I think it was about 94º this Saturday afternoon when I arrived at the park. Due to the heat I decided to really take my time going around, not exert too much energy and spend as much time in the shade as possible. As a result my hike lasted nearly 3 hours but it was nice to spend the extra time looking around. I saw quite a variety of birds but one of the first things I spotted and took photos of was this Frog near the parking lot on the south side. I scared it away at first but then I slowed down and got close enough for a good closeup photo. I know nothing about Frogs so I have no idea what kind it is but it was about 3 inches long.
It's always nice to have a subject that will hold still for you –unlike birds. I was seeing –and hearing– lots of birds today including Chickadees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Common Yellowthroats, Wood Ducks and even a Hummingbird! Under the canopy of trees over the woodchip trail on the southwest side was quite active with birds and I stopped here to look and listen a bit more than I normally do. Another bird that caught my eye was a female American Redstart.
I'd estimate that I see only 1 female for every 15-20 male Redstarts and I forget how colorful they are in their own right. As I watched this female move quickly from tree to tree, it led my eyes upwards and soon I was noticing another smaller bird with bright orange. But this orange was much more deep than the more yellowish-orange on the Redstart's shoulders. Because it was another very small bird I quickly realized it was another Warbler of some kind. It was VERY high up in the treetops and I struggled to even catch a short glimpse of it through my binoculars. Then a second one showed up and they spun in a circle falling downward for a few feet before flying off to new trees. One came downward a little closer to me and I could now make out black striping on the breast, wing and face. There was only one thing it could be and that was a Blackburnian Warbler! I'd never seen a mature adult before and I was absolutely thrilled to be seeing –and photographing– one at Palmer Lake Park! At one point one of them came down and perched for a brief second nearer the trunk of the tree and I fumbled about to focus quickly and take the shot.
Unfortunately it was facing away from me so at the closest proximity I really only caught it's side and underside. When it was not hidden behind leaves I took every shot I could, knowing it would just be a spec in the frame of the entire shot. At one point while I watched through my binoculars I could see that it had a rather large insect in it's bill.
In watching them I could tell that they were busily picking insects off of the trees. It was absolutely awesome to end this month by adding a new species to my list –and to know that fall migration is once again bringing some interesting birds through the park.
It's always nice to have a subject that will hold still for you –unlike birds. I was seeing –and hearing– lots of birds today including Chickadees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Common Yellowthroats, Wood Ducks and even a Hummingbird! Under the canopy of trees over the woodchip trail on the southwest side was quite active with birds and I stopped here to look and listen a bit more than I normally do. Another bird that caught my eye was a female American Redstart. 
I'd estimate that I see only 1 female for every 15-20 male Redstarts and I forget how colorful they are in their own right. As I watched this female move quickly from tree to tree, it led my eyes upwards and soon I was noticing another smaller bird with bright orange. But this orange was much more deep than the more yellowish-orange on the Redstart's shoulders. Because it was another very small bird I quickly realized it was another Warbler of some kind. It was VERY high up in the treetops and I struggled to even catch a short glimpse of it through my binoculars. Then a second one showed up and they spun in a circle falling downward for a few feet before flying off to new trees. One came downward a little closer to me and I could now make out black striping on the breast, wing and face. There was only one thing it could be and that was a Blackburnian Warbler! I'd never seen a mature adult before and I was absolutely thrilled to be seeing –and photographing– one at Palmer Lake Park! At one point one of them came down and perched for a brief second nearer the trunk of the tree and I fumbled about to focus quickly and take the shot. 
Unfortunately it was facing away from me so at the closest proximity I really only caught it's side and underside. When it was not hidden behind leaves I took every shot I could, knowing it would just be a spec in the frame of the entire shot. At one point while I watched through my binoculars I could see that it had a rather large insect in it's bill. 
In watching them I could tell that they were busily picking insects off of the trees. It was absolutely awesome to end this month by adding a new species to my list –and to know that fall migration is once again bringing some interesting birds through the park.
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