Showing posts with label lincoln sparrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lincoln sparrow. Show all posts

Sunday, September 3, 2017

No Labor Involved!

This scenic drive took us to West Mamm Creek Road it quickly takes us into the White River National Forest.  Unfortunately Gas and Oil leases in this area abound.  And yet fortunately that means the roads are well graded! So if there is a the silver lining...  




It's hard to believe the color that is showing up already!  




The night's have been cooling down into the 50's so in the higher up elevations probably 40's! 

I really liked this charming building with post n rail corrals....looks like it has seen it's best years but is aging well..





Fences posts really do provide lots of perching spots for birds, and other critters...


California spotted squirrel 



m bluebirds, western  kingbird



the western meadowlarks finally sat still long enough...CLICK!




Summer is short lived here...soon it will be over not like back home in SC where September is as hot as August only drier, a cooling trend has already begun, just this week we had 97, 94, 89, and today 89.  

Here is what I think is the Vesper Sparrow hanging out on barbed wire...I have seen so many immature sparrows that I can not identify...it's been such a challenge, I am not familiar with what's here and they all look a little off being juveniles,  about gone cross eyed!  


Maybe one day I will look though my photos and  know what it was...Grasshopper with a pale lores??




Here is a really cool cow I met, I didn't see her calf though...this was in free range area, so he could have been bedded down nearby.  




Spotted another Lincoln's Sparrow I have to wonder why it's called the Lincoln's? So I found out Thomas Lincoln was a member of James Audubon's team when he was painting every bird in North America....it was Lincoln who caught this bird for Audubon to paint, it was new to them so they named it after the 21 yr old Lincoln. 

??? Lost this photo


Nothing is as pretty as an Aspen Grove, did you know they share one root system?

??? LOST photo 

The road down below that we use to get off this hill is being paved so today we stayed home...I took a hike down the back hill put my hiking boots on for the first time since the toe break, it felt okay...not great but okay..anyways down the bottom of the hill I found this skull...looks like a cow skull that the horns have been cut off of...what do you think I am no skull expert. 


...that's a shame...

.I haven't seen any adults lately so I think they vamoosed and left the kids to fend for themselves!!  




...and check this out!! Found this inside the house up on the wall-->y'all know I'm scared of arachnids right...even if it's only an inch long





Scooped him up in the duster and escorted him back outside where he belongs!!  I will be shaking my towels and shoes from now on!  
I got a nice text from my cousin up in Michigan if you guys recall last year at this time I was in St Ignace Michigan celebrating Labor Day with all of them.  Sure was nice! Here we will have a quiet get together just the 3 of us and the 4 dogs!   


PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Fence posts and beyond...

The much cooler August tempts have me wanting to get out in the big outdoors!  Since I broke my pinky toe (about 2 weeks ago) I have not been able to wear a hiking boot, or even a regular closed toe shoe.... praying the dang thing quits hurting soon, most of the black n blue has receded to just one stubborn blue spot and still the whole toe is red and swollen.   (the coffee table and I are in disagreement over how this happened)




haven't been doing much walking on trails or fields, wearing flip flops or even my sturdy rafting sandals unless I want to catch a cacti, rock, or worse yet another stubbed and broken toe to give me more misery!  Oh and by the way I'm not the only person who wears socks with rafting sandals, I've seen a few other geeks with them on! Meanwhile scenic driving is just the ticket to chase away cabin fever (I can get it in a 6 hr span if I'm not careful) 


Last Tuesday Mom and I took a long drive down Mamm Creek Rd (CR 315) looking at birds on wires, in trees, and  on fences and such...we found some other fun things to take photos of like the praying squirrel up top....still having trouble zooming so I'm cropping these days.



We have seen so many immature mountain and western bluebirds..with their dappled grey breast, this is a mountain I determined by the blue patch at the top of the wing...




Lots of critters make use of fences....


Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel 

many fields of Alfalfa are ready for cutting...makes for a beautiful sea of lavender color...with the Hogsback in the distance...


and the large hay rolls are ready to be brought in and stacked...

Western/Cassin's Kingbird white on tip of tail




I have no fellow birders to confer with so I just muddle through...I sometimes use a FB Audubon Group but the last few I put up I got several ID's on the bird soooo it is just everyone's best guess and no grand "Poopah" to confirm. 

 The fence line up continued to amuse us, and I saw a buffy finely stripped breast on this sparrow, and it looks to be the Lincoln's Sparrow...a new lifer!




I didn't get any sharp crisp shots of him, so far ebird agrees...

Saw this rustic little log cabin in the gulch still looks strong and sturdy, roof has some wind damage but that could easily be repaired I wish it was closer to the road and on this side of the fence....I keep hoping to stumble upon a barn owl.  




A few birds of prey were out...the American Kestrel....and the Red tailed hawk, close crops on these as they were distant...












Yesterday (Friday) the three of us headed back to Rifle Gap SP it's very close to us and it's a great spot to enjoy a shady picnic table and be out in the awesome weather we are having now...



Rifle Gap Lake

Say the word "picnic" and suddenly you get lots of friends...



we offered up our scrapes as these birds live in the campground and they expect human handouts


nothing beats a Colorado Rocky Ford watermelon in August 

The Black Billed Magpies are not shy and we sure enjoyed sharing with them...




Then we had a visit from the Red-Naped Sapsucker! Lifer for me...
Ca-Ching, #409, yep I'm still counting just for the fun and challenge of it, like when we were kids and you got double dared to eat as many jelly beans as you could before you barfed it all up...I sure was psyched over this sapsucker, and thanks MOM for spotting it for us!



                                                       
                             the red shafted flicker came by to check us out but he wasn't interested in the picnic...



it was breezy enough for some people to enjoy their sail boards...


Mom seemed to really enjoy herself...


Jimmy has a boo boo and this is his anti-lick boo boo sock...



he hates it...LoL




PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.