Rainy-day birds-Brush Hollow Reservoir

For the second day in a row, we have had a cold light rain/drizzle for most of the day (very unusual in this semi-arid habitat) around much of SE Colorado including the area, both just east of Canon City. I stopped at Brush Hollow Reservoir which is a little northwest of Penrose where I was delighted to find the Sage Thrasher in these photos, skulking inside a tree cholla. This thrasher was in one of the few areas of sagebrush in Fremont County.

In this same sagebrush, cholla, grassland, and rabbitbrush habitat there were about 40 or so Mountain Bluebirds and 10-20 Western Bluebirds. Two black-backed Lesser Goldfinch perched (looking bedraggled as they were drenched from the rains) on some sunflowers and a small flock of White-crowned Sparrows flew through the area. On the reservoir I saw 5 Ruddy Ducks along with Pied-billed Grebes, Mallards, Coots, a few Killdeer and a Great Blue Heron. Flying around and diving into the water were two Forster's Terns (appeared to be adults with long, deeply forked tails).
SeEtta