December Backyard Birds 2011

There has been a flurry of activity at the bird feeders lately.  I've been getting more species.  Here are some snapshots of the latest visitors.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

American Goldfinch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Great Sand Dunes 2011

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is a world of sand, stone, and streams.  Situated against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes are the highest dunes in North America. 

"Star Dune," the highest sand ridge, is a strenuous 750-foot climb up shifting sand.  The view from the top is spectacular.  We hiked early on a fall morning while the ridges were frosted with snow.  Cold temperatures and frozen sand made the hike a little easier.  [NOTE: our campsite had a great view of the dunes.  At night the temperature dropped to 25°F, and by morning our breath had encrusted the tent fly with frost.]

It is an extremely diverse region with massive dunes surrounded by alpine peaks, a desert valley, creeks flowing on the surface of the sand, pristine mountains, and rural range land.  There was a herd of American Bison on the plains -- too far away to get a decent photograph.  But a pair of Pronghorn Antelope were grazing a little closer to the road. 

While exploring the valley, we visited the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge.  October was a quiet time on the refuge (most of the breeding birds already left), but we managed to find a Porcupine!  In the absence of any trees, its quills were excellent camouflage in the dry grasses.

We also checked out Zapata Falls, a 30-foot cascade that is hidden a half-mile through a narrow crevasse.  I had to stand directly in the icy water to capture any images of the waterfall.  Here's a video postcard from the Great Sand Dunes.







Pine Siskin 2011

I've always thought that Pine Siskins were a neat winter finch.  They're close relatives of goldfinches but they have streaking on the breast (I know how that sounds) and really sharp pointed beaks.  Their breeding territory is Alaska and Canada, the Rockies and the west coast, but in the winter they can be found throughout the lower 48 and Mexico. 

For the last 5 years I have been keeping a couple of finch feeders (year-round).  They have attacted upwards of 12-15 American Goldfinches at a time, as well as several House Finches and a few occasional Black-capped Chickadees.  Yesterday, I finally saw a PISI in the yard!!!  Check out my newest visitor.

Black Squirrels 2011

The most common squirrels I get in the backyard are Fox Squirrels and Eastern Grey Squirrels.  Occasionally a black squirrel has wandered into the yard.

Black Squirrels are actually a melanistic variation of Eastern Grey Squirrels.  Before human settlement of North America, the black subgroup was more common than grey, because of their advantage in darker uncut forests.  In colder northern regions of North America, they also lose less heat than greys. 

One day in the middle of November, I noticed 2 black squirrels in the yard at the same time!  That's the most black squirrels I've seen in the yard at one time.  There are places like Kent, OH, and Kalamazoo, MI, where black squirrels are abundant.  But it was a rare treat to see 2 in my northeastern Illinois yard.

Rocky Mountain National Park 2011

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite places to visit.  Created by Congress in 1915, it features grassy meadows, babbling brooks, and soaring peaks over 14,000 feet above sea level.  It also protects America's most accessible tundra ecosystem...in fact, the tundra landscape at ROMO reminded me of the northern Brooks Range in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. 

All of my previous visits to ROMO have been in the summer.  During my first visit in the fall, I was hoping to see golden aspens and to hear bugling elk.  I was not disappointed.

While backpacking, it was necessary to take off my boots and socks and hike up my pants to cross a very chilly river (knee deep).  I didn't realize how cold my feet were until I stepped back on the bank.  I was groaning as loud as the elk! 

After a very close encounter with a bull elk in the foothills (while drying off my cold wet feet), I also saw a female moose foraging in a trail-side pond on the way to the Cub Lake campsite in the backcountry.  There were a few western birds that I added to my life list at ROMO, including Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain Bluebird, Western Bluebird, and Mountain Chickadee, as well as awesome looks at spawning Rainbow Trout.  It was great to find a flock of Red Crossbills working the cones off of a tree and to hear numerous Townsend's Solitaires singing their tuneful alpine song on the trail. 

Because the forecast called for snow that would close Trail Ridge Road, which was my planned path to Durango, I had to leave ROMO a day early.  I did not want the family lore to include, "Yeah, remember when Brian was stranded in the mountains and couldn't go to Tim's wedding?"  Here's a video postcard of Rocky Mountain National Park.



Cave-in-Rock State Park 2011

Where the Ohio River separates Illinois from Kentucky, there is a unique cave formation that has served as a hideout for inland pirates, as a tavern and riverside stop for pioneers, and now as an Illinois State Park. 

I stayed in one of the duplex cabins, overlooking the expansive Ohio River.  Each cabin has a deck with great views.  Sunset and sunrise were both really beautiful.  Jupiter could be seen as a red orb rising in the evening sky.  There was a lot of barge traffic up and down the river, conveying huge amounts of coal.  It was so windy the first day that there were white caps pushing upstream! 

Since I had been on the road for 2 weeks I really needed to do laundry.  The lodge attendant said that the nearest laundromat was across the river in Marion, KY -- 11 miles away!  That meant I had to take the ferry to get my clothes clean.  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet operates a free ferry by special agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation.  The free boat ride was one of the best parts of my Cave-in-Rock experience.

Other highlights include seeing numerous Black Vultures (a southern specialty), a flock of Eastern Bluebirds on the park swing set, and about 60 Greater White-fronted Geese migrating from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.  Here's a video postcard I put together from Cave-in-Rock, Illinois.

Le Conte's Sparrow 2011

I added a gorgeous Le Conte's Sparrow to my life list (#379) this month on a grassy trail at along the Platte River National Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon, Nebraska.  Initially, I had reported this bird as a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, but an eBird reviewer suggested it was a LCSP, becasue of crown stripe, crisp streaking on the flanks, and purple streaking on the nape. 

I had just led a bird walk at Montrose Point in Chicago a couple of days eariler, and LCSP was one of the unseen targets.  It was thrilling to see this beautiful little golden bird in the shining sun.