Category Archives: Nature and the Outdoors

Searching for Baird’s Sparrow

There are only a few birds that breed in Colorado that I don’t have on my life list. One of these is the Baird’s Sparrow. Normally, this sparrow nests in northern Montana and North Dakota. But for the past seven … Continue reading

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The Short, Sad Life of a Say’s Phoebe

In the spring of the first full year we lived in our house, I noticed a Say’s Phoebe repeatedly attempting to build a nest on a narrow ledge on our front porch. The nest kept falling off the ledge long … Continue reading

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Animal #74 — Mountain Cottontail

sylvilagus nuttallii Goldfield, Colorado — Vindicator Valley Trail Thursday, July 15, 2021 — 2:07 pm Mountain and Desert Cottontails are both widespread in Colorado, and I’ve never found a definitive way to tell them apart. I’m not sure if anyone … Continue reading

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Sandstone Ranch Open Space

On the way home from Rocky Mountain National Park, I stopped and hiked four miles at a new open space north of Palmer Lake. It was about 80° and clear, but a nice breeze off the mountains kept things from … Continue reading

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Wildlife at RMNP

While I was watching the White-tailed Ptarmigan at Medicine Bow Curve, I heard one of the other birders refer to a phalarope. I looked up to see a medium-sized shorebird flying back and over the tundra. It circled and landed … Continue reading

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