Revealing the Hidden Beauty of Colorado
Environment:Start Time: 6:45 AM Temperature: 54 degrees Sky: Sunshine with decreasing clouds. Sightings:Birds: Wood Ducks, Starlings, Ospreys, Canada Geese, Double Crested Cormorants, Mourning Doves, Western Kingbirds, Red-tailed Hawk, American Robins, Lark Sparrow, Barn Swallows, Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped ChickadeesCritters: White-tailed Deer, Tree Squirrels, Mosquitoes, Prairie Dog, Cabbage White Butterfly Gear: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Lumix 100-300mm
Environment:Start Time: 9:00 AM Temperature: 44 degrees Sky: Heavy cloud filtered sunshine with a little breeze. Sightings:Birds: Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, Canada Geese, American White Pelican, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, American Robin, European Starlings, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorants, Cooper’s Hawk, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jays, Mourning Dove, Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Turkey VultureCritters: Tree Squirrel Gear: Nikon Panasonic Lumix GH4, 100-300mm
Environment:Start Time: 8:55 AM Temperature: 55 degrees Sky: Sunshine with few clouds and light breeze Sightings:Birds: Mallards, Gulls, Canada Geese, American White Pelican, Pied-billed Grebe, Goldeneye, Buffleheads, American Coot, American Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Flicker, Sparrows, Belted Kingfisher, Mourning DoveCritters: Tree Squirrel Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-200mm
Environment:Start Time: 7:55 AM Temperature: 50 degrees Sky: Fading sunshine due to increasing clouds, not much breeze. Check out last year’s walk on this day! Sightings:Birds: Mallards, Osprey, Double Crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, Starlings, Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk, Gulls, Turkey VultureCritters: Prairie Dogs Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-300mm
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! 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 WoodpeckerCritters: Prairie Dogs, Mule Deer, Stink Beetle, Grasshopper, Tree Squirrel Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-300mm
Environment:Start Time: 6:40 AM Temperature: 57 degrees Sky: Sunshine, light haze with some clouds Sightings:Birds: Mallards, Osprey, Barn Swallows, Double Crested Cormorants, Eastern Kingbird, Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Solitary Sandpiper , Lazuli Bunting, Grackles, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ash-throated Flycatcher, FlycatcherCritters: Cabbage Butterfly, Prairie Dogs, Monarch Butterfly, Widow Skimmer, Mule Deer, Orb Spider
Environment:Start Time: 7:10 AM Temperature: 64 degrees Sky: Sunny with a welcome breeze Sightings:Birds: Mallards, Starlings, Osprey, Barn Swallows, Cormorants, Western Kingbirds, Eastern Kingbird, American Robins, Canada Geese, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Common Grackle, Green Heron, Mississippi KiteCritters: Cabbage Butterfly, Prairie Dogs, Widow Skimmer, Mule Deer Gear: Nikon D5600, 55-300mm
Environment:Start Time: 8:35 AM Temperature: 59 degrees Sky: Sunny with wildfire haze Today’s climate was practically a carbon copy of yesterday. The haze was a little heavier (Pikes Peak almost detectable) and the breeze may have been a tiny bit stronger. And, like yesterday, I did not encounter anything particularly exotic or even unusual to photograph. Though there was an Osprey checking out the Arkansas River pretty intently s/he managed to stay well out of camera range. So my luck was limited to a single female Downy Woodpecker and a White-Crowned Sparrow. The leaves are starting to turn in earnest…
Environment:Start Time: 7:25 AM Temperature: 62 degrees Sky: Sunshine; Clouds and Wildfire Haze; no breeze We started late again today because the sun was having trouble rising above some eastern clouds and a heaping helping of wildfire haze. It finally managed to cast decent light on the area but to no great benefit to my photographic expectations. I guess the coolest thing I saw was a belted Kingfisher on the opposite bank of the Arkansas River – too far away for a good shot. I was glad to see “him” because I have not seen one of those for some…