Environment:
Start Time: 6:55 AM Temperature: 61 degrees Sky: Wildfire haze filtered sunshine with a few clouds
More fuzzy light and oppressive humidity (by Colorado standards) made for an okay outing today. Not too much bird activity on the walk with the best two shots posted here – an American Bushtit in a rare moment of inactivity and a Great Blue Heron (below) staring into the morning Sun. There was some Osprey activity but none of them were fishing – at least not while I was watching. The real excitement of the day happened after I had finished my normal walk. I had finished reviewing the day’s shots and decided to head over to the Osprey nest – the one by the Swim Beach – and check to see if any young ones were available. As I was walking over there I kept hearing an owl hooting (who-ing?) from the direction of the cliff wall on the East side of Rock Canyon Road. I kept looking at the bluff as I moved on toward the Osprey nest and I finally spotted an owl sitting very near the top of the bluff just outside what I assume to be its nest. I made a beeline over to that side of the road and tried to get a shot. I just couldn’t get a decent focus no matter what I tried. I did eventually see that it wasn’t one owl but two on the ledge. Finally I went back to the car and got my tripod which helped a little in the creation of today’s featured image (above). But that is not all. While I was there I decided to shoot a quick video of the two (siblings or parent/child?) and that is published now on YouTube. Click Here to see the Video!
Sightings:
Birds: Mallards, Starlings, Osprey, Barn Swallows, Double Crested Cormorants, Western Kingbirds, American Robins, Canada Geese, Eastern Kingbird, Mourning Dove, Red-winged Blackbird, Great Blue Heron, American Bushtit, Great Horned Owl, Flycatcher, American Kestrel
Critters: Cabbage Butterfly, Prairie Dogs, Mule Deer, Widow Skimmer
Gear: Lumix GH4, 100-300 mm
