Birds and Nature

This morning as I birded in Lamar Woods, a riparian woods located behind the Lamar Community College that is awfully degraded, I spotted an adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo and saw it feed an apparent fledgling cuckoo. I wasn't able to get any photos of the adult though I saw it several times. It was surprising to see that this young fledgling does not have any yellow on it's bill. Though Yellow-billed Cuckoos are named for having a yellowish lower mandible and black upper mandible, it turns out that according to Birds of North America online fledglings have "dark gray upper mandible; lower mandible mostly light gray, but slightly darker at tip." Their bills do not change to black and yellow until they are about 60 days old The adult cuckoo called a number of times giving a 'coo' call-but much softer than any recordings of coo-calls I have heard. It appeared to be trying to get it's offspring to follow it to another tree. However the fledgling ...

I spent some time tonight watching Chimney Swifts in Lamar, CO where I observed at least 8 birds as they foraged. It is clear from the top pic why these are called 'flying cigars' of a cigar with wings. I was happy I was able to find a chimney where two swifts flew into at dark, presumably a pair that is nesting there. SeEtta

I found this early Sanderling at Lake Meredith earlier this week when I birded the lower Arkansas Valley on an unusually cool day (high of 82 instead of more normal 102). This bird is transitioning from alternative (breeding) to basic (winter) plumage. It looks very different from what we usually see as it is still mostly in breeding plumage. SeEtta

I also got a few closer shots with my extra long Sony camera--also taken from car to reduce disturbance but these owls were slightly closer to the road. They are standing next to burrow entrance which is visible in photos. SeEtta

Severe drought conditions have plagued much of southeast Colo for the past 5 to 7 years with reductions in some bird species and nesting. This year some parts of the area have received rain that is not a lot but adequate. I was delighted to find a section of a county road going north from Lake Holbrook with a veritable boom in young Burrowing Owls: 15 owls (both parents and young) along both sides about a quarter mile long. SeEtta

While driving up to Pueblo Mtn Park over the week-end I spotted this small wildfire in the forest in the Beulah area. I quickly went to a residence near where I could see the fire to have them call it in as I correctly figured they would have be able to describe better than I where it was located in those mountains. I was told they had lightening the night before so it seems likely that it had been smoldering and finally flared up with the winds. It looks very small, possibly only one tree. In the past when I have reported such a small fire the firefighters choose to just watch it as these small ones often burn themselves out they told me. However since this is not far from the town of Beulah, where many have done no mitigation around their homes, they may have made an effort to put it out just in case. In fact, the home at which I stopped to have them call the fire in had a number of full grown ponderosa pines close to it--I took advantage of this opportunity to remind the gent...

There were several fledgling Am Crows learning to fly and making lots of noise while I birded Pueblo Mtn Park over the week-end. This young crow, with obvious juvenal gape, had recently fledged as it's flying skills left a lot to desire. It hopped around tree branches better than it flew. SeEtta