Birds and Nature

This pic shows some of the flock of 12 Greater White-fronted Geese that are wintering in Canon City. The second goose from the left is one that arrived still in juvenal plumage but that has transitioned into 1st Basic as evidenced by the small amount of white feathers around it's mandible. Note the amount of white around the mandibles of the other geese. SeEtta

Today we got blasted by a significant snow storm that hit the Canon City area with moderately heavy snow and brutal cold. As the roads were too treacherous for me to begin my trip to Texas, I took advantage and visited both Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers that have been in Canon City. And both were busy sipping sap as the snow fell around them. I thought I would post photos of both in this post so their field marks can be easily compared. The top sapsucker is the female that is working the pine trees at the Holy Cross Abbey. Her red crown and forehead are barely visible but her white throat, characteristic of females, is clearly seen. Though only a small portion is visible, the red throat of the male in the bottom pic still stands out. That bottom pic also shows the white baring on the back of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Both pics show the distinctive black framing of their throats that distinguishes them from Red-naped Sapsuckers. SeEtta

Though only 9 inches in length, American Kestrals make up for their small size by having the most colorful (at least in the males of this species) of all the North American falcon family. I found this kestral in Canon City, CO and was fortunate to catch it in flight. 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

This male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has been drilling sapwells in the pine trees at Centennial Park in Canon City. His bright red crown and throat are quite striking. The broad white patch on the wing is barely visible in this pic. View the field marks up close by double-clicking on pic. SeEtta

Cassin's Finch usually breed in conifer forests in Colorado at high elevation then do migrate to lower elevation foothills and nearby plains in fall and winter. I usually see at least a few at my feeders in Canon City, but I haven't had much interest even by more common feeder birds since I filled my feeders several weeks ago (I don't feed in summer or early fall) let alone any of the mountain species like Cassin's Finch that often visit. So I was delighted today to find a male and several female Cassin's Finch including the one in this pic in the Royal Gorge Park just west of town. I was also delighted to spot a flock of Pinyon Jays. Unfortunately they were on private property in the area and flying away but so I just got to hear their distinctive calls for brief period. I also saw a Canyon Wren, a species that overwinters in this area, near the Royal Gorge canyon (though it was actually flying in and out of a wheel well on a pick-up truck--go figure). Though...