• bicycling,  fall season,  leaves

    Sunday Turkey Trot

    November 3, 2024
    Fallen leaves at the CSU Oval

    My ride to coffee this morning was an enjoyable 10.1 mile round trip. It was 38 degrees by the time I headed out the door, at 6:40 am. I’m enjoying riding enough that the cold has not deterred me from getting out there. Bundling up along with the exercise are a couple of good things for my health. Colors are still vivid in many places which brings on a smile. As leaves were falling like gold and yellow snowflakes it reminded me that it won’t be long and white snowflakes will replace them.

    Mallards on Spring Creek

    I stopped to spend some time at the small concrete dam and gate area along Spring Creek. The water was smooth, blues skies reflected in the water and I had the time to stop. Three mallards felt the need to get in the image so I let them.

    Sunday Turkey Trot on Spring Creek Trail

    Most Sunday mornings I will encounter walkers, their dogs and bicyclists, all using these wonderful hard surface trails. This morning I needed to stop because a bunch of turkeys were taking their time as they trotted cross the bike trail. They seemed to think it was all theirs. So I let all 13 in the group have the right of way. About 1:00 pm they wandered across my front yard, which is about 2 miles from where I took this image. I’ve never seen them this far in town. Do you suppose they are looking for a place to hide? Hope you had a good Sunday!

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  • Avian

    Cinnamon Teal

    May 31, 2022

    I like spending time along the edge of marshes to observe and listen to the different waterfowl. My only complaint is the bugs but the bugs are why the birds are here. Seems we have to have both. This is a Cinnamon Teal. A beautiful bird in my eyes. Breeding males have a red eye, long dark bill, and mostly vivid rusty plumage, with brownish back, white underwing. Female, immature, and non breeding male are mostly rich brownish overall. All adults have sky-blue patch in open wing, similar to other teal and shovelers. I don’t see them often because their populations have declined since 1968, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, and they do prefer large permanent marshes, which I do not have near me.1 All information is from All About Birds by Cornell Labs I highly recommend you check out the link below to All About Birds and see their collection of photos of their wing colors.

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  • Avian,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    One with all being

    May 15, 2022

    We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.

    Hermann Hesse
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  • clouds,  landscape,  Plants,  sunsets,  trees

    End of a beautiful day…

    April 2, 2022

    I made a drive out to Cobb Lake State Wildlife Area yesterday evening to enjoy the sunset. We had such a beautiful day. I also got in a nice bicycle ride as I work on getting my legs back into some sort of physical condition to ride. A meadowlark was perched in this small tree when I arrived singing my favorite song. To my left, out of view, there was a concert going with the geese and ducks on Cobb Lake. While a group of ducks had a second concert on the smaller lake just to the right of center. I thanked them for the free concerts. After sunset the days cool breeze quickly became a cold wind so I headed for home. I so enjoyed the end of a beautiful day…

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  Cityscapes/Urban,  natural areas,  Plants

    A Cold Front …

    October 27, 2014
    Fall Starburst
    Fall Starburst

    … is on it’s way. Temperature tonight is expected to be in the high 20’s then low 30’s on Tuesday night. But, this past week and the weekend have been gorgeous. Yesterday was 74. Yesterdays sunrise was gorgeous but I only saw it from my bedroom window. Just couldn’t get out the door. Kids on campus wearing, shorts, flip-flops and tank tops. People were biking and playing football at the city park. I took advantage of the weather and made a couple trips to the nature areas. I’m making chili soup today. Stay warm.

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  • Avian

    Redheads

    March 29, 2013

    Redheads (Male and Female)

    Male and female Redhead (Aythya americana), in case you didn’t know. As I was finishing a walk I noticed these two on my pond. Ran in and got a longer lens then sat outside and watched them for a while. We doe not see them that often so I needed to look up a bit of information on them. They are primarily a diving and dabbling duck and unfortunately are on a decline due to hunting and  loss of habitat. Their favorite habitats are hanging around marshes and prairie potholes of western North America. The male is the one I spotted first due to the striking colors and bold lines. Interesting fact is that following the breeding season, males go through a molt which leaves them flightless for almost a month. Before this happens, they leave their mates and move to large bodies of water, usually flying further north. The following year they find new mates. Man, what a hassle that would be. And, I’m not talking about the molting as the hassle.  🙂

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  • Albert Einstein,  Avian

    The Girls

    February 13, 2013
    The Girls

    “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” 

    Albert Einstein

    Found these beauties outside my condo on the pond. I am thankful I have a bit of nature so close.

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