Right Around the Corner

I haven't done anywhere near enough hiking in Palmer Park lately. So, the other day when Bill and I were on our way to the gym for our usual boring workout, and he said - "we should go hiking instead," I couldn't get my hiking shoes on fast enough! Palmer Park is an uncut gem set in the center of this sprawling town, and right around the corner from our house.

The Towhees were thick in the brush. We could hear them singing the entire time we hiked.

We also saw more than our share of Scrub Jays. Their call (you can't call it a song) is nowhere as pretty as that of the Towhee.

Bill spotted this lizard out sunning on a rock.

And I saw this butterfly sipping nectar from a blooming thistle. We hiked a couple of hours, taking it relatively easy as the day warmed. There were lots of runners in the park on Sunday and as we got closer to the end of the trail, we could hear them announcing winners of a race.

South of town, the cactus is in full bloom and I don't remember ever seeing them so beautiful.

And there are lots of them!

All different colors and sizes...

Look, but don't touch!

We stopped at the City Park in Pueblo to see if there were any ducks on the lake. These Geese seem to be there all the time.

I was delighted to see Wood Duck families swimming around. Unfortunately, there are enough geese that the entire area, including the water is a dirty mess - feathers and feces everywhere. Budget cuts have hurt park maintenance throughout the state so there was more trash than I've seen before - and the rest rooms are locked.

This is a Western Grebe and the first we've seen in Colorado. We were at Stem Beach for a "float fly" and there were quite a few ducks on the other side of the lake - too far away for decent pictures.

This was our first trip to Stem Beach - a rather secluded lake south of Pueblo where RC enthusiasts fly float planes twice a month - taking off from the water - and, if all goes right, landing upright back in the water.

Oops!

Afterwards, we went to the Pueblo Street Rod Nationals. I used to attend Rod Runs on a fairly regular basis in a past life and only cars from 1949 and earlier were allowed. To encourage more participation (and make more money) the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) now welcomes classic cars through the 60's. At first it was odd to see muscle cars next to hot rods - but I did enjoy the variety.

The show was held at the State Fair Grounds. Don't you love the sign over this classic Rolls Royce?

Bill enjoyed looking at the cars and was pleased that there is a hobby that costs more than RC planes - a lot more!

Son John arrived on Saturday to teach at the annual ANA Summer Seminar at Colorado College - an event I once headed as ANA Director of Education. I stopped by to donate some items for the scholarship benefit auction and it was wonderful to see some of the regulars again - especially my "kids." I really do miss the people and the excitement of two weeks totally immersed in education, camaraderie and numismatics.

Birding in the San Luis Valley

It's beginning to look like Spring in Colorado. The daffodils are blooming in our backyard by the birdbath and we've planted some Pansies in the boxes around the patio.

The purple pansies endured the snow we had over the weekend and are looking quite perky.

Bill is re-doing the pond today with two of his grandsons, Nathan and Camron. I'd be taking pictures, but my camera is in the repair shop. Maybe if it can't be fixed, I can get a new one.

Last week Bill and I drove our new-to-us 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid down to the San Luis Valley to visit Louis and Paula and see if the Sand Hill Cranes were still there. They were not - but we saw lots of other birds like this Yellow-headed blackbird and got great mileage on the car - 47 miles a gallon.

Louis took this picture and I took the next one. He has a much fancier camera and several of the following pictures (the good ones) are his.

I don't remember ever seeing a Yellow-headed Blackbird before, but on this trip we saw dozens.

This is a wren. Louis identified it as a Sedge Wren but I'm not so sure. I think it is a Marsh Wren.

In Florida, we saw lots of Eastern Mockingbirds. This Western Mockingbird looks and sounds the same.

Two pairs of Ruddy Ducks at the Alamosa Wildlife Preserve.

This picture of Ring-necked Ducks is another that Louis was able to get with his long lens. I'm sure I need a new camera!

The Northern Shovelers are easy to identify with their huge bills.

We encountered this Northern Harrier sitting beside the road but before either of us could get our cameras out, he flew away.

I think this is a Greater Scaup. I need to study-up on ducks.

These are Gadwalls.

It seems out of place to see Gulls in Colorado but we saw quite a few of these Franklin Gulls.

I think this is a pair of Bafflehead Ducks.

Canadian Geese are everywhere!

We also saw lots of Mountain Bluebirds.

I was excited to see these American Avocets, cousins to the Black-necked Stilts we saw in Florida.

You can see his up-turned bill in this picture. We also saw several Cinnamon Teal, a Black-crested Night Heron and a White-faced Ibis but they were too far away to get decent pictures.

I will be without a camera until the end of the month so I don't know how many blog entries I will do. We just got new phones with Bluetooth for the car and they have cameras - but I haven't a clue how to get the pictures into the computer. Maybe one of the grandsons can help.