Day 237: Pine Siskin

The Pine Siskin is a North American bird in the finch family. They breed across Canada, Alaska, and in the western mountains and northern parts of the United States. This species migrates during the winter, but it is highly variable, probably in relation to food supply. Large numbers may move south in some years, while hardly any in other years.

Adult Pine Siskins are brown on top and pale below, with heavy streaking. Sometimes, you can catch a glimpse of yellow patches on their wings and tails.

Day 236: Mountain Chickadee

Another cute bird in Rocky Mountain National Park is the Mountain Chickadee. Though it looks fairly similar to other species of Chickadees I've blogged about (the Carolina Chickadee and the Black-capped Chickadee), the Mountain Chickadee has a white stripe that divides its black cap and black eye stripe. They are common inhabitants of mountainous regions of the western United States.

Day 235: Golden Eagle

I'm so happy to finally be able to post about a Golden Eagle! Jared saw one earlier in the year and got some fabulous pictures, but I had yet to see one until our Colorado trip.

This was a life-bird for me, so it was especially cool. We had just reached the end of my favorite hike of the trip (the hike to Emerald Lake, in case anyone visits the park anytime soon) and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Emerald Lake, mountains, and a lovely waterfall. While we were resting, Jared pointed up to the sky, having spotted a raptor flying. Soon, he realized it was a Golden Eagle! Though it was pretty far away, it was still amazing to see one in such a gorgeous location.

Also while we were resting, this little guy tried to steal the food from our backpack! We only noticed after a family of Aggies (who I had spoken with earlier) yelled at us to shoo him away. What a little rascal!

Here are Jared's amazing Golden Eagle photos that he took in Maryland, earlier this year.

Day 234: Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlarks can be found in western and central North America. They have a distinctive, flute-like call that distinguishes them from the closely related Eastern Meadowlark, which has a simple, whistled call. We saw several of these brightly colored birds while exploring the prairies of northeastern Colorado.

Day 233: Broad-tailed Hummingbird

We saw so many Broad-tailed Hummingbirds during our Colorado trip, and they always brought a smile to my face. Several seemed very curious; if someone in our group was wearing a red shirt, for instance, there would often be a hummingbird fly by to check it out. At one point I saw two parent hummingbirds feeding a young hummingbird. It was one of the cutest things ever, but unfortunately they were gone before I could get a photo. We also saw a recently emptied hummingbird nest, which was very tiny.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the major breeding hummingbird of higher elevations in the southern and central Rocky Mountains, eastern California, and Mexico. Males and females both have iridescent green backs and crowns and a white breast. The male has a brilliant red throat patch.

I love these hummingbirds even more now, because I got to hold one in my hand!! We were so lucky to meet a native Colorado birder during our trip who invited us to his bird banding station. It was such a cool experience; Jared and I both got to hold several birds before they were banded with tiny foot rings. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird felt like a feather in my hand, it was so light.

Day 232: Clark's Nutcracker

Clark’s Nutcrackers inhabit regions of the western United States and Canada, preferring coniferous forests. The most important food resources for this species are the seeds of pine trees. We saw one Clark's Nutcracker up-close, and it was hacking away at a seed, having a jolly good time. Evidently, they have a sublingual (under the tongue) pouch that lets them hold around 50-150 seeds at at a time. Clark's Nutcrackers also store seeds, usually in the ground for later consumption.

Day 231: Violet-green Swallow

We saw several Violet-green Swallows in the mountains of Colorado, but most of the time they did not sit still for very long and were difficult to photograph. Luckily, we came across a tree where a small flock was resting one late afternoon, and I was able to get a few photos.

Violet-green Swallows are pretty birds, with glossy green upperparts and a coppery-brown head. They are white underneath and have a forked tail. Violet-green Swallows breed in western North America from Alaska to Mexico.