Birds and Nature

Prairie Falcon feasting

2025-11-26T23:53:00.001-07:00

I spotted this Prairie Falcon several hundred away and drove over to about 100 ft away. It was eating what may be a bird given what looks like a lot of feathers around the site. While I try not disturb birds this one picked up its prey and flew off to eat with more privacy.

2025-06-21T16:50:00.000-06:00

https://youtu.be/6hg6m31NrHk

2022-08-23T00:34:00.001-06:00

https://youtu.be/pN0yPlReP50

Undisturbed young hawk

2022-08-22T23:42:00.001-06:00

.I birded parts of the Comanche National Grasslands yesterday. As I drove slowly on a dirt road a few miles away from dispersed ranches I was surprised by this recently fledged hawk perched on the ground less than 25 feet from me. I watched quietly for a few minutes to see that it appeared uninjured and unconcerned about my presence. I didn't see anything nearby where it might have left a nest and there were no other hawks around. I drove on with no apparent impact on it and it was gone when I drove back past it about 20 minutes later. I expect this is a young Red-tailed Hawk unless someone sees field marks I am missing.

Mud puddling butterflies

2022-08-20T01:01:00.001-06:00

Spotted up to 80 of the sulfur butterflies mud puddling in Crowley County, Colorado 3 days ago.

https://youtu.be/8d67oXWU02w

Baby bird id

2022-06-28T22:30:00.000-06:00

https://sites.tufts.edu/babybirds/common-name/heronsegrets/

Bear visiting Pathfinder Park in Fremont Co.,CO

2019-07-16T00:28:00.003-06:00

Young bear visiting Pathfinder Park in Fremont County. Like a normal bear it took off when it heard by 30 lb dog bark at it from my car. More bear photos and video at https://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/search?q=bear SeEtta

Poor Peregrine Falcon

2019-06-12T22:51:00.000-06:00

(Click on Read More to see 3 additional photos) I spotted this Peregrine trying to dry off from a drenching rain when this Common Raven tried to chase it out of the neighborhood with aggressive harassment. Note that the raven looks bigger than the falcon because it is closer to the camera.

It was quite surprising to find this Peregrine Falcon where it had landed which was in a residential area of the city so it must have been soaked to land there.

The raven wasn't the only neighborhood bird that didn't like this visitor. A couple of blackbirds were perched below the Peregrine and the bottom pic shows it watching them. SeEtta

Gray Flycatcher 'fall out' in Canon City

2019-05-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

It didn't take long this morning to realize there had been a 'fall out' of Gray Flycatchers due to the socked in rainy, sometimes snowy weather in Canon City . I saw at least 25 Gray Flycatchers during a mile long walk. Many of them were actively feeding.ngng Click on each pic to enlarge for best viewing. Several years ago I saw a similar 'fall out' of Gray Flycatchers due to weather. SeEtta

Hundreds of Franklin's Gulls

2019-04-27T22:20:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of Franklin's Gulls are feasting on worms and anything else they eat brought up by flood irrigation in this field. This is an unusually large flock of these gulls that are stopping over to eat here in Canon City during their migration.
Their loud calling alerted me to part of the flock that flew high over my house, making the species a 'yard bird' for me.SeEtta

Clark's Grebe with crown feathers lifted up in courtship display

2019-04-14T00:02:00.000-06:00

This Clark's Grebe crown feathers are lifted up in a courtship display almost looks like it's wearing a hat. The red eyes found on both aechmorphorus grebes (Western and Clark's Grebes) really stand on this species as the eyes are surrounded by white feathers and white lores and thin red loral stripes.

Something I just learned from Birds of North America online: "Grebes are the only birds that are able to spend their entire lifecycle on water. Floating nests and back brooding their young make this possible. " SeEtta

Bald Eagle on humongous nest in Colorado

2019-03-31T21:57:00.000-06:00

When I looked through my binoculars at this nest today I thought the eagle wasn't on it as her head is so light and small--this nest is located more than 500 feet from the public road. Even at that distance I took the pics from inside my car and did not get so I didn't disturb the eagle. This nest has been used by Bald Eagles for a number of years as is evident by its' amazing size.

The above pic provides a little perspective on the size of this nest. As I took the pic with a 210mm lens this pic is approximately 4X enlarged. This is in Crowley County on Colorado's southeast plains. SeEtta

Overwintering Virginia Rail

2019-02-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

I found this Virginia Rail 2 weeks ago in a return-flow channel on private property next to a residential subdivision in Canon City. Because it was almost 6 pm I couldn't get any reasonable pics. I have looked for this bird a number of times but did not refind until today and fortunately it was sunny so I got some nice pics. Interestingly this location used to wetlands until a developed bought the property and illegally diverted the return flow channel so he could put in a very small subdivision adjacent to the Arkansas River (for which the Corp of Engineers slapped his hands with a piddly fine)

While Virginia Rail sightings are not rare in winter in Colorado they are pretty uncommon. I haven't seen a winter rail in the Canon City area for a few years. SeEtta

Super Blood Wolf Moon 2019

2019-01-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

I got one good photo of the Super Blood Wolf Moon tonight and had to use my tripod to get it. Used my Sony RX10-4 hybrid camera with Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f/2.4-4 Zoom Lens, a sweet camera. This pic is at 600mm focal length (35mm equivalent) SeEtta

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Canon City

2018-12-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

I found this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, my first of the season for this species, today in Canon City. While we usually have several Williamson's Sapsuckers for the fall/early winter season, we usually get at least one Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and in most years a Red-naped Sapsucker.

This sapsucker is in juvenal plumage: white wing stripe, indistinct black and white striped face, and this one shoes the beginnings of the red crown found on this species. SeEtta

Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk in Canon City

2018-11-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

(note click on 'Read More' below to see the other photos of this hawk) I spotted this Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk today not far from the Arkansas River above a field right in town. It was 150-200 feet away so had to crop severely to get these pics.

The significant amount of white on this hawk's face, the white on it's breast and mottling on tail are field marks for this northern sub species of Red-tailed Hawk.

Some years we get a 5 or more Harlan's moving through or spending some of the winter. This is the first one I have seen in the Canon City area this winter. SeEtta

What the Cape May Warbler in Pueblo City Park is eating and where it has been seen

2018-11-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

I noted on the previous post that the Cape May Warbler appeared to be after some pretty small 'lumps' on a pine needle a few centimeters from it's bill as shown above. Dave Leatherman, retired entomologist, shared the following in a post on Cobirds listserv regarding this bird's food sources:

"Those look like the same aphids that have been attracting a lot of the late warblers along the Front Range. I think it is the Powdery Pine Needle Aphid (Eulachnus rileyi or related species in the same genus). Other warblers I have confirmed eating this same aphid of late are Blackburnian in Longmont, Yellow-rumped in Longmont, Yellow-rumped in Denver West Office Park, Palm Warbler in Denver West Office Park (per communication from Mark Chavez), Unknown warbler (probably Orange-crowned) in Denver West Office Park. In autumn's past, I have seen a Blackburnian in Greeley, a Bay-breasted and Northern Parula in Boulder and a Pine in Loveland going for this same aphid."

Dave further related that these Powdery Pine Needle Aphids give birth to live young and females can reproduce without males. This can result in a large number of aphids on a pine tree for birds like this Cape May Warbler to feast upon. And that is what it looked like as this warbler foraged appeared to be feeding frequently for the hour we watched it, and interposed were breaks where it cleaned it's bill on branches.

After not being seen for several days, this Cape May Warbler was spotted again today in the same general area around the administration building in Pueblo City Park. If you want to try for this rare warbler it has been consistently seen in the pine trees that are right around the Parks and Recreation Administration Office in Pueblo City Park as show below. SeEtta

Video clips of Pueblo, CO Cape May Warbler foraging in pine tree

2018-11-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, two short video clips and more pics including the one directly below that shows the warbler as it goes after some apparent food source on a pine needle (maybe insect larva?)

Cape May Warbler in Pueblo,Colorado from SeEtta Moss on Vimeo.
(Note: click See More located on lower right to see the videos) These are two short video clips of the Cape May Warbler I got to watch earlier this week in Pueblo, Colo City Park. During the full hour I (and Brandon Percival) watched this very rare warbler for this area it stayed in one pine tree. I was told it had also been seen in other pine trees located around the administration building in City Park. SeEtta
CapeMayWarbler in Pueblo Colorado\

A Cape May Warbler in Pueblo, CO, big rarity

2018-11-20T23:05:00.001-07:00

This very rare eastern Cape May Warbler was found by Brandon Percival and Van Truan 2 days ago in Pueblo City Park. I ran into Brandon yesterday there and we looked for it for about 45 minutes before it showed itself in one of pine trees near the administration building.

This was one of the most cooperative warblers as it foraged in the lower branches of the tree and stayed in that same tree for an hour as we got great views and photo opportunities. More Later. SeEtta

Light morph Ferruginous Hawk

2018-11-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

I was driving back to Canon City from a long day in Pueblo so I took the scenic, and often more birdie, root via H96. I spotted this hawk and got these 3 pics that show most of the field marks for this subspecies.

These show the snowy white underparts that have scattered rufous feathers, white tail, the pale head and gray cheeks and some of the rufous shoulders and back found on this morph of Ferruginous Hawk. Not visible are their feathered legs. SeEtta

Handsome Williamson's Sapsucker

2018-11-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Every fall and winter I get to drive around my town of Canon City to watch and photograph a number of sapsuckers. There are always several Williamson's Sapsuckers and this year is no different. These are pics of one of two male Williamson's Sapsuckers I have found so far.

These males have such striking plumage. They, and their female counterparts, have outsized feet compared to their body size. SeEtta

Cedar Waxwings feasting on crab apples

2018-11-11T22:26:00.001-07:00

I am back😀 I spotted some Cedar Waxwings in a couple of crab apple trees located right next to busy 9th Street in Canon City.

There were about 20 to 25 birds in the flock.

I have had a flock of about the same size visit my yard a number of times in October to feed on crab apples and other small fruit, but couldn't get any reasonable pics of them. Several more pics, just click on Read More. SeEtta

Migrating Chimney Swifts going to roost in chimney

2018-08-24T00:29:00.001-06:00

I heard a couple of Chimney Swifts making their chittering sounds and as I watched more appeared. I walked around the Goodwill Store building to get a better view.

I was delighted to see that this flock totaled 25-30 swifts. Since about the most breeding Chimney Swifts I have seen in Canon City is 8, this is a migrating flock that are stopping over to feed and roost.

The pic below shows 16 or 17 of the swifts as they circled close to the Goodwill chimney in preparation for entering the roost. The pic just above shows one of the swifts as it briefly hovered, using it's tail feathers opened widely, before diving quickly into thhttps://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=57749986988450056&pli=1#editor/target=post;postID=6517924101953644242;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postnamee chimney. The short video clip below shows this flock of swifts as they move in and dive into the chimney to roost for the night. SeEtta Chimney Swifts Entering Migration Roost from SeEtta Moss on Vimeo.

A juvenile Peregrine Falcon

2018-08-12T22:38:00.002-06:00

I spotted this juvenile Peregrine Falcon driving on Red Canyon Road north of Canon City last week. Though I used a 600mm (equivalent) lens and cropped the pic severely, since it was perched 400-500 feet away I couldn't enlarge it more than this.

Just to give some perspective, the pic below is what the pic above looked like before I cropped it to enlarge the Peregrine. SeEtta

"Hidden" Belted Kingfisher

2018-08-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

I photographed this Belted Kingfisher at Florence River Park from my car. As the bird was behind a number of tree and shrub branches it thought it was hidden so it stayed put about 30 feet from my car (they usually flush at that close distance)--of course those branches made getting a clear shot a challenge.

While field marks of blue-gray head and back, white collar, black dagger like bill are usually noted, often not mentioned is the small white spot in front of each eye. Interestingly these white spots are thought to assist their fishing skill: "That “perfect” aim, some biologists believe, is enabled by two white “false eyes” in front of the bill. These spots may serve as sighting devices along the line of the bill, allowing the eyes to fix binocular vision on the prey, and also correcting for light refraction at the water’s surface, which makes prey appear to be nearer the surface than they really are." SeEtta