Orioles!

So I happened to be on the back deck when I saw a burst of orange...a Bullock's Oriole! Kin to the Baltimore Oriole, but the western version. He was beautiful! He even sat at my hummingbird feeder! One more bird to add to my life list...soooo excited!!!

***Remember, make your own hummingbird food; one part sugar/four parts water. Store bought food is a waste of money and time and can be harmful to your hummers!!!

Hummingbirds!!

So, I haven't posted anything in a while because I was out of town. I did see a few notables while I was in Missouri. I saw a male and female American Goldfinch and a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at mt parents' feeder. But the most exciting siting in a while was the Calliope
Hummingbird this morning at MY feeder! The ground is still snow covered from late season snow, but we are having constant melt off because of warm days. I read in our local newspaper that the hummers were in town and to put out feeders even if it was cold. Sure enough, they came!

Calliope Hummingbirds are migrators here in Colorado on their way to northern Mexico. They are used to being at high elevations hence it makes sense that they would be here early in the season. The beautiful male was at my feeder and although the lighting was bad, his profile definitely showed the distended bib and his size is roughly like that of the Rufous Hummingbird (who don't arrive until August.)

(Just a note about hummingbird feeders...if you buy a feeder, PLEASE make your own sugar water!! It's way cheaper and the red dye in store bought feeders can be harmful to the hummingbirds. The red on your feeder will attract the hummingbirds just as well as having red liquid in the feeder. The recipe I use is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. They love it and it takes about five minutes to make. Put the water over heat and add the sugar. Stir and wait for the sugar to dissolve, which is normally before it boils. Wait for the water to cool before you pour into your feeder.)

Coot, Coot, Coot

I spotted an American Coot today in the south side pond. Ever hear the phrase, "Get out of the way ya ol' coot"? This saying could have possibly originated due to the slow movement of coots in comparison to ducks. There feet aren't webbed so they definitely don't have the advantage of swimming fast. They are also known as mud hens or marsh hens. They are cousins to the Purple Gallinule, who I've only seen in FL. There has been kind of a lull in the birding and the weather has not been cooperating, but I'm getting ready to go on a road trip to the midwest which I will blog about when I see something interesting.

What is that?

Wow, I can't believe what I saw this evening! My husband was out cooking on the grill and called me out on the back deck. He is a total non-birder and calls me a nerd every chance he gets...but he is interested just the same. I went out and heard a ruckus of honking/croaking overhead. It couldn't be Canadian Geese because it didn't sound right, but I did recognize the sound. Hmmmm, but why did I recognize it? The birds were circling, higher and higher, so I went and got my binoculars. They were gray to the eye from underneath but looked to have white heads....and feet past their tail?? Definitely not geese! Sandhill Cranes!!!! I knew I recognized the sound!! When I lived in St. Cloud, FL with my Aunt Sandra, these guys were bascially resident on East Lake Tahopekaliga, a block away! Sooooooo awesome!!! In reading my bird books, the Rocky Mountains has a population that visits the mountains during the summer...who knew???!!! Super stoked to see the cranes!!!

Snow, snow and more snow...

The snow has really hindered my ability to go anywhere different this week to seek out our feathered friends. I did drive down to the river by my house but it was pretty windy and I didn't see much. I did however see and sign of spring, the Red-Winged Blackbird. They normally hang out in the cattails and reeds on the north side of the road in the ponds. I love hearing them in the mornings and evenings. They've got the best song and it reminds me of growing up in Florida. I've also seen a Yellow-Headed Blackbird in the same spot already this year. Definitely a summer indicator...now if the snow would just melt...

April 4, 2010 (Easter)

Well, Easter morning turned out to be one of the most epic birding days I've had in a while. Let me explain...

We live along the Eagle River in Edwards, CO. I can look out my window and see the river and I drive by it everyday. There are always ducks but usually just the normal mallards and Canadian Geese. But, especially during spring migration, you might see something different. And that morning, I did.

I'm always excited when I see a lot of white on a duck or solid ducks. That normally means that they are something different than the common, resident mallards. I pulled up on the gravel shoulder of the road and I knew I was looking at something special. Not only were there a lot of ducks, there was a species to add to my lifelist: the Cinnamon Teal! And not just a pair...10 pairs!! They were beautiful! The deep rust color of their feathers and that red eye were a sight to behold! I was so excited! So, I started to scan the rest of the river. All of a sudden, I had seven different species in my binoculars. There were the Cinnamon Teal (10 pairs), Mallards, Green-Winged Teal, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers (3 pairs), American Wigeon and Common Golden-eye, not to mention the Canadian Geese!! What a morning!! I feel like I may have gotten lucky to be there at the right time in the morning not to mention the right day. Those type of days are what makes birding worth it!

Birding as a Hobby

So, after 14 years of bird watching, I'm finally putting it down on paper. I love the hobby and I'm in a perfect place for it, Colorado. I started bird watching in central Florida with my Aunt Sandra. The first place I went birding was Black Point Wildlife Drive in Titusville, FL. We saw a plethora of ducks including Northern Pintails, Blue-Wing Teal and Northern Shovelers. That day really made me want to pursue birding. Not only do you get to be out in nature, but the identifying part was fun! I got myself the Golden Guide of Birds and was off!

The Golden Guide is great and should be the first birding book you get. I also have the Audobon Guide for Eastern Birds, a field guide for Colorado Birds and the Sibley Guide for Western Birds. I always try to keep a set of binoculars in the car and a field guide; you never know what you're going to see! One of the basics of birding that I learned from my aunt is to always check out power lines and telephone wires and posts. These are good places to see birds and look for raptors.

My purpose in this blog is to share my day to day birding experiences, pictures, basic birding tips that I find useful and unusual birds I see. I also intend on going some different places and hikes to be able to seek out more birds and adding some new species to my lifelist. This should be fun!