Sage Thrasher

On April 5, 2020March 22, 2020 By Mike and Christy7 Comments

We watched and mostly listened as this male Sage Thrasher sang his long and complex song from the top a the sage brush on a quiet dirt road.

According to All About Birds “males have long, complex, melodic songs, with remarkable variety. The rambling series of phrases, often preceded by soft clucking notes, is continuous and interspersed with moments of repetition and mimicry. Songs can be very long indeed; one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight.”

While this guys song was not a whopping 22 minutes it did go on and on leaving me out of breath just listening.

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

On April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 By Mike and Christy4 Comments

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We were pleasantly surprised one recent morning when we noticed a flock of birds foraging in the distance turned out to be beautiful Gray-crowned Rosy-finches. They were busy gobbling up the remaining seeds of some plants not buried deep under a winter of snow. Beautiful birds and ones we don’t often see.

Golden Eagle

On April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 By Mike and Christy11 Comments

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A golden eagle enjoys a perch high above a wide open valley. Sitting and scanning for a meal to appear below.

Junco

On March 30, 2020March 28, 2020 By Mike and Christy11 Comments

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As spring slowly makes it’s way into our area we have had an influx of Dark-eyed Juncos in the neighborhood. First we noticed a few foraging for seed on the ground and within a week or so that two became ten or more at a time. When not foraging the males have begun to sing their musical trill while perched in the trees nearby. A wonderful spring chorus to liven days now spent at home.

Presence

On March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 By Mike and Christy19 Comments

Presence simply stated.

Pinyon Jay

On March 21, 2020March 21, 2020 By Mike and Christy6 Comments

While getting ready to go for a hike a while ago we were pleased to have the company of numerous Pinyon Jays buzzing about in the parking area collecting seeds.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Pinyon Jays are highly social birds of the lower mountain slopes of the western United States, the Pinyon Jay is specialized for feeding on pine seeds. Each jay stores thousands of seeds each year, and has such a good memory that it can remember where most of them were hidden.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pinyon_Jay/id

Now if only I could bottle that kind of memory and take a sip every morning I might never forget where I placed my keys.

Proportions

On March 18, 2020March 15, 2020 By Mike and Christy10 Comments

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Much smaller than the leaves on this tree a Female White-Necked Jacobin puts proportion in perspective….. how can something so small can leave an impression so large.

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First Blues

On March 17, 2020March 14, 2020 By Mike and Christy6 Comments

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With snow still covering the fields the Mountain Bluebirds have made their return. Yes, at this point there are only a few scattered along the county roads staking out the prime real estate and empty nesting boxes, but what a welcome sight they are.

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The male a brilliant blue perched upon an old fence post was a welcome sight on this mid-March afternoon.

In a small package

On March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 By Mike and Christy11 Comments

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So much joy in such a small package.

A Crowned Woodnymph brightens the day. And we can all use just a smidgen of brightening to start this week off right.

Wishing you a wonderful week and one day at a time will be this week motto for us.

Green Heron

On March 13, 2020March 6, 2020 By Mike and Christy13 Comments

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We sat and watched this Green Heron as they slowly moved along the river bank and while we could see them they maintained constant cover in a tangle of dead branches and roots. After about 20 minutes they flew out into the open and landed on this tangle of roots in the river.

Amazing birds in that they can use tools to catch fish.

“The Green Heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species. It often creates fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, and feathers, dropping them on the surface of the water to entice small fish.”

That would be something amazing to see and something to keep an eye out for next time you spend some time observing one.

nature has no boss

Tag: bird watching