Today felt just a tad bit more like a normal January day with some snow on the ground and a temperature of around 20 degrees. There was a stiff breeze leftover from yesterday and I my normal winter wear was actually appropriate today. By the time I'd gotten to the north side I hadn't seen a thing yet, so I paused for a while hoping to see something. As I scanned the field, I spotted 2 barely noticeable dark spots among the cattails.
Upon closer look with my binoculars I realized they were Deer ears. Then to the left was another pair. These were the first Deer I'd seen in quite a while but they were quite content to be laying down and hiding out. I saw a large variety of wildlife today but didn't get to photograph everything. Here is my total list for the day; Deer, Mice, European Starling, Robin, Canada Geese, Crow, Dark-eyed Junco, Cardinal, Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Shrike.
Of all the birds I spotted today, the one I least expected were the Mourning Doves. Though I think they can be found in the lower portion of the state all year, they're not necessarily in my list of common "winter birds" -at least at Palmer Lake anyway. I heard them fluttering upwards when I walked into the woods on the northeast side. There were at least 20 or more and this particular one presented me with a good photo opportunity. Later on the south side after crossing over the creek again, I heard a faint chirping call that I come to associate now with a Northern Shrike. I could hear it but couldn't place a visual for the longest time and started to think I was wrong in my assessment. But then he popped out of some thicker trees and into my field of view. Distance-wise this is probably the closest I've ever come to a Northern Shrike, but my view wasn't the greatest.
I inched even closer but had to stop whenever I could pull off a photo through a small opening in the trees. In this picture I finally managed to capture the hooked beak that the Shrike uses to capture and rip apart it's prey, which can include insect, rodents and other birds. Apparently Chickadees are on the menu of the Northern Shrikes at Palmer Lake Park!
Upon closer look with my binoculars I realized they were Deer ears. Then to the left was another pair. These were the first Deer I'd seen in quite a while but they were quite content to be laying down and hiding out. I saw a large variety of wildlife today but didn't get to photograph everything. Here is my total list for the day; Deer, Mice, European Starling, Robin, Canada Geese, Crow, Dark-eyed Junco, Cardinal, Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Shrike. 
Of all the birds I spotted today, the one I least expected were the Mourning Doves. Though I think they can be found in the lower portion of the state all year, they're not necessarily in my list of common "winter birds" -at least at Palmer Lake anyway. I heard them fluttering upwards when I walked into the woods on the northeast side. There were at least 20 or more and this particular one presented me with a good photo opportunity. Later on the south side after crossing over the creek again, I heard a faint chirping call that I come to associate now with a Northern Shrike. I could hear it but couldn't place a visual for the longest time and started to think I was wrong in my assessment. But then he popped out of some thicker trees and into my field of view. Distance-wise this is probably the closest I've ever come to a Northern Shrike, but my view wasn't the greatest. 
I inched even closer but had to stop whenever I could pull off a photo through a small opening in the trees. In this picture I finally managed to capture the hooked beak that the Shrike uses to capture and rip apart it's prey, which can include insect, rodents and other birds. Apparently Chickadees are on the menu of the Northern Shrikes at Palmer Lake Park!
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