Bower birds stealing items to decorate-video from http://www.satinbowerbirds.com/

Another amazing video from the BBC of another amazing species: the Satin Bowerbird. SeEtta

"Dresser Crab" video by BBC

Another truly amazing video of an astounding species. SeEtta

Male Williamson's Sapsucker-video clip 'shy bird reacts to motorcycle driving past'

In this very short clip the Williamson's Sapsucker stops feeding and appears to react to a motorcycle driving past on road, then probes a few more times before moving away. This is a very shy bird.

Male Williamson's Sapsucker-video clip 'shy bird hides after bell goes off'

This clip gives good views of the Williamson's Sapsucker as he probes sap wells he evidently drilled previously. It also illustrates how shy this bird is as my car's 'your door has been open too long' bell sounds several times (I remained in the car to avoid disturbing the bird but had the tripod just outside my open car door, with the keys out of the ignition but my car doesn't care). He stops feeding and appears to watch for the source of the bell sounds, then probes a few more times before leaving his 'out in the open' perch to go behind the tree. He then stayed behind the tree for several minutes. SeEtta

Male Williamson's Sapsucker-video clip 'back view and stretching'

This very short video clip gives a view of the Williamson's Sapsucker from the back. Unfortunately he was on the shady side of the tree so it's a little dark. Be sure to view to the end when the sapsucker stretches out one leg giving a great view of plumage usually not seen. Then it stretches it's wings back towards each other for another interesting view. SeEtta

Male Williamson's Sapsucker-video clip 'probing sap wells

In this video clip the Williamson's Sapsucker probes sap wells it previously drilled-something I learned from watching this sapsucker for an extended period of time. It is likely looking for small insects attracted to the fresh spa. It may also be ingesting more sap that may have oozed out. SeEtta

Male Williamson's Sapsucker-video clip 'drilling sap wells'

This is a video clip of a Williamson's Sapsucker drilling sap wells in a non-native elm (siberian or chinese type) tree. I found this male last week in a dry wash that has had enough run-off to support a small group of these trees in the middle pinyon-juniper habitat in Fremont Co.,CO. SeEtta

More urban juvenile Cooper's pics

The top pic shows the brown markings on the lower belly, flanks and leg feathers.

The middle pic gives a good view of the brown tail with wide black bands and some of the dark brown upperparts.

Interestingly there was an adult Cooper's nearby and these two occupied nearby perches without conflict. I suspect the juvenile is the offspring of the adult bird (pretty wary so I didn't get any pics of it) though it seems unusual for them to be together this many months after fledging. SeEtta

Another Cooper's but this time an urban hawk

This juvenile Cooper's Hawk was looking for a bite, or two, to eat at the City Park pond in Pueblo, CO. Clearly different appearing from the adult Cooper's I posted earlier, this juvenile is an example of the 'heavily streaked type' described by Brian Wheeler in Raptors of Western North America which is "much more heavily densely and heavily streaked than on typical juveniles."

Dark brown streaks are visible over the breast and belly with some brown markings on lower belly and flanks that look diamond shaped and even some that look like they are heart shaped. And there are dark brown markings on it's leg feathers but I can't discern their shape (could be heart or diamond shaped or bars per Wheeler). More pics to come. SeEtta

Exuberant bather

This is from the group of bathing Baird's Sandpipers I saw at Lake Henry I posted earlier. I was not kidding when I said that they were exuberant bathers-check out the large drops of water on the back of the bird in the top pic (it is best seen by clicking on the pic to enlarge it). SeEtta

More Cooper's Hawk pics

Field marks are shown in these pics including the large head (relative to the body), long tail (clearly very long on this bird), long tarsi (bare part of legs), tail feathers longest in center then proportionally shorter as they move to outside, tail pale gray banded with broad black bands with a broad white terminal band.

Adult field marks also quite evident: dark grey crown, nape and auriculars paler grey, remainder of upper parts bluish/medium gray and underparts white with rufous barring. I believe this is a female as it has rufous auriculars. Double-click on each pic to enlarge them for close-up viewing. SeEtta

Handsome Cooper's

This is one of the two Cooper's Hawks I saw perched on the ground near a stock pond in Crowley County,CO day before yesterday. There were no trees nearby but this is (or was before it was converted to agricultural fields) grassland. Though I stopped by car well over a hundred feet away, both hawks flushed (likely because they get shot at a lot here) and this one landed in this narrow row of trees along a ditch that must get a lot of irrigation run-off as it had a lot of vegetation and clearly enough water to support the trees. SeEtta

Western Red-tailed Hawk possibly with some Harlan's features

I found this Red-tailed Hawk near the small town of Ordway, CO. Though it appears to be a Western (caluru) subspecies it has some features found in Harlan's (harlani including a light supercilium and whitish color below and right behind the eye. It is necessary to enlarge this photo by clicking on it to see these details. It's tail also looks more like one found on Harlan's hawks. SeEtta

Baird's Sandpipers, bath time

These were some of the Baird's Sandpipers I saw along the shore of Lake Henry in southeast Colorado yesterday. It was apparently bath time as I watched several of them bathing for about 10 minutes. The sandpiper in the top pic had just finished bathing and was flapping it's wings to dry them. The bottom pic shows how vigorously these little sandpipers were in their bathing behavior. SeEtta

Crane Magic

I drove down to the La Junta,CO area today and was rewarded both by a gorgeous Indian summer day and some enjoyable birding including flocks of Sandhill Cranes at Lake Holbrook that are stopping over on their migration south.

There were a few hundred cranes on the ground and more flocks coming in near dusk in order to spend the night along the shore of this lake when I took these pics. SeEtta

'Walk on the Wild Side' video clip 2

This is another BBC ONE 'Walk on the Wild Side' video clips that I think are quite entertaining. Only problem is the British accents, but since it is a BBC thing I guess I can't complain. SeEtta

Winter drag Yellow-rumps

I saw these Yellow-rumped Warlbers a week ago in the Florence River Park in Florence,CO. They were part of a small flock feeding in Russian Olive trees. Most were in their winter (Basic) plumage as these were and all were of the Myrtle subspecies, which is fairly common along the Arkansas River corridor but not seen very often in other parts of Colorado. A few Yellow-rumps generally overwinter in the Canon City/Florence area as well as other areas further east along the Arkansas River. SeEtta

Also Bushtits

I found these little male Bushtits in a small flock in the same general area, in a dry wash, as the Williamson's Sapsuckers, near Canon City,CO.

These acrobatic little birds were feeding as shown in rabbit-brush, a wonderful native plant whose seeds are eaten by a number of bird species after it's blossoms that provide nectar for butterflies, moths, bees and other insects are gone. SeEtta

'Walk on the Wild Side' video clip 1

This fantastic video is from the BBC One and is like a trailer for their new "Walk on the Wild Side" comedy series (but when I went to the BBC web site none of their programs or trailers seemed to be "not available in your area". SeEtta--BTW, it's even cooler when you enlarge it to fit your screen-just click on the box with 4 arrows at the bottom right of the screen.

More on Williamson's Sapsucker

This photo shows the brilliant colors of the fresh plumage of this male Williamson's Sapsucker.  In sunlight this bird gorgeously bright.  Also visible in this pic are some of the fresh sap wells that have been drilled into this elm tree limb.

I stopped again tonight near dusk and refound this male still drilling at 6 pm.  I didn't see the female and the male flew off into the pinyon-junipers shortly after I spotted him.  SeEtta

Gorgeous Williamson's Sapsuckers near Canon City,CO

Yesterday I found the adult male Williamson's Sapsucker seen in the top two pics in the few deciduous trees (of all things, Siberian elms) in a normally dry wash that are supported by the small amount of water that runs off a gravel road and through the wash. When I saw him yesterday, I thought he was just a latish bird that had made a down-slope move from their breeding habitat in conifers at a higher elevation to the pinyon-juniper foothills near Canon City. I didn't have much time to observe him yesterday so I returned today I found not only the male but a female Williamson's Sapsucker in the same elm tree but that the several small elms here had hundreds of sap wells drilled in many of the limbs--it would seem more likely that one or both of these birds had been here for some time.

Canon City has hosted one or more Williamson's Sapsucker, usually females, every winter for the several years but in very different habitat. In Canon City they have wintered in park-like locations with many and diverse trees where they have spent a lot of their time drilling sap wells in pine trees then retreating (either in afternoons or late mornings) to tall deciduous trees for loafing and some more drilling.

The female is so different in appearance from the male in this species that they were originally thought to be of different species. The females brownish head is offset by the more striking black and whitish barring. Like the male the center of her breast and her belly are yellow but much paler than on the male. One more pic and more discussion in next post. SeEtta

Astonishing video clip from National Geographic

Pistol shrimp blowing a blast of water a speed of 100km/h with temp


This is way too amazing-this little shrimp can make a sonic blast by snapping it's claws! SeEtta

New Law: Big Win for Wildlife around the Globe! : Wildlife Promise

New Law: Big Win for Wildlife around the Globe! : Wildlife Promisefrom Wildlife Promise

As wildlife enthusiasts, it can be challenging to support all the animals across the globe that we care about: elephants, apes, turtles, rhinos and tigers – just to name a few. But as part of a law passed on October 2, supporting some of your favorite “wild” creatures could soon cost you nothing more than $.44 at a time.

Earlier this month, the Multinational Species Fund Semipostal Stamp Act (H.R. 1454) was signed into law, which ensures that a special, premium priced U.S. Postal Stamp will directly contribute to funding projects supported by the Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF)." Read more

Fall aspen

Just a shot of our Colorado aspen trees in their fall glory. SeEtta

Colorado shorebird: Baird's Sandpiper

A common sandpiper in Colorado, this little Baird's was the only shorebird I saw at Lake Henry when I visited last week. I did see a distant flock of flying shorebirds but they were too far away to identify. SeEtta

Always like to see Burrowing Owls

This is one of the four Burrowing Owls I found in a prairie dog town in Otero County, Colorado. Burrowing Owls are migrating south for the winter and these will likely do so soon.SeEtta

Migrating Sparrows: the Vespers

This is one of a number of small flocks of migrating Vesper Sparrows I saw in Otero County, CO earlier this week. Though they such beautiful singers, they are quiet this time of year.  SeEtta

Unusually warm weather in Colorado as well as much of US

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) released it's latest monthly State of the Climate Report which noted the following significant weather phenomena:

  "U.S. Temperature Highlights — September September was the fourth consecutive month with above-average U.S. temperatures. It followed the fourth warmest summer on record. Most states had above-average temperatures, and several others experienced temperatures ranking among their top 10 warmest: Rhode Island (third warmest), New Mexico (fourth), New Jersey (fourth), Colorado (fifth), Massachusetts (sixth), Florida (seventh), Connecticut (seventh), New Hampshire (seventh), Arizona (ninth) and Maine (ninth). Regionally, the Southwest climate region experienced its third warmest September on record. Only the East North Central climate region had below-normal temperatures.
• An unusual heat wave affected Southern California the last week of September. On Sept. 27, the temperature in downtown Los Angeles reached 113 F, setting an all-time record high temperature for the city. The previous record was 112 F, set in June 1990."
   

Additionally Colorado and several other western states have had below average precipitation this fall.  I wonder what impact these weather changes have had on birds and other wildlife.  I have certainly observed some late nesting by several species of birds this year in my area and further east in Colorado.  SeEtta

One of the Forster's Terns was still in it's breeding plumage (Alternate) as shown in these pics. The bird in the top pic was preparing to dive. SeEtta

More Forster's Tern pics

Though common at lakes on Colorado's plains, these are fun birds to watch as they hover then dive straight into the water as shown in the bottom pic. The bottom pic is a little fuzzy but clicking on it provides a nice view and the top pic enlarges well. SeEtta

Forster's Terns at Lake Henry in SE Colorado

I drove down to lakes north of LaJunta and Rocky Ford, Colo for awhile yesterday. My very elderly dog has been quite ill and this was the first chance I have been able to go very far with him (I have to give him meds every 6 hours and can't leave him for long). I found 3 Forster's Terns diving around the edges of Lake Henry including this one that is now in Basic (winter ) plumage. SeEtta

Handsome White-breasted Nuthatch

I photographed this White-breasted Nuthatch this week at the Canon City, CO Riverwalk. I heard this one and several more calling as they foraged along tree trunks and limbs, probing for tidbits between crevices.as the bird in the middle pic is doing.

The White-breasted Nuthatches found in the Interior West make a rapid fire double-noted call which sounds to me like 'bidi-bidi-bidi-bidi' (various sources describe the call differently). The call of these birds is usually different from Eastern and Pacific populations and Nathan Pieplow has done fantastic work on this. Read his posts on this species here.

Check out the beautiful chestnut undertail and lower belly which is shown nicely in the bottom pic. SeEtta

Fantastic undersea video from Smithsonian

'Just' a common Northern Flicker-I think common birds are cool too

Just a couple of pics of a male Red-shafted Northern Flicker I took at the Canon City Riverwalk yesterday. I love to hear them calling in the fall and especially giving their 'wicka wicka wicka' calls. SeEtta

Yellow-rumped Warblers moving through Canon City,CO area

Last week there was a big push of Yellow-rumped Warblers moving through the Canon City,CO area as they migrate for the winter. I saw a number, including this one, just east of Canon City in a hackberry tree (native here and a great bird and insect attractor). Most, like this one, are in their winter (Basic) plumage. I also saw a number on the Canon City Riverwalk, which is one local location where some of this species usually overwinters.

I included the rear/side view of the Yellow-rumped Warbler because most photographers only post head shots or others that include the head. This is unfortunate as those with less familiarity with this and other species may see or photograph a bird from the side or rear and need to look at pics that they can use to compare.

Western Scrub Jay

This is one of the Western Scrub Jays that were performing acrobatics to get seed from a hanging feeder with tiny perches meant for smaller birds at my friend Gail's home in pinyon-juniper habitat a little west of Canon City, CO. A couple of Juniper Titmice came into nearby trees as did one Pinyon Jay (there was a flock not far away so this may have been a scout checking out the food supply). SeEtta

Yes, it was a Northern Parula

I received 4 emails, all from very skilled and experienced birders, with 3 stating they were convinced the warbler I posted below was indeed a Northern Parula. One suggested the possibility of a Magnolia Warbler. SeEtta

Possible Northern Parula in Canon City, CO

These are not the type of photos I would usually post but I am hoping to get some assistance in either confirming or disconfirming what I think is this bird's species. I found it on the Canon City Riverwalk earlier this week but didn't have time to upload my photos. Since this is a very rare species for this location, and I didn't get great looks at it, I had convinced myself that it was probably a common warbler that I just saw at funny angle and misidentified. With these pics I do think this is a Northern Parula, likely a female. I would appreciate feedback from those more familiar with this eastern warbler than I. SeEtta