| 688 | A Few Birds - 2012 | 2012-08-10 |
We are not ornithologist, but we enjoy watching birds.
While camping in the Rockies, on mornings when we were not leaving camp in the pre-dawn hours and during most evenings - we spent hours observing and talking to the birds around the campsite. One of our favorite birds was the Green Tailed Towhee which regularly visited our Aspen Glen campsite in Rocky Mountain National Park. The little Towhee is a ground dweller and runs around a bit like a road runner. Naturally, we did not feed him. He was interested in the droppings from the tree we were camped under. On the second day, Amy named the Towhee, Punky. He had a little brownish red cap, a rufous, that he would puff up the feathers to intimidate us. We looked forward to Punky's visits.
In our two month stay, we saw plenty of birds, but only took pictures of a few. A few of the Birds from the Summer of 2012:
A Raven at an Overlook in Petrified Forest National Park
Lesser Goldfinch at Grand Canyon
Magpie in Rocky Mountain National Park
Stellar Jay in the Wild Basin area (RMNP)
Clarks Nutcracker near Bear Lake (RMNP)
Ptarmagin near Mount Ida (RMNP)
Turkey near our Aspen Glen Campsite (RMNP)
Osprey in Her Nest near Jenny Lake (Tetons)
Angry Bird stuck in a Tree. Why is he angry? It seems someone flew him using the wrong projectile and then left him in the tree. (Zion National Park)
A few bird notes ...
Our friends, Jon and Laura, were lucky enough to see a sage grouse in the Tetons, but unfortunately we were not with them that day.
Some of the birds we met were habituated to human food. Ravens were regular beggars. Please, do not feed them.
Punky, the Towhee, was replaced by a slightly larger Towhee after a few days. Sadly, the new Towhee did not have the "punky" personality.
A few Black Eyed Juncos also regularly visited our campsites in the Rockies, but we did not think to take their pictures. Sorry, they were very cute.
Happy Bird trails
Some of the Wildlife We Met, 2012