For the birds...pics

BuzzH · Jul 20, 2018

My wife and I hung up some hummingbird feeders, a bird feeder, and a couple thistle socks to see what kind of birds we could get. We sit out on the deck most every night and started a list of birds we've seen from the house, always have the spotter and binoculars ready. So far, we've seen 46 different species.

I've been trying to get photos of some of them. Tough to get pictures through the spotter with an I-phone, but at the same time the quality is OK considering.

One of our favorites...male calliope:

Rufous male:

Black chinned male:

Male and female goldfinch:

House finch:

Another bird quickly becoming a favorite, pine siskin:

JohnCushman · Jul 20, 2018

Cool!

BuzzH · Jul 20, 2018

Speaking of birds, this is NOT my picture but has been floating around the local news. A California Condor on Medicine Bow Peak just West of Laramie. From reports I've read a young female. It hung around for a couple days apparently. Wish I would have been able to see it in person.

icebreaker12 · Jul 20, 2018

BuzzH said:
Speaking of birds, this is NOT my picture but has been floating around the local news. A California Condor on Medicine Bow Peak just West of Laramie. From reports I've read a young female. It hung around for a couple days apparently. Wish I would have been able to see it in person.

It hung around until it died. It was found dead up there recently.

Hunting Wife · Jul 20, 2018

Thanks for sharing the bird pics! I’m a sucker for birding stuff.

Too bad about the condor, but cool sighting nonetheless. Want to see one of those someday.

Hummer · Jul 20, 2018

BuzzH said:
My wife and I hung up some hummingbird feeders, a bird feeder, and a couple thistle socks to see what kind of birds we could get. We sit out on the deck most every night and started a list of birds we've seen from the house, always have the spotter and binoculars ready. So far, we've seen 46 different species.

I've been trying to get photos of some of them. Tough to get pictures through the spotter with an I-phone, but at the same time the quality is OK considering.

One of our favorites...male calliope:

Nice! The tiny Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in North America and one of my favorites, too. The males weigh about 2.9 grams in fighting weight. It's shaping up to be a good year for migrant Calliopes east of the Continental Divide, which tends to happen in drought years. The adult males move east then south in their "fall" migration, while in western CO the majority of Calliopes are adult female and juvenile.

At our cabin in NW Boulder County we saw our first adult male Rufous and Calliope on June 28 & 29, respectively, our first adult female Rufous June 30, and our first adult female Calliope today, July 20. We're currently feeding ~5.5 gallons of sugar water per day, and our next door neighbors are using about the same. That's a minimum of 6000 individual hummingbirds daily, and probably more. Our peak of season for numbers, migrants and juveniles, is another week away.

While scouting for moose last weekend, I came upon a Spotted Sandpiper defending it's nest by a lake at 10,700 feet. It's one of my favorite high country birds.

Straight Arrow · Jul 21, 2018

'Very cool! Thanks for sharing, Buzz.

mtmiller · Jul 21, 2018

Sweet variety. I heard about the condor, but hadn't seen pics. Also cool.

wyoboypt · Jul 21, 2018

Way cool Buzz. Any word on why the condor died? Old age?

MinnesotaHunter · Jul 21, 2018

Really cool pics, Buzz. Sad to hear the condor died, but she sure picked a cool place for her last days.

TLowell02 · Jul 21, 2018

I didn't realize so many bird nerds were hanging out here. Keep posting please!

bobbydean · Jul 21, 2018

My home has a plethora of desert willows. Hummingbirds hone into them. Not this year. We also have 20 to 30 swallows each year. Wife hates the mess the swallows cause and I love the swallows. Yearly argument for destroying the nest. I have not done it yet. This year we do not have them.

The drought in our area has affected our populations!

1_pointer · Jul 23, 2018

Nice birds!! Hummers are a hoot to watch.

BAKPAKR · Aug 2, 2018

BuzzH said:
Speaking of birds, this is NOT my picture but has been floating around the local news. A California Condor on Medicine Bow Peak just West of Laramie. From reports I've read a young female. It hung around for a couple days apparently. Wish I would have been able to see it in person.

Now that there has been a condor spotting in Wyoming, should we seek a lead bullet ban? Maybe a Proposition 65 Warning on our lead bullets would be sufficient.

Seriously, condors are amazing birds. My wife and I were fortunate to be able to see a handful sitting on the cliffs on the south rim of the Grand Canyon several years ago. We also saw three very big bull elk bedded down in front of our hotel as we drove up.

Hummer · Aug 2, 2018

At our farm outside Grand Junction we plant our gardens with flowers, shrubs and trees specifically for hummingbirds. One of the favorites is the Chitalpa, which is a hybrid cross between Desert Willow and Catalpa. We grow it as a tall shrub rather than a tree because it survives the occasional -15F winter temps. The pinkish flowers are similar to Catalpa but they bloom much longer, from late May into October. The hummingbirds work the flowers all day long through the summer.

bobbydean said:
My home has a plethora of desert willows. Hummingbirds hone into them. Not this year. We also have 20 to 30 swallows each year. Wife hates the mess the swallows cause and I love the swallows. Yearly argument for destroying the nest. I have not done it yet. This year we do not have them.

The drought in our area has affected our populations!

Hem · Aug 3, 2018

I really enjoy birds on my property but the variety is limited because it's just grassland/prairie. Our favorite regulars are meadowlarks and Bluebirds, as well as some of the Hawks which ride the thermals. It's amazing what a difference planting trees and shrubs will do...even in this open country. Our previous property was similar grasslands but after planting a bunch we created a Oasis for birds. I think we talied close 30.
Couldn't believe seeing a Cardinal one day.

Zach · Aug 3, 2018

Hummer · Aug 3, 2018

Nice, a Lark Sparrow carrying food to young. They nest in the desert grassland on our farm.

mtmiller · Aug 3, 2018

Unique shorebird.

TwistedSage · Aug 5, 2018

Road Runner

For the birds...pics

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