December 11, 2018
Bird of the day…
Tag Archives: Birding
~Whimsical and Wordless Wednesday
~Birds in the yard…
~Loveland, CO, September, 2018
A few bird photos from my yard.
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Happy Birding!
~On the Move…
~Birds!
Birds are on the move.
Fall migration must be happening. Just this week I am seeing small flocks of birds in the yard, which weren’t here during the summer months – Robins, House Sparrows, and Black Birds.
OoO-Also, seeing:
American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Shafted Flicker, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Black-Capped Chickadee, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Bushtit, Blue Jay, House Finches, Common Nighthawk, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird
OoO-These tiny hummingbirds need to get going. I have enjoyed feeding and watching them all summer.
There are lots of web-sites that track the Hummingbird’s spring and fall migration. Here is one that is gearing up to track their fall migration. Journey North
Here is another one with color-coded, migration maps and great information on the Hummingbirds. Hummingbird Central
OoO-Of course my Western Scrub Jay is still around.
OoO-For the last several days, I have observed this young Spotted Towhee feeding at the feeders. He/She is maturing nicely. It was looking pretty scraggly in its young feathers. Not a good photo, but you can see the colors starting to come in.
Fall is coming. Take some time to enjoy the birds in your area and be on the lookout for ones passing through. If you can, assist the Hummingbirds on their way south by putting out feeders.
~Happy Birding~
~Ducks resting by the Big Thompson River
~Loveland, Colorado, August, 2018
On a bike ride the other day, I spotted these two resting by the river.
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~Western Scrub Jay…
~July, 2018, Loveland, Colorado
Everyday she comes for a visit.
Hopefully, she is molting, because she sure looks “scrubby”.
We will be sitting outside having our morning coffee or out in the evening having a glass of wine and she will fly to the post you see her sitting on. She will peck at the wood for attention and pieces of wood will break off. (Naughty Bird)
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This Western Scrub Jay is the same bird that visited us last summer.
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She will fly down to the deck railing and just sit there with us. Sometimes she will “sing” very softly.
I read that a Scrub Jay can live to be fifteen years old. I sure hope this one is around for a long time.
Happy Birding
~Nature
~October, 2017, Grand Canyon, South Rim
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, along with Mount Everest in Nepal, Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Northern Lights, Paricutin Volcano in Mexico and Harbor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The Canyon attracts 4.5 million visitors from all over the world annually.
The Grand Canyon is home to 70 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles and five species of amphibians.
Howard and I walked about five to six miles each day while visiting the Grand Canyon. We preferred the east end of the South Rim Trail. The longer we walked the trail, the fewer people we encountered. The terrain was different going east in that it was more forested. I loved this area. A perfect environment for birds and wildlife.
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You can’t imagine my delight when I downloaded the photo below. I haven’t seen this bird in years. It is a Red Crossbill. If you zoom in on the photo take a look at its bill.
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Howard and I were walking along the South Rim Trail near the El Tower Hotel and spotted this Green-tailed Towhee looking for food – scratch, scratch, scratch! They are beautiful and fun to watch.
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One evening we were walking the trails around the RV park. There were lots of Western Bluebirds in the area. In fact, I tried to get a photo of them drinking from a faucet, but someone walked by and they flew. This Western Bluebird, in the photo below flew before I could manually focus on her, but I like the photo.
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Ravens:
I never get bored watching these intelligent birds. I truly believe this Raven was mimicking a barking dog. I heard a dog barking for several minutes before I heard the Raven. I remember thinking, “what in the heck is making that noise”.
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This Raven was sitting high up in a tree and “talking” away. I saw a young girl, about 11 years old with her phone, trying to get a photo of him. She was shooting into the sun and through a lot of branches. I walked over to the tree and called her to some stand where I was standing. I was happy to see her excitement in seeing this bird. I hope her photos came out okay!
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There are approximately 200 species of trees and shrubs in Grand Canyon National Park. Most of these are found in the higher elevations of the park, on the South and North rims. Some of the tree species include the white fir, Engleman spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir, corkbark fir, ponderosa pine, Utah juniper, alligator juniper, Colorado pinyon, quaking aspen, Fremont cottonwood, Gambel oak, and Arizona walnut.
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Birds I observed at the Grand Canyon, South Rim. I was very surprised at the number of birds there were in the area.
`Northern Flicker Red-shafted
`Hairy Woodpecker
`Scrub Jay
`Pinyon Jay
`Stellar’s Jay
`Common Raven
`Mountain Chickadee
`White-breasted Nuthatch
`Red-breasted Nuthatch
`Pygmy Nuthatch
`Western Bluebird
`American Robin
`Green-tailed Towhee
`Spotted Towhee
`Juncos
`White-crowned Sparrow
`Red Crossbill
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Howard had a fun time taking panoramic photos with his iPhone.
~Taking the time to enjoy nature~
