Environment:
Start Time: 7:40 AM Temperature: 44 degrees Sky: Mostly Sun.
With holiday travel and a mini snowstorm all in the rearview mirror it felt great to get back on the trails in Rock Canyon. The Arkansas River is starting to run high which is keeping all but the bravest waterfowl on land. The non-water birds are still mostly involved with either nesting or child rearing. Mother Owl is still staying close by while (what I now think are) three Owlets keep getting bigger in the nest. Featured is an exciting (for me, anyway) shot of a Red-tailed Hawk in her (?) nest. She made a few adjustments and then settled right down to keeping things warm. Pictured here is a Cooper’s Hawk in a favorite spot not far from its nest site.
Sightings:
Birds: Wood Ducks, Mallard, Double Crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, Starlings, Ospreys, American Kestrels, Doves, Great Horned Owls, American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cooper’s Hawk, Wild Turkeys, Western Meadowlarks, Red-tailed Hawks, Swallows, Barn Swallows, Blue Jay, Northern Flickers
Critters: Tree Squirrels, Mule Deer, Prairie Dogs
Gear: OM System OM-1 Mark II, Lumix 100-400mm, Olympus EE-1 Dot Sight
