Month: June 2024

Timing is Everything When You’re Birding

I’ve never liked having family spread out across the country, especially before Leslie retired and there was never enough vacation to visit everyone. The one good aspect of Tyson and Jen  living in Colorado is that I’ve ended up seeing places I would never have seen if they didn’t live there.  I’m not going to drive 3,000 miles without  stopping and seeing local sights.  Historically, those have been places like Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons and national parks in Utah. 

In the last few years, though, I’ve always stopped at The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Ogden, Utah, a favorite place to see American Avocets, White-faced Ibis and Grebes. Of course, what we see depends on when we get there. Last year was a little disappointing, but this year was definitely not.  

In fact, we saw American Avocets, 


White-Faced Ibis,


and, best of all, Wilson’s Phalaropes


before we even got to the refuge tour.

I haven’t seen Wilson’s Phalaropes for several years, so long that I can’t remember whether it was at Malheur or at Ocean Shores. 

As we were driving to the refuge I saw a car precipitously hanging off the edge of the road.  When I slowed down to see what was happening, I noticed a photographer with a 500 or 600 mm lens taking pictures of several birds in a very small pond right next to the road. As it turned out, we returned to this spot four different times in the two days we visited and got some of my favorite shots of the visit.

This auspicious beginning was followed by two days of exciting birding, and more than 2, 000 photographs — which I am still trying to process. 

Exploring Mount Blue Sky: Bristlecone Pines and Wildlife Encounters

On Friday June 5th Jen took Leslie and I to Mount Blue Sky, a 14,265 foot peak in Colorado. Jen had the day off, but everyone else had to work, so it was just the three of us.  It ended up being the most memorable day of our entire trip, for several different reasons.  

First, it offered some great views of the Rockies.  It felt like we were looking out at the top of the world.


Second, we stopped at the Mount Goliath Natural Area


where we saw Bristlecone Pine trees, some of the oldest trees on earth. 


Leslie and I have seen Bristlecone Pines before in Southern California near Death Valley, but I still find them fascinating.


After a pleasant short walk, we headed up toward the top of Mount Blue Sky where not even Bristlecone Pines could survive.


and, after negotiating some narrow roads that made me glad I wasn’t driving we finally reached the visitor’s center.  You could even see hardy individuals hiking up to the top. 

With high winds and temperatures dropping into the 40’s, I decided to stay in the car since I had dressed for the 90 degree temperatures we had been experiencing in Broomfield, not for winter.  However, when Leslie gestured for me to come look at what turned out to be a young Mountain Goat, I threw caution to the wind and got out of the car.  Big mistake.  Hit with a cold blast of air and a sudden lack of oxygen, for a moment I actually thought I was having a heart attack.  I finally managed to get to the visitor’s center and see the Mountain Goat but quickly retreated to the car.  

Within a few moments, a much larger Mountain Goat came walking by on the sidewalk.


On our way back down the mountain, we ran into a small herd of Rocky Mountain Sheep on the road, reminding us how high we really were. 

We finished the trip by dropping down a couple thousand feet and walking around Echo Lake, about one and a half miles round trip, reassuring me that didn’t  actually have a heart attack.

The next time someone tells me we are going to 14,000 feet I will remember to bring a windbreaker and vest, no matter how hot it may be at a mere mile high.

Exploring Nature: Narada Falls Hike from Cougar Campground at Mt. Rainier

I’m still working on the Colorado/Utah photos, but I took a break from the computer and the three amigos went for a hike on Mt. Rainier.  We originally hoped to hike to Comet Falls, but once again the parking lot was full by the time we got there.  Luckily, we already had an alternate plan in place: hike from Cougar Campground to Narada Falls.  It’s a familiar hike, having done it for four or five years in a row. It’s also a challenge this early in the season, nearly seven miles roundtrip with 1,700 feet elevation gain.  The trail either follows or parallels Paradise River, making for scenic breaks and cooler temperatures on a warm day.

The hike starts by crossing the Nisqually River, which offers spectacular views of Mt. Rainier.


Although  most of the hike takes place in heavily forested areas, you can still catch glimpses of surrounding peaks.

Thank goodness the trail doesn’t try to ascend those peaks, though at times the ascent seems to suggest otherwise.  

Much of the time I’m focusing on the trail trying to avoid tripping on rocks and tree roots, but occasionally I look up and am reminded of the powerful forces that have created this wilderness


or the fragile beauty that finds its own place amidst these forces.


Though I enjoy the quiet of these dense forests, the sound of rushing water seems almost more calming.

 


At 1.5 miles you reach Carter Falls, the point where most hikers turn around, 


but if you go a little further you run into another falls which is almost as impressive. 


If you’re willing to push on another one and half miles, you leave the crowds behind and can visit the even more impressive Narada Falls at the end of the rainbow.


It feels like a major accomplishment to reach the falls, but seeing the hordes of visitors who have driven right up to the falls takes something away from the experience of walking three miles to see it.  

Exploring East Lake 3 Park and Nature Preserve in Thornton, Colorado

Our visit to Colorado to see Tyson and his family was a little more chaotic than in past years because both Sidney and Zoe are working during the summer to make money for college. In essence, it meant that we were seldom together at the same time.  What wasn’t abnormal, though, was my intent to walk every day to become accustomed to the high altitude.  Luckily, there is East Lake 3 Park and Nature Preserve in Thornton just a few miles away from their home where Leslie and I walked on our second day in Broomfield.

The Nature Preserve is surrounded by homes and, for the most part, the birds we see there are the birds we often see, like this Red-Shafted Flicker that greeted us a few yards from the entrance,


this Red-Winged Blackbird, 


this Kestrel, 


or this Long-Tailed Grackle. 


The one bird I seldom see, particularly this year, is the American Avocet.  


When we were here last year we saw a mother with chicks, but we didn’t see any chicks this year, just two Avocets that appeared to be heading toward each other but walked right past each other as if they were only interested in where there next meal was coming from.


This time the only babies we saw were Prairie Dog pups.


In past years, this three-mile,  nearly flat walk has seemed relatively easy, but this time, despite numerous stops to get pictures, both Leslie and I struggled in the last quarter mile. Thank goodness we were distracted from our tiredness by the beauty we both find here.