Landscapes Sightings

June 30, 2020

Windy and warm pretty much describes the park this morning at 6:10. I knew it would be windy when I left the house but I was surprised by how strongly it was blowing at our favorite walking venue. Since the wind was coming primarily from the West it added a noticeable warming component to the 73 degree air temperature. Though the light was quite good it was generally uncomfortable overall. All of this being said, it should come as no surprise that I settled for just the shorter dog walking tour and called it quits after that. Whisper was happy….

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Landscapes Panasonic Lumix GX-85 Sightings
June 29, 2020

June 29, 2020

Another late start this AM – got going around 6:20 in a very pleasant 58 degrees. The sky had a strange haze to it that filtered the sun but didn’t kill the light. I don’t know if the haze is a result of a reported wildfire west of the park or if it a Saudi dust cloud that is currently encircling the earth. Whatever the source it rendered Pikes Peak unseeable today. Though I saw a number of birds and critters today I was not focusing (if you like this pun then it was intentional) on them. I elected to…

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Landmarks Landscapes Sightings
June 28, 2020

June 28, 2020

Started out this morning (6:20) in 66 degree heat – the hottest start so far in 2020. Abundant sunshine might have made the walk miserable but a steady breeze helped make things seem cooler. The breeze also helped keep the annoying flying bugs in check. As far as wildlife photography goes there was not much going on. I did sight a “new” hawk but was unable to identify it. I was standing by a tree on the river bank wondering why all the swallows (who were doing their acrobatics right in front of me) were chirping loudly. This is not,…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
June 26, 2020

June 26, 2020

Mostly sunny this morning with some clouds which are predicted to take over later today. According to my memory, always suspect, when we started out today at 6:10 the temperature was 62 degrees. When we were driving out I noticed that the temp (according to my car) was 60 degrees. I do not think the temp had dropped while we were walking so I am not sure what temperature to report. I guess I’ll settle for 61. No matter what the temperature was it was a great morning for taking a walk along the river. As it turned out it…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
June 25, 2020

June 25, 2020

Five days into Summer and things are definitely heating up. We started out this morning around 6:15 with a temperature of 60 degrees. When we were heading out of the park around 7:15 the temperature had risen to 64. The slight breeze and the scattered clouds helped make it feel pretty comfortable. I don’t know if it is the heat or not but the activity in the park was quite subdued today. Very little presented itself for digital immortalization. I did encounter a Mule Deer doe and what I thought might be her fawn (didn’t get a good look at…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
June 24, 2020

June 24, 2020

Nearly cloudless skies provided for unrelenting sunshine this morning. Not even the hint of a breeze made the 57 degree temperature feel a bit warm as we started out at 6:15. Owls Save the Day Bird photography was quite lackluster this morning with the single highlight of a young Great Horned Owl perched serenely on a tree branch. I was attracted to this particular tree by the sight of another horned owl flying in under heavy bombardment from a number of smaller birds. The beleaguered owl took cover on a branch covered with heavy foliage and so was impossible to…

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Critters Sightings Wildlife

June 22, 2020

It was what weather forecasters refer to as “mostly sunny” this morning. Just some high clouds floating in the sky with no real ability to dampen either our spirits or the light. We got going around 6:20 in a pleasant 58 degrees. Notch As we were pulling into our parking spot this morning I saw a mule deer doe running for cover with two fawns running just ahead of her. Twins are something pretty common here in Lake Pueblo State Park – I can’t remember a year when I haven’t seen at least two sets. Whisper and I proceeded on…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife

June 20, 2020

Well, we are back to sunshine and clear skies. Fifty six degrees and no wind at 6:50. Though there were plenty of birds bouncing around the park, very few of them had time enough to spare for quick photo shoot. I caught the Hairy Woodpecker on the left as he was focusing on finding some breakfast. I have been experimenting with different auto-focus methods on the Nikon. I normally use the AF-S single focus setting but today I was using the AF-A function. I am not really pleased with this photo – I think the focus is just a little…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife

June 19, 2020

Another gloomy overcast morning. Normally I might have just thrown in the towel and stayed home. I felt bad about that option today since I had let strong gusty wind keep me home yesterday. So we got to our walking point around 6:20 or so. No wind today (no light either) and a coolish 57 degrees. The first leg of our trip was quite uneventful. Once I had deposited Whisper into the car it (finally) occurred to me that I did not necessarily have to stick strictly to the trails. Embracing this revelation I trudged off into the underbrush and…

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Birds Critters Sightings Wildlife
June 17, 2020

June 17, 2020

Got a nice early start this morning actually setting out on the trail just a little after 6. Some noticeable haze in the sky which our local weather forecasters claim is smoke from a couple of wildfires burning in the Southwest portion of Colorado. Seems like it is always fire season these days. The temperature as we started was in the neighborhood of 55 degrees – forecast is for 100+ today. I managed to spot one of the Great Horned Owl juveniles that I have featured in previous posts. S/he was looking pretty independent and I am sure already hunting…

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