Birds and Nature

Williamson's Sapsuckers breed in the mountains in Colorado and most apparently migrate south with all but a few birds reported in the state from Oct 1 to around April 1 when they start returning. Some of those remaining in Colorado come into Canon City in the fall and remain over the winter along with a few Red-naped and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. I found this male and female Williamson's Sapsuckers, the first of the season, in Lakeside Cemetery. Though they briefly fed in the same tree and near each other, it did not last long as the female left the tree to the more dominant male. I have observed this previously with males being more dominant and chasing females away from their feeding location. Though I have looked every day I had not refound any Williamson's until today when I spotted a male, likely the the one in these photos. SeEtta

I took this with my dslr (the others were with my compact camera) with my 400mm lens and then I cropped the photo tightly (which my Canon 60d dslr allows). The spots on it's underparts are heart shaped and extend well down it's flanks. It's black sub malar streak is partially shown and as is it's narrowly streaked side of it's head.  The feet show as pinkish.  SeEtta

I found this Wood Thrush this morning skulking high up instead of low down as they are known to do. It was in a medium sized deciduous tree in the Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City, Colorado-far from it's usual haunts several hundred miles from Colorado. It was not cooperative in letting me see it's field marks as it stayed above me and I was never able to see it's upperparts except for quick views of it's rusty-brown head when it would look down at me when it heard my camera click. In fact when I first spotted it, and it spotted me looking at it, it moved away from my view and worked it's way around the tree so I lost it for about 5 minutes. After searching nearby trees finally spotted it perched, still, on a branch 20 feet up inside the tree. I was able to see it's white eyering, white (not buffy) underparts with distinct blackish spots from neck to belly and short tail plus rusty-brown head distinguishing it from other thrush species. SeEtta

I think that adult male Williamson's Sapsuckers are just such striking birds with their jet black and white plumage accented by their yellow bellies and just a touch of bright red. I found the one in the bottom pic at Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City at 4 pm yesterday (very unusual to find one at that late time of day). I returned this morning to see that there are 2 adult male Williamson's and 1 adult male Red-naped Sapsuckers. Watched them chase each other around and from tree to tree. Then watched the one if the top pic as it ate fruits from a hackberry tree. Very entertaining. SeEtta

This is one of the two male Williamson's Sapsuckers. I didn't see any sapsuckers this morning, but the cemetery employees were mowing and using noisy weed-eaters. So I returned early this evening and had a brief view of one of the male Williamson's. There is some ponderosa pine stands just over 5 miles from the cemetery so maybe this is not too far for this species to fly in to feed in this relatively lush environment. Though I have never found them migrating around Canon City before October, can't rule out that they are migrating through here early and stopped over to feed here. SeEtta

I decided yesterday to look in Lakeside Cemetery to see if any migrating landbirds might have decided to go through there since though there is no lake there is frequent watering of vegetation and lots of trees. I did see a Cassin's Vireo in the canopy of some mature cottonwoods, an insect eater I thought might find this area more productive during our continuing severe drought. However I also found this female plus 2 male Williamson's Sapsuckers, a species that comes to Canon City in fall and stays to late winter. I have never seen them this early here though Birds of North America online states, " In s. Colorado, birds move down-slope in late Aug and early Sep...." More to come. SeEtta

These were a few of a small flock of Western Bluebirds drinking yesterday from melted snow in tire tracks in Lakeside Cemetery here in Canon City. SeEtta

I saw 20 sapsuckers today!!!!! I was astounded to see all of these 18 sapsuckers in or just outside of Canon City,CO--and in only 3 hours of birding!!. I started off to check on male Williamson's Sapsuckers by first finding two of them at Rouse Park in the same areas where I have seen them previously. I headed directly to Lakeside Cemetery to see if the 2 male Williamson's I had seen there yesterday were there (if not, then they might be moving between the cemetery and Rouse Park and were not separate individuals from the 2 I saw at Rouse today). Surprise--not only did I refind the two male Williamson's in the area of Lakeside Cemetery I saw them yesterday but I found 3 more male Williamson's for a grand total of 5 males plus 3 female Williamson's--just at this one cemetery!!!!!! The top pic is one of the male Williamson's I found at Lakeside Cemetery today. The middle (bird probing a sap well-view is from under it's chin so a little of red throat is vis...

This is one of the two male Williamson's Sapsuckers I saws in Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City, CO today. I posted pics of 2 male Williamson's at this location in early November but I hadn't seen any males here since. I don't know if these are the same 2 males I have seen in Rouse Park which is just over a mile away or additional males. SeEtta

The Canon City, CO sapsucker-fest continues with Williamson's Sapsuckers taking the very big lead--currently at least 4 females and 2 males in various hotspots in town. I have seen this female in the same pine tree in Lakeside Cemetery on several occasions over the past several weeks. The bottom pic catches this lady with her beak in a sap well. SeEtta

While I was watching the two male Williamson's Sapsuckers chase each other around the Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City, CO, I got another surprise when the very big buck in these pics showed up. Though Lakeside Cemetery is on the edge of Canon City, it is bordered on the north side by H115 which is busy all day. I suspect he ran across traffic as he was already in a panic to get out of town when I first spotted him. It is not only unusual to see such a large buck with this big rack here but he is a Mule Deer and I usually see White-tailed Deer in town. In the bottom pic he is getting ready to jump the 6 foot fence that can be seen behind him and he made this big jump successfully. SeEtta

This is one of the male Williamson's Sapsuckers I found in Lakeside Cemetery today. I just love how yellow the bellies are on this species. SeEtta

I had spotted a female Williamson's Sapsucker at Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City, CO last week. This is another location where sapsuckers have wintered in most years. However, I wasn't sure if this female might be the same one that I had found at Centennial Park, which is about a mile from this location (at least as the crow/sapsucker flies) as I have found in previous years that sapsuckers work in areas this far apart. I spotted a sapsucker flying but quickly realized it was a male Williamson's. Soon after I was very surprised to find that there were two male Williamson's Sapsuckers not only working the pine trees in this cemetery but seeming to chase each other from tree to tree then feed only a few feet apart without apparent antagonism--that seems most unusual. To see if one of these males might be the male Williamson I have been following just outside of Canon City and only a few miles from this cemetery I drove immediately to where it has been working in a s...