Day 244: Red Crossbill

The Red Crossbill is another species that Jared was excited to see in Colorado, and we were lucky to see two birds up close for an extended period of time. They seemed oblivious to us as we snapped away on our camera.

As their name suggests, Red Crossbills have a bill that crosses at the tip. They specialize in feeding on conifer cones, particularly spruce species, and the unusual bill shape helps extract the seeds from the cone. Adult males tend to be red or orange in color, and females green or yellow, but there is a lot of variation.

Day 243: White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrows are pretty little birds with striking black and white stripes on their head, a grey face, and a brown-streaked body. They breed across northern Canada and the western United States.

Ugly baby White-crowned Sparrow

Day 242: American Crow

The American Crow is a common bird that is found throughout much of North America. It is one of several species of birds that are entirely black, though it can be distinguished from the other two such birds in its range—from the Common Raven by size and behavior and from the Fish Crow by call. American Crows are highly susceptible to the West Nile Virus and are monitored as a bioindicator.

Day 241: MacGillivray's Warbler

We found one spot in Rocky Mountain National Park that was great for warblers, and one of those we found was the MacGillivray's Warbler. According to Wikipedia, "these birds are sluggish and heavy warblers with short tails, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing." I didn't get to observe one for too long, so I can't say if this is true. We did, however, find them fairly close to the ground.

MacGillivray's Warblers are an olive-green color on their upperparts and dull yellow below. Males have black heads and breasts, while females and immature birds have drab light gray heads and white eye-rings.

Day 240: Red-naped Sapsucker

The Red-naped Sapsucker is a medium-sized woodpecker that breeds in mixed forests in the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin areas of North America. Adults have a black head with a red forehead, white stripes, and a red spot on the neck. The Red-naped Sapsucker used to be considered a subspecies of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, which we have here in Maryland.

Day 239 Bonus: Colorado Favorites

Jared and I took many photos during our Colorado trip, so I wanted to share some of our favorites (that are not bird-related). I haven't identified all of the little mammals yet, so if you happen to know what something is, I'd love to hear from you! Enjoy the photos!

 I love the clouds in this photo...

 Emerald Lake, where we saw the Golden Eagle

 This little guy was trying to steal our food by eating through our backpack!

 Sunset

Bird banding...I think Jared's holding a Pine Siskin

 Prairie Dog colony

 Pronghorns

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel

I found this Long-tailed Weasel chasing a rabbit!

 Chickaree

 Big elk herd

 Yellow-bellied Marmot

 Pike (this one ran over Jared's shoes)

 Bighorn Sheep

 This picture creeps me out a little...sleeping elk

 Abert's Squirrel

 Elk staring contest

 The awesome moose that Jared found me!

 Jared, king of the mountain

Day 239: Rufous Hummingbird

I really wanted to see a Rufous Hummingbird on our Colorado trip, and we were happy to find a beautiful male at some feeders at the Estes Park YMCA. He seemed to be protecting one particular feeder; every time another hummingbird would fly up to feed from it, he would rush from his nearby perch to attack.

I just read on Wikipedia that Rufous Hummingbirds often migrate through the Rocky Mountains in July and August to take advantage of wildflower season. "They may stay in one spot for considerable time, in which case the migrants, like breeding birds, often aggressively take over and defend feeding locations." So, that must have been what our little hummingbird was doing! Because his behavior was so jumpy, it was hard to get a close, clear shot of him, but I did manage a few blurry photos.

Adult male Rufous Hummingbirds have a reddish face and body, a white breast, and a bright orange-red throat patch.

Day 238: Steller's Jay

The Steller's Jay can be found in coniferous forests over much of the western half of North America from Alaska to northern Nicaragua, completely replacing the Blue Jay in most of those areas. It closely resembles the Blue Jay, but with a black head and upper body.