Birds and Nature

I found 2 Eastern Phoebes along Tunnel Drive Rd on the far west side of Canon City last week. Eastern Phoebes breed in the Canon City area every year though they usually migrate out during the winter. As is the norm with Eastern Phoebes during breeding season, the Tunnel Drive Rd is just quite near the Arkansas River and there is an irrigation ditch running through here. I have observed these 2 birds foraging near each other several days so feel comfortable calling them a pair. SeEtta Last year I was able to follow a pair of Eastern Phoebes that nested on the other side of the Arkansas River. Here is the female on the nest.

{To see all photos in this post click on Read More below} I spotted these 'wave clouds' developing this week when I was leaving Pueblo. Having seen this unusual type of cloud formation before I drove around to get the best view to get these photos. These are also referred to as rotor clouds and they are due to a rare phenomena caused by "Kelvin-Helmholtz instability" that is related to wind shear likely from strong winds near mountains. The clouds I photographed here were between the southwest edge of the city of Pueblo and the Wet Mountains seen in the background. SeEtta

Like most bird species the male Evening Grosbeak are much more colorful than the females. Their gold overall plumage and large size make them stand out.   Birds of North America online notes, "Irruptions often include other fringillids, such as Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)...."  And interestingly the other bird in the pic above is a Pine Siskin, one of a number that have come in at the same time as the Evening Grosbeaks. They most often seen in flocks and so they can empty feeders quickly. An 'irruptive' species, they wander in search of food resources (for the whole flock, not just feeders in one yard) showing up irregularly. In a couple of past years Evening Grosbeak stayed in my area until around May when they moved to breeding areas (they breed in conifers and spruce forests which are at higher elevation than Canon City). And they even returned a couple of years with their offspring and fed the kids in my feeders, funny looking as the offspring ar