~Happy Summer Solstice…

Today the first day of Summer and our weather here in Loveland, Colorado is cool and wet. I am hoping for a milder summer. Spring has been very cool and rainy. However, the bird watching has been awesome.

~I saw this Burrowing Owl at Coyote Ridge, Loveland, CO. This cute little owl was hunting food for his mate that was waiting on top of their nesting burrow. He would bring food back to her and she would head down the burrow to feed her babies. It was exciting to see the two interact. It has been a long time since I have seen a Burrowing Owl.

~Howard and I saw this beautiful Bobolink at Reservoir Ridge in Fort Collins, CO. It is only in Colorado for a couple of months. We were lucky to see it land on this scrub and exhibit its mating dance. This is a new bird for me, number 392.

~Always a pleasure to see the Kingbirds

~This female Red-winged Blackbird was taking a break from hunting for food and just seemed to be enjoying the sunshine. She sat on this fence post for a while.

~We were so lucky this spring to have about six pair of Western Tanagers visiting our feeders. They are gone now, probably headed north, and I believed I helped them on their journey by feeding them lots of oranges and grape jelly.

~We have had a pair of American Robins in our yard all spring. They have built two nests, one in a pine tree and one under our deck. The nest under the deck had three babies in it. I watched the three babies grow bigger each day.  Then one day I looked at the nest and they were gone. I believed that they were too young to have fledged and that something must have gotten them. However, we are enjoying watching three beautiful spotted babies. Don’t really know if they are the same birds, but I would like to believe they are. Yesterday, one of the babies was standing in a tray of mealworms and begging the Mom for food.  Too funny, poor Mom.

~A beautiful female Lazuli Bunting

~When on an outing to Barr Lake State Park near Denver, I spotted this Canada Geese family.

~The header photo is a Western Meadowlark.

I hope everyone enjoys the summer. I wish all my birding friends a summer filled with wonderful bird outing and plenty of birding observations.