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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.