Mountain birds

About 10 days ago I received the invitation from the Manager of Colter Bay operations. Would I come back to Grand Tetons Park for Summer 2012 ? Yes !! Its a long wait for May to come.
.......I joined the Boulder Bird Club on Saturday for a Tour of the Mountain Feeders. That morning in Boulder the wind was calmer and the sky was bright blue. Up the the mountains was a different scene; snow was blowing everywhere. Our first feeder stop was in Ward. A Clark's Nutcracker flew over and a female Pine Grosbeak sat in a tall Spruce. The 2nd stop was at a cabin. Brown-capped Rosy-finches and Mountain Chickadees came to seeds on a shoveled path. That was very exciting. In the small town of Allenspark we found Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, and a male Cassin's Finch. The mountains were beautiful in their fresh snow blankets.
An Internet photo of Grey-crowned Rosy-finches, I did not take it.

Today we had the type of snowstorm my friend, Nina, likes the best. A few flakes fell for 5 minutes. My feeling is that if its not going to snow for real by this time, forget winter, let it Spring. We will look for green shoots coming up in the garden.

mid-February

Winter 2011-12 has been so different than last year. Wyoming had 300 % of normal snowfall in the mountains last winter. Yesterday I went to find winter.
Friday I joined a group for another snowshoe trip. We drove Hwy 14 just north of Rocky Mt Park into Colorado State Forest. Hwy 14 follows Cache de la Poudre River canyon up the eastern slope. Poudre River is still flowing, covered by a thick icy snowy layer. The Visitor Center is famous for the flocks of Rosy-finches coming to feeders behind the building. It was an amazing show. I have not seen such a big flock of Rosy-finches ever. 99 % were Gray-crowned, with a few Brown-capped. While we were snowshoeing the forest was very quiet.
Thursday morning I went to Poudre Learning Center for some volunteer work. They provide educational programs for school children in the Spring and Fall. High school students are allowed to do independent projects. Its still too early for the school groups so the Asst Manager sent me out to monitor the Bald Eagle nest and activity along the river.
A few days ago I received a phone call from the General Manager of Colter Bay operations at Grand Teton Lodge Company. He wants me to come back and work at Cabin Office for Summer 2012. I said Yes.
Photos from Friday along Poudre River. The full French name means "hide the gun powder," a reference to the early pioneer days when a large container of gunpowder was hidden in the brush along the river.

Winter birds

A Common Crane reported in Nebraska had us thinking, how would an Asian crane come to Nebraska ? Later I read that one has been found wintering in NE several times. The decision was made to drive into NE and find the Common Crane. The Platte River runs across the full width of Nebraska, creating a narrow riparian area with a few trees. Even in the winter it was pretty.
This Common Crane was foraging with the Sandhill Cranes in an agricultural area south of Wood River. Quite a remarkable bird with its black and white neck.
Today we drove south to Valmount Reservoir in Boulder. Fresh snow on the mountains was beautiful. Many Red-tail Hawks, 2 or 3 Ferruginous Hawks, and a juvenile Bald Eagle were sitting on phone poles along the highways. We found the Tundra Swan feeding on the reservoir. A NEW bird for Nina. Most of the duck ponds and marshes are frozen. Valmount has open water thru the winter because of the power plant discharging hot water into the resevoir.
The big snowstorm that hit Denver bought only 5 inches to Greeley, and less to Wyoming.

Photos by Nina of a Townsend's Solitaire in the bird bath with a female House Finch, and a Downy Woodpecker who ignores the peanut butter suet I made from them and eats out of the feeder.

.