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Blue-gray Gnatdcatcher migrating through
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I found this migrating Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flitting about the shrubs on the Canon City, CO Riverwalk this morning. This species breeds in the foothills shrublands that begin just west of Canon City. SeEtta
If you ever wondered why they named these 'Violet-green' these photos will demonstrate that those these birds are violet, blue and green colored. I took these photos with super zoom and then cropped them a little more to get these close-up views. The weather was a little snowy so light was poor but the birds were perching longer due to the cold weather. This was the day of our big late snowstorm that caused 'fall-out' conditions so there were a lot of swallows that were forced down during their migration. SeEtta
Yellow-rumped Warblers are well known for their 'generalist' abilities-feeding at the top to bottom of a tree canopy, sallying out after a flying insect or foraging on the ground, they are everywhere. However I am used to seeing them in fairly close proximity to trees when not in them: "During winter, Yellow-rumped Warblers find open areas with fruiting shrubs or scattered trees, such as parks, streamside woodlands, open pine and pine-oak forest, dunes (where bayberries are common), and residential areas." This one was out in the middle of some fallowed agricultural fields perching on a fence near the Mountain Bluebirds-maybe an example of the old saying 'birds of a feather stick together.' SeEtta
Went out to Red Canyon Park this morning for an hour or so. Though there were still a number of warblers in the hackberry trees, the numbers of warblers and their feeding activity had diminished considerably. However, there was a lively flock of Bushtits feeding furiously in one of the 3 large hackberry trees where the activity was concentrated. Today most of the warblers were Yellow-rumped and all that I saw were Audubon's like these. There still several Townsend's but only one or two Wilson's Warblers. At least 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets continued and the Townsend's Solitairs serenaded nearby. I heard Pinyon Jays but the only jay species I saw today was Western Scrub. SeEtta
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