Environment:
Start Time: 7:20 AM Temperature: 61 degrees Sky: Sunshine, few clouds, some haze, slight breeze.
Check out last year’s walk on this day!
Long Distance Birding
Today’s featured image (above) is the exception to the rule for today’s outing. This female Downy Woodpecker was the only bird I got even a little close to. She was so busy I doubt that she even knew I was there. To illustrate my point I offer these two images of a Killdeer that I saw out on the Arkansas River. These are two versions of the same image – one cropped and one not. This is about as close to any other birds that I got all morning. As you can see when I have to crop into the image things get a little fuzzy. All three of the images at the bottom of this post were shot at similar (or further) distances and are similarly fuzzy.
Sightings:
Birds: Mallards, Osprey, Double Crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, Starlings, Western Kingbird, American Kestrel, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, Blue Grosbeak, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker
Critters: Prairie Dogs, Mule Deer, Stink Beetle, Grasshopper, Tree Squirrel
Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-300mm
American Kestrel perched at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado September 04, 2021 
Blue Grosbeak perched in the Russian Olive at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado September 04, 2021 
Juvenile Common Starling in flight at Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado September 04, 2021