A flock of band tailed pigeons in the pinon juniper outside Carbondale. Lewis’ woodpeckers in the campground. An extended flyover by a red-tailed hawk; seeming to take a close look at Annie. We stayed between them. Kingbirds galore. Spotted sandpiper. Swarms of hummingbirds to make me duck. Black-chinned, broad-tailed, Rufous. Swallows. Crystal River. Enough of this place. We’re headed for Santa Fe.
Trapper
Moose meadow.
Northwestern Colorado
Trapper’s Lake has come and gone. Lots of miles. One-hundred twenty each way. Flattops Wilderness Area. Hiking through the forest. Annie swimming. Moose meadow. Ponds. Goldeneyes to study with the scope. Not a single male in sight to make it easy; their markings are so obvious. Females. Immatures. Youngsters. No matter how hard we tried, we could not make them Barrows. Common goldeneyes.
We did, however, have a close encounter with a family of blue grouse on the way back home. Mom and three kids. Knew they were grouse right off. Hoped they might be sage grouse, but as soon as they flew, it was obvious, blue grouse. Rounded tails, not pointed. Still haven’t seen any sage grouse.
Farther along, wild turkeys.
Trail
Love the beaver ponds.
Trail
The trail to Weller Lake.