Birds, Birding, and Hummingbirds (Canon City: photos, compared, year)

[censusdata]

Back in late April we saw an active Bald Eagle and Red Tailed Hawk nests off the trail in Ken Mitchell Park in Brighton. Also saw an active Great Horned Owl nest right off E Prospect Rd in Ft Collins. Visiting from back East I especially enjoyed seeing Magpies for the first time.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by otowi

The Egrets we get here are white. If it was a grayish bird, it was likely a Great Blue Heron. But they're not usually noted for being 'fast'.

It was years ago, so I don't remember the color. But a few years ago there was a Blue Heron hanging out on top of a telephone pole across the street - it was there for quite some time, so I enjoyed spotting it with my binoculars.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Back in late April we saw an active Bald Eagle and Red Tailed Hawk nests off the trail in Ken Mitchell Park in Brighton. Also saw an active Great Horned Owl nest right off E Prospect Rd in Ft Collins. Visiting from back East I especially enjoyed seeing Magpies for the first time.

If you do a search, you'll find a lot of "live" cams of up close and personal nests of various species around the country. This past summer I watched an Osprey nest located in Grand Lake (where I used to live). Watched the three eggs hatch, the babies being fed with fresh fish from the lake. It was amazing to see how fast they grow, fledge, and then leave the nest. It's a great front row seat to the natural world.

[mtngigi]

One spotted in Pueblo, two in the Springs ... the hummingbirds are on their way. I hung one feeder because one of the spotters in Colorado Springs hung a feeder, and it was visited the next day.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

I am downtown and had a hummingbird at my feeder yesterday! I have also have a lot of Spotted Towhees in the garden this spring.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by StarrySkiesAbove

I am downtown and had a hummingbird at my feeder yesterday! I have also have a lot of Spotted Towhees in the garden this spring.

Lucky you. I hung just one feeder yesterday - though I haven't even heard one yet (being optimistic). Hummingbirds have had a nest in my Box Elder tree for a few years now. I haven't been able to spot it, but I know by their behavior flying in and out of it that there must be a nest. Their nests are as tiny as they are. Last year I made a hummingbird swing and it got a little use ... so fun to watch.

I have an abundance of Chickadees. They use the water dish hanging on my porch, and love hanging out close-by in my neighbor's huge pine tree. Those are the only birds I've spotted so far this spring.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Back in late April we saw an active Bald Eagle and Red Tailed Hawk nests off the trail in Ken Mitchell Park in Brighton. Also saw an active Great Horned Owl nest right off E Prospect Rd in Ft Collins. Visiting from back East I especially enjoyed seeing Magpies for the first time.

Owls are amazing, aren't they? If you're not aware, there are lots of live nest cams to watch online. There's an Osprey cam in Grand Lake, CO. They haven't arrived yet (the camera isn't up and running), but when they do, it's amazing to watch from when the eggs are laid, to when they fledge and leave the nest to go off on their own. The string of three lakes where the nest is offers an easy and constant supply of fish.

[otowi]

A hummingbird has been back in the Canon City area for about a week - definitely an early one. But Turkey Vultures are back in numbers now, and Common Grackles have been showing up, as well as a variety of Grebes.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by otowi

A hummingbird has been back in the Canon City area for about a week - definitely an early one. But Turkey Vultures are back in numbers now, and Common Grackles have been showing up, as well as a variety of Grebes.

Every year without fail, thousands of Grackles would hold a yearly convention in the willow trees near my house. They were unbelievably loud, and looked like leaves on the almost bare branches. I have a *video of them that looks like it's straight out of the movie "The Birds". Then one year, maybe ten years ago, they never showed up. I have not seen them since. I remember wondering if it was because of the Waldo Canyon fire, which seemed to change a lot of natural things.

*If I can figure out how to make the file smaller, I'll try and post it here.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

Every year without fail, thousands of Grackles would hold a yearly convention in the willow trees near my house. They were unbelievably loud, and looked like leaves on the almost bare branches. I have a *video of them that looks like it's straight out of the movie "The Birds". Then one year, maybe ten years ago, they never showed up. I have not seen them since. I remember wondering if it was because of the Waldo Canyon fire, which seemed to change a lot of natural things.

*If I can figure out how to make the file smaller, I'll try and post it here.

You could upload it to YouTube and post a link, that's what I did with a recent wildlife video that was 325MB.