After four or five days of self imposed (with government encouragement) quarantine I managed to rise early this morning and make it out to my normal walking/shooting area near the Anticline fishing pond at Lake Pueblo State Park. We, Whisper and I, made it to the parking lot right around 6:40 AM. The morning was crisp, sunny and calm just the way we like it.
Even before we arrived I had a feeling the walk was going to be a good one. On the way out to the park on Highway 96 I caught sight of a large flock of Wild Turkey – the first I have seen in 2020. You have to get up early to catch these guys.
Another bonus from today’s outing came on the trip home. Every Spring for the last several years there has been a Western Meadow Lark staking out territory at the intersection of Reservoir Road and Juniper Road in front of the dam. He (she) can usually be found in the early mornings perched on one of the road signs. I spotted him (we’ll say) on the speed limit sign just as I turned on to Reservoir Road. I immediately cracked open my car window and got to hear that incredible call that completely defies my onomatopoeiatic abilities to emulate here. I usually get this treat coming into the park but it is just as amazing going out!
Gear: Nikon D5100, 55-200mm lens
Software: All of the images below were shot Raw and edited on a tablet computer using Snapseed.
Sightings:
Birds: Turkey, Canada Geese, Starlings, Robins, Cormorants, Wood Duck, other Ducks, Flicker, Western Meadow Lark
Critters: Mule Deer
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A cottonwood grove in early Spring along the banks of the Arkansas river in Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado 
The rising sun illuminates Liberty Point in Pueblo County, Colorado. The Anticline fishing pond in Lake Pueblo State Park is in the foreground of this early morning capture. 
A cottonwood grove in early Spring along the banks of the Arkansas river in Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado 
A Blue Jay begins the day at Lake Pueblo State Park in Southern Colorado 
A Mule Deer peers out of the underbrush at Lake Pueblo State Park in Southern Colorado 
Early Spring morning scenic view of the Southern Colorado landscape with the Arkansas River in the foreground 
A Cormorant and a Wood Duck share the Anticline fishing pond at Lake Pueblo State Park on an early morning in Spring. 
A group of ducks begin the day at the Anticline fish pond at Lake Pueblo State Park in Southern Colorado.