Environment:
Start Time: 2:40 PM Temperature: 46 degrees Sky: Mostly cloudy, spotty sunshine, light breeze
Winter continues to frustrate my walking plans. I finally decided to hit the trail today because snow is predicted again for tonight. Conditions were not what I would call ideal but I’m sure it will be much worse tomorrow. The one high point was the absence of fellow walkers – only a few fishermen were braving the river. But there were some birds. A nice variety, actually. The ducks were limited to Common Goldeneye and a few Mallards. There were four or five American Coots, a Belted Kingfisher and a Killdeer. The Killdeer ended up being the star of my photography efforts since s/he was very patient with me and let me get pretty close. So my featured image is that very Killdeer and I even got a shot of it in flight posted in the gallery below. The other image posted below is a Belted Kingfisher (to demonstrate a less cooperative subject) nestled deep in the bare trees on the other side of the Arkansas River. Look closely or you will miss him.
Sightings:
Birds: Goldeneye, Mallards, Canada Geese, Belted Kingfisher, Killdeer, Gulls, Canada Geese, American Coot
Critters: Squirrel
Belted Kingfisher Hiding in the brush along the Arkansas River at Lake Pueblo State Park in Colorado February 24, 2021 
Killdeer in Flight Over the Arkansas River in Colorado February 24, 2021