The Rest of the Trip HOME

 Driving from Ocala to Colorado Springs is usually a 1700 mile trip. We added an additional 1000 miles with our birding excursions - but it was worth every mile - one of our best vacations.

We knew we were getting closer to Colorado when we starting seeing antelope and mule deer. 

There were lots of Meadowlarks on the wires - and in the fields.

 One of my favorite Texas birds is the Scissor-tail Flycatcher and we saw a lot of them along the way.

I wish I knew my hawks better. I think this is a Swainson's Hawk - but can never be sure.

We finally arrived home to find that Spring in Colorado had waited for us. The trees and bushes were bare and there was cold white stuff coming out of the sky. But after a couple of days, things started looking up.

Our faithful House Finches returned as soon as we filled the feeders and we had a new visitor - a cute little gray Bushtit.

They have long tails for their small bodies and are about the size of a Chickadee.

We had about a half dozen flitting around in the bushes - but I think they've left for higher ground now.

I always enjoy the Western Scrub Jays.

I heard there were orioles passing through so I put orange slices in the trees - but you can see the result.

We had a couple of Western Tanagers but I failed to get any decent pictures. One of our first chores was to get the pond up and running. We couldn't believe it when we discovered we still had fish! AND, five or six baby fish!

Bill rebuilt the falls and I think they look great. The jug was even on sale. Check out our nifty new pond plant. It really looks cool - and it was under $30! The trees and bushes are finally starting to leaf, I've planted some colorful flowers and the weather is once again beautiful. Life is good.

The Score is Tied - Racoons 1; Bill 1

While Bill and I were busy working on our ponds, Mrs. Mountain Chickadee was busy at the birdhouse. We aren't sure that she has taken up residence yet but she sure was busy going back and forth.

I finally caught her coming out of the birdhouse!

I set out lots of nesting materials. She seemed to like the soft strands of cotton best.

And took them back to the birdhouse that Bill built last year.

After the raccoon massacre, we had to tear the entire upper pond apart again and clean it out. At this point we still did not know if we had any fish or not as the lower pond - where the fish were - was still too muddy to see any signs of life. Today when we drained the lower pond we were delighted to find all five of the fish that made it through the winter. They have been relocated to the upper pond.

Today we cleaned out the lower pond - AGAIN! We also started the difficult process of rebuilding the main falls.

Yesterday, we went to Lowe's and bought a motion activated flood light. Bill mounted it outside our bedroom window with one light aimed at the pond and the other into our bedroom (to wake us up). We needed to set the sensor low enough that the raccoons would trigger it.

Guess who got to test it! Once we were happy with the settings, we relaxed for the night. We no sooner went to sleep than the light came on - shinning into the bedroom waking us up and out at the pond. I sprang for the window and sure enough, there was a big ole raccoon staring back at me. I saw motion off to the side and decided it was the rest of the gang leaving the scene of the crime. We were awakened one more time through the night and the light worked great - scaring them away.

This is our next line of attack - Critter Ridder. It is not harmful to the animals - but the peppery smell and taste acts as a deterrent to keep them out of the yard.

The Hummingbirds must be migrating through the area as we have had several different kinds stop by for a drink. This is a Broad-tailed Hummingbird - the ones that buzz when they fly. We see (and hear) them early in the morning and towards dusk.

Last night this Black-chinned Hummingbird also stopped by. The iridescent blue colors on his throat were gorgeous - but hard to photograph.

The color only showed when the light hit him just right. I was amazed at the length of his bill - much longer than other hummingbirds.

I took this with a flash at dusk as I was trying to show the bright red throat on this male Broad-tailed.

We've had other visitors to the yard. This is a Western Scrub Jay - noisy but beautiful.

This White-crowned Sparrow has spent a lot of time looking for seeds and berries on the ground - especially under the feeders.

He is probably just passing through and will nest more towards the mountains. The females will arrive later.

The neighborhood is looking great - with lots of these beautiful ornamental flowering plum trees along the street.

Tomorrow, two of the younger grandchildren are spending the day. We hope the weather cooperates so we can be outside - maybe go for a hike in Palmer Park.

The Never-Ending Pond Project

These pictures are already outdated. Just as I think we have finally finished the pond - we decide to change something. We moved the bird feeders away from the garden area as I did not like the droppings on the rocks and flowers. The sides have been rebuilt so many times - I've lost count. We are on the sixth (at least) major rebuild of the main falls. We've made so many trips to Pioneer Sand and Stone to find the perfect rocks for the pond that I feel I need to remember the salespeople in my will.

Yesterday, we emptied most of the water out of the lower pond and put foam behind the falls. Let me tell you about this foam. It's purple and expands to 3 times its original size - so after you apply it, you watch it grow - like the original blob - from behind the stones (where it belongs) to surround the pretty browns, reds and golds with its ugly shinny purple. Once it stops growing - you can take a knife and cut away the parts you don't like. It's messy - but the final result is that the water flows on the outside of the rocks (where you can see and hear it better) instead of running silently under the rocks. So far we are pleased with the results - but I'm not so sure about the top rock on the main falls. If I could just find one that is a little thinner and redder....

The birds don't seem to care - they liked all of the versions of the falls.

This Lesser Goldfinch played and played - splashing water and sliding down the rocks.

This one has more green on his back than some of the others that come to the feeders. The larger American Goldfinches have more bright yellow - but we haven't seen too many this year in the yard.

I took this picture on one of our recent hikes in Palmer Park. The wildflowers have been especially beautiful with brighter colors this year. On the news this morning they commented about the wildflowers saying the vibrant colors are due to the recent rains and mild weather.

This is a Mountain Chickadee - the first one we have identified. Bill took this picture (and dozens more that show nothing but blurry feathers and pine needles) as this little bird quickly flitted from branch to branch.

As we see and identify birds, we check them off in our "Birds of Colorado" Field Guide. So far I have checked off over 2/3 of the birds in the book - but still have about 60 to find. Almost half of the birds we have yet to see here in Colorado, we saw while in Florida - especially shore birds like herons, egrets and ibises.

In "Birds of Colorado" by Stan Tekiela, the birds are sorted by color - all the ones that are mostly yellow are in one section, red in another, etc. It makes it easy to find a bird when you have no clue as to its type.

The other references that I use to help me identify the birds we've seen are: "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America," "Peterson Field Guides, Western Birds," and "Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Western Region." I also have an Audubon Guide and a couple of beginner books that I have outgrown.

Today is cloudy and a little chilly - a perfect day to hike in the mountains - so I'm off...

The Geeks finally came through

My camera is finally fixed! Bill and I headed to our appoint-ment with the Geeks first thing this morning to pick it up. It was like a reunion with a long lost friend.

This is the project we have spent so much time working on - the pond in our backyard. We more than doubled the size and added two water falls. The birdie food court is to the right and it attracts lots of birds.

The squirrels enjoy the droppings, and, my sister was (once again) right! One ingenious squirrel figured out how to jump from the pond up to the feeders. We will move the squirrel baffle up a bit - but I'd love to have a picture of how he did it first.