Birds and Nature

Destructive Tar Sands Oil-TED video

2012-02-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

Family of Greater White-fronted Geese, winter visitors

2012-02-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the 13 Greater White-fronted Geese that have spent the winter in Canon City, CO. Every winter for more than 15 years now a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese, from 7 to 13 birds, have migrated south to Canon City from their high arctic breeding area and overwintered here. Most of this species that spend the winter inland do so along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana. Canon City has demonstrated it is mild enough to support overwintering of small numbers of birds that normally winter further south.

Birds of North America online notes that the immature birds remain with their parents not only for their first year but for several years. So the birds that winter here are likely parents and several generations of their offspring. They will likely be leaving soon to fly back to their breeding territory.

The goose in top pic stands out as an adult bird, showing the white forehead and the dark stripes on the belly and lower breast area. The 2 geese in the middle pic have more limited white on forehead and ventral bars that are not as dark or wide as on the adult birds. The 2 geese in the back in the bottom pic appear to be first winter birds, with limited white on forehead and just developing black ventral bars while the bird in the front is an adult. SeEtta

Clouds over Wet Mountains in Colorado

2012-02-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Just some nice recent clouds that I have seen formed over the Wet Mountains that lie to the southwest of Canon City. In the top pic the strong winds formed this very smooth lenticular cloud that was backlit with a little color as the sun had just set. The bottom pic shows some strong color to clouds at sunset over the Wet Mountains. Only editing to these pics was to crop them. SeEtta

Bald Eagle in Bighorn Sheep Canyon of Colorado

2012-02-07T00:15:00.002-07:00

I saw both this and a second adult Bald Eagle while driving through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon that runs west of Canon City to near Salida. Both of these eagles were perched over the Arkansas River just within a few miles to the east of Cotopaxi. I watched they surveyed the river below watching for fish go after. They were in the area where Christo plans to use large drilling rigs, like are used to drill for oil, to drill large holes in boulders along the river banks in order to erect tall poles that will hold the fabric that will be draped over the river. SeEtta

Handsome Barrow's Goldeneye

2012-02-06T23:53:00.002-07:00

I found this flock composed of 1 male with his 8 female harem in Salida, CO at a small fishing lake called Sands Lake. As small as this lake is, it is really a large pond, it attracts and holds a good number of common waterfowl. For some reason it often has Barrow's Goldeneye during the winter.

The middle and especially the bottom pic show well the very steep forehead on this goldeneye species. With it's forehead feathers fully erect the the forehead appears to overhang the beak in the bottom pic. I think Barrow's Goldeneye are especially handsome duck. SeEtta

Townsend's Solitaire being unusually friendly

2012-02-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was very surprised yesterday when this Townsend's Solitaire landed less than 10 feet away and stayed put while I photographed it. I have never found this species to be quite so tolerant of humans. And I was standing out in the open and had been taking photos so it would have heard the sounds of the mechanical shutter on my dslr releasing. There were several Townsend's Solitaire nearby and one had sang their sweet warbling song that brightens a winter day.

Both pics are the same, just the one on top was severely cropped to get a super close-up view. SeEtta

Northern Pygmy-Owl, view from the top

2012-02-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

I should have put this photo in earlier, it is actually the same as the top photo in the entry right below but not cropped. I think it provides an interesting view of how high up in this conifer this little Northern Pygmy-Owl was perched. And it is likely why I kept thinking I heard it calling from different locations (and then looked in those directions rather than up where it was)--when they turn their heads their call sounds like it is coming from a different location and with it up this high it had me looking in all the wrong places. SeEtta

More Northern Pygmy-Owl

2012-02-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

The eyes and light eyebrows of the Northern Pygmy-Owl can be seen in the top pic as the owl was looking down at me in this photo. If you look hard you can see the beak though the falling snowflakes are better seen.

In the bottom pic the owl is perched facing my direction but it's head is turned to the side to look at something other than me (which I am glad for as it is important that these owls are able to watch for predators and look for food, not just focus on birders). This pic does give the best view of the narrow black streaks on the belly of the owl which are framed by whitish sides. Interestingly this is only about a hundred feet from where I found a pair of Northern Pygmy-Owls in April, 2008 (see photos and post about that in my old blog) that were engaged in 'allopreening' (mutual preening), singing and a most unusual melodic singing that is still a mystery. SeEtta

Calling NorthernPygmy-Owl

2012-02-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

I found this Northern Pygmy-Owl calling from the very top of this 60-80 foot tall conifer (in the center right of the video). Since Northern Pygmy-Owls are only about 7 inches tall it cannot be seen in the video but can be clearly heard as it gives it's repetitive toot calls as well as those of a Mountain Chickadee that was roused by the touting. It also did some trilling but it was given in short bursts so I didn't get it on the video. This location in Chaffee County, Colorado is about 9,000 feet and though it wasn't snowing when I got there, it was snowing moderately when I took the video and these photos. With the backlighting form the overcast sky, the falling snow and the distance, these are the best photos I could get (and they are severely cropped to enlarge this little owl). Though not very clear this pic does show this owl's tail the best.I did use taped playback to solicit this owl and used my own whistled toots that it did respond to but stopped both after I located it (I could have kept using the playback to try to get the owl to come closer but I think that is too much intrusion and the owl needed to get back to it's activities of daily living--it did fly off after I got the video and photos. More pics follow SeEtta

Pronghorn herd near Pueblo, CO

2012-01-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

Boy, I've been distracted by a problem with not being able to access a number of pics I took in So Texas-now recovered I can get back to posting starting with these pronghorn then later I will post some of those So Texas pics. I spotted these beautiful pronghorn as the leaders began crossing a state highway in front of me. I pulled over immediately as there were no other vehicles around and I wanted the herd to quickly get across before vehicles that usually travel well over the 65 mph speed limit came and put them at risk. This strategy worked but I had not realized just how many pronghorn were in the herd--right around 30 animals, which is one of the largest herds I have seen in western Pueblo County in recent memory.

So it took them awhile to all, each following single file, to go under the fence on one side of the road then get across to the other side and safely get under the fence then into a field on the other side. And they did so safely though soon afterwards several vehicles flew through. I then slowly drove up nearer to them to get these photos before they wandered off.

As I edited these pics I realized that I can see the rib cages on several of the pronghorn. I don't recall having seen this on pronghorn before but I am not sufficiently experienced with this species to know for sure if this is a sign of underweight (ie, horses in good health can have their rib cages visible). However I would not be surprised if they were underweight since this and much of southern Colorado was in an 'exceptional' drought last growing season and native grasses suffered. SeEtta

A few more pics of rotor/wave clouds west of Canon City, CO

2012-01-19T23:35:00.002-07:00

I took these photos with my new Canon 60d dslr camera, which allowed me to take them at 1/8000 of a second at F16, using my Canon 70-300mm lens. This provides better photos, I think, of these ephemeral cloud formations. I took the top photo less than 10 seconds after the photo that is in the previous post (in which I used my older Canon xti dslr camera with the same lens but at only 1/4000 of a second which the limit for this camera).

I took the top photo above of the same cloud formation but only about a minute earlier and from the same location at Brush Hollow Reservoir as the bottom photo, but used a 200mm setting for the top and 300mm for the bottom pics. Click on photos to enlarge for best views. SeEtta

More rotor/wave clouds due to continuing high winds in Colorado

2012-01-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

Colorado continued to have high winds so as I drove around yesterday doing my birding I watched as rotor/wave clouds formed and dissipated. Though many formed into rotor/wave clouds, caused by Kelvin-Helmholz instability, they tended to be pretty wispy and dissipated quickly. This was about the best one, at least in coming out more definitively as a photo. I took this photo from Brush Hollow Reservoir near Penrose,CO looking west past Canon City. More to come from the day before. SeEtta

Long-tailed Duck pursued by coots and Redhead Ducks

2012-01-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

I don't know what it was about this female Long-tailed Duck but first the American Coots chased her away then 2 Redhead Ducks did the same. After she swam close to the cliffs she tucked her head, closed here eyes and appeared to rest (though even with the shelter of these cliffs her feet were always moving to keep her in place). After awhile several American Coots swam close in. She opened her eyes to watch them. As they swam at her she untucked her head and swam away. This happened several times and the top pic shows one of the coots as it was pursuing her. Then after she came back in and was resting again two Redheads started swimming after her as shown in the bottom pic. After she swam distant from the other ducks, they let her be. Finally I watched her come back in close to the shelter of the cliffs for a third time and this time she did not let the other ducks intimidate her. She appeared to vocalize as shown in a pic on the previous post which may have communicated that they should let her be?? SeEtta

Closer views of the Long-tailed Duck

2012-01-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

I drove around Brush Hollow Reservoir trying to get a closer view of the Long-tailed Duck. After losing track of her for awhile I refound her from the cliff area on the west side of the reservoir. After awhile she came close to the cliff area to rest from the winds as this side provided some shelter which a flock of American Coots, a few American Wigeon and 2 Redhead Ducks were also taking advantage of. The duck was only about 200-250 feet away when I took the top pic. However, this close a photo would not have come out so nicely in the now strong and gusty winds (as I have to stand on a point overlooking the reservoir with no protection from the winds that were shaking everything) because I used a tripod and my new camera let me take photos at 1/8000 of a second which avoided much of the wind shake.

I really like the middle pic as it shows the duck with it's bill open. It may have been vocalizing to the nearby ducks (more on that in next post). And I liked the bottom pic as it shows her very black feet that she has lifted during grooming. SeEtta

Long-tailed Duck near Canon City,CO

2012-01-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, while doing a little birding to see what is around now that I am back from a long trip to So Texas, I drove out to Brush Hollow Reservoir about 15 northwest of Canon City to see if the recent high winds had blown anything unusual in. Indeed far in the distance I spotted this female Long-tailed Duck. She was more than 400 feet away when I took the top pic which is greatly enlarged from what I saw since I used my 400 mm lens with a 1.4 extender. Since my new Canon 60d dslr camera is not full frame the photo has an additional 1.6 magnification so the combination is approximately equivalent to a photo taken by a 900 mm lens or about 18 times the size seen with naked eyes. It is hard to see the little duck in that top pic but it, and a slightly larger Common Goldeneye near it, are directly under the text.

The bottom pic is just an enlargement of the top pic. I took the pic from the slight elevation on the east side of the reservoir at the top of the boat ramp because this Long-tailed Duck is small enough that viewing it from the shoreline made it even more difficult to see since the wind was quite blustery and the waves often obscured it. This is the second Long-tailed Duck I have found in my area, the first one was in 2007 on the Arkansas River just east of Canon City. More pics to come. SeEtta

Rotor/wave clouds in Colorado/'Kelvin-Helmholz'

2012-01-16T22:15:00.004-07:00

Two years ago I photographed a long set of rotor (that look like ocean waves) clouds southeast of Canon City, Co that I posted on this blog. I shared them with the Pueblo Weather Service meteorologists who confirmed the photos as what are called rotor clouds that are a rare phenomena caused by "Kelvin-Helmholtz instability" that is related to wind shear likely from strong winds near mountains. Well yesterday near dusk I caught this shorter segment of rotor clouds very near to the same location as those I took two years ago--both southeast of Canon City in Fremont County, both just east of the Wet Mountains and both during a period of high winds. I think I may have spotted these at the end of their run as they lasted about a minute (per time stamp on photos I took) before losing their shape. SeEtta

Bright Pine Warbler at Garner St Park/TX Hill Country

2012-01-13T22:08:00.003-07:00

I stopped at Garner State Park in the Texas Hill Country to have my lunch 2 days ago and was delighted to find the camping area near the Frio River to be very birdy. In addition to dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers I found this bright Pine Warbler actively foraging in a mixed flock. Other birds included Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers and Eastern Bluebirds. I think this species, which is usually found a little further east, isn't very common here.

This one is quite bright yellow, very fitting for a warm day with temps in the upper 70's. SeEtta

2012-01-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

On my way through the town of Zapata, TX I stopped for lunch in their city park. In the past the rare White-collared Seedeaters have been seen in this area but I didn't see any. I did enjoy this gorgeous male Vermilion Flycatcher. SeEtta

So Padre Island/Little Blue Heron

2012-01-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

I visited So. Padre Island yesterday and after the light rain finally stopped I was able to photograph a few birds from the still free portions of the boardwalk that provide wonderful opportunities to view waterbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds much closer than usual. This pretty Little Blue Heron posed for the top pic then looked like it was experiencing pure ecstasy when it scratched an itch as shown in the bottom pic. SeEtta

Radio tracking feeder birds-Cornell Lab video

2012-01-07T21:41:00.002-07:00

This should provide some interesting and valuable information--it's pretty cool, way to go Cornel Lab. SeEtta

Crimson-collared Grosbeak, rare visitor at Sabal Palm

2012-01-02T21:39:00.002-07:00

I finally made the trip this morning to Sabal Palm Sanctuary, one of my favorite birding hotspots in the Rio Grande Valley. I refound this female Crimson-collared Grosbeak that was first found on December 15 by Jimmy Paz and David Benn during their Christmas Bird Count. This rare Mexican bird had not been seen since Dec 18 but Jimmy Paz optimistically told me the locations it had been seen and promised a hug if I found it. And Jimmy kept his word when I returned to let him know I refound this bird.

I got these photos during the 10 minutes I watched her. She fed in several trees quite actively and stayed in the shade, often partially obscured by foliage or branches making it challenging to get reasonable good photos. SeEtta

Possible Greater Scaup in Harlingen, TX

2012-01-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

I found this scaup yesterday while participating in the Harlingen CBC, a count that has never had an identified Greater Scaup in it's history so I am going to be conservative and call this a possible Greater Scaup. The bird was among about 250 Lesser Scaup on the lake in Dixieland Park. I believe it has following characteristics that distinguish female Greater from Lesser Scaup: black nail is large, shape of bill is more spatulate, the bill is larger proportionally to it's head than on Lesser's, and the forehead is not as steep as on Lesser's. Since the bird had just come up from a dive and it's head is wet, I don't think the head shape is helpful in distinguishing the species. Note: the only thing I did to these photos was crop them to enlarge the duck and not other editing. Photos can be enlarged for closer viewing by double-clicking on them. SeEtta

Cute little Verdin,

2011-12-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

I photographed the Verdin the top pic at the photo blind feeders at Falcon State Park earlier this week. It was in the company of 2 other Verdin that stopped for a quick pick-me-up at this orange before flitting away.

I spotted the Verdin in the bottom two pics this morning at Edinburg Wetlands. It was foraging actively with a second Verdin in several of the many native trees at this great birding spot that seems the host the most Yellow-rumped Warblers in winter of any place in the Rio Grand Valley. These photos aren't really sharp but they both show the rufous on the shoulder of this species but is often hidden. I was delighted as I have never seen this, not that I have seen that many Verdin. SeEtta

Western Tanager, rare winter visitor @ Edinburg Wetlands

2011-12-30T17:26:00.001-07:00

I photographed this female Western Tanager this morning at Edinburg Wetlands in Edinburg, TX. which is one of my favorite birding spots in the Rio Grande Valley. This rare bird was found 3 days ago. Today some ladies from Llano Grande RV Park, who were here for their regular Friday birding outing, spotted it and asked me what kind of bird it was. This species winters from well below the border in Mexico to Central America. SeEtta

Last pics of Tropical Parula

2011-12-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

Such a beauty, I just had to post two more pics of this Tropical Parula. The top pic shows why it was fairly easy to spot this small passarine (only 4 1/2 inches in length)--it is so bright. The white spots on tail are more obvious in the bottom pic than the pic in previous post. SeEtta

More Tropical Parula Pics

2011-12-27T17:56:00.001-07:00

The top pic isn't as sharp but it shows the white undertail coverts and very limited white spots on tail. It also shows the extensiveness of the yellow on it's underparts.

This rare parula is my consolation after being told essentially that I wasn't needed for the Weslaco CBC unless I could be used at Estero LLano Grande State Park ("I have all sections outside the state park covered. Please contact Kyle O'Haver to see if he needs assistance inside the park.")--I didn't know that it was possible to not not need more counters for CBC's! Per the CBC website, "And anyone is welcome to participate, since Compilers arrange field parties so that inexperienced observers are always out with seasoned CBC veterans."Fortunately the compiler for the Bentsen CBC, Javier Deleon, has the right spirit. Not only did he ask me last week if I was going to help on their count but put out the following in an email today, "Please forward this one to anyone interested in participating or to anyone that would be interested in participating by being a feeder watcher for the day. The more the merrier!" Kudos to Javier for his inclusiveness and keeping with the spirit of Christmas Bird Counting. SeEtta

Tropical Parula, a rare beauty Quinta Mazatlan

2011-12-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

I went to Quinta Mazatlan this morning to look for the Tropical Parula that was seen there last week. I ran into Jack Cochran, a Penn birder, who spotted it high in the tall trees (adjacent to the new pond and actually on the grounds of the adjacent golf course) but it's bright yellow underparts stood out so I picked up on it easily. We first saw around 10 am and continued watching it forage very actively until 10:30 am. As shown on the bottom pic there appears to be light eye arcs on the bird, a phenomena that the Sibley Guide to Birds of North America notes as a 'rare variant'. Sorry I could not crop the bird to a larger size but they were taken from a distance of 80-100 feet and only possible to get these as it there was bright sunshine which is required for these long shots with my long camera lens combo. More pics to follow. SeEtta

More Salineno Ladder-backed Woodpecker pics

2011-12-26T23:24:00.002-07:00

Just a couple more pics of the female Ladder-backed Woodpecker I photographed at the feeders at DeWind RV Park in Salineno this morning. SeEtta

Ladder-backed Woodpecker: another Salineno feeder bird

2011-12-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

One of the many birds coming in to the feeders at the DeWind RV Park in Salineno was were Ladder-back Woodpeckers including this female. She was intent on eating as much of the peanut butter mix that was put into a crevice on this tree branch as she could. SeEtta

2011-12-26T21:20:00.001-07:00

Like many others I was delighted that Brown Jays were being seen again in Salineno at the DeWind RV Park feeders. As Mexican birds Brown Jays had previously wandered across the Rio Grande River where they had been seen in earlier years but have not beem found in about 5 years.

These very dark brown members of the corvid family, they are much larger than other jays. I was fortunate today as this single Brown Jay, an adult, came in to the feeders shortly after I got there and returned twice so I got to watch it for several minutes. SeEtta

2011-12-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here the final two pics of the Black-vented Oriole and they show some of the acrobatic tendencies of this bird as it hangs upside down to feed on oranges. And the bottom pic shows the toenails that wrap around small branches and dig in to anchor the bird. SeEtta

Black-vented Oriole: more pics

2011-12-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

The Black-vented Oriole spent it's time either feeding on oranges as shown in these pics or waiting to get a turn to feed on the oranges. For a large sized bird it displayed a rather submissive stance letting several other birds either displace it from feeding or not jumping on to displace smaller birds as commonly occurs. These two pics provide good views of this bird's truly black colored vent area, the coloration extending all through it's undertail coverts (these stand out nicely especially in the top pic) as well as all of it's tail feathers. Note that in some pics the bird looks more orange but more yellow in others--this is what the raw pics show and appears to be a function of the light reflection on the bird. Still more pics to come. SeEtta

2011-12-22T23:12:00.002-07:00

I was delighted to watch this Black-vented Oriole, a rare Mexican vagrant, as it fed on oranges at one of the feeding stations at the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley nature center in Mission, TX. This is such a brilliantly colored bird and so boldly contrasting that it is a pleasure to watch. It was also deja vu as a Black-vented Oriole (the same one?) was in the same area last year when I was visiting though it then spent most of it's time at an RV park where it fed from some blossoms on a non-native tree. More pics to come. (To see the bird up close just click on the each pi). SeEtta

West Texas Chihuauhuan Raven fest

2011-12-19T08:53:00.003-07:00

Here are two of about a thousand Chihuahuan Ravens I saw as I drove through West Texas where these birds congregate for the winter. I usually see large loose flocks that play on rising thermals but the weather was foggy and drizzly so no thermals for them to ride. SeEtta

'Cormorant dies a cruel slow death due to fishing line with hook

2011-12-18T23:33:00.001-07:00

This awful description posted publicly on the Kansas birding listserve today of a cormorant dying a slow cruel death due to a thoughtless fisherman is just so sad:"While birding the River Pond area of Tuttle Creek State Park during the Man=hattan Christmas Bird Count, I spotted what looked like a bird hanging from= a tree on the island in River Pond. I positioned my scope on it and saw wh=at appeared to be a large lifeless bird dangling from a tree limb. Once in =a while there appeared to be movement. Winds were calm. On closer inspectio=n the bird turned out to be a double-crested cormorant that apparently swal=lowed a fish hook, and the line on the hook caught on the end of a thin syc=amore branch bending down under the weight of the bird like a fishing pole =with a large fish on the line. The line appeared to be wrapped around a fru=it of the tree (or ball of seeds) that I first took for a bobber. The bird =flapped its wings from time-to-time, most definitely alive, and hopelessly =caught. What a cruel way to go. John RowManhattan, Kansas"Fishermen--pack out and properly dispose of your fishing line and especially when it has a hook attached. SeEtta

Black-throated Green Warbler in So. Texas

2011-12-18T22:26:00.004-07:00

I finally got down to So Texas after a friend who wanted to spend some time in Colorado came to stay in my house while I'm gone. Birding has been a bit hit and miss due to frequent drizzle and light rain which has kept me from getting many photographs yet. I did enjoy birding, albeit in drizzle, at Frontera Audubon in Weslaco today. I found this Black-throated Green Warbler in a mixed flock with a Black-and-white Warbler, two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a White-eyed Vireo, a couple of Black-crested Titmice, and a couple of Orange-crowned Warblers. At one point this mixed flock was joined by a Golden-crowned Warbler, a very rare bird that had been found at Frontera yesterday. I got a nice but brief good look at cool rare vagrant but it moved around in the scrub quickly so didn't get a chance to photograph it. I got two more very brief looks at it again but it moves around where it is was a challenge to follow. There had also been a female Crimson-collared Grosbeak found at Frontera yesterday but I didn't find it. I also spotted an Ovenbird that was also working low in the scrub not far from the Golden-crowned Warbler. SeEtta

And a third juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

2011-12-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

I found yet another juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Canon City over the week-end, this one on the grounds of The Abbey (formerly a Catholic boarding school). This one has no red on it's crown that I could see with my binoculars or in these pics so I can feel comfortable that this is a different from the other two juveniles in town as both of them have some red feathering on their crowns. This bird also shows a lot of yellow on it's belly. It is really helpful when there are obvious plumage differences on these sapsuckers as I cannot always find them in close enough time periods to indicate I am not seeing the same one in different locations as they do move around some. SeEtta

Another juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Canon City

2011-12-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

This week-end I found this second juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Canon City. I had just seen the juvenile Yellow-bellied I had found in Centennial Park last month right before I drove to Lakeside Cemetery where I found this one. It seems most unlikely that these are the same bird as it was just about 5 minutes and over a mile between the sightings. Plus this bird moved around a lot, flying from tree to tree often while the sapsucker at Centennial Park stays in one tree unless disturbed by people in the area. I had seen some signs in the past week that there was a sapsucker working Lakeside Cemetery but the fresh sapwells are limited in number so either this sapsucker is feeding outside of the cemetery or has recently arrived. SeEtta

Photographers convicted for White-tailed Eagle disturbance

2011-12-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

[public domain photo/myspaceraptorcenterla]RSPB: Photographers convicted for White-tailed Eagle disturbance"Two photographers have been found guilty of disturbing a pair of nesting White-tailed Eagles on the Isle of Mull. Yuli Panayotov, 32, from London, and Ivaylo Takev, 36, from Norwich, were charged at Oban Sheriff Court with disturbing the breeding birds of prey near Killechronan in May 2010. The pair were fined a combined total of £1100.The court heard how police were alerted to the pair after a number of witnesses had spotted both the adult birds circling over the nest and alarm-calling. It later emerged Panayotov and Takev had erected a photography hide a short distance from the nest. Speaking following the conviction, Sheriff Douglas Small remarked that the pair had disregarded warnings from RSPB Mull Officer Dave Sexton and local holidaymakers.White-tailed Eagles have been the subject of a successful reintroduction to Scotland, having become extinct early in the 20th century. Their presence on Mull is a significant tourist attraction, bringing £5m to the local economy every year. The species is afforded the highest level of protection of any British bird, due to both its rarity and also its sensitivity to disturbance, particularly during the breeding season. Speaking following today's conviction Bob Elliot, Head of Investigations at RSPB Scotland, said: "We welcome this result as it sends out a clear signal that wildlife crime will not be tolerated and we thank the Procurator Fiscal and Strathclyde Police for their work on this important case."Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland's Mull Officer, added: "Mull's economy depends to a large extent on wildlife tourism and we welcome thousands of responsible, law-abiding visitors who respect and enjoy the wildlife they've come to see.; but unacceptable behaviour from people who think they are above the law and choose to disturb protected wildlife like the eagles will not be tolerated — wildlife photographers in particular need to take note."RSPBWednesday 30th November 2011

Octopus walking up on land: really cool video

2011-11-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

This video shows an octopus as it walks onto land and proceeds to walk a significant distance (for an octopus) apparently to a crab it either saw (how could it see it from under the water a distance away?) or smelled (I looked it up and they can smell, but again how would it do that from under the water?). This neat event was caught on video by a family that was visiting Fitzgeral Marine Reserve where it took place--though accounts indicate that it is not rare for an octopus that live near shore to walk on land it is just uncommonly observed and they were at the right place at the right time and with their video camera rolling. There is an interesting discussion with an expert here on the Scientific American blog. SeEtta

Female Williamson's Sapsucker-is she a vagabond?

2011-11-26T23:46:00.001-07:00

The only female Williamson's Sapsucker I have found so far this season was at Harrison School on November 4. However, though I had stopped by that school location a number of times since I had not seen her again. As I not only told the office staff about her when I went in to the school to let them know why someone was walking near the entrance with binoculars and big-honking camera, but I had shown her to a student and her mom. I suspect that staff and students have looked for her and she moved to a quieter location. So this female Williamson's may the bird that was at McKinley. It is difficult to know as these sapsuckers move not only from tree to tree but also to different locations especially early in their wintering season here (maybe trying out different trees/locales to see which one's will be their primary location). As she seemed skittish, I took this pic from about 60 feet away and through the branches of this Scots pine (these are their very favorite sap trees in winter here). SeEtta

Juv.Yellow-belliedSapsucker: update

2011-11-26T23:13:00.001-07:00

I thought it was time to go check on the juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that I found just over a week ago in Centennial Park in Canon City, CO. It had been so very shy I had not wanted to disturb it so haven't been back down to this small urban park since then. I found it today in one of the non-native pine trees that are very popular with wintering sapsuckers here in Colorado.

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As it has only been 8 days since I last photographed it there are no evident differences in it's plumage though these will become apparent over the next month or two as it gets more adult feathering. Close examination of the bottom pic shows the few red feathers it has grown on it's forehead so far. (Click on the photos to enlarge them) This bird continues to be exceptionally and though I succeeded in not flushing it by staying about 75 feet away, another person walked just a little closer to the tree in which it was feeding and I saw it fly off into the distance. SeEtta

Video: 'Talking with a Pale-billed Woodpecker'

2011-11-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

This is a great video by Cornell Lab of Ornithology about a study in Costa Rica of these cool and brilliantly colored woodpeckers that have a pale bill for which they are named (given the other outstanding physical attributes, why call it by it's least colorful part?). Great videography, nice screens and sounds of Costa Rican rain forest, great bird and interesting study. SeEtta

Busy bushtits

2011-11-19T01:05:00.001-07:00

These two Bushtits have dark eyes which are features of males. The one in the top pic is pulling off seeds from rabbit brush, which is a versatile native plant that provides flowers in early fall for butterflies then as they leave the flowers are gone and the seeds appear just in time for several bird species including White-crowned Sparrows. SeEtta

Bustits on rabbitbrush

2011-11-19T00:03:00.001-07:00

Bushtits are one of my favorite birds and these are foraging on one of my favorite native shrubs-rabittbrush. Though so nondescript in appearance they are such cute little birds that I see all but the most diehard lister light up when they hear their chittering calls. However they are almost always very busy foraging, often upside down, that they can be challenging to photograph without the blur of movement. This flock has been around the east end of the Canon City Riverwalk off and on for several days. These two Bushtits are females as they have yellow eyes. There is brown plumage around ear coverts forming a mask that is found on the subspecies P. m. plumbeus However, Birds of North America online says, "it is now clear that the amount of black in the face is a polymorphism, the frequency of which varies geographically." SeEtta

Juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker here for the winter

2011-11-18T23:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I found this juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Centennial Park in Canon City,CO. I have been seeing fresh sap wells in the pine trees in this traditional sapsucker wintering park for over a week but had not seen it in there. I spotted it about 50 feet up a large deciduous tree before flew into the pine on which it is drilling in this pic. Unlike adult birds, this sapsucker has very little red in it's crown.

Red-naped Sapsuckers have already molted into the head pattern of adult birds by the end of September so there is no issue with separating these from Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. This bird has a white throat while a Red-naped female would have only half white and the bottom half red but I would not call this a female Yellow-bellied as I watched as birds with white throats molt into the fully red throat of a male bird. It's dark feathers are more black than brown as it is far along in the transition to adult plumage which will be basically completed in the next several months. SeEtta

Diving Belted Kingfisher

2011-11-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to get the above photo of a Belted Kingfisher as it dove towards a pond to get a fish. Fortunately the light was good so I was able to take this as a very high speed pic, a setting I was already using since the kingfisher was a good 75 feet away. I hid in my car behind some foliage, some of which got in the view but is out of focus, in order to avoid flushing the bird. SeEtta

Surprise: Worm-eating Warbler still in Canon City

2011-11-13T23:02:00.001-07:00

I was surprised to refind the Worm-eating Warbler, that I found a week ago today, along the eastern section of the Canon City Riverwalk this morning. It behaved most shyly, flying off out of sight when it saw me 40 feet away looking at it. I found it again 3 more times and it flew out of sight as soon as I got within 40 or so feet away. I was also surprised to see a Canyon Towhee in the same area as this is a pretty uncommon species in this riparian area. The photo above shows the rather olive colored upperparts and buffy sides found on all ages of this species. A close look shows just a bit of the dark head stripes. SeEtta

"The hidden beauty of pollination"

2011-11-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is an extraordinary video showing hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, bats and flowers so close up and so vivid it takes your breath away. It shows the critters as they pollinate various flowers and some fantastic time-lapse film photography of flowers as they open. It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. This is a presentation by the TED nonprofit that “devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.” They do some fantastic work including linking nature and solutions to human problems. In this video the “Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shows us the intricate world of pollen and pollinators with gorgeous high-speed images from his film “Wings of Life,” inspired by the vanishing of one of nature’s primary pollinators, the honeybee”. At the beginning of the video, the filmmaker describes his work including his emotional link to the flowers and pollinators he has filmed for many years. Be patient as soon you will see the most stunning video begins–you will want to share this with everyone you know who enjoys hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators. SeEtta

High flying Northern Harrier

2011-11-11T23:59:00.001-07:00

Among several interesting hawks I have seen in the Canon City area in the past week is this juvenile Northern Harrier. With it's dark head, neck feathers and the pronounced facial disc, it is quite distinctive.

The broad bars on it's tail stand out in all pics though the narrow white terminal band can be see best in the bottom pic.

I was happy to get these pics of this high flying harrier as it is difficult to get photos of their underparts since they usually fly close to the ground. Actually it is somewhat unusual to see this species in the Canon City area. SeEtta

Another Harlan's Hawk photo

2011-11-11T23:45:00.001-07:00

Though the bird was more distant in this pic, about 200 feet away, the light was a little better so it provides a nice view of it's head, it's upperparts as well as some of it's underparts. I haven't seen it try to catch anything but I have observed it watching the agricultural fields below it so likely hunting for mice, snakes and such. SeEtta

Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk

2011-11-11T23:12:00.001-07:00

This is a Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk that has been visiting in the Canon City, CO area for several days. It was quite sensitive and did not tolerate viewing from inside my car and over a hundred feet away so difficult to get pics. It vocalized it's displeasure at my viewing and photographing it both while perched and flying as can be seen in these pics with it's bill open as it screams. As shown it has a lot of white on it's face but very little on it's upperparts. It's tail is also quite whitish on the underside. It has a lot of blackish markings on it's underside. SeEtta

"Insects can be scared to death by the mere presence of a predator"

2011-11-08T15:28:00.003-07:00

This is some amazing research: "
Insects may not have the biggest brains in the animal world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel fear.
In fact, in a study by Canadian biologists dragonflies were found to be so sensitive to their surroundings that the mere presence of a predator scared them to death – even when there was no chance of them being eaten.
‘What we found was unexpected - more of the dragonflies died when predators shared their habitat,’ says University of Toronto biologist Professor Locke Rowe, the study’s co-lead investigator.'"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2054667/Insects-scared-death-mere-presence-predator.html#ixzz1d9hyKIkj

Worm-eating Warbler: here are the calls I heard

2011-11-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

Following is a link to the calls I heard given by the Worm-eating Warbler on the Canon City Riverwalk:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds-Worm-eating Warbler flight call (B)
This is a recording made by Paul Driver in New Jersey and interestingly it is labeled as a flight call. I also found a similar recording on Paul Driver's 'Bird Songs and Calls' blog (scroll down page) that represents the calls I have heard this bird make. Mr. Driver refers to this as a 'high buzzy' call on his blog.

The photo is the original I took today that I that is uncropped. SeEtta

Worm-eating Warbler: seen again with sunlight

2011-11-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I met a small group of intrepid birders from northern Colorado (mostly Denver area) who came to look for this rare vagrant warbler this morning. In mid-morning the Worm-eating Warbler vocalized for a short period of time and several of us got very brief, fleeting views of it as it flew along the bottom of a thicket of limbs and vines then vanished. Two of us stayed but were birding our way down the trail at 12:30 (MST) right by where it had moved to (a good 100 feet east of where we had seen it earlier and had been watching). And what a better spot on the north side of the trail where some sunlight was filtering through so we got several very good views and I got this much better pic. Please note that since the lighting was better the only thing I did to the pic was to crop it to enlarge it and did no other editing--so what you see is what the camera saw and what I recollect seeing. And what a surprise---instead of skulking close to the ground in the shady south side of the trail (which is a north facing hill that the sun rarely reaches) it foraged above the ground in fairly good light. It even flew up to a limb of a large cottonwood that was 25 or so feet above the ground where it probed in a crevice for the larvae and worms it eats. It then flew back across to the south side of the trail and back west, stopping for a minute on a tree about 15 feet above the ground where we got more views, to the thicket where I first spotted it! And during these views and movement it vocalized the 'z,z,,z' like calls I heard yesterday plus an abbreviated version. Two more birders from the Colorado Springs area had arrived a little before and we summoned them back where one got good views. We stayed a little longer in hopes the Worm-eating Warbler would make another appearance so the second birder who didn't get a good view might see it but it had not when we left. SeEtta

Worm-eating Warbler: upside down view

2011-11-05T18:47:00.000-06:00

So this really is a pic of the Worm-eating Warbler though it is upside down and the view is of it's underparts. However, it is crisper than the other photo.

Of note are the very 'fleshy pink' feet as Birds of North America BNA online so aptly describes them. BNA says, "Entire underparts are varying shades of cream to rich cream and buff yellow". To me on this bird the lower belly becomes whitish and continues whitish to the vent then buffy yellow which I guess is close to BNA description. They call the tail feathers "dark drab" which seems a good description for this bird. Those are the only features I can make out from this pic. SeEtta

Worm-eating Warbler, a very rare vagrant in Canon City,CO

2011-11-05T18:31:00.001-06:00

This morning I found this Worm-eating Warbler on the east end of the Canon City -CO Riverwalk. I first heard it giving some very raspy call notes that sounded to me like 'z,z,z'. I didn't know the call but knew this was not a bird with which I was familiar so I followed it as it flew across the trail and into a thicket at the base of a tree next to the trail. I didn't get a good view of it as it flew but noted it flew very close to the ground. There were several chickadees in the same area but once I picked this bird out from the tangle I knew it was a Worm-eating Warbler as I got good view, albeit only seconds long as it's features are distinctive. It then flew back across the trail, again very close to the ground, and I could see it's head stripes and very buffy (actually more yellowish than I remembered from the first Worm-eating Warbler I saw) coloration well. I lost it for a few minutes then refound it briefly then lost it again, then refound it again above 50 feet from where I first saw it.

This bird skulked in the thickets of shrubs, vines and other tangled vegetation making it very difficult to get a good photo, which I didn't. Both of these are the same pic, only the one at the top has only been cropped to enlarge it while I tweaked the one on the bottom to make it more visible and closer to what I recall seeing. I think the bill is visible enough in this pic to see that it is quite large. Head is buffy with clear blackish eye-stripe that extends from the front of the eye (may need to click on pic to enlarge it to see detail) towards the nape. On close view the edge of the blackish crown stripe is seen. Other body parts look buffy yellow, consistent with this species. One more pic to follow. SeEtta

Full HD High Speed Movie - Eagle owl 2 - Photron SA2

2011-11-04T22:48:00.001-06:00

This is the second part of the video of the Eagle Owl that shows it making the landing with it's claws fully extended to grasp it's food reward. At the very end it opens it's beak wide as it is about to grab it. Awesome!

Full HD High Speed Movie - Eagleowl - Photron SA2

2011-11-04T22:45:00.000-06:00

This is an astonishing video in slow motion of a european owl called an EagleOwl (likely Eurasian EagleOwl, see interesting markings on wings and very wide wings) coming in to get a food reward from trainer ( it is a captive bird, see bands on legs, and object sticking out from bottom of screen that appears to be the reward). It is filmed by the man whose youtube page (vurtrunner) has a number of videos this special super high speed camera. The video is fascinating, watching just how the bird moves it's wings and controls it's landing. SeEtta

Willamson's Sapsucker-very close up view of female's head

2011-11-04T22:33:00.000-06:00

I am quite proud of this photo which provides a very nice and crisp close-up. I think this handheld shot is almost as good as one taken using a tripod, something I don't often use since many birds are not going to wait around while I get set-up to photograph them. This is also manually focused, which again is how most of my photos are taken. The bird's bill has bits of wood from the pine tree it has been drilling. SeEtta

Female Williamson's Sapsucker in Canon City

2011-11-04T22:18:00.001-06:00

This is the female Williamson's Sapsucker I found last week working a pine tree in front of a local elementary school (please note that anytime one is going to do birding near a school they need to check into the office so the staff do not become alarmed and possibly call the police). I like the view of the feet and nails in the top pic, which also shows a little of the yellow colored belly found on these sapsuckers.

I cropped the bottom pic to show off the plumage detail. The feathers lie at various angles to provide the interesting pattern on these birds. One more pic above. SeEtta

1st Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the season in Canon City

2011-11-03T00:58:00.002-06:00

Every winter the Canon City, CO area hosts Yellow-bellied, Williamson's and sometimes Red-naped Sapsuckers that apparently find our mild climate hospitable and conducive for feeding on phloem, insects and sap in the many pine trees in the area. The 2010/2011 winter was a banner year as I found up to 23 sapsuckers just in the Canon City area plus several more in nearby Florence, CO. This female Yellow-bellied had evaded me since last week when I began finding a few fresh sap wells at the private residence where I photographed her today. I caught a brief glimpse of her several days ago at another residence a few hundred feet east of where I found her today but she slipped off before I could tell anymore than that what I saw was a sapsucker by shape.

We got 5-6 inches of snow last night so late this morning she was still feeding away in a pine tree that had a lot of old sapsucker scars.

The top pic shows the white throat indicative of females ( there was no red on the lower part of the throat as would be found in a female Red-naped). Though partially obscurred in these pics, there is an unbroken black frame around the throat that is not invaded by throat feathers as occurs in Red-naped. If you click on the pics you can see a little of the buffy tinge commonly found on Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. SeEtta

Black Phoebe singing it's heart out

2011-10-30T23:07:00.002-06:00

I heard this apparent Black Phoebe (didn't see it close enough to rule out hybrid traits but looked and sounded like a Black Phoebe) singing it's primary song vigorously along the Canon City-CO Riverwalk this morning. I heard then saw an apparent Black Phoebe yesterday about a quarter mile further east adjacent to the Riverwalk so it may have been the same bird as I didn't have time to check the earlier location. It continued singing for several minutes as it flew up unusually high (about 40 or so feet up in a large cottonwood tree) where I got this photo. It is most unusual for this species to perch at canopy level of large trees and though I observe phoebes frequently I rarely get a view from directly below the bird like this. After it flew further off it continued singing it's primary song for a total of more than 5 minutes consecutively, not unusual for Black Phoebes though it did continue rather a long time for winter singing. SeEtta

An urban American Dipper

2011-10-30T22:47:00.001-06:00

I found this American Dipper working the shoreline along the Arkansas River along the Canon City Riverwalk. I have seen these dippers in the area before beginning just east of the 9th St bridge just a few blocks from downtown Canon City. Having a dipper right in the middle of our small urban town is made possible because the Arkansas River flows right through the middle of Canon City. SeEtta

Snipe hunt (Wilson's Snipe)

2011-10-30T01:09:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I spotted this Wilson's Snipe in a return-flow ditch (carries the return flow waters required by Colo Water Law back to the river) near Sell's Lake in Canon City, CO. The top pic clearly shows the distinctive striped head of this bird while the bottom pic shows some of the striping on it's back as well as the barred sides (including their reflection in the water) In the lower pic the snipe has heard the mechanical shutter noises from my digital camera as it looks up in my direction, just before it swims off to a location in which it cannot be seen. SeEtta

How Nature Works: Barrier Island Foraging Strategies by Cornell Lab

2011-10-30T00:53:00.001-06:00

This is a fantastic video of waterfowl and shorebirds foraging on a barrier island in Louisiana by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Beautiful videography and great close-ups! SeEtta

More Black-throated Green Warbler pics

2011-10-29T22:34:00.001-06:00

The top pics shows the green back and a little of the green crown. It also shows nicely the limited black feathering around the sides of the throat which seems more consistent with a immature female.

Though the yellowish wash on the underparts near the vent shows well on the bottom pic, it best shows how this bird with it's brilliantly bright yellow face stood out even when it was perched somewhat inside the tree branches and partially obscured. SeEtta

Black-throated Green Warbler visits Canon City,CO

2011-10-29T22:14:00.001-06:00

This beautiful 1st winter Black-throated Green Warbler strayed from it's migratory path to stop for a visit in my town of Canon City, CO. I found this sweet thing yesterday morning in a small urban park called Veteran's Park that is located right on H50 on the west side of town. This rare vagrant was at least two hundred miles off course as that is how far Canon City is to Kansas which this species migrates through. This park draws some nice birds to both it's buggy hackberry trees as well as to the long row of conifers where I found this warbler. It was feeding actively in some tall juniper shrubs. Against the dark green of the shrub it's brilliantly bright yellow face looked like a beacon of sunshine that had escaped from the sun. It was calling a lot until it heard the mechanical sounds of my digital camera as I depressed the shutter--in fact, after I took several pics it stopped and looked like it was trying to figure out what that sound was.

The olive colored auriculars show nicely in the top pic. The bottom pic shows the yellowish wash on the underparts near the vent that is distinctive for this species. More pics in next post. SeEtta

White-lined sphinx moth-aka 'hummingbird' moth

2011-10-19T15:16:00.000-06:00

These photos and the video are of White-lined sphinx moths, a species that feeds at blossoms just like hummingbirds, even hovering as they suck out the sweet nectar--so they are often mistaken as hummingbirds. There are several species of these sphinx moths that are referred to as hummingbird moths but this is the only one I have seen. I took the photos of one of these cool moths feeding on my Sonoran Sunset cana Agastache plant, which for a cultivar has been most attracting to hummingbirds, butterflies and moths of several species.

The bottom pic shows the proboscis on these sphinx moths that is so long it curls up out of the way when not extended inside a long blossom.I took the video at Brady's Nursery in Canon City. They sell these Sonoran Sunset cana Agastache plants at their Brady's Garden Center (their retail store) but have a fall sale at the nursery where more than 20 of these cool sphinx moths were sipping nectar from a couple of dozen these of beautiful agastache plants. There were also butterflies and bees feeding on these plants. The Brady family that runs the operation was kind enough to allow me to return the next day to take this video. SeEtta

Most pics of Prairie Falcon

2011-10-19T00:53:00.001-06:00

After this juvenile Prairie Falcon was chased off the power line pole on which it perched, looking like it was crouched to hide behind a pole extending above the supports, by one of the resident Red-tailed Hawks it flew to the pole in the top pic not far from my friend's home.

The bottom pic gives a nice view of the falcon as it flies away showing it's long wing span. I looked for this bird the last two days at my friend's place but it had moved on. SeEtta

Visit by juvenile Prairie Falcon

2011-10-19T00:52:00.000-06:00

I found this young Prairie Falcon near my friend's farm just east of Canon City, CO day before yesterday. Though this areas was once the western edge of the shortgrass prairie ecosystem in southeast Colorado, almost all the prairie was converted either long ago to farms or more recently to large acreage residences (I call them sprawlettes) so we don't usually see Prairie Falcons here. I suspect this young falcon may have just stopped over briefly as it was exploring for some place to establish it's territory. This photo gives a good view of the distinctive dark axillaries that are diagnostic when the bird is viewed from below. More photos in next post. SeEtta

Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger

2011-10-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

This juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger was found 2 days ago at Lake Pueblo (Colorado) by Brandon Percival and others who were birding this large lake by boat. Today it made numerous short flights usually several hundred feet or more away; however, scopes provided nice views of the bird in flight and the neat steep and twisting dives it would take to land on top of the water. While floating on top of the water the jaeger engaged in spinning around in circles on a number of occasions. This did not appear to be a type of feeding behavior as it didn't appear to engage in any feeding. The spinning is shown in the digiscoped video clip below. SeEtta

Red-bellied Woodpecker: storing 'olives'

2011-10-06T22:38:00.000-06:00

This is the same male Red-bellied Woodpecker posted below that was picking 'olive' fruit from the Russian Olive tree. Here he is storing that fruit in a natural crevice under the small tree limb where the collar of the limb is separated from it.

In the bottom pic you can see that the woodpecker is pushing the fruit far into the crevice. This is consistent with report in Birds of North America online that Red-bellied Woodpeckers store their food deep into crevices to keep them from being taken by other birds and animals. SeEtta

Northern Cardinal series-lookin for a foe

2011-10-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

I had parked my car only about 20 feet from the edge of the 'Lamar Woods' and clearly close enough for this territorial male to perch on it in order to look for that foe he has to fight off (actually his reflection in the side mirror or car windows).

I was told by local birder Jill White Smith that he has a habit of checking out car windows and mirrors for the interloper that he sees.

In the second photo his image is clearly visible in my door window. In the last pic he has apparently decided that the foe isn't worth the trouble as he didn't attack it, just hopped on the mirror and left. SeEtta

Northern Cardinal, also in 'Lamar Woods'

2011-10-06T21:54:00.001-06:00

This is another Lamar specialty species that is resident in this far eastern city in Colorado. Actually there are apparently two families of Northern Cardinals that frequent the 'Lamar Woods' area as local birder Jill White Smith keeps track of them.

I most often saw this male either distant as in the middle pic or through dense vegetation where he skulked just barely in sight.
He sang frequently and there was often another Northern Cardinal in the area in which I saw him, sometimes an adult female and sometimes an immature bird that was presumably his offspring. SeEtta

Red-bellied Woodpecker from Lamar eating 'olives'

2011-10-06T21:19:00.001-06:00

In addition to all the rare vagrants I have posted about that I found in 'Lamar Woods' last week-end I also saw local specialty birds like this Red-bellied Woodpecker, a species that is resident in this location and others on the eastern Colorado plains near the Kansas border (and thus closer to their range). This male was very busy eating and gathering the 'olive' fruit of Russian Olive trees as he is doing in these pics. The bottom pic is an enlargement of the top pic that really shows his beautiful brown eyes and his not so beautiful but different grey feet (I wonder how many specie have grey instead of black feet?). More pics to follow. SeEtta

More Prothonotary Wabler pics

2011-10-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

I am really pleased with how nicely the top pic came out as the bird was in a shaded shrub a good 35 feet away. The shade does make the yellow look darker (again, these pics have only been cropped, no other editing).Since my binoculars were not handy I spotted, followed and even identified this bird with my bare eyes. I think this is proof that the surgeries I have had on and near my eyes this past year have provided me with pretty darn good vision for this point in my life cycle. SeEtta

Prothonotary Warbler in my yard in Canon City, CO!

2011-10-03T23:18:00.001-06:00

Today I had chores to do as I returned home from my trip to the Lamar, CO area last night so I didn't go anywhere to do any birding for a change. But I heard a chickadee in my yard calling so I called back several 'sip/seep' type calls. I was stunned to see a very bright yellow warbler-looking bird fly across my covered porch while it make 'tsip/tseep' calls. It's calls were unusually loud and as it flew I saw white undertail feathering, the bright yellow with no wing bars--my immediate impression was a Prothonotary Warbler (I think I saw this species in So Texas years ago when I was first birding but I am familiar with what they look like from field guides) so I put a lot of effort into continuing to call and watching the bird as it flew around my yard (naturally my binoculars were in my car in the front of my house). I got my dslr camera (which as usual had my 400mm lens and 1.4X extender) from my huse and snapped several photos of it. It continued to respond to my calls several times and so I watched it off and on for about 5 minutes. It fed on insects in my next door neighbor's plants, flew onto his deck (maybe in search of insects) and was very actively feeding. I am thrilled to get this rare vagrant warbler in my own yard! What a treat and so unexpected. More pics in next post (note: photos only cropped, no other editing). SeEtta

Blue-headed Vireo in Lamar-CO, more pics

2011-10-03T22:54:00.000-06:00

I think the top pic here shows most clearly the very distinct contrast between the very white neck and the dark bluish gray head on this bird, which I have read is a very important field mark in differentiating Blue-headed from the less contrasted Cassin's Vireo. Birds of North America online also notes that the crown on Cassin's Vireo is "brownish gray, with little contrast to brownish olive gray back;" This vireo does not show any brown in it's plumage and the bottom pic shows what I think is a clear contrast between the dark bluish gray crown and the greenish back on this bird. SeEtta

Blue-headed Vireo it is

2011-10-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

The solitary-type vireo that I found at 'Lamar Wood's in Lamar, CO yesterday appears to be a Blue-headed Vireo, a rare vagrant in Colorado. Since this is the first time I had seen this species, I wasn't very sure that it was a Blue-headed and not a Cassin's Vireo which is similar. Since posting 'raw' photos (cropped only with no tweaks) I have received emails from several highly skilled birders who said they believed this to be a Blue-headed. More photos, tweaked a little, in next post. SeEtta

More vireo pics

2011-10-02T23:17:00.001-06:00

Cassin's vs Blue-headed Vireo?

2011-10-02T23:13:00.001-06:00

I found this vireo which is clearly in the plumbeous vireo complex but it is difficult to separate Cassin's from Blue-headed (certainly difficult for me). This bird does show the clear demarcation between the gray plumage and the throat and the throat is very white. This bird's crown appears to me quite dark gray while Cassin's, at least in Definitive plumage, are said to be brownish gray. This bird also seems to show good contrast between back and crown, which is suggestive of Blue-headed. SeEtta

Canada Warbler, more pics

2011-10-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

This little beauty almost gave me the slip as I lost it for about an hour. When I refound it this warbler was not cooperative--it stayed in the shrubs and behind small branches never letting me approach closer than about 35 feet away. With all the other 30 or so migrating warblers- mostly Orange-crowned, some Wilson's and at least one Nashville-flitting around I had a difficult time keeping track of it.

The top pic provides another angle of view but the bottom pic, though not as crisp, shows the white undertail coverts. SeEtta

Canada Warbler, another rare vagrant in Colorado

2011-10-01T21:18:00.000-06:00

I found this stunning Canada Warbler feeding with a flock of other migrating warblers in 'Lamar Woods', a well known migrant trap behind Lamar, Colorado Community College. Canada Warblers are rare vagrants in Colorado and this is a first for me as I have never seen one in Colorado or elsewhere. I believe this is an adult female as it's 'necklace' of streaks is gray not black and the only black is around the eyes. These pics both show the bold complete white eye ring, bright yellow throat and underparts with grayish upper parts. More photos follow. SeEtta

American Pipits also stop over at Turk's Pond (Colo)

2011-09-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

I also found 2-3 American Pipits including this pipit at Turk's Pond today. Since American Pipits breed in very high elevation areas of Colorado, they may have had a short trip to this location if far southeast Colorado though they could have migrated from the high arctic like the Pectoral Sandpipers that fed near to them. SeEtta

Perky Pectoral Sandpipers at Turk's Pond (in Colo)

2011-09-29T22:22:00.002-06:00

Today I birded in Baca County in extreme southeast Colorado. Though there were slim pickings at Two Buttes 'black hole' (which had some water in main pond area tho other ponds dry), little Turk's Pond had some interesting birds including these two Pectoral Sandpipers. It seems amazing that these long-distance migrators found this small lake in the middle of short grass prairie on their trip from their arctic breeding grounds to South America where they spend the winter. They are fortunate to find this pond, which has a reasonable amount of water for fall, since due to the severe drought conditions in southeast Colorado all summer there are few ponds/lakes with any water in them.

I really liked the view of the Pectoral Sandpiper in the bottom pic as it shows good detail. Just a note: it was windy and gusty so I am pleased I got these pics as I was handholding my digital camera with a 400 mm lens on it. SeEtta

Migrating hawks feeding in hay fields

2011-09-29T00:03:00.000-06:00

The Swainson's Hawk in the top pic has the usual brownish bib. It is standing in the same field as the hawks in next two pics which show the hawks using hay bales for perches. These recently cut hay fields provide serve as essentially 'fast food restaurants' for migrating hawks since many larger insects (and possibly mice or gophers) have been chopped up by the cutting blades so are pre-processed for consumption by hawks. There are usually many others live insects including grasshoppers that the hawks will chase down by walking or even running after then pouncing on them--this is most amusing to see. Though I haven't seen any this time, hawks will follow farm implements in fields in order to catch rodents trying to escape.

Currently three are hundreds of butterflies--yellows and some whites-in all the alfalfa fields. They seem fairly small for a Swainson's Hawk to eat but Birds of North America online does state that at least in winter they consume butterflies so maybe they eat these too? SeEtta

Swainson's Hawk

2011-09-28T23:35:00.000-06:00

This handsome bird is one of the hundreds of Swainson's Hawks that are in agricultural fields, on power poles (and hay bales) and circling above on thermals throughout eastern Colorado right now. There are Swainson's Hawks in every plumage due to age, sex and morph. This Swainson's has an unusually gray bib. SeEtta

Hawk migration in eastern Colorado

2011-09-28T23:21:00.000-06:00

Fall hawk migration is a pretty spectacular event in eastern Colorado. Large numbers of hawks stop-over in fields to feed on insects, often large numbers of grasshoppers. Though I've seen groups of hawks in native grassland as well as agricultural fields, this year they have all been in ag fields likely due to the severe drought conditions that has plagued southeast Colorado all summer (though there have finally been some recent rains have mitigated drought ratings). In the top pic only one hawk remains in the field as others have taken off and are flying in the background (all those little black dots are flying hawks).

The bottom pic shows a larger number of hawks that are in a 'kettle'--that is a group of hawks that are circling as they rise on a thermal. Again, all those black dots are hawks SeEtta

More Scissor-tailed Flycatcher pics

2011-09-26T23:33:00.002-06:00

Though these pics are less than sharp, as the bird is flying they show more field marks. The top two pics provide good top and bottom view of this bird. Though fairly blurry, the bottom pic shows the colors just as the camera took them. I have tweaked the other photos to improve the lighting and view but I left this totally as it. SeEtta

Salida white hummer: still around

2011-09-25T01:03:00.000-06:00

I found out this past week that the probable albino hummingbird that had visited a feeder near Salida, CO was still around and coming to a neighbor's feeder. (Let me add a thank you to Susan Tweit of Salida for sending me a tip about this bird). The feeder owner, Helen Brieske, was most generous in her invitation to sit on her deck to wait near the feeder. I was delighted that the bird came in to feed several times and also perched in a nearby pine tree for several minutes at a time so I was able to get photos that could be cropped to show it pretty close-up.

The white feathering was truly dazzling. The dark that is seen through the white feathers appears to be the skin which is darkened by the flood of blood vessels beneath. These photos show that the bill is very pink, just as was shown in the original photos I posted, though almost translucent as shown in the photo on the right. In these photos the legs are visible as well as the feet, both of which are whitish to pinkish in coloration. That would be from the blood flowing through the veins as I understand it. When I enlarge the photos as far as possible the toenails also appear pinkish. The eye, however, does not appear to have red or pink in it so what I saw in the very enlarged original photos was likely the reflection from the red feeder.

There appears to be some disagreement on exactly what is a albino and what is a leucistic hummingbird. I summarized the designations defined by Cornell University on my first post about this bird on the Birds and Blooms blog. Using this research this hummer would meet the criteria for an incomplete (or partial) albino as it has white feathers and the pigment missing in bill, legs and feet but it has a dark eye. However, I am told that identification can only be confirmed with a hummingbird in hand so this will remain a probable partial albino. SeEtta

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: shows orangish axillary patch

2011-09-25T00:27:00.003-06:00

In the top pic the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has just caught an insect which it is beginning to devour. In both of these pics an organgish colored axillary patch is visible (I believe that is what is showing towards the top of the wing bend in the top pic and clearly visible inside the opened wing). This is a characteristic that Birds of North America online indicates is absent in juveniles. Adult males have "bright scarlet red" patches and very long tail feathers. As this bird has shorter tail feathers and the organish axillary patch, I suspect it is an adult or sub-adult female. SeEtta

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: casting a pellet

2011-09-25T00:15:00.001-06:00

I was quite surprised to see what looked like this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher casting out a pellet, a behavior I had no idea that this or any flycatcher species engaged in but I kept shooting as fast as possible to document it. And Birds of North America online confirms it: "Occasionally casts brownish black pellets composed primarily of chitinous insect exoskeletons" (Jonathan V. Regosin)

This series of 4 pics were taken within 1 minute (per camera time/date stamp). In the top pic the bird is beginning the process of casting the pellet which is barely visible when photos is enlarged. In the next pic the pellet is visible in the bird's mouth.

In the third pic the pellet is difficult to see but towards the front of the bird's mouth just as it begins to be cast out. And in the final pic the pellet is out and shown at the bottom of the pic. Interestingly the bird appears to watch it fall from it's mouth. SeEtta

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher-a pretty vagrant here in Colorado

2011-09-24T23:49:00.001-06:00

This afternoon I found this pretty Scissor-tailed Flycatcher near Holbrook Reservoir in Otero County, Colorado. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are rare vagrants to Colorado. In the bottom pic the bird has it's foot up to scratch it's head (best seen by clicking on pic to enlarge it for close-up view). More pics to follow. SeEtta

White-throated Swifts making a feeding stop above Arkansas River in CO

2011-09-22T00:46:00.000-06:00

The day after I enjoyed that wonderful mixed flock of birds in Florence River Park I returned to see if any had extended their stay. Only a few remained at this location. However, a very nice flock of around a half dozen migrating White-throated Swifts had made this location a feeding stop.

They sometimes flew quite close to the Arkansas River as they picked off the apparent abundance of insects on which they feed. Boy oh boy, do they move fast! Trying to get a reasonable photo was a real challenge. While not great (terrible back lighting so virtually no features) I think these photos show some interesting views of these highly skilled flyers.

The top pic shows their slender wings and tail, the latter pulled in and appearing quite pointed. In the middle pic the swift has it's wings tucked in for very fast flight (not that they were flying slow otherwise). And I think the bottom pic looks more like an airplane that a bird. If you look closely there is a little of the the white sides of it's it's rump (just behind wings towards the top) showing--the white throat, belly and secondary tips didn't come through.

These swifts stayed over, possibly grounded by the rainy weather last week, and I saw them several days more. SeEtta

Townsend's, another fall warbler

2011-09-21T00:32:00.002-06:00

There was at least one Townsend's Warbler in the mixed flock with the Am Redstart and 'Western' Flycatcher in Florence River Park including this bird. Like the American Redstart it was flitting about foraging as warblers tend to do. SeEtta

'Western' Flycatcher-another good pic

2011-09-21T00:02:00.003-06:00

This is just another pic of the 'Western' Flycatcher that is high enough quality that it can be enlarged by clicking on it for super close-up views. It is quite a handsome bird. SeEtta

"Western' Flycather in Florence River Park

2011-09-20T23:58:00.000-06:00

This is the 'Western' Flycatcher I found in Florence River Park last week foraging in the mixed flock with the American Redstart I posted about below. The Western complext of flycatchers is the designation for both the Pacific-slope and the Cordilleran since they are so similar in appearance they cannot be safely separated in the field as noted in updated field guides. In the top pic the overall brownish mixed with olive coloration with darker breast band is prominent as is the distinctive eye ring that is extended to the rear of the eye.

Though the bottom pic is not of the same high quality as the top it does show other field marks including a long tail and narrowish tail, the suggestion of a short primary projection and two whitish wing bars. Do click on each bird for more close-up views. Naturally the bird did not call. SeEtta

American Redstart, a rare visitor in Fremont Co,CO

2011-09-20T23:20:00.003-06:00

I found this first year female American Redstart in a mixed flock last week in Florence River Park. American Redstarts are rare in Fremont County and I think fairly rare in most of Colorado. I was fortunate to get these two reasonable good pics of this fairly shy bird that was very actively feeding. The mixed flock with which it was associating included at least one each Townsend's and Yellow-rumped Warbler, two empids including one 'Western' Flycatcher, lots of Wilson's Warblers, a Plumbeous Vireo, a fem/imm grosbeak species, and 2-3 Eastern/Black/hybrid phoebes. A Downy Woodpecker joined the flock for a while as did a Red-breasted Nuthatch plus a very large flock of Cedar Waxwings fed nearby providing a lot of background noise. SeEtta

Another prob Colo albino hummingbird (Phantom Canyon Ranch)

2011-09-14T16:36:00.001-06:00

Photo ©Carolina Kyvik RuizThis little beauty was seen from Sept 2 through 6 on the Phantom Canyon Ranch, NW of Livermore, CO. The top photo,courtesy of Carolina Kyvik Ruiz, clearly shows a red eye and white plumage plus when further enlarged the feet appear to be whitish. (Click on pic to enlarge it for better viewing)

The bottom pic courtesy of Robin Mitchell shows a pinkish bill. All of these characteristics are those found in albino hummingbirds as I note in my post below about a probable albino hummingbird in the Salida area. Since I have been told that the Salida area probable albino may have returned on several days after it was first seen, this may be a second hummingbird seen in Colorado in the past several weeks that appears to meet the criteria for albino. Thanks to Douglas Murray for providing the opportunity to share this white beauty here. There is a photo of a white hummer found in New Jersey with a link to a video of it on this Bird and Blooms magazine blog site. SeEtta