Long-billed Curlews-last video clip of adult female

This is another video clip showing the adult female foraging almost as close as in the other one As in the other clip she appears to find tasty morsels; and the dark stripes on her crown are clearly visible hear also. This is the last of the video clips of my viewing of this Long-billed Curlew family on June 23. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlew-younger chick & male video clip

In this video clip the younger chick in the Long-billed Curlew family in northern Otero County, CO is seen with the adult male standing behind (and watching vigilantly). This clip shows the chick trying to cool off in the upper 80's temps, which are the movements around the throat area as it 'vibrates the muscles and bones in it's throat', a technique called 'gular fluttering'. Young birds do not have well developed thermoregulatory function so have to supplement with techniques like this. After loafing for a bit, the chick does some grooming and then some stretching. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlew--short clip of male landing

This is a pretty short but interesting video clip showing the adult male Long-billed Curlew, that had flown to a new foraging spot, flying back in and is seen landing. There is a good view of his plumage as he lands. Though the wind is seen blowing the grasses in this (as well as the other video clips), some heat waves can be seen in the background. Still more videos to come. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlew older chick in Otero Co,,CO family

This is a composite of two short video clips of the older chick in the Long-billed Curlew family I have been following in Otero County, CO. This chick is loafing, looking around, first in a closer lowland area then on top of a hill--meanwhile the adult female forages nearby while the adult male and the younger chick forage across the road. Like the younger chick, it is more pinkish than the adults and appears to lack the dark crown stripes found on the adult birds. It's bill is almost as long as the adult male's bill. In the first section of this clip dragonflies can be seen in blurry silhouette flying in front of the camcorder. Towards the end of the video a smaller bird flies between the curlew and the camcorder. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlew female foraging-great video clip

This is a very good but short video clip of adult female foraging, apparently fairly successfully, about 60-75 feet away. I didn't approach her at this close of a distance (I believe she would have fled if I had approached this close--I find birds will approach closer and behave more naturally like this bird when they are given their personal distance to work with),she walked this close to where I was video-ing the family. Nice native grasses billow in the brisk breeze that has come up. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlew-video clip of younger chick

This is the younger chick in the Long-billed Curlew family I have been following in northern Otero County,CO. This video clip provides some very good views as the chick is only about 125 feet away. It's quite short bill is clearly seen and the light is good so the pinkish underparts are evident. The chick mostly looks around but then does a little stretching which provides some interesting views. The adult male, though out of view, is only about 100 feet away. There is a prairie dog town in the background and at least one prairie dog can be seen in the clip. Also some heat waves are visible in the background. More Long-billed Curlew family clips to follow. SeEtta

More very good pics of the female Long-billed Curlew

The female curlew was most accommodating in posing for a number of still pics and video. She did appear to be trying to figure out what was making the click that my dslr makes when I snap a photo and would turn her head sideways as shown in the middle pic--maybe trying to triangulate the sound?
While the female foraged, she stayed within about a hundred feet of the older chick over which she was watching just as the male did with the chick he was watching. She called occasionally, presumably to maintain contact with the chick and maybe with her mate too. SeEtta

Adult female Long-billed Curlew

The top pic of the female Long-billed Curlew is my favorite--she is emitting the distinctive 'cur-lee' call. I got these very good pics of the female as she approached as close as 60-70 feet from me as she foraged. I've got some great video of her foraging but that will have to wait as I have to edit it and post it to youtube before posting it here. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlew male & chick

In the top pic the male curlew can be seen standing not far from the younger chick (about 30-40 feet in this pic). He was a vigilant parent, staying within about a hundred feet and calling frequently to keep contact. When I moved my car closer to the canal, it called loudly and flew up in air (though it didn't fly towards me so not sure that was a true aggressive display, maybe just a warning display?????) to make it's displeasure known and warn the chick.
The bottom pic shows the male bird alone as it watches the chick on the other side of the canal. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlews--the first chick?

After the young chick I photographed in the post below disappeared from view, I drove my car another feet closer to the canal in hopes I could refind the chick. Though I didn't see it again for awhile, I noticed the adult female curlew on the other side of the road on top of the canal on that side. Then I spotted a chick not far from the female--this turned out to be different and older chick (clearly longer bill) than the one I had first seen. Aha!--this pair of curlews has two chicks. The male was watching the younger one on one side of the road and the female was watching the older chick on the other side of the road. The best part for me was that the chicks were not as distant from the road as the one I watched and photographed last week (presumably this, the older chick) which provides better photos (and much better video, but I haven't edited that yet). This older chick spent most of the next hour and half I watched just loafing in about the same place while the female foraged nearby. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlew family-another chick!

I returned to northern Otero County, CO yesterday in hopes that I could refind the Long-billed Curlew family I posted on below. I was delighted to find them only about a quarter mile from where I had seen them last week. I first saw the adult male--it was on the top of the banks of an old irrigation canal that has gathered enough rain water this year to produce some nice wetland vegetation and some standing water. This probably produces a nice invertebrate food source. After I watched the male for a little while, I spotted a Long-billed Curlew chick and took the photo above.
The chick soon moved out of sight but the short view caused me to wonder why this chick looked so young with it's quite short bill (the chick I saw last week appeared about this age then so should be older appearing this week). I didn't find out until a little later that this chick is likely a second and younger chick than the one I saw last week (more on that in next post). Note--all the pics can be enlarged for close-up viewing by double-clicking on each pic. SeEtta

Possible Roseate Skimmer dragonfly at Holcim Wetlands

A few days ago a skilled birder and naturalist, Tony, found a dragonfly that is very rare in Colorado having only been seen on 4 occasions. As I birded my way back home from Pueblo,CO today I stopped at the Holcim Wetlands. I think I refound that dragonfly which is a Roseate Skimmer. The other dragonflies I saw were Pondhawks, at least one each male (blue) and female (green) and a number of bluets. So the purple-pink colored skimmer caught my attention as it sparred with the Pondhawks. Not only was it's abdomen purple-pink but so is it's thorax (looks dark in pic but was just as bright purple-pink as it's abdomen. This dragonfly was large, similar in size to the Pondhawks. The wings show the same pattern as shown on the photos of Roseate Skimmers on Bug Net. SeEtta

Hawk nesting on cliff by a cave

I have followed this female Red-tailed Hawk for several breeding seasons in an area near Canon City, CO. The first year I observed her nesting, she choose a very precarious small ledge on a steep cliff--but it held and her young fledged successfully. The next year she nested in a less precarious location by some large boulders. Sadly I saw one of her fledglings wedged, and apparently dead, head first in a vertical opening in a nearby cliff area--maybe a wind gust caused it to dive head first into the opening where it was unable to get free, very sad. This year she choose this nice size ledge on another cliff which has a cave behind it. This is very convenient as both she and her young have been able to retreat into the cave to avoid the hot afternoon sun. She built at least a good section of nest on the ledge as much nest material can be seen outside the cave part and she tends to perch on the nesting material on the ledge most of the times I have seen her and only occasionally retreating to the shaded comfort of the cave part.
In the bottom pic the mother bird is tearing pieces of some game that she is feeding in small bites to the young nestling barely visible in the pic. There is an older nestling behind her in the cave. SeEtta

Successful Red Fox with mouse

I was driving when I spotted this pretty Red Fox trotting across a field. I stopped the car and quickly got my drsl camera in position. The fox stopped and looked right at me as I got the top pic with a satisfied look as it had caught a good size mouse that it was taking off to have a nice meal or maybe to a den with young. It's eyes are so bright (I didn't do any manipulation of the eyes, this is what they look ilke) Then it turned and trotted off with the mouse securely held in it's mouth. SeEtta

Western Grebes greeting ceremony video clip

A Western Grebe awakens from a nap, engages in some grooming then reunites with it's apparent mate. The pair engage in some synchronized movements as part of the 'greeting ceremony' that pairs use when reunited after being temporarily separated and apparently serve as a way of reinforcing the pair bond. I don't know what caused the tannish staining on the grebe on the left of the picture. Taped at Lake Henry in Crowley County,Colo. As noted before, double click on the video to go to the YouTube site which has a somewhat larger viewing screen. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlew Chick exercising it's wings video clip

This Long-billed Curlew chick in northern Otero County, CO exercises it's wings in two episodes as it practices for future flight. After the second flapping the adult female comes in from the left. One or both parents stayed within a hundred or so feet of the chick the whole time I watched. See a somewhat larger video clip by double-clicking on this clip to go to the YouTube viewing. SeEtta

Long-billedCurlew fledgling & parents

I didn't get the best part of the threat display on video as the bird surprised me. In fact, at the beginning of this clip the female is shown foraging without apparent distress. I had let my small dog out to go to the bathroom and made it stay close to the car thinking the curlews wouldn't even see it let alone feel threatened as they were at least 250 away when I heard the bird above giving it's threat call. I quickly put my dog back in the car so it didn't bother the birds further then put the camcorder on the bird--this is blurry black object in the video clip before I got focussed on the bird. This was the male bird which is often tasked with defending the young. I'm not sure why it does that little hop after after first landing--maybe there was a snake or critter on the ground that startled it or maybe it's part of the display behavior. Note--to see a little larger screen just double click on this video screen and it will take you to the Youtube location for little better viewing. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlew family in a short video clip

This is the male and female Long-billed Curlews foraging with their chick in short-grass prairie of northern Otero County, Colorado. At the beginning the chick is on the left of the video and the female on the right. The chick does a little hop and wing-flap--not sure if just practicing or if it ran across a snake or other critter that startled it. The size difference is quite clear between the chick and the parent birds. The female and the chick forage near each other for a bit then the male moves in from the far left--so the final video pic shows the male on the left, the female in the middle and the chick on the right. Note--to see a little larger screen just double click on this video screen and it will take you to the Youtube location for little better viewing. SeEtta

Video clip of Long-billed Curlew chick

In this video clip the Long-billed Curlew chick is foraging in some nice short-grass prairie in northern Otero County, CO. The bird is 250-300 feet away so even using the full 40 power optical zoom on my camcorder, it is still fairly small. Unfortunately I have only very basic editing software so you hear the rasot sound of the wind in much of the clip. The adult female, with her very long bill, comes into the video and forages in the vicinity of the chick for a brief period. This provides a good opportunity to compare the two. SeEtta

Another trip-Long-billed Curlew chick and parents

I drove back to Otero County earlier this week to try to refind the Long-billed Curlews I found over the week-end in hopes I could confirm breeding. I did refind them and spent 2 1/2 hours observing, photographing and videotaping them. The top pic shows (from left to right) female,chick, and male. How do I know this? The subscription online reference guide from Cornell School of Ornithology-Birds of North America states that the bill of female Long-billed Curlews is longer than the bill of males (and different shape but I can't discern that as these birds were 250-300 feet away) and that the bill of juveniles is shorter than that of adults during it's "first few months."

In the bottom pic the chick is on the left and the male bird on the right. One and sometimes both parents stayed within a few hundred feet of the foraging chick, keeping close watch over him and any threats. SeEtta

More Long-billed Curlew pics

I took these two pics of one of the Long-billed Curlews as it landed in a field which provides good views of their cinnamon underwing plumage. Besides their unusual physical characteristics, Long-billed Curlews are a special species as they are on the National Audubon Society 'Watch List' as there are thought to fewer than 20,000 birds in total and they lost a lot of habitat. They are listed in Colorado as a Species of Concern. I always feel grateful whenever I find them. SeEtta

Long-billed Curlews in ri

While driving on a county road in northern Otero County, Colo today I spotted a pair of Long-billed Curlews flying nearby. After slamming on my brakes and parking quickly I was able to refind these two and watch them fly back and forth across the county road I was on. They began vocalizing in the very distinctive way of their species. They landed and flew about, then walked about for a bit. Then I saw what looked like a young curlew--maybe 2/3 the size of the parents. The young bird walked with the two adults as they vocalized a lot now. Then they flew off into the grasslands away from the road and I lost track of them and the young bird.
After driving adjacent county roads looking unsuccessfully for the curlews I returned to the original area and found the pair plus two more full size birds (I saw them distantly but I think they were all adults) as shown in the bottom pic as they foraged in tall grasses. All four curlews are shown in that bottom pic so look closely to see all of them. SeEtta

PinyonJays-Salida.avi

This is a short video clip of one of the Pinyon Jays I found in Salida that was engaged in preening while the rest of the flock were moving on. This bird stops to listen to the others but completes it's preening then flies off to join the others. Listen for the calls from the flock. SeEtta

Very bright Pinyon Jays

Yesterday I found a large flock of 75-100 Pinyon Jays in a sprawling subdivision to the little town of Salida, CO. Included in the flock were birds in juvenal plumage. I watched several of them foraging for pinyon pine seeds on the ground. Every bird I watched took the pine nut to a flattish rock then they jabbed the nuts with their bills to crack them open by using their toes to hold them in position. Apparently they have learned that it is difficult to crack open the nuts on the softer surface of the ground so they use the nearby rocks. As the ground under the pinyon trees was quite rocky, they didn't have to go far to find a rock and this saved the time it would take to go to one of the trees to wedge the nuts in the bark for stability when opening them. Very bright birds.
I also observed these jays cocking their heads like Robins do when they appear to be listening for worms in the ground. This would be followed by a jab into the ground where they apparently were killing invertebrates for food, a behavior described in Birds of North America online. SeEtta