Jamaica Bay

NY Trip Day3:

BLUSTERY at Jamaica Bay. Will have to make another trip someday a little later into Spring Migration. Birds, nonetheless:

A NY Gull smashing an oyster to bits. Go ahead, ask me 

what kind of gull, just try it!

I thought I heard a giant bunch of Canada Geese coming in. Not so.

Snow Geese! Bunches.

Also at Jamaica Bay: RWBBs, American Oystercatchers!, Cardinals and Goldfinches.

Northern Shovelers, Green-Winged Teal, Osprey and a Snowy Egret.

Yard Bird

NY Trip Day Two:

Relaxed and hung out on 22nd Street today. I figured I better try for a few shots of those wonderfully noisy Monk Parakeets:

Only other yard visitors today: House Sparrows and a Junco or two.

Central Park Birds

NY Trip Day One:

A little too busy before the trip, I didn't have time to research....we headed to the Ramble, which runs from about 72nd to 80th Street in the center of the park. Here are the [boring everyday NY] birds (according to my mom) we found:

We started with three Red-tailed Hawks. These are the first two - the third was perched closely in a Spruce. 

When we got back to the house, we were looking at the photos and learning about Pale Male...long story short looks like we had an authentic sighting of this very famous NY Red-tail and his current mate Ginger. Hadn't been a goal, and it didn't occur to me while we watched the pair, but some anecdotal evidence suggests that's who we saw. FUN.

A Male Cardinal

and a female. I've always enjoyed the female more.

White-throated Sparrow. There's been one visiting Colorado, at the Red Rocks Trading Post. I was so excited to see this one - after a few moments though, we realized 

they're as common as House Sparrows in NY.

Tufted Titmouse. :)

Very Exciting Red-bellied Woodpecker [tongue searching for insects.]

(Another "boring NY bird" according to my mom..."Oh we get those in our backyard all the time.")

Male. I think we saw about 6 of them in the space of an hour.

White-breasted Nuthatch...tamer, friendlier and less likely to hide in the shade

than their Colorado counterpart.

Blue Jay.

and Grubby NY Squirrel.

Also viewed today: Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Mallard, American Robin, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, (SHOCKING I know) House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee and American Goldfinch.

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!!

Weld Birds

The Winter Birds are slipping away from me I realize; a quick dash out east today in hopes of catching a few. Slim hopes. :)

At Latham, Red-winged Blackbirds:

I drove out to Banner Lakes with some vague idea of looking for Long-earred Owls. I didn't find any, but on the way back to the car I flushed a GHO. At least my vague idea had some semblance of logic!

Flew out right in front of me; didn't even know he'd been there!

Another silhouette for the gallery, a Western Meadowlark.

Young Gulch to Myself

What to do when school's out due to "inclement" weather? Bundle up and go play outside of course!

I arrived at the empty Young Gulch lot to find I was the first visitor this morning.

There wasn't tons of snow, but there was a sort of snow 

"fun factor" - with yesterday's rain most of the trail was frozen...

snow on top of ice made for interesting travels.

The stream that crosses Young Gulch was open in a few spots. In most spots

however I could just hear the water gurgling underneath the ice.

In a few spots I had to be really observant to even suspect I was 

crossing the stream!

Young Gulch was quiet (except for the near-constant gurgling.) Every 

once in a while I'd hear a calling Solitaire or Chickadee.

I made it a little over a mile in before I decided my fingers and toes

were about done for. I hightailed it about as fast as my snow boots 

would let me on the way back.

Also enjoying the sub-zero weather today: Several Brown Creepers, Juncos, 

an irritated-sounding Flicker, one Robin and some noisy

Clark's Nutcrackers. There were LOTS of great foot prints in the snow: Rabbits, rodents, 

birds and one small cat or doggish print....bobcat?

Leaving at lunchtime....the still blissfully empty parking lot.

and on the way home....

I was thinking about Dippers on my way in this morning. Those Polar

Bear swimmers have NOTHING on these guys!

Three Bird Day

Around Town today, but blissfully outside and feeling so much better for it!

An almost-patient Great Blue Heron

I went to look for the Long-tailed Duck at North Shields Ponds today. A fabulous-looking duck. Someday I hope to see an adult male in Summer plumage :) There was more than a little adventure involved in today's search, but I did get to see the bird: (That's him on the left...)

Flying off with some Goldeneyes half a second after I arrive

Not looking too excited about my visit

Safely far away.

My first Winter Wren, at the Environmental Learning Center:

Skullllkeee!!!

And an immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Grandview Cemetery:

Really beautiful...another bird I'd like to see in adult plumage.

Also around town today:

American Robin

Black-billed Magpie

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Canada Goose

Dark-eyed Junco

Eurasian-collared Dove

European Starling

Hairy Woodecker

Mallard

Northern Flicker

Red-winged Blackbird

Valmont Reservoir

The Biggest Field Trip Ever.

Not as much confusion as I might have expected for approximately 209 attendees! This was my first visit to the Valmont Reservoir at the Excel Power plant in Boulder. Fantastic weather, though I'm still very excited about the wool long-johns.

The most cooperative Kingfisher I've ever met: Most Belted Kingfishers

flee the moment I turn my camera lens on them. This brave bird allowed a

group of around 100 people to come quite close before flying. Must have 

been wondering what all the excitement was about!

Another photo for the new Birds by Shape project. (see the rest here.)

This one, an immature Black-crowned-night Heron. I have a well-lit

photo of him sitting along the bank but I enjoy this one a lot more.

A pair of Gadwalls. Someday I'll be able to identify them! (Thanks Connie)

A Trip Highlight, a Horned Grebe. Valmont Reservoir was open

to the public especially for our field trip yesterday. I'm beginning to

think some of these birds had never seen bunches of people before 

and didn't have the sense to flee! This Grebe calmly swam

over to check us all out.

We saw two Ferruginous Hawks at Valmont, my first for the year. 

This one, an immature bird watched us calmly as we walked around

one of the lakes.

I didn't get any amazing Gull views at Valmont (the trip is sometimes referred to as "Gullapalooza") but a beautiful day outside with nice looks at some key species. Additional species highlights: My first Hooded Merganser! (I've been hoping to see one for a long time) Red-breasted and Common Mergansers, Bald and Golden Eagles and a Tundra Swan.