Still Sewing and Watching the Birds

My sewing machine has been smoking this season! I've made several quilts, matching pillow cases and pillow shams, aprons, market and mondo bags and lots and lots of small crafty items with our sewing group. The past couple of weeks I have been trying to make purses.

I just finished this one. It has a zipper inside which, for me, was a challenge.

This is the first one I did for Bill's daughter Laura. The blue material is pre-quilted and thick enough that I did not use batting. This one does not have a zipper - I put in a magnetic snap.

My daughter spends her days in the OR and needed some fun scrub hats. I couldn't find a decent pattern so made several prototypes before hitting on the right method. So far Laura has 5 she can wear and there are several more ready to go.

 This has not been the best birding year. Not until the Cedar Waxwings showed up!

I swim every morning from 7 to 8 and the trees outside the pool building were full of berries until hundreds of birds arrived to eat every last one.

Our droves of American Goldfinches are finally getting some color.

For the last 6 weeks they have all looked drab like the 2 birds on the upper left in the picture.

I believe this is a Savannah Sparrow.

Our wonderful Florida Fox Squirrels continue to visit every day. We have had as many as five at a time under the feeders. This is the one that is missing most of his tail.

This is what their tails should look like.

Yesterday, Bill thought he saw a humming bird. Today we bought a hummingbird feeder and tonight we had two amazing little  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds come to visit.

Colorado Field Ornithologist (CFO) Convention in Sterling Colorado

Bill and I attended our first CFO Convention over the Labor Day weekend in Sterling, Colorado. We gathered with 175 other birders and the mayor of Sterling for the welcome barbecue on Thursday evening followed by 3 days of field trips, a Saturday night banquet, talks and impromptu "chases" to see specific birds.  

A Black-billed Magpie along the route to Sterling.

After the welcome BBQ, several of us went out to search for Western Screech Owls. The leader lead a car parade to a remote spot and called in the owls. It was quite dark when I took this shot and I'm amazed I got anything - but it's a picture, so it counts - a lifer for both Bill and me.

Our first field trip took us to a private wildlife area in Fort Morgan. We saw lots of Towhees - this one is a juvenile Spotted Towhee.

There was a lot of discussion about the identity of this sparrow but the leader finally decided it was a Song Sparrow.

Western Wood Peewees were the default bird of the trip - we saw dozens.

A Red-shafted Flicker.

Swainson's Hawk

I've only seen Wilson's Warblers in the high country before this trip.

 

Another Life Bird for us - a juvenile Mississippi Kite. There were a lot flying high over one of the city parks, but Bill and I waited until dusk when they began to land in the trees.

Not a great picture as it was so dark - but a real thrill for me to see one up close.

Our birding group (the slackers) on Saturday at Columbine Park. Our leader is Ted Floyd - a wealth of fabulous information!

 This has been the year of the Cedar Waxwings! There were dozens in one of the trees - both adults and juveniles.

This time of year, I don't see the red on their wings.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch looking for insects.

Our Sunday trip took us to Tamarak SWA where I saw this Bullock's Oriole. We counted a total of 58 species - not bad. It was a great weekend and we are already looking forward to next year!

Just a Couple More Waxwings (I Promise!)

Yes, the Cedar Waxwings are still here and in as many numbers as before. I swear they are not going to leave a single bud on our bushes.

We still see an occasional Black-headed Grosbeak.

But the Waxwings are the stars of the yard.

I love the Robins.

This picture shows the red waxy projections at the end of the feathers that give them their name.

Over the weekend we went to La Junta, Colorado to watch some baseball. Naturally, we went the long way and did a little birding. The next three pictures are of a Swainson's Hawk being pursued by a Western Kingbird. That nasty kingbird would not leave him alone!

We stopped at a pond where we saw this Lark Sparrow.

Another Western Kingbird.

 It was quite a surprise to see Black-crowned Night Herons. There were about a dozen in the trees on the other side of the pond.

One more shot of the Lark Sparrow.

During the break between baseball games we visited the Comanche National Grasslands just south of La Junta.

This was very cool - what remains of a stage coach route through the area.

On our way back to Colorado Springs, we heard that there were terrible storms in town. This was the view from east of town.

Cedar Waxwings

The Cedar Waxwings have taken over our yard. We see dozens of the beautiful birds everyday. This morning, Bill counted 30 birds on the pond. Our bushes come alive and limbs of the local trees strain under the weight of so many birds.

I can't stop taking pictures - so this is my tribute to the Cedar Waxwings.

 

 

 According to my books, we are in the winter range for the birds but they stay year-around in the northwest parts of the state. They couple up in late Spring and early Summer. I expect we will wake up one day soon - and they will all be gone - so I'm enjoying the show while it lasts.