Update : BaldEagle on nest in streaming video

This afternoon I opened the live streaming video to see the camera zoomed in to get a super close up of this eagles feathers. A little later the eagle got up and turned her eggs while the camera was zoomed in on the 3 eggs. I just pop in every now and then to see what she is doing, a great way to see how an eagle on the nest spends her time.

The group that brings us this live streaming video, Raptor Research Project, has some a nice video clip they captured yesterday of the eagles tongue with the camera zoomed way in super up close. See it on this Raptor Research Project Update link as well as other information. Please consider giving them a donation (they are providing us with this entertainment as well as great conservation work so future generations can enjoy raptors too)--there is a donation link on this page.

Please don't forget to shut the video off when you are not watching--let's don't waste bandwidth. There are usually thousands, some times tens of thousands, of people watching this live streaming video at most times. SeEtta

Update : BaldEagle on nest in streaming video

Wow, just checked the Bald Eagle on nest (10 pm MST) and she has her head tucked in to feathers on her back like a swan or something. Amazing to see what eagles on nest do during day but even more astounding at night. SeEtta

Update on Bald Eagle on nest in live streaming video

I dropped in this evening to see if it was on and was pleasantly surprised that it appears to have infra-red viewing so it is on at night. Though it was around 9 pm in Iowa where the nest located, I caught the end of the bird feeding. She turned the eggs and then herself around in the nest so she was facing the camera and then she rested. She appeared to doze though didn't appear fully asleep during the few minutes I watched. So there is activity at night in a Bald Eagle's nest. And now we can see how a large raptor sleeps. SeEtta
Post note: Later this evening I dropped in and she was laying down in the nest and appeared to be sound asleep. BTW-please don't leave the live streaming video on as this takes bandwidth as there are thousands of viewers watching at various times. SeEtta

Live streaming video of Bald Eagle on nest--hatch expected April 1

3-30-11-Move video to right side of page so it will stay on top
This is a very good quality and close up live streaming video of a Bald Eagle on her nest in Iowa courtesy of the Raptor Research Project. Even cooler is that they estimate eggs will begin hatching on April 1. Be aware that when you click on the arrow it may take you to the Raptor Research Project page but this is cool as the video screen is larger than it would be here--also you can open as a full page video viewer with very good quality by clicking on the box in lower right hand corner of viewer. (Only catch is you have to put up with some advertisements, obviously to support this expensive venture, though the google ads can be deleted by clicking on the 'x' to the right and above the ad).
Post Note 3/29--later yesterday I saw a rabbit this eagles mate apparently had brought for her to eat and today I see it still in the nest, by the end of it's tail, uneaten. SeEtta

Uncommon visitor: Greater Scaup

Greater Scaup are quite uncommon in the Canon City, CO area so I was pleased to find this female 2 days ago swimming in the Arkansas River adjacent to my friend's property. I seldom see these close enough to get a reasonable pic so was pleased to get this opportunity. I like the pic at the top as that angle shows off the very large size bill on this species. SeEtta

Rugged looking Yellow-rumped Warblers

Yellow-rumped Warblers started migrating through Canon City yesterday and many of them had not completed molting into their breeding (Alternate) plumage as shown in these pics. Today there was an influx of these Yellow-rumps along the Canon City Riverwalk and I heard their 'chip' calls all along the trail. SeEtta

Cassin's Finch visiting before returning to breeding areas

I found a small flock of Cassin's Finch including this female on the Canon City Riverwalk yesterday. Their distinctive call got my attention. I haven't seen any in the area all winter so may they are just passing through on their way back to higher elevation where they breed. SeEtta

More pics of BlackXEastern Phoebe: the brown-fronted hybrid

I have enlarge these pics some so it may possible to see the brown fore crown without clicking on them though the brown will show more if super enlarged.

Since this pair is feeding near a long-time nesting area under the footbridge, I am hopeful they will nest here. SeEtta

BlackXEastern Phoebe, a brown fronted hybrid

These are pics of a brown-fronted hybrid BlackXEastern Phoebe that has been feeding near a long-time phoebe nesting area on my friend's property near Canon City,CO. Last year there was a brown-fronted hybrid feeding in the area and I expect this is the same bird as this is an unusual plumage (certainly the first I have seen among the many hybrid BlackXEastern Phoebes that are found in my area).

Two days ago I saw 2 Black-like Phoebes(difficult to discern hybrids without good views) engage in a fierce battle, rolling in the air as they battled and not stopping until after they hit the ground. I was frankly surprised that one wasn't left injured on the ground but both were gone when I looked. I expect that one was trying to chase the other from this prime feeding and nesting area.

The next day two Black-looking Phoebes, behaving amicably as a pair, began feeding near each other (usually 20-30 feet apart but sometimes within a foot or two of each other). You may need to double-click on each pic to enlarge to view the brown forecrown on this phoebe (pics will not be crisp but color shows better).SeEtta

Am Dipper video clip: carrying nest material to nest site

In this short clip one of the American Dippers, with a big mouthful of nesting material, flies up under the mechanical arm that runs the gate to this small dam. The nest is located on a shelf on that mechanical arm just above where it connects with the gate. SeEtta

Pair of American Dippers foraging and grooming together: video clip

I recorded this pair of American Dippers that were building a nest on the mechanical arm that opens and closes the flood gate to a small dam in the Canon City, CO area. In this short clip the dippers are foraging and grooming at the bottom of the gate next to one where they were building their nest. SeEtta

The top two pics show an American Dipper, with nesting material in it's mouth, perched on the mechanical arm of a dam gate. Both are the same pic but the second is much enlarged.

The nest is located behind the gate arm and a foot or two directly below where the bird is perched.

The bottom two pics show a dipper that I caught in flight as it approached the nest site that is behind the gate arm. SeEtta

Dam dippers nesting

I used a little alliteration to describe the nesting of a pair of American Dippers in the mechanical structure of a dam near Canon City,CO. I think you can easily see the nesting material in the mouth of the dipper in the top pic.

The two middle pics show one of the dippers feeding on the base of the dam. The third pic is so classic dipper--head stuck down into the water where it searches for little micro-invertebrates floating by.

And the bottom pic shows the pair together--the top bird fishing at the bottom of a dam gate and the other gathering some nesting material. SeEtta

"SuperMoon" of 3-19-11

I took this pic of the SuperMoon from near Canon City,CO with my Canon xti dslr with 400mm 5.6 lens and Kenko 1.4X extender--since camera is not full frame it gives a 1.6X multiplier on top of this for an approx 900mm shot. There were some thin clouds that show a little in this pic. I think it's cool to see the little roundish craters on the moon. SeEtta

Sandhill Cranes fly over

Sandhill Cranes are migrating north to their breeding grounds including a population found in the interior West. I first heard (as usual) this flock of around 65 Sandhill Cranes near dusk yesterday when I was checking up on a heronry at Holcim Wetlands in eastern Fremont Co.,CO. SeEtta

Western Meadowlark pics

These are good pics of the Western Meadowlark that I videotaped and posted clips for below. You can double click on each for very close-up views. SeEtta

W. Meadowlark-video clip of primary & flight songs

This video clip of a Western Meadowlark I recorded recently in western Pueblo County really highlights the unusual vocalization , identified as the flight song (though being given from a perch), after the primary song by this Western Meadowlark--it will sing it's primary song several times then give a lengthy series of unusual vocalizatons that is it's flight song. Though the video portion isn't great due to backlighting, if you view it full screen you can see the birds bill, throat and tail move as it emits the unusual vocalizations(some sound very flute-like). SeEtta

Lewis's Woodpeckers

On my way back from the Denver area I stopped at Ft Carson's Turkey Creek Ranch where I saw 3 Lewis's Woodpecker including the one in these pics in a remnant cottonwood gallery. I just love the unusual green and reddish coloration on these woodpeckers. SeEtta

Pair of imm Harris Sparrows still in rural Fremont County,CO

Today I refound the pair of immature Harris's Sparrows I originally found about 6 weeks ago. I have looked for them on several occasions since first finding them but had not seen them again until today. The two immature birds fed and stayed together just as they did when I first watched them--apparently siblings that have migrated to Fremont County from their northern Canada where this species breeds.

They are unusual as they are not apparently going to a feeder where most Harris's Sparrows are found in Colorado. They are in a rural area where I don't believe anyone feeds birds, but near cattle feeding. I spotted the bird in the top pic eating a seed at the side of the road where the two were feeding on weeds.

I have found the Harris's Sparrows in association with White-crowned Sparrows, members of the same sparrow family. By the way, the flecks in these pics are snow flakes--the snow was coming down at a pretty good clip. SeEtta

Kestral and Redheads

This male American Kestral was hunting near my motel in a commercial area of Westminster, a suburb northwest of Denver. These Redhead ducks were in a small farm pond in which more than 90 Redheads were gathered. SeEtta

Nesting Bald Eagles

While in the Denver area I saw this Bald Eagle on her nest with her mate perched nearby. SeEtta

Colorful tropical butterflies at the Butterfly Pavillion

Over the week-end I took advantage of stay in the Denver area to go for the first time to the Butterfly Pavilion

. What a fantastic place! Over a thousand tropical and some Colorado butterflies flying free in a tropical conservatory makes it a nature-lovers paradise.

Twice a day they have a public release of recently emerged from their cocoons. A number of these 'new' butterflies landed on people including me (right on my face for a few seconds)--a really neat experience. And this non-profit organization does a lot of great conservation education. SeEtta

Owl-seeker's Code - ABA Blog

Owl-seeker's Code - ABA BlogI am pleasantly surprised to find this very pro-conservation post on the Am Birding Association's blog. Kudos to Don Freiday for his great 'owl-seeker's code.'