purpose in my silliness!

I replenished the seed at the Trading Post and went for a walk on the short trail that loops around. It was gorgeous. Fantabulous sunrise.

While walking I was treated to Scrub Jays, Juncos and 

Magpies. I watched a few Canyon Wrens scrambling

on the rocks and watched a Kestrel peeping out at me from 

crevices above.

There are four special birds at the Trading Post right now. I got to see three of them today,

which was wonderful.

I glimpsed the Curve-billed Thrasher immediately

upon returning from my walk. He was really skittish though,

and only made brief appearances.

The Golden-crowned Sparrow appeared to be

buddies with the Thrasher - I never saw him alone!

Truthfully my favorite view of the day came while I was waiting for the rarities to show up:

This Canyon Wren came to the feeders several times while

I watched, though I never saw him eat anything.

Here's the White-throated Sparrow. I saw him after several hours of waiting - well

worth it!

Other "less-important"visitors to the Trading Post feeders today:

Could not have been a more perfect morning...

more of the same:

Finally the Sun's Out!

A visit to the Environmental Learning Center today:

Windy Bobcat

no...I didn't see a bobcat...


Quiet and then windy at Bobcat Ridge today.

Can't say where I'm going with this, but here's another group of more or less 

poorly exposed artistic images...this time

Pygmy Nuthatches:

who knows. But I guess I'm free to explore the direction.

Birds.

Birds; I'm definitely learning about who I am as a birder. Today would've been the day I'd have gone down to look for the Ross's Gull (if I'd been motivated to do so...) As I contemplated going down I kept thinking "Well if it was an owl, I'd want to go down immediately!" Granted there were all these great excuses: I'd just been in Littleton yesterday...It's COLD....I would've been stuck in Denver all day and probably would have succumbed to SHOPPING...you get the idea.

I decided I would feel best getting outside and moving a little after the Turkey Day bloat. I'm aware that while I started my excel life lists last spring I haven't updated them in months, even though I've seen several new species.

Here's another thing I'm realizing: I can appreciate the visual of the bird itself, or I can appreciate it somewhat abstractly. Today I got some more opportunities to watch some Golden-crowned Kinglets. They're fabulous - they have a sweet tiny sound and they're very fast. While continuing to fail at capturing them on "film" I'm enjoying some of the visual abstractions my failures make.

I did get some better glimpses of the tiny birds...but still not the shot I'll keep hoping for. 

They might be like the elusive Belted Kingfisher shots I've never really gotten.

Also at Young Gulch today:

Dark-eyed Juncos

Townsend's Solitaire

Stellar's Jay

Clark's Nutcracker

Mountain Chickadee

and a Mystery Raptor

Ice.

Ice; Cold today at Young Gulch! My Camelback waterline froze an hour into the hike. I don't remember being at Young Gulch before with the stream in this state.... After I bit I grew brave and started walking on some of the shallower ice - even enjoying the startling feeling when my foot would sink an inch. Cool to practice just barely touching the ground as I stepped. Kind of exciting, though I did keep hoping for a bit of sunshine!

Mount McConnell Trail

I drove past Grey Rock and Young Gulch today and decided to hike the McConnell trail in Mountain Park. I hike this trail so infrequently that it always feels new... sometimes to the point of feeling lost and confused. Today I felt lost or confused for approximately an hour. :)

I arrived to find the Poudre River flowing but icy in spots.

A quiet hike...lots of Townsend's Solitaires. Then, little wisps of chirps. A mixed flock, and in the flock

Poor, Poor Proof of my first real glimpse of a 

Golden-crowned Kinglet!!

A little later, slightly better proof:

Maybe next time we'll have a full-on photo shoot!

I encountered these mixed flocks a few more times; in addition

to the kinglets I viewed chickadees, nuthatches and Brown Creepers.

More hike images:

As is often the case though, I was most excited by the water:

More Photos from today:

and Some Play Photos:

and just for fun...a little video

Wintery.

Nice to actually need to wear my fleece up at Lory State Park today! I was hoping it would snow a little while I wandered but it never happened.

Plenty of cool snow and ice sculptures around....

Everywhere I went the sound and sight of melting snow 

plopping down -  several times on my head. I kept seeing bird shadows

that I think were often really snow shadows.

Chickadees, Juncos and Nuthatches galore. Noisy flocks of 

Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers and these

sweeter-than-sweet Pygmy Nuthatches. I watched 

two wrestling White-breasted Nuthatches drop from a tree,

float down to the ground still entangled, and then

peacefully separate.

Also of course the resident Cackling Stellar's Jays, Magpies and 

Clark's Nutcracker.