Chickadees, etc.

Here in Colorado, we have two kinds of Chickadees. The Black-capped variety has been around on-and-off all summer.

They are small birds, only about 5 inches long, and have an unbroken black cap covering both eyes and the top of their heads. They don't stay at the feeders long, preferring to grab a seed and quickly head back to the nest.

The other variety is the slightly larger Mountain Chickadee. They look very similar to the Black-capped Chickadee except the Mountain Chickadee has white eyebrows and a smaller cap.

They have only recently come to our yard feeders and birdbath, although we regularly saw them when we hiked. I assume they are done raising their new families and are coming to lower elevations for the fall and winter.

This feeder is filled with thistle - which attracts different kinds of finches - but the Mountain Chickadees seem to also like it as a change from the sunflower seeds in the larger feeders.

The Downy Woodpeckers are regular visitors. She is clinging to a chunk of oak that we have hanging from the feeder hooks. Everyday we spread a peanut butter and suet mixture on it for the woodpeckers and the nuthatches.

The humming-birds continue to entertain us! This little guy is sitting on a honeysuckle vine near the feeder. This morning there were half a dozen buzzing around. I had to hang a second feeder to keep them all happy!

We still have lots of flowers for the birds to enjoy.

It's challenging getting pictures of them in flight as they move so fast. I've been experi-menting with different settings on my camera trying to get better pictures.

We thought this was another humming-bird the way it jetted around - but it is a moth. I don't know its official name - but everyone calls them humming-bird moths. They are about the same size as the small birds but do not feed at the feeders, preferring the flowers.

Ms. Grosbeak seems to be checking the menu before deciding what she wants for dinner.

The other day, while hiking and geocaching in Red Rock Canyon, we spotted two beautiful Red-tailed Hawks flying overhead. I almost fell over trying to get a decent picture - and since we were on the edge of a cliff, that wouldn't have been good!

Towards the end of the trail, this cute little chipmunk was munching on an apple. He didn't seem to mind me stopping to take his picture. We were surprised to see two apple trees growing near the trail. We tried the fruit and it was very good. I'm sure the wildlife enjoys it.

Look at the size of this bee enjoying the nectar from one of our pansies. He has a reddish-orange spot on his tail. I don't remember seeing bees like this when I lived on the east coast.

This picture proves we are feeding our birds well - maybe too well! This is a chubby young House Finch.

I feel just like her some days!

My Sister Beth

Today is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday Beth! This picture was taken around 1947 shortly after her little sister (me) was born. Just look at those beautiful curls! I always thought it was unfair that she got mother's curls. Still do!

She looked much happier when she was an only child. Probably was!

We didn't like each other very much when we were kids. Not only did she get the curls - she got the brains and amazing artistic talent. She could do everything better than I could and I was jealous. Still am.

Here we are - looking like everything is hunky-dory. Our grand-mother made our dresses and did the hand smocking. Mine is probably a hand-me-down - Nana always liked Beth the best. I look like a brat in this picture - but I'm sure it was Beth's fault. She probably pulled my pigtails - then smiled that angelic smile.

This is Beth's High School graduation picture. Check out those glasses! She graduated with honors and went on to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the same college that our father attended before he went on to teach at Colorado College here in Colorado Springs and, after WWI, the University of Pennsylvania.

It was when Beth was in college that we finally became friends. As we get older, I appreciate her more and more. She is an amazing women. Married to Warren, they have two daughters, Lisa and Suzanne and a new granddaughter, Amelia.

This family picture was taken in 1968, after Beth graduated from college and came back to the Philadelphia area to work. I was already married - the one thing I could do better than my sister. I was like a Chicago voter and married early and often.

Beth, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I can't wait to see you and Warren again in December. I love you.

Hummingbirds & Travel Bugs

I sat outside on this beautiful Colorado morning drinking my coffee and watching the humming-birds at the feeder. The early morning sun captures their colors - which change as they move.

The Rufous Hummingbird has beautiful shades of orange.

Same bird, just a fraction of a second later. The bright throat colors did not show when he was looking up.

I was surprised to see shades of green on this one. I don't know if this is the same bird or not.

The Broad-tailed Humming-bird has a green back.

Look at her little feet - just enough to stand still on.

This must be the male as his colors are much brighter. His throat patch (gorget) looks bright red in the sunlight.

I enjoy looking at all the birds, but there is something very special about the hummingbirds - probably because they are so small, move so fast and are around for just a short time. It's fun to hear the buzz-z-z as the Broad-tailed hummers fly around.

Yesterday, Bill and I hiked in Palmer Park and we completed our first multi-geocache. It had five steps. The first location had a very small (half the size of your ring finger) container under a piece of bark with the coordinates of the second cache. The 2nd had the coordinates of the third and so on. Each successive cache was a little larger than the previous and the last one was the size of a small canister of coffee.

After signing the log at the final stop, we dropped off a travel bug, which is a dog tag stamped with a unique number and may or may not be attached to a small stuffed animal, toy or figurine. Each bug has a mission and people who find it pass it along by putting it into a different cache and record the move on geocaching.com.

We have four bugs that we have placed in different caches around Colorado. This one was "Rotten Ralph." His mission is to "get out of town - fast."

Another of our bugs, "Leo," is a small beanie baby lion who just "wants to go home."

"Orca" is a beanie baby whale trying to find his way to Fort Myers - and if he makes it, we will pick him up.

Our last bug was not attached to anything as we placed it into a micro-cache - too small for anything else but a log and the tag. It's mission is to visit "every cache in Colorado."

Many of these bugs and other trackables like geocoins go missing as people who find them keep them as souvenirs, so I'm hoping ours will travel and people will record their adventures.

Just another silly but fun facet to the hobby!

Rampart

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we took a ride through Garden of the Gods and up Rampart Range Road - a 36 mile dirt road that goes through Pike National Forest and on up to Rampart Reservoir, a recreation area owned and operated by Colorado Springs Utilities.

Along the way we stopped to retrieve two caches, both of which led us to gorgeous views of Pikes Peak.

Bill took a few minutes to relax and enjoy the view before we headed up the road (and I do mean up!)

This is the site of the 2nd cache we found - hidden in the rocks. Both of the caches along Rampart Range Road were relatively easy finds after short hikes. Since our primary goal was a good hike, we continued up to the park, paid our $5 (which would have been $2.50 if I had remembered to bring my Senior Parks Card) parked and headed down the trail to Nichols Reservoir - the smaller of the two reservoirs in the area.

The view from the trail was great. If you look very closely at this picture, you can see the reservoir in the distance. The trail is a fairly steep hike down.

We encountered this cute little chipmunk down by the water. The chipmunks here in Colorado are bigger than the ones I remember from back east.

He was sitting on a huge boulder. I really like the colors and textures of the rock.

We walked all around the reservoir. They have a nice dirt trail with side paths down to the best fishing spots. There were quite a few people out fishing. All of the parks and outdoor spaces here in Colorado are well used by the residents and visitors. The Colorado Lottery proceeds help the state to acquire more land and make improvements to existing open spaces.

This meadow at the far end of the lake was in full bloom with wildflowers. The pines smelled wonderful. We just love hiking on days like this!

This picture gives you a little better idea of the size of the lake. The circum-ference is about 2 1/2 miles. The larger reservoir, Rampart Reservoir, is huge in comparison.

This is supposed to be the best spot for fishing. There is a group of young fisher-people on the bank. When we hiked by and asked how the fishing was, they offered Bill an ice-cold beer. Nice.

After walking about 3/4 of the way around, we hiked straight up the this hill to locate a geocache in the rocks - the group at the very top. Believe me, this picture does not show the size or elevation of the hill!

The clue said to "look in the crack to find the cache" so I climbed between the rocks. It wasn't there.

Bill found it under this rock. This site is only 1/10 of a mile from the lake - but that short hike took us up almost 300 feet! We're too old for that kind of climb - especially at an altitude of just under 9000 feet! It was a real challenge - and we still had to climb back down, finish our hike around the lake and climb back up to the parking lot.

Even though the hike was a killer, we sure did enjoy the view from the top - with Nichols Reservoir below.

By the time we got to the car, I was ready to drink a huge Diet Coke - and just sit.

Mike and Mel are arriving today for a short visit on their way back to Missouri. We always enjoy the time we get to visit with them. I'm especially looking forward to the meal that Bill started cooking early this morning while I was at the gym.

Hummingbird Wars

It's been a peaceful summer at the hummingbird feeder - until now. The Rufous Hummingbirds have returned from their summer breeding in Alaska, Western Canada, Washington and Oregon and are terrorizing their way through the Rockies on the way to their winter homes in Mexico.

Mr. Rufous (named for his reddish-brown color) has decided this feeder is his and he spends the day guarding it! If anyone dares to come close he dive bombs the intruder to scare them away then returns to his post to continue to defend his territory. It's quite a show.

Prior to his arrival, our regular summer residents, the Broad-tailed Humming-birds, nicely shared the nectar. Their wings create a high-pitched buzz that advertises their presence. If I move slowly when one is at the feeder, I can actually get it to perch on my finger.

Take a close look at their legs - actually just feet. They cannot walk - they can just perch - but they more than make up for this deficiency in flight. They can fly forward, backward or just hover in one spot. They really are amazing little birds.

These are both female; the males have an iridescent throat patch that looks bright ruby-red in the sun.

Many people think humming-birds are attracted to the red color of the liquid in the feeder and add red food coloring to a sugar and water mixture, but commercial red food coloring actually harms the birds. We mix 3 parts boiling water with one part sugar and change the mixture every week.

Mr. Rufous has a couple of regular look-out points. His favorite is an Aspen Tree in the northeast part of the backyard.

He keeps a sharp eye on the feeder. Sometimes we have a dozen birds buzzing around doing aerial acrobatics.

Taking pictures of these small darting birds is quite a chore. Not only are they fast, they always seem to land with their back to me - and if I try to move from my position, they quickly take flight. I must have taken 300 shots to get just a few so-so pictures.

Today is cold, damp, dark and dreary - not a good day to capture iridescent colors.