Snowy Saturday

Off to Running Deer to play in the snow (and do a little camcorder test drive.)

First nice view of the day, a muskrat. I'd been thinking

a nice mink video shoot would have made for a lovely test drive, and

it took me a while to decide this was in fact a muskrat, but

pleasant nonetheless.

While watching the muskrat swim around - a real surprise, A Virginia Rail!

[A "Rail" I mean...not "Sora"...Thanks Mary, my brain's getting fuzzier]

Not too shabby for a snowy day in December.

Not tree shadows, but the beginnings of cracks in the ice being formed

[maybe] where the temperature was a little warmer?

I came across a group five meadowlarks. They looked so strange to me...

I guess the bright yellow against the snowy sky and the 

cold-induced fluffiness.

Rail still plodding along on the way out. This spot is sometimes 

such a bummer for photos, but so often yields lovely finds!

The Video Test Drives:

(not so much the best weather for video...and did I mention I haven't read the

book yet?) ALSO I'm really glad I didn't purchase the camcorder for nature walks....

juggling yet another device along with all the other cameras felt just plain nutty!

Snow day at Running Deer

The Second Snow Day:

The roads seemed a little more intimidating today, so I opted for

 a short visit to nearby Running Deer.

QUI-ET.

White-crowned Sparrows playing near the parking lot.

"Dumb humans anyhow."

Snowy coots...and geese...and a kestrel or two.

Several song sparrows together.

Manitou Springs Day 2

Royal Gorge Railroad and Park:

With a little extra time before heading to the train, we made a quick first visit to the park:

windy. and lovely. What was (until recently) the highest suspension

bridge in the world.

from above....

So you see the red dot? By the end of the day we grew brave enough

to give it a try.... 

To the train. Halloween weekend. Costumed little people

trick-or-treating in the cars. Nice!

Brad's Eight.

and from below...

there's that red dot of a tram again!

These are fab. I love them!

Views from the Incline Train:

Respite.

Manitou Springs Day One

Garden of the Gods and Cave of the Winds:

Townsend's Solitaire finds a shady spot...

Scrub Jay posing.

those Kissing Camels!

RED ROCK.

Hangin' at the Cave of the Winds:

Dark.

Snow Day at Crow Valley

The unexpected SNOW DAY led me out to Crow Valley. So many flocks of birds circling around in the snowy skies on the way in, I figured I'd find at least someone.... Initially silent, except for the ever-so-often crashing down of tree limbs and plop of falling snow.

The first inhabitant, from off in the distance, proved mammal:

One of a bunch, and pretty irritated with my intrusion.

Next up, a less concerned Downy.

I plodded along (and I do mean plodded) figuring I'd find at least some juncos...

Again, seemingly not too impressed with my presence!

A scruffy-looking goldfinch.

and one of several raptor flyovers.

A time and a half around and I was pooped! I rested under the covered picnic tables 

to gather energy for the trek back to the car. :)

"Gosh that flicker's making funny noises!" "Hey, you're no flicker!"

It's that Red-bellied Woodpecker...last seen in Central Park, NY.... Another 

reminder that laziness is sometimes rewarded!

Goose doing their usual, serenade me as I exit.

Fall in Estes

I should get out more!

It was lovely in Estes today; Connie's bird walk:

"For Pete's sake, leave me be...I've got work to do!"

A seemingly warmer-than-usual Dipper

Coots.

Another Dipper, finding something special...

The very gorgeous and petite Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The very quiet Viestenz-Smith Park yielded some chickadees, our first good junco view of the day, and 

a bush full of Bushtits. Thanks Connie!