Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 20, 2021

May 20, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 8:00 AM Temperature: 53 degrees Sky: Sunshine few clouds with a light breeze Got out a little earlier today to nearly ideal conditions though the trails are still a little muddy. The Arkansas River was quite high again this morning. Only a couple of Mallards and a Wood Duck couple were brave enough to try their luck on the swift water. The geese were huddled in groups on the river’s edge keeping a wary eye on me as I slowly passed keeping a wary eye on them. I heard a lot of unfamiliar bird calls today but really…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 19, 2021

May 19, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 9:00 AM Temperature: 50 degrees Sky: Cloud filtered sunshine with a light breeze Two more days of unsettled weather have finally given way to another great day for walking. You can tell we got some pretty good rain by the number of large puddles on the trails and high, swift water moving in the Arkansas River. I only saw one Mallard and two Wood Ducks who were willing to try their luck on the river. Today’s featured image (above) is a Wood Duck Hen that I caught hanging around what I believe to be her nest. No ducklings…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 16, 2021

May 16, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 7:50 AM Temperature: 54 degrees Sky: Sun and clouds with a light breeze Got started a little earlier this morning which was a good thing because the increasing cloud cover had really subdued the sunlight by the time I had finished my walk. Today was another day of lots of loud bird chatter and few actual photo opportunities. The ever increasing foliage is making bird spotting tougher, too. But I still did okay in the photo department. The featured image is a Double Crested Cormorant perched high over the Arkansas River. “He” looks like he is making Cormorant…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 15, 2021

May 15, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 8:30 AM Temperature: 58 degrees Sky: Sun and clouds with a light breeze Another terrific morning to be out in Nature. Though I’m not sure the birds and beasts shared that sentiment as not many were making themselves visible. I spent a good deal of effort chasing Blue Jays, Wrens and Yellow-rumped Warblers through the branches of trees with no luck. I got a poor shot of a small bird that Google identifies as a Gray Catbird but I am dubious so I’m neither posting that picture nor claiming the sighting. While I was trying to shoot the…

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Birds Sightings Wildflowers Wildlife
May 14, 2021

May 14, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 7:30 AM Temperature: 48 degrees Sky: Sun and clouds with a light breeze Out the door early again today. Beautiful conditions prevailed. Activity, both human and animal, was surprisingly low for a Friday. I guess the stars of today have to be Wood Ducks. They were the only ducks in the Arkansas River and pretty much the only birds that I could see perched. Posted here is a WD couple sitting in a Cottonwood getting ready for their day. What I don’t know is if the hole in the tree below them is their nest – really doesn’t…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 9:35 AM Temperature: 48 degrees Sky: Sun and clouds with a light breeze Morning fog kept me waiting today but finally this bright shiny orb burned through and I decided to try another walk. There was a lot of chatter all around me as I walked but it was confined to the trees and prairie with no one coming out to sing for a photo. The Swallows were swarming the Arkansas River again today and were still tough to photograph. I tried but failed. Not much else was going on in the river – only a few Mallards…

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Birds Sightings Wildlife
May 12, 2021

May 12, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 10:50 AM Temperature: 47 degrees Sky: Overcast with a light breeze A long lasting miserable pattern of wet/cold weather is finally starting to move out of the area. Not a minute too soon, either. I had to wait a little longer than usual for the temperature to hit tolerable levels (and I was hoping for the Sun to break out) but I did make it out to Lake Pueblo State Park for a long walk. The stars of today’s post are the hundreds of Swallows – Violet-green and Barn – that were swarming over the Arkansas River. I…

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Birds Sightings Wildflowers Wildlife
May 08, 2021

May 08, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 8:05 AM Temperature: 60 degrees Sky: Sunshine high clouds with a light breeze Local weather forecasters are saying that the next two days will be cloudy and wet so I made it a point to get out this morning. At first I thought the clouds that were out today were going to be a problem but that did not turn out to be the case. Plenty of birds about, flowers are starting to bloom and the bugs are making themselves known. One surprising thing today was the complete lack of Swallows – with all the bugs flying around…

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Birds Sightings Wildflowers Wildlife
May 07, 2021

May 07, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 7:30 AM Temperature: 49 degrees Sky: Sunshine few clouds with a light breeze Fine weather continues. Walking was good – birding not so much. I did see a lot of birds but mostly from a distance. The adult owl (mom or dad) was sleeping away from the nest while the little owlet peered out from the nest. My new friend the Ornate Tree Lizard was sunning himself again this morning and allowed me to get a pretty good close up shot. His cooperation has earned him the featured image spot for a second day in a row. Since…

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Birds Critters Sightings Wildflowers Wildlife
May 06, 2021

May 06, 2021

Environment:Start Time: 8:00 AM Temperature: 49 degrees Sky: Sunshine with a light breeze Yet another terrific morning for walking. Things are really starting to perk up at Lake Pueblo State Park. Today I got positive sightings of a couple of Bullock’s Orioles and quite a few Western Kingbirds (one posted here). Today’s featured image (above) is an Ornate Tree Lizard that I caught sunning himself on a tree stump near the Arkansas River. A couple of Osprey were flying all over the place chirping their heads off and Canada Geese were out walking around with a number of pretty fresh…

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