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.

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.

Confronting Beauty

Thompson Divide is a place of natural beauty and controversy.  

For several years the residents have been fighting the Gas n Oil industry and the govt over fracking leases, and natural gas "wells".....currently the leases have not been renewed but its a constant battle in and out of courts to save our beautiful mostly unspoiled wilderness!  I can't tell you how many petitions and letters I have been part of this year alone.  You may want to check out the Coalition and join the fight. 

A drive back towards Aspen on Hwy 82 then a turn onto 133 south towards the town of Carbondale will take you to the Thompson Creek Road, (CR108) 

ranch land on both sides of CR108

....and then the dirt rd off that follows the gulch this huge area  is known as Thompson Divide.   There is public land there...and a campground snuggled under the big pine, fir, spruce, and aspen trees.   A lot of people visit this area on horseback.  

There is layers of beauty, peaks, trees, and the wonderful plants too...

Rabbit Bush, Mullen, Western Sage, Tall Thistle, 

I drove the dirt road as far as I could then it got steep, narrow, and rocky so I turned around the first chance I got...

Forest Service road getting way too narrow...

The road crosses the Thompson Creek, it was a bit muddy with recent rains...

One can get the best unobstructed views of one of the high peaks...Mt. Sopris.  This is the ELK Range in the Rocky Mountain Chain.   Sopris overlooks the town of Carbondale like a mother hen...at 12,966 ft. 

Mt Sopris

 It is hardly one of the High Peaks of this area but it sure is a good looking mountain.  It has twin peaks! There is a hike up to the summit about 12 miles in length.  The peak sits in the Maroon Bells Wilderness area I hope to take you there soon!!

Sopris again...

Because Maroon Bells is one of the most photographed peaks in Colorado, and I haven't been there since 2008, Aug 25th.  I know one thing that changed is you can't go up in your car during the hours of 9-5, they put in a passenger bus to take visitors up since it was so heavily visited....so I have to go early or go late or ride the bus in. 

Down by the creek I found Golden Crowned Kinglets, a not so focused shot as they were as fast as could be, and they were in a mixed flock of Mountain Chickadee, and White Breasted Nuthatch.  

Golden Crowned Kinglet

I had my head set on finding a Red Crossbill but so far I have struck out every where I've gone...I felt sure these cones would be full of crossbills...lol.

I read this area is also good for poorwills, hammond flycatchers, and bushtit.  Struck out on all 3 did see another imm. mountain blue bird right at the beginning of the dirt road on a power line.  

here's a closer look at Mt Sopris..as  you can see the top peeking over into the Divide Area   little bit of snow here and there

I arrived about 10:30 AM and left about 2:30 PM, it was awesome to explore this area...got home and found this Cooper's hawking the feeder birds...took this through the glass door...he is a real beauty he saw me and took off, saved our feeder birds from an attack.  

till next time....

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.