My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Since I’m learning to identify more birds I am giving you my best guess at what each one is. This is one of those guesses. Some birds it’s no problem but these birds are all so related, hang out in the same family, sound alike, fly similarly and look just like their cousin. Anyway if this is not a spotted towhee, forgive me. 😁 Have a great weekend!
If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Awareness of the Divine begins with wonder.
Rabbi Heschel
Unknown to me, White-faced Ibises wander through our area during the warmer months of breeding. I do not know that I’ve ever seen them before simply because I pay more attention to this book of nature now. In fact I enjoy reading it. I just sat and watched them with wonder. I found these birds along Weld County Road 13 in a marshy area with no name on any map I could find. Both images from Saturday afternoon.
I’ve had for 20 plus years two pairs of binoculars that I seldom pickup because they are a pain in the a$$ to use. I’ve carried one pair in the car and keep the other in my condo. Since I’m spending more time in nature, I am wanting a closer look at this world around me. So, a couple weeks ago I did some research on birding binoculars and learned why these binoculars I have are such a hassle to use.
I learned most birders prefer using 8×42 binoculars. The ones I have are 10×24, which makes them small and lightweight but difficult to use. The first number is the magnification and and the second number is the diameter of the glass. The larger magnification causes a lot of shake while the smaller glass reduced the amount of light and field of view.
The most recommended pair in my price range was the Nikon Prostaff S3 8×42. I made a visit to Jax Surplus to look at a pair, liked what I saw and made the purchase, knowing I could return them if they did not work for me. Wow, what a difference. These binoculars weigh in at 19.9 ounces, are rated at 377 ft/1,000 yd Field Of View, and are waterproof and fogproof. It is interesting to use them in tracking a bird in flight, something impossible previously. I’ve even taken them for walks without my camera because I enjoy just watching/studying the birds. Or, as I’ve read, “Studying the book of nature.” Yep, new optics! 😁
Instructions for living life:
Mary Oliver
Pay attention
Be astonished
Tell about it
Storm clouds were on the eastern horizon enticing me to head out of town to find open areas for an image or two. Before I knew it I was on a course heading north to the Soapstone Natural Area. I did get a few cloud images but I also was gifted with a few unexpected images of this beautiful landscape and a few bison images.
This natural area is the biggest one the City of Fort Collins maintains. It is 48 square miles of wide open vistas, nearly pristine grasslands, miles of trails and cultural resources. The trails are a mix for hiking, biking and horses. Thankfully they have restricted access to some areas to keep them free of man’s destructive tendencies. During excavations in the 1930s by the Smithsonian and Colorado Museum of Natural History they conclusively dated human habitation in in this area to at least 10,000 years. You can go online and find many stories about the early homesteaders, mostly ranchers and sheepherders, in this area as well as the American Indians.
In November of 2015 they introduced a herd of bison on over 1,000 acres of pasture land which is inaccessible to the public. However, the main entrance road, Rawhide Flats Road, and Cheyenne Rim Trail, follow along the edge of this pasture which gives an opportunity to observe them and even get a few photographs, if they are close enough. I find these animals so intriguing.
And of course this area is a haven for my favorite bird the meadowlark. It is also a place for many other birds, such as red-tailed hawks. The Fort Collins Audubon has a bird checklist that’s two pages long. You will find coyotes, fox, rabbits, prairie dogs, deer, antelope, and elk and of course a few snakes. I don’t go there often enough and it is always an uplifting experience for my soul when I go. It’s nice to come home with a few images but just spending time there, listening to the silence, transforms me in some wonderful way. Experiencing nature’s touch.
ominous storm clouds in the east
ms
rain, hail and wind hidden within
we watch in silence, the hawk and I
“The innocence and silence of the animal world has a huge subtlety to it that is anything but dumb, but rather notices everything and is present in everything. Animals carry a huge ministry of witness to the silence of time and to the depth of nature. They are like the landscape in a sense: they live too in a mode of silence.”
John O’Donohue
I believe this to be a Western Kingbird. I am not that familiar with them but they are a beautiful bird. I encountered this one along Weld County Road 15 in an open prairie area. This is a major crop and looks fairly decent.
shared from the heart
ms
the joy of being alive
meadowlarks song
Sorry but you may be seeing more bird images as I play with this new lens. Already shot about 400 images with it. I thought I had a bad lens at first because I felt the motor was too loud and would continuously run. I have never experience this before with any lens using image stabilization. I talked to Pat at the store I purchased it from and and he was not aware of any such issues. And, of course I bought the only one he’s seen in the store. He pulled out the 80mm macro lens because it has quad linear motor for focusing, where there is a clunking noise when the lens is not powered up. Once the motor is powered up the noise goes away but the motor runs continuously. This is part of their floating focusing system in that lens and is being used more on mirrorless cameras. I have the same clunk with this lens when off the camera but it is very minimal compared to the 80mm macro. All information I have found says the 70-300mm lens has a linear autofocus motor, saying nothing about a floating focus system. What’s the difference? I’m still checking on this. Other than that, this lens seems to be a good addition to my camera bag but left a hole in my wallet.
Image information: 300mm f8.0 1/450 second and ISO 160; handheld with 70 year old hands and shooting from my car. 😁 No sharpening or clarity on this image.
a flash of blue catches my eye
ms
a quick flutter on the fence post
always keeping a safe distance
with trills of rich musical notes
a rare sight in this area
at the edge of their range
found in bushy, moist pastures
and roadside thickets
gift of a blue grosbeak
stirring up mud
ms
seeking aquatic insects
evening dinner
I see a lot of killdeer out here but I can’t remember ever seeing an American Avocet until last week. As I drove by a pond along Weld County Road 13 I noticed a very large killdeer so I stopped to check it out. That’s when I realized it was not a killdeer. This is a lovely bird with a lovely call. They use their long bills to stir up the mud, disturbing the aquatic insects and having a feast.