Environment:
Start Time: 8:30AM Temperature: 66 degrees Sky: Sun filtered by thick wildfire haze, light breeze
Lately we southern Colorado residents have been treated to large quantities of wildfire smoke darkening our skies. Currently there are five fires burning in Colorado (North) and if that wasn’t enough smoke the jet stream is adding smoke from the countless fires consuming California. This situation has kept Whisper and I stuck indoors for the last couple of days. Cabin fever won out today and we waited until after 8 AM to venture out. Overall that turned out to be a good decision. The sky was still mostly gray so I focused on things that were mostly eye-level or below. This, too, was a productive choice. The only two bird shots I got were of a Great Horned Owl and a bird that I am having trouble identifying. Those pictures are in the gallery below along with a wildflower shot and one of a grasshopper who was trying his best to blend in to the background. The featured image (above) is of an Upright Prairie Cornflower blooming on the bank of the Arkansas River.
Sightings:
Birds: Osprey, Swallows, Killdeer, Mallard Ducks, Kingbirds, Great Horned Owl, Flicker, Red-tail Hawk, Possible Olive-sided Flycatcher or Western Wood-Peewee (or something else.)
Critters: Grasshopper
Gear: Lumix GX-85, 45-150mm
Late Summer Visitor at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado. Grasshoppers are a true sign of Autumn’s approach. 
Curlycup Gumweed at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado 
Great Horned Owl at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado 
This is a heavily cropped image of a bird I can’t make a definitive identification on. My best guess is it is either a Western Wood-Pewee or an Olive-sided flycatcher.