Violet-green Swallow

It happened again. I was dressed in my jogging shorts, t-shirt and speedy runners; headphones in my hand, ready to head to the gym when Bill came home from flying and asked if I'd rather go hiking. Heck yes! We headed to the north end of Palmer Park - my favorite part. The hiking is more technical and challenging - but the views are beyond compare. I'm excited to share some of the pictures I took.

This Violet-green Swallow made my day. He was perched fairly close and the sun was in exactly the perfect position. Look at those colors!

My goal for the day was to get a decent picture of a Black-headed Grosbeak so I was pleased when we spotted this one early in the walk.

The view of Pikes Peak from the top of the trail is gorgeous. We were at an elevation of about 6600 feet.


This isn't a very good shot of the Downy Woodpecker - but it's the best of the couple I was able to get before he scooted around to the other side of the tree and disappeared. We haven't seen many this year and only saw one in the yard since returning from Florida. Last year they were daily visitors so we don't know what has changed.

This afternoon I'm heading over to Colorado College to sit in on my son's Colonial Numismatics class. I hope he doesn't call on me to answer any questions!