birds

One of the spots in Ft Collins I like to walk when I am stumped for new ideas and short on time is Riverbend Ponds Natural Area. It's a quick drive to get there and it's an easy, level walk around the perimeter. The wind was up today and there were plenty of people with dogs, so I was not expecting much, except perhaps a nice walk.

The swallows are back in force and nesting under the Prospect Rd bridge over the Poudre River, and there are plenty of canadian geese with chicks. I had noticed on my last walk that there was some kind of fly/gnat catcher in the rabbitbrush, but could never get a good look. Turns out it was neither. At least today. I got off to a good start when this Yellow-rumped Warbler decided to come up next to me along the trail.

I continued my walk, happy to have that first encounter, and turned the corner to watched a six member pod of pelicans do a bit of cooperative fishing. A couple miles, a few osprey's, plenty of red-winged blackbirds, and canadian geese later, I was back at the truck. As I was packing up I noticed some movement in a large rabbitbrush next to the parking lot. It turned out to be a pair of yellow-rumped warblers who proved not to want their picture taken. I was packing up again and had started a conversation with a couple young fishermen - one coming and one going - when we spotted something orange in a nearby cottonwood.