Summer's End

A Nice Morning at Running Deer....but before that, a quick look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk from our Fifth Grade field trip to the ELC yesterday:

Not sure why he stayed put...maybe he found the 80 or so rambunctious 

fifth graders good entertainment?

Maisie and I had a quiet, beautiful Fall visit to Running Deer today. Very few 

residents presented themselves, but our first, an

American Bittern, was a wonderful treat!

Mostly Red-winged Blackbirds at Running Deer today, but a few others too:

Kestrel, unimpressed by my interruption of his hunt!

and a few basically skulky White-crowned Sparrows. I'd have expected

a lot more of them...maybe in the next few weeks?

Fall Morning

North Shields Ponds this morning....

COLD, which was wonderful...though both Maisie and I need some mittens! No Great Blue Herons today, but a quiet Grebe to start the morning off. We walked, while waiting for the sun to warm.

So my newbie bird knowledge is gone. I'll call this a young

American Tree Sparrow [and then I'll be corrected] 'cause of

his chest mark.

A few lone sandpipers. [insert id correction here :)]

and then, at the end of our walk, a fabulous TREAT! A giant flock of 

Cedar Waxwings, many of them young. (I think nearing 100)

I've never seen immature waxwings, and their streaked bellies were 

absolutely lovely.

In among the Waxwings, A Western Tanager :) How fabulous to see two 

of my favorite foothills residents on the move. (Especially since I've

been unable to get to the foothills as of late!)

Maisie was still napping when we reached the car, so we took a second lap:

Coopers/Sharpshinned manning the river.

and my snnuggled-up walking buddy.

North Shields Ponds

Hooray for another calm, cool August morning: I cannot WAIT for Fall! I looked forward to our walk each day last week, and Maisie and I both enjoyed the healing quiet and peace.

I don't know if Maisie's stroller resembles a large slow animal or not, but it seems 

to have the unusual effect of slowing our wildlife down. This Great Blue Heron

stayed put far longer than I expected.

And this White-tailed Deer (one of a pair) allowed us to come close enough for 

Maisie to really get a good look at her.

Quiet at North Shields Ponds today....some unexpected juncos flitting about,

the usual flickers, not a single duck in the river.

The expected Turkey Vultures were about though, and while Maisie and I took a break 

on a bench, we did have a small interesting raptor fly-by.

Back to Running Deer

Maisie and I have visited Running Deer several times in the last few months; today I thought I'd tackle the camera alongside all the Maisie-gear. The oddest thing at Running Deer lately has been the absence of water - Maisie and I have sat on a bench looking out over a non-pond. Weird. But birds have come to visit while we've sat, so I guess there's adaptation. (Though a lack of grebes, coots and cormorants for sure.)

An overcast day was so wonderful for us -  no rush to beat the heat, but it meant iffy lighting for photos. Eh, it's all good. Kingfisher on the prowl.

The water may be gone but those noisy Killdeer are not.

Flyover. Another secret flyover must have been an owl. Maisie loves owls. 

Okay maybe I love telling her we're looking at owls....

Kingbirds commotioning.

Blue Grosbeak in silhouette. He was one of our previous visitors

 on a camera-less trip to the non-pond.

Shrike. Fall will be so nice....the cooler weather will make this so much more accessible for us!

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.