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.
Burrowing Owl (male)
~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.
A male Bobolink
~Always a pleasure to see the Kingbirds
Eastern Kingbird
~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.
American Robin
~A beautiful female Lazuli Bunting
~When on an outing to Barr Lake State Park near Denver, I spotted this Canada Geese family.
Across Barr Lake a Bald Eagle’s nest.Barr Lake on a cloudy day.White Pelicans on Barr Lake.
~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.
Received about three inches of snow overnight. Before daylight, woke up to the sound of a snow ploy, on our hill. Tonight will be 15F, a record low for this time of year. Spend the day inside; cooked some dried Black-eyed Peas and drank lots of hot liquids. Brrrrr!
Starting tomorrow our temperatures will be more moderate.
I took this photo looking south, in the backyard.
The birds have been flying in and out of this evergreen tree all day trying to stay warm.
First Junco sighting today; I saw just one. Birds are moving to lower elevations. White-crowned Sparrows have been enjoying the feeders for a week now. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos to share.
This week we enjoyed the first snow fall of the autumn season. Forecast for Sunday in Loveland – snow and 11 degrees.
~I was going to take a photo of the Harvest Moon tonight; however, the moon is obscured by clouds. So, I am using a photo, I took, of the 2016 Harvest Moon. To view click on Harvest Moon.
~Origin of the Harvest Moon (from Space.com)
The term Harvest Moon traces back to preindustrial times, when farmers — lacking the technology available today — were pressed by the season and welcomed a moonlit week to stretch the shortening daylight hours. Their fields had to be harvested before the farm could be bundled up for the impending winter season. Crops had to be housed. Firewood had to be cut. The daylight hours were rapidly diminishing at this time of year; seemingly, there was not enough time for all the chores that needed to be done in the sun. The Harvest Moon was a welcome lantern in the early evening sky.
Around 8:25pm the Harvest Moon peeked out of the clouds. No floating clouds to add interest nor is it low on the horizon to add color.
Today, September 22, 2018, the Sun crossed the celestial equator and marks the first day of autumn. We celebrate two equinoxes, one to mark the beginning of Spring and one to mark the beginning of Autumn. Equinox literally means “equal night.” And during the equinox, most places on Earth will see approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.
On Sept. 22 at 9:54 p.m. EDT, the sun will cross the celestial equator, or an imaginary line that projects Earth’s equator into space. At this exact moment, the Northern and Southern hemispheres will receive an equal amount of sunshine, and the length of day and night will be approximately equal around the world — hence the term “equinox,” which is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “equal night.”
To learn more see Astro Bob’s Blog at Fall. Some of this information was taken from Space.com Space. Also go out to wikipedia to learn more. Click here: September Equinox
OoO-A few photos I took today while on a bike ride, while enjoying this first day of Autumn. What did you do today to celebrate the September Equinox?
Canada Geese enjoying a rest. Some are probably getting ready to migrate.
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A guess some will stay.
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Mehaffney Park. Fall colors haven’t arrived yet at 5,000 feet. Our home sits on the hill in the background.
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A bug enjoying the warmth of the sun on this first day of Autumn. Taken in my backyard.
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This bush is showing some cooler weather changes. Our lows have been in the mid 40’s.
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Easing into fall.
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Some bushes are announcing their fall arrival.
Welcome to Autumn. Enjoy!
And, here is what Scrubby is doing on this first day of Autumn:
~I have several pots of flowers in the yard and they keep producing new blooms; hopefully, until the first frost arrives. Autumn, is just around the corner.
“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” ― John Donne
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” ― John Howard Bryant
