Bill and I went to the Pueblo Reservoir Park to do some birding - but we felt more like we were "dogging." The Prairie Dogs were everywhere! Yes, they are cute. The park has been affected by the drought with ugly brown grass and dying trees. The water levels are as low as I've ever seen them.
We are not sure what the next rodents are - they looked like squirrels on steroids.
Finally some birds!
This is a young Mockingbird. He still has spots on his chest.
We can always count on the park for Western Kingbirds with their beautiful yellow breasts.
I've decided this is a Say's Phoebe.
I was surprised to see a Killdeer splashing in the water near the dam. It was far out so the picture quality is poor - but the double ring on the neck definitely means it's a Killdeer.
We also stopped by the Pueblo City Park where I can usually spot a few Wood Ducks. I believe these are late eclipse males. All of their beautiful colors will return in the fall.
Back home, it was a beautiful pre-fall evening so we sat outside and enjoyed all the birds in the yard. We have hummingbirds everywhere, the usual quantity of House Finches and Goldfinches and more than our share of Chickadees. Many birds are starting to form larger flocks - getting ready to head south.
The cute little Black-capped Chickadees are some of our favorites. Bill took this picture of one of our guests enjoying the berries in our bush.
This little guy entertained us for the longest time! As the evening light faded, we watched the Nighthawks in the sky. Yes, I tried to take pictures, but was unsuccessful.
Bill noted that the weather-vane is pointing towards Florida and that maybe it's getting to be time for us to migrate. I could be ready in about an hour.
