Real Time

Finally I'm up to real time in my blog, or at least very close....I hate that I was not able to blog in real time while on the road as my memory is quick to fog these days.  I had no way to look up facts or info on the places I visited, I did a lot of research ahead of time,  I took way too many photos and it took me forever to get them posted to Flickr.

                                                                  Western Meadowlark 

All in all I had a great trip although I found and lost Spring somewhere in TX.   Southeast AZ is a fine birding area....I'd like to go spend like 2 weeks there!   

Some spots I missed like the Cattle Pens in Red Rock I just don't think I can do that even tho I went right past the area...I would want to set all those poor animals FREE.  And I didn't make the extra  mileage to hit Tonapah for the Thrashers.  I’ve heard they are all there.  You just can't do everything when you have other obligations.  Time was an issue for me. 

Brown Headed Cowbird.

Since my arrival in Colorado I have been laying pretty low.  Spring is SOOOOOOOoooooo far away from here as yet.  It has snowed more days than I've seen the sun...one day we had everything: rain, sleet, hail, snow, swirling snow, blowing snow, straight down snow,,,,and HIGH winds! The snow is not sticking it just makes mud. Which means muddy dog feet! OM. 

One night we lost the power due to a lightening strike during a wind storm.  So my search for spring ended in Texas! 

AZ had some warm days but the nights I froze down there.  The trouble with having the dogs in the van, if no electric site, I can't use the Mr Buddy heater, an open flame around dogs in a small space---not good!  I had an electric heater I gave to my son...The one I replaced it with sucked, so I must pick up a better one.   

Since there is no wifi where I currently am...I've been creating my text in Notepad... then pasting into Blogger and adding the photos to Flickr at the Rifle Library, 

...it is a really nice library I can get wifi parked outside and when my laptop battery needs a charge there is a nice bench in the lobby where I can plug in.  Mom can "people watch" or come in which ever she wants normally she likes to sit in the van safely locked in and people watch...I'm only the sliding door away from her parked just outside the door in the handicapped spot I can see the van from my bench.  

On the days that have been good we visited some of my favorite haunts around here.  

We went to Fravert Reservoir and enjoyed some pretty good waterfowl there...

                                                                         cinnamon teal

                                                                         ring necked ducks

Drove a couple roads in Hubbard Mesa Public Lands

                                            Drove past the fields and saw some nice posts birds....

                                                                          Say's Phoebe

                                                                       mountain bluebird

Went to Silt Island Park and had some good ducks but far away...Common Merganser,  American Wigeon, and Canada Geese.  This is the Colorado River. 

The Osprey at the Rest Area is hanging out at the same nest where the twins were last year...hope to see some action there before we leave.  

We spent a little time at Rifle Gap again the lake is much fuller than last summer.  

The Magpies eyed up some grapes we left for them...

Then we drove a couple miles over to Harvey Gap.  We found some Western Grebes, a couple of Common Loons, White Faced Ibis, American Avocets, and 2 Willet ebird classified as rare.  I'm pretty sure I saw some there last yr too not sure I turned in a list for that visit. 

                                                                          Western Grebe

                                                    American avocet and western willet

 If the weather improves it would help.

The trip netted me 16 new birds...Currently I'm at 437. 

More to come!

PEACE

                                                Every day is a new Adventure.

Justa Bird Day

Well it's a full week since the Friday 13th that wasn't the 13th.  Anyways..we have been like everyone else just letting it be Spring already and WHAM! Frost/Freeze Gotcha Peas!  Nay I didn't plant my peas yet, hope my winter Garden makes it tho...

                                                              

So I made the trip back to Bear Island just to get over the wasted trip of before.  None of the rare birds were there as I figured they would not be but wth one has to try right?

A wind chill was in play today and it got strong at times, so most of the waterfowl were sitting in the far away side of the ponds.  Photos were a challenge, but I gave it a shot anyways.  

Large flocks of Northern shovelers were in the pond across from the Entrance.  A few of the Males are in breeding plumage...

Like I said pretty far away, this was my best zoom effort on this shoveler.  Across the road in Mary's Pond lots of American Avocets, a few days ago a Black Necked Stilt was here...not seen today.  Out of the wind there was a reflection.

This Killdeer was such a good bird he waited patiently for me to snap his photo.

On the tour drive there was blue winged and green winged teals...

Saw a lot of Tri Colored Herons, 

And Little Blue Heron

Fun to watch them fish, And also fun to watch and listen to the Boat tailed Grackles fly in and out of the trees, they make some remarkable sounds! 

In the trees the most numerous was the yellow-rumped warblers, they follow every single step you take, chipping at you all along the way! 

Look who's watching ...

This is a big one! I'd say he is 7 ft long? 

At reed level I saw a few of these little Savannah Sparrows, this one sat for a while.

My complete list is here

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Day Tripper...

Mar. 10 Bear Island WMA-

I meant to do a post on my most recent finished projects on the House Make Over, but I never got around to taking the photos! My head is just not in it right now as it is SPRING! I mean it came so fast, it is now each day hitting the 80's for us. I've been so buzzed about Birds lately..I do take it "by spells" as my Grandmother used to say....meaning it is my focus for a while then it wanes, never fades tho.  Anywho Like I said ITS Spring...I'm on a bender of a sort....soon I'll be hoping for Warblers and other migrants to stop over!!

some of the shrubs in the yard

...decided to take my itchy foot down to the Low Country and to Bear Island WMA, to check out the ponds before the changing of the guards and the migration is in full swing.  This area is located near the Ashepoo River not too far away from Charleston...its about a 2 - 1/2 hr ride for me..put my coffee in the cup holder and off I went...Casey came along but he was happy to nap in the back we had the windows down and air felt NICE!

Ashepoo River 

along the same road is the Airy Hall Plantation...C-1701

this plantation once consisted of 16,000 acres and rice was the main crop

The Wildlife Management Area means they cater to hunters...which I hate but as a birder you will hear the argument about the duck stamp yada yada yada, anywho its a great place when its NOT hunting season..

ebird showed a recent Ruff sighting, I don't have a scope...must check ebay for a bargain on one..... if I saw it I didn't recognize it...Shorebirds are a great mystery to me...they all look alike in the winter/fall plumage, I am trying very hard to improve and that's partly why I made this day trip...  So here's some of what I did see; lots of Northern Shovelers,



and quite a large number of Green Winged Teals

And quite a lot of shorebirds were present! I am still trying to figure out exactly who I saw....of course as is usually the way they were on the Far Side, and with the sun behind them...so good photos didn't really happen. I squinted till I was nearly blind!  Helped a Turtle across the road..

An awesome sunny day was had by me and quite a few other birders who car pooled in.... am I a bigot if I say they all looked alike too? Individuality is dying....
These Spanish moss covered trees make a natural bridge over the roadway...very dramatic...

Down at the Hog Island pond spotted lots of American Avocet,  and one Forster's Tern

Here's an Avocet resting they were so busy catching small crustaceans swishing their heads back  forth...

....kinda made me dizzy just watching...

Greater  & Lesser Yellow Legs were plentiful...

and am going with Dunlin on these and the smaller one a Western Sandpiper 

Pretty sure those legs are dark....but to me this is a Reddish Egret. 

and a Bald Eagle soared over me a few times...

tho this is not a good clear shot Im thinking this is a Least Sandpiper 

and several Glossy Ibis were around...

saw 2 alligators, it was warm so most were in the water cooling off...

I almost stepped on a snake! I scared it so bad it nearly jumped 3 ft..

and the A. White Pelican flew over looking like a crop duster---- he was so big! I swear the wing spread seemed to be 8 ft across...

so it was a fun Day Trip and I hummed Day Tripper by the Beatles of course all the way home, "it took me so long to find out... but I found out....lala''

back home: The Eastern Bluebirds in my yard have already starting nesting, and soon our hummingbirds will arrive for the season...Looking forward to seeing those guys!! 

Can't believe how fast the winter went this year, now we have to turn the clock forward, I protest!! 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.