Weekend Snippits

Got outside for two seconds this weekend. Here are some snippets:

Song Sparrow serenade at Running Deer. I love how they greet the sun!

Is this an easy silhouette? RWBB...

A duck in a tree. A Wood Duck! Connie found it for us on our Big Thomson Ponds State Wildlife Area walk. Someday I should see such a thing more closely!!

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:

Young Things

and other stuff from the last week or so...
I'm learning that around this time when things are pretty quiet, it's nice to stumble upon young things.


Running Deer:

Yup, it's my buddy....inquisitive young mink.

Also at Running Deer right now: frogs, toads and tons

of dragon flies.

The wrens seem to be making a funny frog-like noise lately....

I don't know if this relates to fledgelings or not (or if

I just never noticed it before.)

I've been watching this Red-winged Blackbird nest for

a few weeks. Looks like someone's hungry.

(double-click photo to enlarge a little)

Young Gulch:

Earlier this summer there were bunches of flycatchers 

at Young Gulch. Now, very fluffy fledglings. 

Here's mom with a snack:

And here's the kids.

This one, a little further down the trail.

Pawnee Grasslands:

A friendly Grasshopper Sparrow

A young Meadowlark,  I think....

I did see a few young burrowing owls, but none

braving posts yet.

Two shots of Mom Lark Sparrow, 'cause I think

she's wonderful...

Maybe one day this little guy will look so pretty!

Didn't find any resting Common Nighthawks 

(well other than the ones I accidentally flushed...), but this one 

briefly flew into the tree above my head.

Riverbend Ponds:

First, a stop near Wellington.

What I think is coolest about the dickcissel, it's song:

A little reminder for me today: When it's a little slow and 

maybe kind of dull the Kingfisher embodies 

everything I've grown to love about birds.

Another enthusiastic wren.

A Young Barn Swallow, I think!!

Three guesses (it's not a kingfisher...)

MORE Photos.....

Plenty of Nighthawks

I keep hearing about Common Nighthawks at Crow Valley. After some help, I finally found them.

On the way to Crow Valley I stopped to look for (and listen for) Grasshopper Sparrows.

There were bunches. They have undoubtedly been there the whole time,

me never noticing them!

Female Lark Bunting

Two minutes after getting out at Crow Valley I started looking and "Poof," 

My first Common Nighthawk. I left him and went off in the 

direction of some loud and serious chatter:

Northern Mocking Bird happily commotioning

and

Brown Thrasher causing a bit of a fuss too.

I circled around the campground, finding my first Prairie Warbler

and many MANY mosquitoes. Then another (or the same)

Nighthawk flew towards me:

And landed right beside me. Later I found another one, and eventually 

noticed four or five circling the campground:

Heading towards home, a Cassin's Sparrow:

And of course when it rains, it pours....

Hanging out on County Road 41...

The rest of today's photos:

Early June

Highlights this Week:

Pawnee Grasslands on Tuesday, where I was completely not expecting this Red-headed Woodpecker!

I followed him around Crow Valley Campground for awhile, 

almost dizzy with pleasure at getting to see this bird.

Heading toward the Pawnee Buttes:

Sleeping Fox and

Not-so-sleeping Fox. Just before the fox

I saw the "burrowing owl fence post shot"

of my dreams, and was 5 seconds too slow.   Grrr.

Something to look forward to :)

At Pawnee Buttes the usual suspects:

Rock Wren

 

Western Kingbird (everywhere)

This Brown Thrasher was in the exact spot Brad and I 

watched one last year!

A few owls on the way home (of course not posing beautifully 

on a fence post 10 feet from the car!!!) Grrr. 

Wednesday I went to Lower Latham, visited with the Avocets and enjoyed listening to the Marsh Wren commotion. Unlike at Crow Valley, there's a little less water here now:

Blue-winged Teals

American Avocet

Black-necked Stilt

Common Yellow-throat, new for me at Lower Latham

Wednesday afternoon I stopped at the Environmental Learning

Center in Fort Collins:

Today a visit to Bobcat Ridge, where I saw no snakes, one coyote who hightailed it, and one mouse/lizard who did the same:

Towhees everywhere...this one more cooperative than most.

A Busy Wren

So I thought I saw the back of a Lazuli Bunting (something I've only 

caught fleeting glimpses of.) Then it flew and I thought 

I heard it. (ipod confirmed I did.) But I couldn't find it.

So I sat down (for an hour or so) listening to the Bunting and not finding

it. Out of nowhere comes this Yellow-breasted Chat! (something else I've only caught 

the barest of glimpses of.)

I entertained myself watching the chat; the bunting stopped

singing. I gave up and walked away. Then the bunting started singing again.

 

Where is he? (Keep in mind this photo only shows a portion of

one of the two trees I was staring at for an hour.)

Ohhh.

More photos: