August in the Rockies

The new norm!  My camera won't allow tight zooms much anymore! So....

western wood peewee

At least there is an interesting background to this distant shot...and this was on the fence when I traveled through the valley, so they were close enough, shot through the windshield...

western kingbird and an a female Baltimore oriole birds of a feather don't always flock together...

black billed magpies if you wanna see the yellow billed magpie you gotta go to Southern CA, my sister said that would be the only "reason to go there"...lol she was kidding of course, but I think she was thinking of how hot it is there. 

certainly was not hot when we got up on a rainy morning...

I have enjoyed watching these juvenile ospreys.  

One day when I went one of them was exercising his wings...

and when I returned the next day he was gone...

I haven't been to check the nest since last week so I'm sure this one is in the air too by now...Did see another adult with this huge catch nearby...

this little pond is at the rest area I mentioned...

view to the east

and to the west...lots of habitat for insects too

a kingfisher flew over I snapped and this is the result....not a great look at one but he had his wings back in perfect formation...

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that was last week...Monday we went on a family picnic and a tube float in the Reservoir.  No Photos of that as I was in the water!  here is our site, what fun although we found a lot of mud at the put in area so next time we must find a mud-less put in, the swimming area is probably better but dogs not allowed in that section.  THE girls and Jimmy loved the swimming. Casey slept in the van while we played. 

Yesterday I drove up Castle Creek Road for a peek at what was there...found LOTS of awesome.

it's stunningly beautiful up there....I had planned to bird  at ACES, (Aspen Center for Environmental Studies) in downtown Aspen...omg Aspen has changed since the world found out how awesome it is...not my cup of tea any longer.  I recall us going to junk shops there in the 80's and finding street parking right outside the store NO MORE that was the good 'ole days.  So happy I found this awesome place of solace.  Once tourists find a place it is ruined forever, ie: Myrtle Beach. 

 since the Western Flycatcher was split I found  the Cordilleran Flycatcher.  It's counter part is the Pacific Slope Flycatcher. 

these violet green swallows enjoyed being on the ground 

finally got a decent look at the plumage on these birds, that's an immature bird on the right 

And here is the Rufous Crowned Sparrow.

the mammal of the day was this coyote, he had a lovely thick coat 

This is one extremely pretty spot...I was the only person up there that day...

today I went for a hike....next post the Grizzly Creek Trail, and more. 

PEACE

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

Bottomless and Bitter Lakes!

After the movie I was ready for dinner and a rest so I headed to Bottomless Lakes State Park and my campsite for the night..

.I neglected to get a photo of my site I got there at dark anyway and headed for the shower house.  After that I had a sandwich and worked to upload a few photos to Flickr. They had free WiFi there.  Another storm hit in the night but it too was in the distance we got the wind but not the rain.   In the morning I took some photos of the park on my way out..

                                                    The swimming area in the park

There is a tower that birds find handy...

                     

                                              an English House Sparrow had a nest in there somewhere..

nearby white crowned sparrows vied for a good perching spot...

There's a brackish hint to the Lazy Lagoon, it reminds me of Salt Lake...not as big but the way it smelled...

Other pools in the park are like this the Devil's Ink Well.  These were created by volcanic forces, when sink holes opened up and water filled them...original measurements done with cowboy ropes so even tho they determined no bottom, the Ink Well is actually 50 ft in depth.  

Devils Ink Well

I noticed the beautiful work of the CCC in these buildings...

After a quick trip around the park I headed back toward Roswell to visit Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

 Just a few miles away from town and back toward the direction of my travel.  This hawk had me pull over to take his photo of this Swainson's Hawk. 

the Visitors Center is nice it was staffed with volunteers...when I asked what was around he told me people had reported some dragonflies, I don't think he understood my question.  He and his wife were extremely nice people. 

Barn swallows had a nest under the porch there and I spotted a yellow warbler in a tree out back and more scaled quail on the back overlook 

barely got this quail as he zoomed out of sight...

There is an approximately 8 mile auto tour around the lakes so after a quick visit to the VC I got a stamp in my passport book, then headed around the loop drive.  

...the lakes level is down but still vast!

I spotted a greater roadrunner in a tree...

and another western kingbird...

and lots of western meadowlarks and lark sparrows...

and on the water, I saw all sorts of ducks...Northern Shovelers 

n shoveler 

lots of coots,  blue winged teals, american avocets, wilson's phalaropes, black necked stilts, and ruddy ducks.  

ruddy duck

I took a Boardwalk...

white faced Ibis and black necked stilts 

AND finally a new bird for me showed up and in great numbers the Cinnamon Teal.  Here is a pair with a B N Stilt in the background. 

here is another pair...

Many Blue Winged Teal were present also...

I have waited a long time to see this DUCK! Finally..another shot of the cinnamon teal pair..

And on the way out of the Refuge 2 Mississippi Kites  up in the tree.  

As I headed north toward Ft Sumner, A storm was brewing...

The last ebird list of this trip Bitter Lake

Next my stop in Ft Sumner, NM 

PEACE

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