Montrose, CO (7/29 thru 8/29/2018)

Not much travel for me over the past month, mostly hanging out near home.  That doesn't mean I've been sitting on my duff all that time.  Well, actually I have but a lot of it has been in the LRJ, driving back roads chasing waterfalls, sunsets and doing a lot of bird photography.  So here's a sample of my activities over the past few weeks.

The wildfire near Montrose has been burning this entire period, becoming one of the largest in Colorado history.  Helpful rain within the past several days helped the firefighters achieve almost total control, but not until some 30,000 acres had burned.  Fortunately, the location of the fire (on the Uncompahgre Plateau) has little of value.  It's mostly sage brush, pinyon pine and juniper trees.  All we saw of it here was smoke in the air, leading to some colorful sunsets when we could see them at all.

I made one day trip with a friend to look for a waterfall that came to my attention near Durango.  Directions were sort of vague, but we made the effort anyway.  We did find a couple small waterfalls, but couldn't find a trail to the large one said to be in that area.  After further research, I think it is located in a very deep canyon that we saw.  I could probably hike down to it, but I'm not sure of getting back out.  Anyway, here is a photo of one of the small waterfalls that was easy to get to.

Along the way, we spotted a grouse on the shoulder of the road, hiding in the weeds.

Also, while driving over Red Mountain Pass. we stopped for photos of Crystal lake with the Red Mountains in the background.  Unfortunately, wind had the lake stirred up, preventing any reflections of the mountains.

I've seen a lot of different birds during this time, many of which I've posted before, so I'll try to be selective for this post.  The IDs are my best effort, not guaranteed to be correct.

Black-billed Magpie

Say's Phoebe

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Western Scrub Jay

Sage Thrasher

American Kestrel

Red-tailed Hawk

Western Bluebird

Tree Sparrow

In "buggy" locations, there may be hundreds of swallows flying around eating insects.  Their erratic flight makes it a challenge to photograph them, but occasionally some will light on power lines, much easier to photograph.  I found one lazy barn swallow perched on a wire with its mouth open, waiting for bugs to fly into it.

Barn Swallow

Here's a normal house finch, and one having a bad hair day.

House Finch

There was a single red fox I spotted far off in a pasture, maybe 100 yards out.  He saw me and started running away.  By the time he stopped and looked back, he was more like 200 yards away, making it tough to get good photos.  But did you ever see such a beautiful bushy tail?

Almost every evening I go for a drive, there are mule deer at some point.  I rarely feel the need for a photo, but I did like the fawn that posed nicely, and since most of the deer I see are does, I was happy to snap a photo of the buck standing near the road.

I'm aware that some readers aren't thrilled with bird photos, so give me some feedback to let me have your thoughts.

Clark, CO (7/28/2018)

Not far from Steamboat Springs is the tiny community of Clark, consisting primarily of ranches and country homes.  Of course, there is the mountain scenery typical of the entire area, as well as attractive ranches and farms. .

Wherever you find cows or horses, there will also be birds living off the grain that might otherwise be wasted.

Vespers Sparrow

Eastern Wood Pewee

Olive Sided Flycatcher

Red-winged Blackbird

Traveling the back roads, other wildlife was also available for viewing.

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel

Chipmunk

Can you see the difference between the squirrel and the chipmunk?  The chipmunk has stripes on its head, while the ground squirrel doesn't.  Instead, it has white eye rings that the chipmunk doesn't have.

Note the Western Kingbird on the wire spotting a small grasshopper flying by.  He swoops down on the insect, catches it, then returns to the wire for lunch.

Apparently there was once a sawmill in Clark, but this old truck seems to be the only remaining evidence of it.

The only commercial enterprise I saw was the "Clark Store", a true general store.  It sells toys, souvenirs, wine & beer, groceries, deli items, home-made preserves and baked goods.  There is a grill for hot sandwiches and meals, a barbecue grill outside and an ice cream stand on the deck.  The store is obviously very popular with locals and folks who enjoyed the nice drive from Steamboat.

With a couple of photos taken at sunset, I'll end the trip to Steamboat Springs.  I'm back in  Montrose to catch up and get ready for the next adventure.

Steamboat Springs (7/26/2018)

 Steamboat Springs is primarily known for its ski resort, which is world famous.  Numerous international skiing events have been held here, and the area has produced many Olympic skiers and snowboarders.  In addition to the downhill runs on Werner Mountain, a complete ski jumping facility on Howelsen Hill is one of only three in the country.

Nearby is an alpine slide for summer use.

On average, the city gets 170 inches of snow per year, only 7 inches of rain.  Two rivers flow through town, the Yampa and the Elk, providing good sources for agricultural irrigation.  Consequently, the Yampa Valley is home to quite a few successful ranches.  The population of Steamboat Springs has increased dramatically in recent years, with even more growth occurring outside the city limits.

I enjoyed a very nice drive around the valley and along the river.  Some of the ranch houses were most impressive.

I also appreciated the colorful barns in the valley, especially the one displaying the American flag.

 And the wildflowers were pretty nice.

In addition to the river, Yampa Valley has many lakes and ponds, mostly man-made.  They not only make agriculture possible, but provide habitat for wildlife.  During my travels here, I had lots of opportunities to photograph birds and other wildlife.

Western Chickadee

Yellow Warbler

Cliff Swallow

Mule Deer

American Kestrel

One of the larger lakes, Lake Catamount, has an upscale country club and residential development underway.

Another lake is the site of Stagecoach State Park, popular for fishing and camping.

About twenty miles west of Steamboat, the small village of Hayden is home to the valley's regional airport, serving three major airlines that are most active in winter, bringing in thousands of people to the ski resort.  I went there because it has a couple areas noted for birding.  One of these, naturally, is along the river.

Cedar Waxwing

Northern Flicker

Once again I drove some back roads through ranchland and was rewarded with plenty of wildlife.

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Sandhill Crane

Red-tailed Hawk

Pronghorn