North East Colorado Field Trip

Day Two Highlights:

Sad update on the Hotel Bat: apparently he did not move from his spot at all between yesterday and today...

We began the day at Tamarack (very birdy) with lots of Red-headed Woodpeckers, Orioles and Flycatchers. I now have a slightly better understanding of the term empid.

Western Wood Pewee with Dragonfly

Down the hatch!

Willow Flycatcher

We made our way over to Jumbo Reservoir, stopping for assorted peeps and other shorebirds.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Long-billed Curlew!

and Black-bellied Plover!

We finished the day looking for warblers. While looking we happened upon two Common Nighthawks and a young scruffy-looking Downy Woodpecker:

a few more photos from today:

Personal trip highlights:

Mississippi Kites (juvenile!)

Prairie Rattlesnake

Common Tern

Red-headed Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Black Tern

Townsend's Warbler

Gray Flycatcher

Black-bellied Plover

Long-billed Curlew

It might be a little while before I head that far east again, but I think it was fantastic!

North East Colorado Field Trip

Day One Highlights:

The neatest experience today was watching two immature Mississippi Kites food begging in Sterling. We couldn't find them for awhile - we could only see adults circling above. Just after we located the two immature birds, Mom (or Dad) came in with a snack. Here's a few shots:

The expression on Mom's (or Dad's) face above makes me laugh!

Off to find some more...

We stopped at the hotel and discovered

The Hotel Bat.

We went off searching for more shore birds...

Pelicans never get dull.

Wilson's Phalaropes

Unimpressed Prairie Rattlesnake

Most of us missed out on the Barn Owl, but we

had this spider as consolation...

Goodnight Pelicans!

a few more photos from today: