Environment:
Start Time: 6:15 AM Temperature: 70 degrees Sky: Sunshine with some clouds.
A Belted Kingfisher family outing was the highlight of today’s tour of Rock Canyon. What I believe to be a pair of parents were out with their two or three youngsters (they were too active to get an accurate count) moving from perch to perch chattering incessantly. The kids kept dive bombing mom and dad as well. It was pretty entertaining but some distance away. Today’s featured image is Mom (I think) pulling out of the Arkansas River after a quick dip. I did see a couple of Great Horned Owls – one of which is pictured here. The Osprey nest at the river bend was totally vacant. I did get a picture of an adult keeping a close eye on the river.

Sightings:
Birds: Mallards, Double Crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, Doves, Gulls, Ospreys, Starlings, Great Horned Owls, Northern Flickers, Cooper’s Hawk, Belted Kingfishers, Spotted Sandpiper, Blue Jay, Red-tailed Hawk, Western and Eastern Kingbirds, American Robins, Red-winged blackbirds
Critters: Grasshoppers, Mule Deer, Cabbage White Butterflies, Prairie Dogs
Gear: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Lumix 100-400mm; Olympus EE-1 Dot Sight
