Environment:
Start Time: 6:40 AM Temperature: 67 degrees Sky: Mostly sunny. No breeze.
Another sunny but Colorado humid morning. Considering the time of day that I arrived it was a little warmish. Still my walk was pleasant and mostly undisturbed by the presence of birds. I offer as evidence today’s featured image (above) – a Monarch Butterfly. I did see a Belted Kingfisher but I wasn’t real happy with the photo I took. To make up for that I have posted some colorful blooming Camphorweed (so says Google) and a patient Rock Squirrel who was keeping a close eye on me from the branches. I know that I posted a Double Crested Cormorant as the bottom image of yesterday’s post but I found one Cormorant this morning who was sitting in such good light and was behaving in a little more animated fashion than usual that I just had to take a few shots.
Sightings:
Birds: Mallards, Starlings, Osprey, Barn Swallows, Cormorants, American Robins, Canada Geese, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Common Grackle ,Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Killdeer
Critters: Cabbage Butterfly, Prairie Dogs, Monarch Butterfly, Rock Squirrel, Mule Deer
Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-300mm
Double Crested Cormorant sprucing up at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado July 23, 2021 
Double Crested Cormorant paying close attention to the Arkansas River at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado July 23, 2021