Environment:
Start Time: 7:10 AM Temperature: 58 degrees Sky: Sunshine.
At fifty eight degrees this was one of the coolest starting temperatures I’ve seen in a while. Still not quite an Autumn chill – we still have one third of the Summer left to go. With the Osprey generally having such a successful breeding season there are Osprey perching all over Rock Canyon. I got quite a few shots but I’ll limit posting them to just the one featured (top) shot. I like this one because it looks like the bird is doing a “Swan Dive” off its perch. I found another Great Blue Heron stationed on the river’s edge though it did not seem too interested in fishing. I was lucky enough to spot a Cooper’s Hawk gliding through the Cottonwoods and even luckier to catch it on an unobstructed perch a little while later. The Mule Deer were pretty active today as well. In total I saw four fawns, one of which is pictured below with mom strolling along the bank of the Arkansas River. I also am posting a shot of a male Belted Kingfisher taking flight after consuming some type of aquatic prey moments before. All in all, a pretty successful outing.
Sightings:
Birds: Mallards, Canada Geese, Swallows, Starlings, Ospreys, Western Kingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Cooper’s Hawk, Redheaded Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Woodpecker, Mourning Doves, Killdeer
Critters: Cabbage White Butterflies, Mule Deer, Prairie Dogs, Tree Squirrels, Grasshoppers, Mosquitoes, Red Ants, Rock Squirrel
Gear: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Lumix 100-300mm
