Saturday, August 22, 2015

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Ramah Reservoir


This Buff-breasted Sandpiper was reported yesterday at Ramah Reservoir. I went out this morning and got some photos. This is a very rare sandpiper in Colorado and a lifer for me.


Sunday, July 4, 2010

Yard Surprise


I got up this morning and found this deer with her fawn in my yard. I get a lot of deer in my yard but I have never had a fawn. This was shot through the sliding glass door. It came out better than I thought after a small Photoshop adjustment. Please ignore the weeds.


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Spring Review Part 3

On May 18th a Tricolored Heron was reported at Holcim Wetlands in Fremont county. I had never heard of Holcim Wetlands so I was excited to find the heron in a new location. Once I was there it took about 40 minutes before I saw the bird fly into open water and I was able to get some photos with rather poor lighting conditions.



I returned on May 19th and Tricolored Heron was still there. I also found this Curve-billed Thrasher and finally got a quick shot of the local Common Yellowthroat.



Holcom Wetlands is a shallow gravel pit cattail marsh. At this location you have access to the marsh, a river and a canal between the marsh and the river. In two short visits I located 21 species of birds, two species of lizards and one huge toad. Im my opinion this is now one of the premier spots in Fremont County.




Monday, May 31, 2010

Spring Review Part 2

Just about a month after the Yellow-crowned Night-heron another rare visitor, a Common Black-hawk, arrived to the same park. Common Black-hawks are typically found in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They rarely go as far north as Colorado.


Common Black-hawk - Fountain Creek Regional Park - 5/17/2010

Common Black-hawk - Fountain Creek Regional Park - 5/17/2010


Around this time Warblers and Tanagers were also moving through the area.


Western Tanager - Sondermann Park -5/20/2010

American Redstart - Fountain Creek Regional Park - 5-17-2010





Sunday, May 30, 2010

Spring Review Part 1

The first notable bird to show up in the area where I live (El Paso County, Colorado) was a Yellow-crowned Night-heron. It was found in mid April at Fountain Creek Regional Park. Yellow-crowned Night-herons are rare visitors to Colorado and this was the first one I had seen outside of Texas.


Yellow-crowned Night-heron - Fountain Creek Regional Park - 4-18-2010


Monday, September 14, 2009

New Mexico

On my way back from Arizona I made a couple stops in New Mexico. The first stop was at Bosque Del Apache NWR. This was my my first summer visit here and it was very dead. I didn't take any pictures but I did get a glimpse of some Gambel's Quail, Ring-necked Pheasant, Black Phoebe and Wilson's Warbler. On the road leading out of the refuge I spotted a rattlesnake crossing the road. I pulled over and walked back along the road until I heard the snake rattling in the weeds.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake


Of course I couldn't drive through New Mexico without heading over to Conchas Lake to see the Blue-footed Booby. I believe this is the first Blue-footed Booby in New Mexico. When I got to the lake I stopped to pay the entrance fee and a couple stopped and asked if I was there to see "The Bird". They said that they had been looking for two hours with no luck and then they drove out of the area. I got my camera and started walking toward to shore not really expecting to see "The Bird" but within a few minutes it appeared and spent about 5 minutes flying back and forth in front of me.


Blue-footed Booby


Monday, September 7, 2009

Southern Arizona Trip

I recently returned from my 2nd SE Arizona trip. It was my first trip to Arizona in the summer. It was beautiful, hot, and slow.


On the first day I headed out to Sonoita Creek Preserve in Patagonia to find that it was closed on that day. I spent some time walking along Blue Haven Road looking for the Sinaloa Wren. I got a few poor photos of young Phainopeplas, a Summer Tanager, and this post-bath Rufous-crowned Sparrow.





The next day I returned to the preserve because I knew that it was open.

I quickly found this Gray Hawk. He looked angry. Maybe it's the eyes.


And this small and noisy group of Thick-billed Kingbirds.






At Madera Canyon it was hot and dead quiet.

A Yarrow's Spiny Lizard possed for his photograph.




Ladder-backed woodpeckers were a common sight. I didn't see any on my first Arizona Trip.