Lory State Park!
This weekend was so gorgeous here in Colorado, but of course as I write this on Monday morning it is snowing here in Denver. Go Figure! I took a nice seven-mile hike through Lory State Park to see what kind of migrants were around, on Saturday. Most of the migrants I found were local breeders, but I was able to locate an Orange-crowned Warbler (check mine out and then look at this photo taken by Bill Schmoker) in the American Plum at the base of the mountains. They do breed in Colorado, but not in the park so I was pleasantly surprised.
Notice the difference between Bill's and mine. My bird (subspecies lutescens) is much brighter indicating a west coast subspecies whereas the drabbest Orange-crowned Warblers breed up north. Bill's bird (possible orestera) is more typical of the type we see here in Colorado whereas my bird may have a good distance to travel still to the northwest coast, I presume! One possibility is the age/sex. If Bill's bird is a female or immature that that would explain extreme lack of color.
Above, this Canyon Wren gave me a heck of a show flipping from side to side trying to investigate my presence. It isn't often that one can encounter a Canyon Wren like this. Most often you will first hear a metallic buzzy, "Chink," which is the call of the bird. Furthermore, given the habitat that these birds breed in (Canyon/rocky areas) you can often hear their resonating song of whistles to-to-to-to--to--to---too----too---tooo-----tooooo. Falling off at the end! This one was collecting nest material in which it will use in between the large boulders that hosts the nest. Not a real mind-boggler in terms of ID, but notice the white throat, barred tail, and rufous shading all over. No other wren looks like this.
The close focus of 7.5 feet that my Nikon EDG binoculars gave me enhanced my enjoyment of this Morning Cloak which comes out of hibernation earlier that most butterflies. I always feel we should focus on all of our surroundings and not just the birds. If you look hard enough you can find beauty all over the place. Along with this common breeder (most of the USA) there were an assortment of Sulphurs and Blues flying as well. As I am just barely an amateur butterflier, so I will try to ID more butterfly species as the spring and summer passes.
Bushtits can be found commonly in the foothills most often heard with their ringing ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti over and over again. Feel free to check out a former post I did on July 14th, 2008 highlighting the inner workings of Bushtits! This bird was in a group of four Bushtits which is odd considering they travel in groups, but as they set up for breeding it is more likely to find them in smaller groups or pairs.
I snapped this shot because Townsend's Solitaires can be difficult to photograph sometimes even though they are common in Colorado. Song that is given is like that of a high-energy American Robin (much faster). These guys are gray all over with a noticeable eye-ring and and orange patch on the wings. In breeding they will sit high atop a Ponderosa Pine and sing his heart out.
Thanks for reading about my latest adventures in Colorado. I encourage all to come and enjoy the Rocky Mountains, because the birding and scenery are stunning in all seasons! All bird photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor Lens. I shot the Morning Cloak with a Nikon Coopix P5100 using the macro-lens function.
Notice the difference between Bill's and mine. My bird (subspecies lutescens) is much brighter indicating a west coast subspecies whereas the drabbest Orange-crowned Warblers breed up north. Bill's bird (possible orestera) is more typical of the type we see here in Colorado whereas my bird may have a good distance to travel still to the northwest coast, I presume! One possibility is the age/sex. If Bill's bird is a female or immature that that would explain extreme lack of color.
Above, this Canyon Wren gave me a heck of a show flipping from side to side trying to investigate my presence. It isn't often that one can encounter a Canyon Wren like this. Most often you will first hear a metallic buzzy, "Chink," which is the call of the bird. Furthermore, given the habitat that these birds breed in (Canyon/rocky areas) you can often hear their resonating song of whistles to-to-to-to--to--to---too----too---tooo-----tooooo. Falling off at the end! This one was collecting nest material in which it will use in between the large boulders that hosts the nest. Not a real mind-boggler in terms of ID, but notice the white throat, barred tail, and rufous shading all over. No other wren looks like this.
The close focus of 7.5 feet that my Nikon EDG binoculars gave me enhanced my enjoyment of this Morning Cloak which comes out of hibernation earlier that most butterflies. I always feel we should focus on all of our surroundings and not just the birds. If you look hard enough you can find beauty all over the place. Along with this common breeder (most of the USA) there were an assortment of Sulphurs and Blues flying as well. As I am just barely an amateur butterflier, so I will try to ID more butterfly species as the spring and summer passes.
Bushtits can be found commonly in the foothills most often heard with their ringing ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti over and over again. Feel free to check out a former post I did on July 14th, 2008 highlighting the inner workings of Bushtits! This bird was in a group of four Bushtits which is odd considering they travel in groups, but as they set up for breeding it is more likely to find them in smaller groups or pairs.
I snapped this shot because Townsend's Solitaires can be difficult to photograph sometimes even though they are common in Colorado. Song that is given is like that of a high-energy American Robin (much faster). These guys are gray all over with a noticeable eye-ring and and orange patch on the wings. In breeding they will sit high atop a Ponderosa Pine and sing his heart out.
Thanks for reading about my latest adventures in Colorado. I encourage all to come and enjoy the Rocky Mountains, because the birding and scenery are stunning in all seasons! All bird photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor Lens. I shot the Morning Cloak with a Nikon Coopix P5100 using the macro-lens function.
1 comments:
Looks like you got some great shots! I use Butterflies through Binoculars The West to help with my butterfly ID. If only they had a book for the moths here.
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