Foraging In The Snow

We returned to Fort Collins Friday evening - Jan from California and me the Middle East. The weather had changed greatly since we left - a cold front came in with temperatures dropping, and it snowed the day before. This morning the prediction was for snow starting at 7:00 AM - the weather man was pretty much on target. By late morning, a few birds were poking around the general environs of the feeder - we need more seed. Our first birds of the season in the snow.

Northern Flicker

This young Northern Flicker is getting its first taste of winter. An adult male was working over the finch feeder, and another young flicker was in the juniper next door. They seem to be hanging out in the common lane area behind our house.

Dark-eyed Junco

A Dark-eyed Junco was picking through the two inch snow blanket looking for seeds that have fallen from the feeder above. I had first landed on the finch feeder, and then moved to the suet feeder hanging below. A little bit of snow freckles its face - the temperature outside is 16° outside. In the far west, this junco is known as the Oregon Junco - thoughts of home.

American Robin

This American Robin defied what I knew of the species - it kept picking at the juniper berries and ate them. I thought these were only an insect eater on the ground. Perhaps desperate times have already begun in early winter.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch with their winter coloration. It seems that everybody else wants a piece of the action at their feeder - big and large seem to have adapted to the small mesh and limited perch space.

House Sparrow

Now it is the House Sparrow turn. I have noticed how birds seem to come in waves of appearances. Even the larger Scrub Jay, American Robin, Northern Flicker travel in trios or better.

Autumn Birds at 40.5073N, 105.0406W, and 4,965.68ft

My Altitude iPhone app

The Northern Flicker that taps on the roof above our bedroom was at it this morning - actually, more of a knock than a tap. I went outside to chase him away, and took my camera along in case I was able to sneak up on him from below when I came out of the sliding patio door. He was off in an instant, flying north to parts unknown. But as it turned out, there was a diversity of other birds on the ground, in the tree, and working away at the bird feeder. There must have been a half dozen Cedar Waxwing working over the juniper berries on the tree beside our neighbor's house, a few Red Breasted Nuthatch whose normal behavior is to grab a seed and then fly to a tree branch to break the seed open, several American Robin flying in and out of the trees and not working the lawn for a meal, a Dark-eyed Junco on the ground, a House Sparrow at the finch feeder, and an American Gold Finch in its winter brown coloration, looking more like some kind of sparrow than the bright yellow of summer.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Cedar Waxwing

American Robin

American Goldfinch (foreground)

House Sparrow

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The My Altitude iPhone application has turned out to be a useful tool when traveling around mountainous Colorado when wanting to check out my elevation.

Adolescent Identity Crisis

Juvenile cardinal among a host of sparrows

Yesterday morning and then through out the day we were setting records for the numbers of birds that would perch on the seed feeder at a time. Typically, waves of one kind or another species would come in and feed like a food frenzy was going on - mixtures of species were more rare than groups of the same kind. The order of things were disrupted when a more dominant outlaw species would swoop in and land, displacing the smaller others who were already settled in to feast. What was strange - out of place - was how this juvenile female Northern Cardinal was hanging out with a host of House Sparrows - we had noticed her for a couple of days hanging around the yard alone. Its immaturity was notable by her beak color that was not yet solid orange, and the under-developed feather color. I guess the youngster is still trying to figure out her place in life - When will my beak color finish development? - Will the other cardinals pay attention to me? .....

Spring Delayed - Cold Dining Out

The temperature is down this evening, a clear rose-colored sky tinges the tops of the bare trees to the south of our house. A variety of flowering tree buds are nearly ready to come out - we saw one ornamental cherry in full bloom on Bay Ridge Avenue - but the rest 

National Geographic Illustrations

seem to be in a holding pattern waiting for warmer days. Here is a sampling of a few kinds of  birds that are having an early evening meal before the lights go out for the night. The National Geographic Backyard Bird Identifier is a nice, easy-to-access Web site, and can be found by clicking here. The illustrations are first class - the ones found in the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America - Fifth Edition. A video showing the craft of a National Geographic illustrator/writer Jonathan Alderfer can be watched after clicking here - a great talent.