images as thoughts
Blue blue sky and a bright blue bird. Western Scrub Jay keeping a watchful eye on us as she enjoyed an afternoon snack.
For the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our favorite posts from the past as we take a small respite from the digital world.
Along an old county road where the snowmelt and recent rains have made temporary wetlands a variety of birds enjoy a cloudy spring afternoon.
Yellowlegs, dowitchers, stilts and even a great tailed grackle enjoyed some time in the pool.
Having open lands and bit of available water is vital for many migratory birds making the spring journey to their breeding grounds. With development of open farmlands and ranches for housing, business parks and the wonderful strip mall birds lose both land and water in which they need and humans in turn lose another connection to the other creatures we share the planet with.
These farmers fields will dry up in the blink of an eye but for now support life not only for bird habitat in the spring but they also grow food for us humans as well. Less farmland, more development. Virtual reality birds and lab grown food. The future is looking bright.
Time to get out and enjoy what we still have.
Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.
A sure sign of spring is the arrival of Horned Larks scurrying about along the sides of rural gravel roads outside of town flying of into the still snow covered fields. Occasionally a bird will perch along the road along on the barbed wire or better yet a fence post and allow a quick portrait session to occur. This day a wonderful looking Horned Lark sat and perched for several minutes giving us a nice look and the chance for a few photos as well.
The Sandhill Cranes are filtering through the area this week. Sometimes in ones and twos sometimes in bigger groups. Most we just hear flying overhead but a couple have touched down for a quick regaling stop on their journeys north.
We encountered these two in an old farm field now for sale and with plans for development (probably another wonderful strip-mall) as other mall and townhouse are being built just behind them. It really drove home that habitat loss is occurring faster than you can shake a stick at and it really will not be long before the consequences are so few migrating large birds and animals they will feel extinct to most of us.
This Crane had very attractive plumage and I could spend hours admiring it.
The Cranes will be filtering through for the next month or so and I will enjoy every one I see.
With snow still filling the landscape the male Mountain Bluebirds have arrived to stake out their territories and find the best nest boxes along a quiet bluebird trail.
This handsome gentleman was quietly sitting on a fence post looking as blue as blue can be but in a very good handsome bluebird way.
They sing with all their song.
And sing it all day long.
On a quiet country road in the grasslands of eastern Colorado.
Last Sunday the wind was blowing hard but that did not deter these little Tree Swallows from spending their day looking for a suitable summer residence and it sure seemed like box 29 was high on their list of desirable homes.
The competition was high and words of caution we flying as freely as these swallows glide through the skies.
A quick resting spot on the roof was in order and acceptable to both shoppers at box 29.
Photographed on a very windy morning at Hutton Lakes NWR, near Laramie WY.
