Cross-country trip

By November it was determined I could be helpful to my family in NH, and I was willing to go.  I spent my 2 evenings in the Olympia hostel reading Google maps and plotting a course across the country.  WA to the NE corner of Oregon to Idaho to Utah to WY to CO to NM to TX to Louisiana to AR to SE corner of MO to KY to Ohio to PA to the SE corner of NY  to CT thru MA to NH.  It would take 2 weeks. 
      Washington is highly volcanic.  Mt Rainier and the Cascades were formed from ancient volcanoes.  I took this photo along Hwy 12 as Tieton River is flowing east to meet the Yakima River. Basalt columns are easy to see on this mountainside.
     I continued east across Washington, clipped a corner on Oregon, and drove Hwy 84 thru Idaho.  Utah's Great Salt Lake was a wonderful bonanza of birds in August.  It was nearly empty on the day in November I stopped to look.  I took Hwy 80 across windy Wyoming, and Hwy 25 thru Colorado and into New Mexico. 
    Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico is the wintering location for many 100's of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese.  It is a spectacular sight to see the flocks flying and resting. 


Dawn flight out.

contemplating take-off

Snow Geese look up from preening or sleeping.

Much of this lake's surface is covered with Snow Geese.  The numbers of Snow Geese here is astonishing.






I continued east across New Mexico into Texas, driving past Capitan, NM site where the "Smokey the Bear"  story began in 1950.
Texas is a big state and it took me a few overnights to cross over.  I decided to take a southern route to avoid winter storms in the northern tier states. 
     Arkansas has the dubious distinction of being the last of the  Lower 48 states for me to visit.  I stayed overnight in Little Rock, and went birding the next morning at Two Rivers State Park.  This photo was taken in the park.
     Continuing north and east, I drove a corner of Missouri and halfway across Kentucky before turning north again into Ohio.  By now the weather maps were showing an ominous snowstorm moving from Minnesota going east.  As much as I wanted to go check out the birds on Lake Erie, I decided it would be safer to stay south.  I picked up Hwy 84 in Pennsylvania and drove to northern Connecticut.

Washington forests

My time at Mt Rainier National Park completed at the end of October.  My sister came to visit and we toured the Olympic Peninsula for a week.  Not long enough.  We found some very good birds, she took photos.  Rain continued off and on during the week creating some challenging photography conditions.  We found that the plastic shower cap from a motel room worked very well to cover the high-tech camera she was using.  All too soon the week was over and I needed to take her back to the airport.
      These 2 pictures show typical of Washington rainforest,  moss and ferns grow everywhere.  Vine Maple, in the photo to the right,  turns red in the Fall.
      Before leaving the rainforest region, I hiked at McLane Creek Park, south of Olympia.  Wildlife viewing signs were posted at the trailhead.  The  "wildlife"  was

fish !!   Spawning Salmon.  I really admire
these Salmon for swimming the long distance from the ocean to their natal streams to spawn and die.  I watched them wiggle up and over log jams, and between rocks.  In gravel like this a shallow scrape is made and the female deposits her eggs.

a pond surrounded with dense forest leaving only a small bit of space for reflections.

old tree stump covered with moss, Salal bushes, and other plants.

trail thru the forest of Cedars, Big-leaf Maples, and Hemlock.

Fall at Rainier

     While hiking I have seen Vine Maple trees, and expected the Fall colors to be in Maples.  No  !!   Fall colors are in Huckleberry bushes !    Vine Maples are beautifully red and orange,  but they lack in abundance.  There are not many Maples on the hillsides. 
     Huckleberry bushes cover the meadows and hillsides with a dense green mat during the summer.  They become bright red in the Fall, everywhere.

Its been raining and cloudy for more than a week.  Before this storm moved in, I photographed Lenticular clouds over the big mountain.  They occur when stable, moist air flows over a mountain, creating a series of oscillating waves.  On a different day I saw the layers of  waves form a stacked cloud.

This photo to the right reminded me of the mountains in NH.

 A Gray Jay sat briefly on a branch before flying away.  Gray Jays can be quite tame in campgrounds.

Adventuring out

On my Tuesday and Wednesday days off I drove west beyond Olympia and north onto a peninsula that points into Puget Sound.  I launched Dolphin-kayak from a small boat ramp into Eld inlet.  4 Common Loons watched me, as did a group of Sea Lions on a floating dock.  All moored boats have covers to protect them from the gulls.
      I also visited Chehalis River Surge Plain, just west of Montesano.  It is a lovely riparian area with hiking trails and a boardwalk.  While on the boardwalk I noticed a clump of animal scat.  Not dog/ coyote, not a pile like a bear, or any other animal I knew of.   Hmmm.  I finished the boardwalk and drove to another trailhead to walk down an old dirt road.   On the way back I noticed a large black lump in the trail, well ahead of me.  A Wild Boar !    At first it did not notice me, but later put it's nose to the air.  Suddenly it turned and started running towards me.  I detoured off the trail, through the forest and up to highway 107.  It did not follow me.

    

  I found these Savannah Sparrows on a tidal beach picking seeds or insects out of the wrack line.




   

  Saturday this region had a big rain and wind storm.  I worried about all the hikers out on Wonderland Trail.  Sunday morning the skies cleared quickly and we saw Rainier in a fresh coat of snow. 

Native Huckleberries are very good eating.  More than once these bushes have given me a dessert after lunch or dinner.

Rainier NP

Settling into life at Mt Rainier Park. This is one of the older parks, it was established in 1899. National Park Inn at Longmire was built in the early 1900's with an associated Hiker's Cabin. Paradise Inn at the top of the road was built in 1916.  2 million visitors are expected in 2016.       I share an apartment with 2 other ladies, and this is certainly the nicest employee housing I have lived in.  When I arrived the landscape looked like this photo to the right.
    Flowers are blooming abundantly.

 Paintbrush in magenta and pink,  Lupine, and the white flower is Bisort.

The yellow flower is Arnica, somewhat bedraggled by a recent rain shower.

Then the sun came out and the clouds melted away.  Mt Rainier has 25 active glaciers.  Wonderland Trail travels 93 miles around the base of the mountain, and is completed by many hikers in 10 - 12 days.

photo taken during a hike at the Paradise area.   Paradise in the sun.  Alpine meadows are dominated by Red Heather, Lupine, Paintbrush and  Huckleberry bushes.


The Longmire area is about 2500 ft,  and the Paradise Inn area is 5400 ft.  Rainier's summit is  14,410 ft.

endings

I am leaving Denver.  Anthem announced a large number of  employee lay-offs across the company.  Many managers, Claims adjusters, Medicare workers, Customer service people, and others were laid off.  The official reason is  "reduction in staff for budget reasons."   Rumors point to the attempted merger with Cigna.  Anthem wanted to become the largest insurance company in the US by swallowing Cigna.  Negotiations did not go well, and the process was costing Anthem alot more money than anticipated.  So they announce lay-offs.  Then the US Justice Dept, the US Attorney General specifically,  blocked the merger.  Of course Anthem is appealing that decision.
     The corporate world has cast me off and no longer has need of me.  The mountains have quickly welcomed me back.  I was accepted at Mt Rainier Park in Washington-state for the remainder of the season.
     It is true, the best laid plans of anyone will go astray.  I did not plan on this, and my crystal ball is fuzzy.
     There is not much cell phone reception in the mountains, I will have an Internet signal for email.
Photos next time.

Avocet saga

Avocets had a long courtship at Belmar Park.  In early May I thought they might be nesting, so many times I saw them feeding together away from the island that I was not certain if eggs had been laid.  Then one week the  (likely)  male was chasing all other birds away from a section of the island shore.  Even a Great Blue Heron yielded its bit of shoreline to the insistent Avocet.  One morning I saw a tiny Avocet chick on the far side of the lake with adults nearby, who were chasing off Mallard families and Spotted Sandpipers.  The next morning I saw 2 tiny fuzz-balls with legs walking the shoreline, closely guarded by parent Avocets. 
A week later they were in a more accessible location and I could take better photos.  A few days later I could see only one chick feeding along the lakeshore. Parents were not chasing away other birds as they had previously.  When I returned from my niece's wedding I could not find any little chicks, altho the adult Avocets were still feeding in the lake.  So sad to see the nesting efforts not be successful.

Chicks have big feet from the beginning.

"Mom  where are you ?"

Walking across the mudflats with those big feet.

City Park rookery

City Park is big. This land includes the Zoo, the Denver Nature and Science Museum, an area for music performances, a few lakes, gardens and more.  Double crested Cormorants have been nesting in a set of Cottonwood trees on an island in a small lake for many years.  A larger lake has an island covered with shorter trees that serves as a nesting area for Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned  Night-Herons.
     Here is Mama Night-Heron with her 2 little heronlets.   (above)

Snowy Egret parent with 4 little Egret nestlings.

Some weeks later I returned to City Park to check on the nests.   3  mostly grown Snowy Egrets from that same nest are flapping their wings and demanding more fish from the parents.

A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron calling from the brushy tangle of branches.

At a different lake a family of Wood Ducks stands together at the edge.

Mama Wood Duck watches.











All photos are taken with serious zoom on my camera and did not always focus well.  Branches do get in the way sometimes.

Rookery report

Belmar Park has a few ponds, many trees, and nice trails.  Nesting Double-crested Cormorants and Great Blue Herons use the same nests every year in Cottonwood trees on an island in the largest lake.  Mallards, Gadwalls, Canada Geese, and a pair of Avocets are consorting and nesting.
 

 The future of Canada Geese is assured.  Several pairs have little groups of goslings surrounding them.

Goslings  afoot

 Each female Mallard had an average of 6 ducklings following her.   peep    peep   peep

Double-crested Cormorants in the wind.  The feathers of the crests are visible.

Hatchling Cormorants eat alot of fish !

 Great Blue Heronlets thinking of being big Herons

and eating as many fish as their parents can catch.

CFO at Lamar

Colorado Field Ornithology held its annual meeting and bird festival in Lamar last weekend.  Lamar is in the southeast corner of the state in landscape of arid grasslands and open agricultural fields.  Why would birds be attracted to this dusty landscape ?   The Arkansas River's riparian and some private special places have created shelter belts and migrant traps for hungry tired birds.  This area also benefits from proximity to Kansas and Oklahoma.  Birds can't tell the difference.  Cardinals are common in Kansas, and rare in CO.  The SE corner of CO is the only place to see a Cardinal in CO.  The same holds true for Orchard Orioles.
      A highlight of the trip was a Golden-winged Warbler who found himself in one such oasis, sheltering from the strong winds.  We watched an active Raven nest as the adult came in to feed the nestlings.  Bullock's Orioles, Mississippi Kites, recently arrived vireos, sparrows, flycatchers, and thrushes.  Western Kingbirds were everywhere !
      Another Internet photo of a Northern Parula.  I cannot take photos like this during such windy weather.

      Weather was sunny, wind was forecasted at 40 - 50 mph.  Afternoon birding locations needed to be in sheltered areas.  Photos are available on CFO's  Facebook page.  E-bird reports are posted for May 6th and May 8th trips. 

    
Another posting coming soon.  I took some photos today of the rookery at Belmar Park.

Owl adventure

Boreal owls are known to come into the US along the Rocky Mountains, in the Great Lakes region, and sometimes at the New England border with Canada.  A small population has been observed in Colorado at Cameron Pass (10,276 ft) along Highway 14.  I was lucky to join the adventure.  This trip was organized by the Colorado State University student Bird Club, who invited members of Denver Field Ornithology to come along.
     We arrived at the parking area and started a 2.5 mile snow-shoe hike along Michigan Ditch Rd before dusk.  The snow was firm  "corn snow"  and we did not sink in much.  Estimating by the drifts along the short bit of plowed road, the snow was 4 feet deep.  As the sun set we had beautiful views to the north of the Never Summer range.  A Pine Grosbeak sang briefly from the top of a Fir tree.
     The group of fast hikers met the slow hikers at a trail junction and we had dinner together.  The group split into 3 small groups to watch at each of 3 potential nest cavities.  No action.  Leaders cautiously played a recording, and received a response.  We returned to the trail junction.  A Boreal Owl swooped in on silent wings and sat in a Spruce looking at the 22 humans who had invaded her territory.  It was an amazing experience to see a beautiful owl watching us.
     In complete darkness we hiked out with head-lamps, thinking of the Boreal Owl we had just seen.   Photo here is from Internet. I did not take any photos that night.
    

photo of me during the snow-shoe hike.  Karen's old wooden  BearPaw snow shoes created much discussion.  The metal  "foot fangs"  on the bottoms were quite helpful.

We had a few flurries of icy snow as we were standing around listening for the owl.  



I am glad the owl trip was last weekend because this weekend the bird trip is cancelled / postponed because of a big snowstorm blowing in tonight with about 6 inches forecasted.

Snow and Transportation

     Its been so warm and Springlike for a few weeks that everyone thought Spring was here.  Last Friday a snowstorm caught some people, including the bus system, by surprise.  Snow started Thursday night and accumulated quickly.  I watched many cars,trucks, and SUV's on the main roads. Where are the buses ?
     It melted from the streets during the afternoon and froze overnight.  Saturday morning slippery roads and icy highways caused many accidents.
      Tuesday night another storm was forecast.  This morning my neighborhood had 6 inches.  Silver truck stays home during snowstorms and I take the bus.  The office building is 13 stories;  my work section is on the 9th floor. I had a great view of a serious white-out blizzard when I arrived.  Strong wind was blowing snow sideways down Lincoln Ave.
      At 11:30 am we received the email announcement,  the building would be closing soon and all employees are asked to go home.  Wow !  Last Fall we were told the building had been closed for weather events only twice in the past 12 years.  Snow was much deeper now.
     Denver does not snow plow the streets.  You would think that the largest city in a state that is famous for winter snow would run snow plows on the streets.  Wrong !   This is the worst snow plowing of any place I have ever lived.  Apparently the city does have a few plow trucks, but they are used on the big interstate highways mostly.
     I stood at one bus stop for awhile with other people and gave up on that bus.  I walked down to Santa Fe Dr and stood for nearly 45 mins waiting for the First Ave bus.  Again, many cars, trucks, and SUV's  driving on the snowy roads,  but no buses.  A man who was also waiting thought we would be better off using the LightRail train.  OK, we walked 5 blocks to the LightRail station and I boarded a train.  Now, it does not take much to put me in a part of Denver I have never seen.  Then I learned the train to the southwest has stopped running because a tree fell onto the tracks.  A bus along Colfax St. was still running, and the bus going south on Wadsworth St. would go as far as Alameda.  I walked from there.  The entire transportation mis-adventure took  2.5 hours.

I cannot have a posting without a bird, so the Pine Siskin at the start is a nice bird to post.  While I was shoveling the driveway late afternoon, I saw flocks of House Finches flying over and landing in trees.  Robins, Flickers, and Starlings as well.  During the winter I made Peanut butter Suet for any birds who came to the backyard.  I ran out a week ago, and did not make more because of the Spring-like weather.  Now my birds need some more food.
     The other photo is Squirrel foot-prints.  A silly Squirrel was running around the train station in the midst of the storm.