Birds and Nature

This morning I birded the Canon City,CO Riverwalk for a bit and found this pair of Western Bluebirds in a field where they were foraging, often close to each other. I watched to see if they had a nest nearby as a pair had nested not far from this location last year. After almost 15 minutes I observed one then the other take off with food in it's bill, flying high up into a grove of trees presumably to feed nestlings in a natural nest hole there. I tried to find the nest site in this wooded area that has a lot of good nest holes in several trees but the area is being flooded with water. While I was watching I saw this long strand of apparent nylon line that was attached to a stick on the ground then sent about 80 feet up into a tall cottonwood where it was stuck--I guess it is some strong kite line. Most years a pair of Cooper's Hawks nests in this area and I didn't want to risk a young hawk not seeing it in time and injuring itself on this very strong line so I t...

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

The Eastern Bluebirds in the post below were feeding in a mixed bluebird flock with Western Bluebirds, the species that is fairly common in fields around Canon City, CO. The lighting was not as good with these pics so I have edited them to correct for dark photos. As seen, both Eastern and Western Bluebirds are eating juniper berries. SeEtta

Here are two more pics I got of the Western Bluebirds I photographed in Canon City, CO during the Great Backyard Bird Count. The top pic enlarges for super close-up views (the bottom pic loses quality). SeEtta

I found a small flock of Western Bluebirds while doing the Great Backyard Bird Count. They flew in to feed near where I was parked so I carefully got out of my car and took photos of the bluebirds on the other side using my car blind so I got some really quite good shots and their colors came through nicely. Double click on each pic for some truly awesome close-ups. SeEtta

These bluebirds were so striking with their chestnut and blue feathers contrasting with the snow, I couldn't help but take a bunch of pics. The bird in the bottom pic has a whitish colored berry in it's bill that it just plucked from the tree (berries are generally blue colored). SeEtta

There is nothing like a snowstorm to bring out the bluebirds, they seem to materialize from nowhere when the flakes fall. We had our first real snowstorm in Canon City this season, with 5-6 inches of wet snow falling overnight and into yesterday morning. These were a few of the two dozen Western Bluebirds I watched as they picked berries from some tall juniper trees. Sometimes a bluebird would just perch on top of a small pile of snow on a branch as though sitting on a soft pillow. They would also hover as they picked off the berries inside the foliage. SeEtta