SE Colorado Birding

Birding and discussion: A conservation-oriented birding blog that emphasizes low-impact birding and sustainable birding practices together with the enjoyment of birds. Southeast Colorado offers a diversity of habitats which provide premiere birding opportunities. Save Sabal Palm

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks in ponderosa pine



Being true generalists when it comes to breeding habitat, they nest in deciduous forests, shrublands, grasslands, rural areas and coniferous woodlands here in Colorado as well as on cliffs like the birds I have posted on below. As I was driving through a ponderosa pine woodland in southeast Fremont Co, I saw two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks high up in a ponderosa tree.

In the upper pic it looks like the hawk has it's head screwed on backwards, but it's just it's youthful flexibility that allowed it to look over it's shoulder at me as it practically turned it's head 180 degrees. The hawk looks more natural in the lower pic as it is just looking over it's shoulder.

I couldn't see a nest in the tree they were perched in but they could not have come far as they were having trouble keeping their balance as they moved about the tree.

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Friday, June 29, 2007

Red-tailed Hawk on cliff nest with nestling


Here is the Red-tailed Hawk whose nest is on the small ledge on the cliff whose pics I posted below. It is with one of it's two nestlings (the other is lying down in the nest). The nestling has the very white head.

Sorry the pics aren't sharper but this nest is several hundred feet from the road and I lose crispness when I enlarge it.
SeEtta

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Avian neigborhood watch action

Things were quieting down as it was getting late this morning as I was finishing some Breeding Bird Atlas surveying. Then, an adult Cooper's Hawk flew in and it was as if the area exploded--a pack (they acted like a pack of watchdogs) of Western Kingbirds (parents and their fledglings) flew after the Cooper's screeching as loudly as they could (and with 5 or 6 of them, it was very loud). And the Cooper's vociferously protested as the Kingbirds appeared to make contact with it. The Cooper's flew into a tree with a Bullock's Oriole nest and right at the nest. It appeared to be trying to get a bird out of the nest and indeed looked like it had something in it's talons as it flew off, the kingbirds (the Western Kingbirds were now joined by several Cassin's Kingbirds that flew in from to assist) chasing along.

Conspicuously missing in this foray were any Bullock's Orioles. I thought maybe their offspring had fledged and they had left. Not so.

This evening I returned to this location to do some birding (I have been watching a Red-tailed Hawk with two nestilings whose nest is on a small ledge on some cliffs there and some other cliff dwellers) and again an adult Cooper's Hawk burst out of a large juniper and flew right to the Bullock's Oriole nest. Repeating this morning's battle, the Western Kingbirds were on it. Though the Cooper's again tried to get a bird from the nest it did not appear successful this time and flew off with the kingbirds in tow.

After things quieted down, a female Bullock's Oriole flew up from some nearby shrubs calling excitedly (in belated concern?). Another oriole called excitedly from across the road but never flew up. The female oriole flew up to near the nest but just kept calling and did not go in or even look in. I moved away thinking she might not want to go to it with me nearby. When she still didn't go in I drove aways off but she just finally flew back into the shrubs.

So, had the Bullock's Oriole offspring already fledged? That would seem unlikely since the Cooper's would not likely made a second try this evening if there weren't any birds in the nest. Oh, if only the kingbirds could talk. Would they say, "darn those irresponsible orioles, they don't take care of their kids and we have to do it."

We will never know the answers but I sure learned that those kingbirds are as good as any watchdog. Whether they had some inkling that the Cooper's was around or not, I would love to have those kingbirds in my neighborhood watch group.

Also in the same area today I watched a pair of Red-tailed Hawks (likely the parents from the cliff nest that is not far away) harass a sub-adult Golden Eagle that has a roost in the bird's neighborhood. I was surprised how agile the eagle was as it twisted upside down as it made flight maneuvers to avoid the almost kamakazi attacks by the hawks.

In between these aerial dramas I got to watch a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds copulate, a Violet-Green Swallow fly in and out of a nest hole (literally a hole, about 6-10 inches in diameter, in the rock face) on the cliffs and a White-throated Swift grooming itself while perched on a ledge (unusual for this species, possibly has a nest in back of the ledge) on the cliffs.

This is why I love birding. (sorry, no pics as the action with the Cooper's was so fast it was hard enough to follow it visually, and the other birds were too distant on the cliffs)
SeEtta

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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Curve-billed Thrasher



The same section of the Breeding Bird Atlas block where I found the Northern Mockingbird and the Red-tailed Hawk nesting on the small ledge on the cliffs also produced this Curve-billed Thrasher. Junipers dot the landscape below the cliffs, intersperced with grassland and cactus (mostly cholla) with scrub oak thickets on the western part.
The Curve-billed Thrashers nest in tree chollas.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

All three species of Kingbirds including Cassin's

Cassin's Kingbird is found in a number of locations in SE Colorado including areas in Fremont Co. Both Western and Eastern Kingbirds are found in many locations here so it is possible to see three five species in Kingbird found in North America within a small area.In fact, the kingbird in this pic was located in the Breeding Bird Atlas block I am surveying now. I also have Western and Eastern Kingbirds in this block (note the dark gray head contrasting with the white chin; it also has a pale tail tip rather than the white outer tail feathers on the similar appearing Western Kingbird) . This block also has all three species of phoebe--Say's Phoebe, Eastern and Black Phoebe, all of which have bred here. Eastern bird species meet western bird species here, and some southern/southwestern species also join the mix too.
SeEtta

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Red-tailed Hawk is very good mom



The Red-tailed Hawk, that I posted on that has a nest on a cliff, is still on the nest though her two nestlings are getting close to fledging. And what a good mom she is--we have had 90+ degrees F temps for past several days and she lays in nest with her wings spread out to shade her nestlings.

The top pic shows mom Red-tail shading her nestlings (sorry pic is not crisper but the nest is about a tenth of a mile away so this is the best I can do with enlarging). One of her nestlings is almost adult size while the second bird is substantially smaller. The bottom pic shows that pieces of the nest have fallen to a ledge below the small ledge on which the nest was built. I thought it looked awful precarious and I suppose that now with 3 largish hawks sticks get pushed over the edge.
SeEtta

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Northern Mockingbird a'singin



Just a few miles south of Canon City, in the Breeding Bird Atlas that I am surveying, I found this singing Northern Mockingbird. I had heard several mockingbirds singing in this block but didn't see one until today.

Though both males and females sing, the Birds of North America online states that females rarely sing in the summer so this is most likely a male. And sing this one does, as shown the bottom pic.
SeEtta

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Catbird crazy


My neighborhood Gray Catbird returned for a songfest this morning and I must admit I am crazy about this species. This guy sang and sang and sang--more than 15 minutes with few brief interludes. I got the top photo of him in song, perched high in my honey locust tree.

I also caught the catbird during one of the interludes eating a red colored fruit from one of trees in my yard, shown in the lower pic. I have several fruit bearing trees and shrubs, mostly native types, to attract birds and I think that is what brings Gray Catbirds visiting my yard.

Gray Catbirds can be tricky to find visually as they skulkers, though they skulk in the tops of trees as well as in thickets nearer to the ground. As seen in the lower pic, the bird would stay inside the foliage (and in the shade). Be sure to double-click on both pics to enlarge them for better views--you can see it's throat feathers parted in the top pic as it sings, and it's dark crown can be seen in enlarged lower pic.
SeEtta

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Mule deer buck with antlers "in the velvet"

Mule deer shed their antlers yearly and regrow them. During this regrowth process they are covered in what is termed "velvet", which is actually skin with a lot of blood vessels. These blood vessels provide the minerals and vitamins necessary to build new bone for the antlers.
This pic shows a nice sized mule deer buck with his antlers in velvet. I think he is quite the attractive guy and can see how he will do well at attracting the cow deer this fall when they go into the "rut" (or mating season).
SeEtta

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All-female species of lizard


I photographed this Checkered Whiptail Lizard in Fremont Co. not far from Canon City. Since I am an novice when it comes to lizards (and other herps for that matter) I checked the internet and found that there are two Checkered Whiptail Lizards, the Diploid and the Triploid, that look very much alike. So I checked the Colorado Herpetofaunal website to see if either had been documented in Fremont Co.

I couldn't get the Colo Herp Atlas to work for me (I think it doesn't like the Mozilla Firefox browser I use) I then checked the the Colorado Herpetology Society website. Itshowed that the Triploid Checkered Whiptail had been documented here per a journal article. Since Diploid Checkered Whiptails had not been documented here (and I am certainly not skilled enough to differentiate similar looking species)and only show an "expected range expansion" to Pueblo Co, I think it is likely that the lizard in this pic is a Triploid.

I found it interesting to read on the Colo Herp site that "all-female species that arose through hybridization between other whiptail species." Both that they reproduce without males and that this variation came about through hybridization are both interesting.
SeEtta

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Another female (oriole) bringing food to babies


Conducting Breeding Bird Atlas surveys (looking specifically for breeding behavior) is really increasing my observations of courting and nesting birds. The female Bullock's Oriole in this pic was bringing some tasty insect (looks wormish) to her nestlings. I could hear the nestlings calling when food was brought to them.

As can be seen in this pic, the female lacks the black that distinguishes males,is less orange/more yellow than the males, less white in wings and has a whitish belly. Compare this pic with those in the June 12 posting of a male Bullock's Oriole. They look quite similar to female Baltimore Orioles, and eastern species that are rare breeders in Colorado limited to far eastern sections of the state.
SeEtta

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Nesting Cliff Swallows-up close & personal



I was able to get fairly close to some nesting Cliff Swallows and with my 12X digital camera got some very close-up shots. In the top pic, this Cliff Swallow was looking out from inside the nest. The pale foreheads of these birds make them appear to be wearing visors.
In the bottom pic, this Cliff Swallow has an insect in its beak, has flown up to its nest and is getting ready to feed its nestlings. Be sure to double-click on each photo to enlarge them as this really shows details nicely.
SeEtta

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Cliff nesting Red-tailed Hawk

I found this Red-tailed Hawk on the nest that was plastered to a cliff about 80-100 feet above the ground. This nest is in the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas-II block I am surveying and is the second Red-tailed Hawk nests on a cliff I have found in this one block.

As can be seen in the top pic, the nest is located on a small ledge. It really surprised me that the large nest can actually stay up on this ledge since a lot of nest sticks protrude over the ledge. In fact, the ledge appears so small that the nest looks almost like a swallow nest that is just mud-plastered to the side of the cliff. If you look close at the top pic a white fuzzy object is in the nest directly below the hawks head--that is a nestling.

The bottom pic shows just how this nest looks on the cliff (though it is enlarge some so that the nest looks like more than a patch of vegetation).
SeEtta

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

San Isabel Nat Forest other birds

The area of the San Isabel National Forest where I found the Grace's Warbler is quite birdy. It's only about 6,500 feet in elevation but is usually a little cooler than Canon City and other surrounding lower elevation areas so I enjoy birding there in the summer. I am not identifying the exact location because I don't think it is a good idea to make known on the internet where exactly where to find the Grace's Warbler. It is possible that there is a female on the nest and it would be unethical to put nesting at risk.

The pics here show two of the fledgling Mountain Chickadees that I watched following one their parents as they begged to be fed (wouldn't you know that the really good pic would be the one with its' back to me). Due to the relatively low elevation of this Ponderosa forest, there were also Black-capped Chickadees. Other fledglings included Chipping Sparrows. Chipping Sparrows are quite abundant in this part of the forest. Pygmy Nuthatches foraged in the pines. There were both Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos singing.

In addition to the Grace's Warbler, I also saw Yellow-rumped and Virginia's Warblers. I saw both Downy Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers, and caught a glimpse of a Three-toed Woodpecker. Spotted Towhees sang frequently as they skulted around the scrub oak that predominates the understory. There were also singing Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Buntings, Lesser Goldfinch and Am Robins in the mix. The flycatcher family was represented by Cordilleran Flycatcher and many Western Wood-Pewees (and possibly a Dusky). Broad-tailed Hummingbirds flitted about. And I heard a passing Chihuahuan Raven call one day.
SeEtta

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Rare Grace's Warbler in San Isabel Nat Forest


While birding in the San Isabel National Forest in Custer County last week I saw a warbler with a bright yellow throat and breast. It was very high in a ponderosa pine tree and I was only able to catch a few glimpses of it as it foraged towards the inside of the branches. I thought it was a Grace's Warbler but with such brief glimpses I didn't get all the field marks and I wasn't familiar with its song to use to confirm the id. I don't have a tape or other device with songs since I don't use tapes to attract birds due to the risk of disrupting their behavior.
When I got home I listened to the song of the Grace's Warbler on the internet and it sounded familiar, but since I didn't get home for several hours I wasn't positive that this was the song I had heard (I just can't keep a song from an unfamiliar bird in my head for too long).
I wasn't able to get back out there to look for the bird again until yesterday but I didn't see it. Though I didn't realize it at the time (I didn't listen to the song before I left), I had heard it singing which I realized when I got home and listened to the song on the internet. So today I went prepared--I listended to the song before I left home and whistled it to myself to keep it fresh in my memory. A little while after I got there I thought I heard the song so I whistled my not-so-good rendition of the song. A warbler flew into a pine tree not far away and it was the Grace's Warbler. It foraged and sang for another 15 or so minutes until some strong winds came up. Most of time it was high in a pine tree which is the habit with these warblers but I was able to see it with my binoculars several times and got a few pics.

The bottom pic didn't come out very good because of the overcast sky behind it that just sucked up most of the color. When I took the other two pics the warbler was about 50-60 feet up in a tree and almost 100 feet away but the top pic came out fairly well.
SeEtta

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Saturday, June 16, 2007

Fledglings abound


Boy, there are more and more baby birds leaving the nest (fledging). Nesting is in full gear for many species, but a number of species are completing a first nesting and will start a second nesting soon.

One of the early nesters is the American Robin. This fledgling had only recently fledged (left the nest) and it stayed in the relative protection of a porch roof with protective tree branches shading and camouflaging it. It's several siblings were busy flying from branch to branch begging the parents for food, and occasionally trying to eat some of the berry-like fruit that the tree in the photo provided.
SeEtta

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Friday, June 15, 2007

Neighborhood Catbird

I was delighted this morning to hear a Grey Catbird singing in my backyard. These beautiful singers have been staying in my neighborhood for several years. In fact, they nested the first year under my window. This provided me with a front row seat for watching them as they built the nest, took turns sitting on the nest and feeding the fledglings. I really enjoyed that.

Though these catbirds have not nested in my yard since, they have apparently nested in my neighborhood as they visit to forage and have brought their offspring with them a few times. They are such wonderful singers that it is always evident when they are around though they are a challenge to find visually. Read more here about Gray Catbirds.
SeEtta

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Baby magpies in the nest

This week I had a water meeting in Salida so I stopped on my way back at several locations in western Fremont County to do some birding. I was disappointed at the location where Black Phoebes have nested for the past several years. This is the third time I have been unable to locate any Black Phoebes. Though I had found Black Phoebes there this spring, they appear to have moved away (and there are a lot of places with good habitat but with no acceess as much of western Fremont Co along the Arkansas River is privately owned.

I was also unable to find any Lewis' Woodpeckers that have previously nested near Valle Bridge but I did find a nest full of Black-billed Magpie fledglings. It was almost difficult to miss them as they were fairly noisy, calling out for their parents to come feed them.


In the top photo the entire nest can be seen but it is a little challenging to see the magpies. I enlarged two of the nestlings for the bottom pic and at least the magpie on the right is clearly visible. Black-billed Magpies were hard hit by the West Nile Virus when it showed up on the front range of Colorado several years ago and they are still struggling to make a comeback so it is always nice to see fledglings.
SeEtta

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Wheezy Western Wood-Pewee


Western Wood-Pewees have a distinct wheezy call that to me sounds like "pe-wee" (with the accent on the first syllable). A common species throughout most of SE Colorado, their plumage is as non-descript as their call is distinctive.

I saw this Western Wood-Pewee in the San Isabel National Forest southeast of Canon City and near the small town of Greenwood in Custere Co. While I was watching another bird, I heard the loud 2 cycle engine sound of an ATV. So did the bird and it flew off when the ATV approached. This is an experience I have had previously. Additionally the noise of the ATV made it nearly impossible to continue listening to the many birds that were calling or singing. And this was a family, probably grandparents with grandchildren not some hotrod. ATV's and dirt bikes are incompatible with birding and disruptive to birds and otner wildlife. They need to be restricted in our public lands such as this national forestland.
SeEtta

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Oriole completes his feeding job


When the Bullock's Oriole finished feeding the nestlings yesterday, he stood back up on the nest and looked around briefly so I got this pic. All but a tidbit of bug is gone from his beak so he managed this time to feed the nestlings (you may have to double-click on the pic to enlarge it in order to see the little bit of bug that is still in his beak).

Just a note about all the photos I took of this oriole--I use a 12X digital camera which is the equivalent of about 430 mm on a 35 mm camera. Plus I crop my photos to enlarge them further. So I am able to get these photos standing far enough from the nest so as not to be intrusive. This is very important when taking photos of nesting birds in order to not interfere with successful nesting.
SeEtta

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Male oriole bringing food to young in nest


Today I watched this male Bullock's Oriole in the Canon City area bringing food (looks like a fat worm-like insect) to the nest in an attempt to feed his offspring. The first time he brought food, it appeared that he was having trouble accomplishing the task as he would raise back up out of the nest with the insect still in his beak.

He tried two more times then flew off. A minute later a female Bullock's Oriole flew out of this nest. Then a few minutes later the male returned and resumed his attempt to feed the nestlings. Apparently he was successful this time he came back up with no food in his beak.

Double-click on the pics to enlarge them and see the bird's plumage and features up close. In the third pic the bird's thigh's are visible as are much of it's underparts (actually, this is not an uncommon view in the field since oriole's tend to be above us in trees).

SeEtta

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Oriole Nests, the hanging cribs

Aw, yes, another absense--I had an Audubon Colo board meeting on the west slope and didn't have internet access. But, I'm back. On my drive over to the west slope of Colorado, I birded a little. At one location in Western Fremont Co where I stopped, I parked inadvertantly under this oriole nest.

This is nest of a Bullock's Oriole, the common oriole throughout almost all of the western U.S. plus part of Mexico. However, other orioles of North America such as Baltimore, Hooded and Orchard all make similar nests (thought the nest of the Orchard Oriole is not as pendulous). Both pics are of the same nest, but the top pic is an enlargement. It is amazing just how strong these nests are, surviving swinging in strong winds.
SeEtta

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Downy Woodpecker feeding nestlings


I found this female Downy Woodpecker on the Canon City Riverwalk feeding her nestlings in this nesthole. I could often hear the nestlings calling out to be fed.

While I watched both the male and the female Downy Woodpeckers came in to feed their nestlings. The top pic shows the female with her head in the tree hole as she feeds her nestlings. The bottom pic is a view of that female from the side showing her face fairly well. Note the distinctive white nasal bristles.
SeEtta

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

Bedtime grooming for Am White Pelicans


Though the Canon City area has few bodies of water (and they are small) to host American White Pelicans, these birds have used private ponds and the Arkansas River for migration stop-overs on their way to and from a major breeding area at Antero Reservoir in Park County. In more recent years some of the birds, either injured or just non-breeders, have spent more time here and some also stayed long periods of time when Antero was dryed up (by the owners of the water, Denver Water Board, during drought).

This group has stayed here for extended time this summer even though Antero Reservoir has been filling back up. At least one has an injured foot (the one with it's foot held up). I caught the group at sunset doing their last grooming of the day.
SeEtta

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Downy Woodpecker


I think that Downy Woodpeckers are probably the best known woodpecker in most areas of the U.S. as they are found throughout most of the country and are generally quite common, often visiting trees in backyards. They are smaller than other North American woodpeckers including the look-alike Hairy Woodpeckers (size is not a good field mark as large Downy Woodpeckers are about the size of small Hairy Woodpeckers).
SeEtta

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Male Blue Grosbeak, a handsome dude



Given my absence from posting to this blog one might think I had taken an absence from birding or was out of the state. But no, I have been birding at least some, and often a lot, every day and I have been in southeast Colorado. However, I have been so busy with conservation efforts including Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas-II work and research on the Army's Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (more on that later).

Anyhow, I'm back to posting. These pics are of a single male Blue Grosbeak I photographed in the Canon City area last week. Though the top photo isn't as crisp, it shows the color well. The bottom pic shows how these birds are often seen, perched in a shrubby and often a weedy area and partly obscured by the foliage. This species is common throughout southeast Colorado.
SeEtta

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