Rain Soaked Saturday with Great Birds!

I'd been looking forward to this Saturday as a new kayaking adventure but of course no sooner than I'd thrown them in my truck did it start to rain. I went ahead anyway and got on the freeway but hit such bad traffic that I ended up turning around and going home. So I actually hadn't planned to go to the park today but found myself there anyway. By the time I arrived the rain had actually quit altogether allowing me to use my newer camera so that was a plus. I saw a good variety of birds today and the very first bird I spotted right after getting out of my truck was an Eastern Bluebird. A number of other birds seemed to be just sitting quietly in the treetops -maybe waiting out the rain. As I spotted a Goldfinch and started taking photos I noticed a much larger bird sitting even lower and closer to me that I overlooked. It was a Brown Thrasher and although he was more or less above me, I had a great view of him. On the northwest side of the park I spotted a bird in the trees up ahead that was facing away from me. What made me notice the bird were the striking white edges of his back feathers. He was quite a ways away but looking at him through my camera lens I seemed to notice an almost blueish-grey colored head. My first thought was possibly and Eastern Phoebe but it was too large and slender looking. Then when it changed positions I was startled to see two bright colors -a rich, rusty red brown on it's wings and also a fairly bright yellow underbelly! This was unlike any bird I've seen before I really could not place it. It flew off and I was so intrigued that I tried to follow it. I did spot it one more time but the lighting was so terrible that I wasn't even sure if it was the same bird. After doing some searching online and comparing lots of photos, I'm pretty confident in saying that what I saw was a Great Crested Flycatcher! This is a brand new bird for me and quite a fun sighting to see something new. On the north side I took my sweet-old-time looking for Hummingbirds among all the patches of Jewelweed. I finally did spot hovering out of the corner of my eye and when I went for a photo it was gone. Periodically I would see one here and there but they just weren't sticking around long enough before finding some thick tree to perch in for a break. Then finally I saw where one had landed in a Buckthorn tree above the Jewelweed and I was able to get a photo. They are so neat to see and I never get tired of watching them. Later just before the bridge over Shingle Creek, I'd spotted a brown furry creature moving around on the ground underneath the wet green foliage. At first I thought it was a Vole which I've not seen in a while so I started to follow it for a better look. When it popped out into an opening in the brush I was surprised to see that it was not a Vole or Mouse but a tiny brown bird! It scurried along the ground weaving in an out of the green plants nearly like a mouse might do. It's coloring was almost like a leaf with a tightly speckled pattern that made it blend in to the ground quite well. This bird was so tiny that it could have fit in the palm of my hand. I wasn't sure but my first instinct -especially because it was on the ground was that it was a fledgeling of some kind. I followed it for quite a ways and when I would be perfectly still, it would come right out into the open. That is when I noticed just how small or underdeveloped it's wings and tail were. The tail feathers especially were so short that it was hardly visible. Strictly going by it's mottled patterning I was thinking maybe it was a Wren. I know it's not a Sparrow because of it's long slender bill. I honestly still can't say for sure what it is but my next best guess it that it might be a Brown Creeper -maybe a fledgling.

Great Sightings on Sunday

I arrived at the park this Sunday morning just after 11:30am. It was a beautiful day with puffy white clouds against a bright blue sky and the temp was somewhere around only 70 degrees. It was the kind of day you wish every day was like. The mosquitoes were virtually non-existent as well so I found that I could venture off trail even in shorts. I spotted a lot of good stuff today and was surprised to see when I got home that I'd taken over 120 photos! The first thing I saw was on the south side heading up the wood chip trail. A smaller than average bird flew across the trail and landed in some brush on the other side. It popped out again onto a larger tree and I could tell from the flash of bright yellow on the edges of it's tail that it was a female American Redstart. I've seen more than my fair share of Redstarts this year but I've only seen a female just once or twice. This was probably the 3rd time I've seen one so I really wanted to get a photo. They're hard to keep up with though as they move positions every 1 to 2 seconds. While the Redstart was hopping around, another bird had landed on the same tree and was sort of distracting me. I assumed it was a Nuthatch at first from it's size but mostly from how it walked almost headfirst down the trunk of the tree. It wasn't until I caught a glimpse of how drastically striped it was that I realized it wasn't a Nuthatch but a Black and White Warbler! This is only the 2nd time I've ever seen one so it was quite exciting. As usual when I see something so unique I end up scrambling for a photo, moving too quickly and getting blurry shots. I had a lot of options to pick from to post here but this one shows best the black and white striping pattern of this unique Warbler. Be sure to click on the photo for a larger view. Much later on the other side of the park I actually spotted 2 or 3 more of them! Along the way I came across a Hairy Woodpecker -the larger of the 2 most common woodpeckers (Downy and Hairy). He was excavating a Willow tree (?) looking for insects and allowed me to walk almost right up underneath him for a photo. These are such common woodpeckers that I often don't take the time to capture them but since we was so engrossed in his activities I figured I'd get closer. The interesting thing I noticed from this distance was just how much yellow coloring they have in their tail feathers as well as faint hints of yellow on their head. Hiking across the long straight trail on the north end, I spotted a deer moving with it's head down below the tall weeds. It was a ways off the trail but I thought maybe if I waited it would pop it's head up for a photo. When it finally did I was quite shocked to see that it was an 8-point Buck with velvet still covering most if his antlers! It was an impressive rack that looked even thicker with all that velvet. I thought it was kind of odd to still have velvet this late into the summer and especially on such a large, mature rack. The times I usually notice velvety antlers are much earlier in the spring. I don't know how he's gone this long without having it rub off. Maybe they're just growing that fast. I don't know but it was certainly a neat sight. Hopefully next Spring I'll be able to find at least one of those antlers after he's shed them!

Just Wouldn't Rain

I'd procrastinated all morning about visiting the park today because there was supposed to be a 70% of rain. Well it never seemed to materialize so I finally decided to get in my hike just after 2:00pm. It was quite overcast so I brought a large plastic zip-lock bag to fit over my new camera just in case. It looks pretty stupid but it works. Upon arriving on the east side I noticed the Barn Swallows zooming all over the baseball fields. I tried to catch a photo mid-flight which seemed to be near impossible. So instead I waited for a few of the to perch on top of the chain link fence behind home plate, then stand up on the bleachers for a closer view. They are such colorful birds when you get to see them being still. A bit later I noticed a small yellow bird in the thick trees just inside the trail. The fact that it was moving quickly around inside was actually a good thing because it gave me a few chances to see it through various openings in the foliage. As I was shooting it I could hardly tell what it was but I suspected it was a female Common Yellowthroat. It quickly withdrew further back into the thick foliage and I lost it. Just after crossing the bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side, I heard a loud call that I recognized as a Pileated Woodpecker and when I looked up I caught a glance of him flying through the trees. I often forget how cool -and large- these birds are and I decided to pursue a photo as I doubled back towards him. I would have to trek through the woods to get closer and decided it would likely make too much noise before I got close. About this time I spotted a second one and decided to go up further to the grassy field and then see if I could still see them. I then heard them call again but this time it was closer to the bridge so I went back again. As soon as I stepped onto the bridge, one of them flew right out onto a fallen tree that was hanging in the creek. I didn't even notice at first but the other one was also there, below the tree and drinking from the creek. This was a pretty unique sight I thought as I've never seen a Pileated drinking water, much less even near water! After the first one finished, the second one scooted down the tree (backwards) and into the same spot for a drink. I could see that they were both males from the red mustache behind their bill. Despite the lack of sun today it was actually quite nice out. The temp was mild, near or below 70º which is quite a change from the 90º+ days that we've had all summer long. I was thoroughly enjoying the rest of my hike when I spotted yet another bird that always is a joy to see. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird zoomed just out of my field of view over a nice big patch of Jewelweed plants. Luckily I spotted where he landed in some taller trees and then waited for him to come back down and feed some more. It didn't take long before I had a decent view of him hovering in mid air straight out from me about 20 feet. They can hover in such precise positions that sometimes I thought I was seeing something else like a leaf or something. Then the bird would move and I realized that I should have gotten my camera on him sooner! I got in a few shots before he perched again in some taller trees over the Jewelweed for another rest. Typically by this time of year I've seen a lot more Hummingbirds in the park and they really seem to be somewhat lower in numbers this year.

Friends of Palmer Lake Park Nature Hike

This Saturday, the Friends of Palmer Lake Park held our first ever "Nature Hike." It was a free event, open to the public and guided by the 4 founding members of the FPLP group. In total I think we had somewhere around 17 or 18 people participate and the weather turned out to be just fantastic -a perfect day for a hike around the park. While the 4 core-members of the FPLP are very familiar with the park and it's familiar sights, we were lucky enough to be joined by some residents of the area whom had lived around the park for many many years and watched it changed over time. We had quite a fun time as many of the participants were avid birders and naturalists who share a passion for being outdoors and spotting just about everything there is to see. I myself kept a running "bird count" of all the species spotted on our hike. Our list totaled 26 different bird species which I want to list here just for the sake of record keeping. They are also listed in the order that we saw them: Cooper's Hawk, Crow, Cedar Waxwing, Barn Swallow, Chimney Swift, Robin, Goldfinch, Catbird, Green Heron, Black & White Warbler, Pewee or Flycatcher?, Osprey, Great Egret, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Great Blue Heron, Phoebe, Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Mallard, Pileated Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow and Flicker! In addition to seeing all these birds, a few members of our group were taking an interest in many different plant species found in the park, including but not limited to: Blue Vervain, Elderberries, Spotted Jo-py weed, Nightshade and Jewelweed. We also had a fun impromptu demonstration of Jewelweed's famous exploding seed pods which made a few people jump - ha ha. Paul from the FPLP group was a fantastic guide and was enjoying sharing his knowledge of just about everything nature related, from how Osprey eat, to how to identify Dragonflies and Damselflies. Ron, a friend and respectable photographer and birder captured some fantastic photos of the day including many of the bird species we saw but also some of the small stuff like Japanese Beetles and Dragonflies. But my favorite photo he took that day was of this snail that Paul had found and picked up to show the group. There is just so much detail and real-ness in the photo that I just had to post it here. It had so much fun hanging out with friends and enjoying the nature around us. I hope that our FPLP group can again hold another Nature Hike event next year and I hope we have twice as many people attend!