Sphinx moth on my agastache plant in Canon City,CO

I am very proud of the White-lined Sphinx Moth because it was sipping nectar on one of the native, and near native (often have to get those that native in nearby states due to lack of availability of local native plants in my area) plants I have been adding to my yard. This is an agastache

The top pic enlarges very nicely and gives a great view of the sphinx moth's eye, proboscis and antennae--so double click on that pic (bottom pic shows back design nicely but is a little blurry when enlarged more). SeEtta

Unusual find-Williamson's Sapsucker in Canon City,CO

I found this adult male Williamson's Sapsucker in a deciduous tree near the Arkansas River at the end of Tunnel Drive in Canon City,CO.
Although one to several Williamson Sapsuckers winter in Canon City most every year, it is unusual to have an adult male here and this is pretty early. This species breeds in the foothills southwest of this location mostly in ponderosa pine and conifers with nesting often in aspen trees.

Double-click on the bottom pic to see it's cool pale yellow belly. SeEtta

Corn Earworm-cool looking- Moth

This is a Corn Earworm Moth though it actually feeds on a variety of food and non-food plants (including cotton) and is considered an agricultural pest.  It is the larvae (caterpillar) stage that devours crops while the moth stage is a productive pollinator.  I think they are cool looking with their over-sized head and large round green eyes.  I have seen many of them on rabbitbrush, on which this one is pollinating.  SeEtta

Gunnison Sage-Grouse denied T&E Listing

The US Fish & Wildlife Service announced their decision this morning on petition to list the Gunnison Sage-Grouse under the Endangered Species Act.  "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it has determined that the Gunnison sage-grouse, a bird species found only in southwestern Colorado and extreme southeastern Utah, warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but that proposing the species for protection is precluded by the need to address other higher priority species. . . .  The Service will add the Gunnison sage-grouse to its list of candidate species and review its status annually. "

For those of us concerned with the survival of this species, this is sad news as it was on the Candidate list until 2006 when a politics overrode science in the Dept of the Interior, and it continued to face many problems.  You can read their entire press release here.  
SeEtta

Arkansas River in Bighorn Sheep Canyon,CO

I drove up the Bighorn Sheep Canyon that runs along the Arkansas River west of Canon City a few days ago.  This view was taken looking west from Texas Creek.  It was a beautiful day and the water sparkled just like in this pic. 

Bear trap at Canon City,CO Riverwalk

I saw this bear trap on the Canon City Riverwalk yesterday. It portends a death sentence for many of the bears that succomb to the smell of the rotten meat or other 'goody' that is hanging in the back of the trap. Though bears that have not been trapped before (and tagged as 'problem bears') are moved far away to some area away from people, they are often found again either in the area or another one in a situation that causes the Colo Div of Wildlife to trap them again. That is because the bears that already occupy the location they are transported to do not take kindly to some usurper invading their territory. And many of the trapped bears are young bears. Then if they are trapped again, or found in a neighborhood, etc., they will be killed since Colorado has a two-strikes-you're'-out rule for these bears.

According to many wildlife agencies, many bears get started going after human food when they have sampled bird seed. Anyone who feeds seed to birds in areas with bears needs to quit when the bears are around so they don't contribute to that bear's ultimate death at the hands of a wildlife officer. Read about it here and more here

Controlling feral cats

Controlling feral cats in ecologically sensitive areas: Is "trap, neuter, return" effective? -

"Conservation Maven profiles the latest groundbreaking research, field news, books, and funding in conservation, ecology, restoration, wildlife, wetlands, fisheries and more."
SeEtta

'Super Harvest Moon' and Juniper

Last night was the first time that the beginning of autumn occurred with a full moon in 20 years.  And Juniper remained close by the moon as shown the pic I got last night when our cloudy sky in Canon City broke up briefly.  It is called a 'Super Harvest Moon' (click on it to read more) and Juniper remained nearby (see in bottom of pic) .  SeEtta

Sphinx/hummingbird moth in Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Last week-end I spent a few hours in the Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River (the area where christo wants to drape his fabric panels over the river), a place I often go birding. I found a flock of about 35-40 Pinyon Jays, and a very birdy area in the Texas Creek BLM lands where several Townsend's Solitaires, a few Robins and some passerines were singing like they were a choir.

I found this White-lined Sphinx moth, also known as a hummingbird moth, with several buddies working a very small flower bed in front of the general store in Cotopaxi,CO.

Red rocks at Garden of the Gods-Colo Springs

Last week when I had to take my old dog, Banjo, to the vet specialists in Colo Springs, I drove over to the Garden of the Gods park for a little inspirational break. It is not only beautiful but if you can get away from the crowds it is also quite peaceful. SeEtta

I'm back after some time off

There has been a nexus of problems in the last few weeks that have interfered with my posting here: I re-injured my knee, I had to write major conservation comments (8 pages) on the proposed 'over the river' project that christo wants to do just up the Arkansas River from where I live (1,400 page Environmental Impact Statement, lot of reading), and my old dog (16 years old shepard mix)got very sick. Plus my computer gave me a lot of problems and crashed on me. But my computer is working, my knee is better, I finished the conservation comments and my old dog is stable to a little better (at least not keeping me awake all night). So here comes some birds and critters I have photographed lately. SeEtta

From Death's Door to Life in the City: The Urban Peregrine Falcon, by Lucy M. Rowland : Articles : Terrain.org

From Death's Door to Life in the City: The Urban Peregrine Falcon, by Lucy M. Rowland : Articles : Terrain.org
Great article about Peregrine Falcons including their recovery from the effects of DDT that almost extirpated them. SeEtta

Peregrine Falcon-nice view of underside of wing

This photo shows nicely all the barring on the underside of the bird's wing. And it shows how long the wings are. Enlarge the pic for better viewing by double-clicking on it. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-part 8-finally flies away

The Peregrine Falcon has finally moved to another branch on the same snag then flies away. This has been a very nice experience. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-part 7-preening tail feathers

The Peregrine Falcon preens each tail feather carefully providing a nice view of the upper side of it's tail. SeEtta

Peregrine Falcon-still photos for a change

. Double-click on each pic for better viewing. The nice thing about still photos is they provide a better view of the bird's plumage and appearance. I will use descriptions utilized in Raptors of Western North America. This adult has a wide black malar mark that does not cover the auriculars (can't tell if auriculars are spotted or not). The forehead appears black like the remainder of the crown and nape. It has a whitish throat then an unmarked tawny breast. Flanks are barred. Belly is tawny with spots on the upper parts then barring. The underside of the tail is light with barring. Now to the last two short video clips. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-part 6-many fly by's

The flock of migrating swallows, the ones I could saw were Tree Swallows, along with a few resident Barn Swallows are flying all around the Peregrine Falcon with some coming in close. The falcon actively follows many of them. The Mourning Dove remains on top of the fence post behind the falcon. But the Peregrine Falcon makes no attempt to go after any of them-either it had just eaten a very big meal before I started watching it or it's a vegetarian. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon part 5 swallow watch

The flock of migrating swallows, the ones I could saw were Tree Swallows, along with a few resident Barn Swallows are flying all around the Peregrine Falcon with some coming in close. The falcon actively follows many of them. The Mourning Dove remains on top of the fence post behind the falcon. Go figure? SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon part 4-'candy store'

To the left of the Peregrine Falcon is a Mourning Dove that flew in and landed on top of a fence post less than 50 feet away. The falcon continues watching a flock of migrating swallows fly below and makes some interesting movements with it's head as it does. At the end is some of the flock of about 70 Canada Geese that the falcon has been watching in the river. Though not viewable in this clip are several Eurasian Collared-Doves on other fence posts to it's right. This is a veritable 'kid in a candy store' with all the possible avian prey all around it and I kept thinking it is going to nail something here soon. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-part 3-stretching+

In this short clip the Peregrine Falcon does more stretching. At the end of the clip the bird spots some migrating swallows below it and it follows the movement with it's head the same way one of us might watch a bird flying below us. SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-part 2-stretching

The Peregrine Falcon that I found near Canon City,CO is seen doing some nice stretching in this short clip, providing additional views of the bird. All the video clips can be enlarged to fill a computer screen by clicking on the box (with 4 arrows) in bottom right corner of screen (at least it comes out clearly on my 14" laptop screen) SeEtta

PeregrineFalcon-video clips- part 1

I spotted a raptor on a snag that just looked a little different so I got closer and found it was an adult Peregrine Falcon. The snag was on a steep slope above the Arkansas River near Canon City,CO and within 15-20 miles of known Peregrine nesting locations in nearby foothills. I was able to drive my car to within about 200 feet of the falcon and behind a tree so I was at least partially obscured when videotaping the bird with my 40 power Canon videocamera. I watched it for an hour and this is what it did for most of that time--just chill-out and watch the parade of prey birds that came near including some rock pigeons that were flying close by during this clip. SeEtta

'Balanced' ecosystems seen in organic agriculture better at controlling pests, research finds

'Balanced' ecosystems seen in organic agriculture better at controlling pests, research findsVery interesting article about the balance of species. SeEtta