Morning in the Canyon
“Ready to see bears, baby bighorn sheep and even a moose?” asked Shelley, friend and shooting partner that morning. I was, but none of them cooperated that morning although some nice birds, including three first-timers, cooperated along the way! The “way” that recent morning was Waterton Canyon, a hidden gem of a canyon just minutes outside of civilization. We had our bikes ready to go for the 6-mile ride to the top of the canyon where Strontia Springs Dam diverts water from the South Platte River to water treatment facilities nearby.
Shelley is definitely the “Queen of the Canyon”, frequently biking up the trail. She not only served as my informal “guide” but has always had better observation skills than me in finding unusual birds. I’ll do a more in-depth post about the Canyon another time. It is a fascinating piece of geology and wildlife ecosystems. For today we will recreate the highlights of the bike ride that morning.
You will notice some crazy lighting in some of these photos. Canyons are notoriously tricky places to photograph, especially in morning and evening light where the sun is at a lower angle and thus leaves much of the area in deep shadows with bright summer light only serving as an intense spotlight on subjects. Overcast days are actually better for consistent light but when a sunny day “works”, it can yield spectacular results.
An example is the first bird we saw. This is a female Common Merganser that was floating on the river. We were hoping to catch it carrying babies on her back but she either didn’t have a brood this year or they were too old and too big for Mom to waste that kind of energy. (As always, click on any image to view larger)
Then several hummingbirds hovered over the river for long periods of time catching insects for their source of protein.
A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird sat on a branch surveying his territory over the river. That dark patch under its chin is called a gorget and in just the right light it is a bright red. Unfortunately, this was not just the right light so no color.
Just a little further upstream Shelley spotted a Great Blue Heron lurking in the shadows. Here’s another good example of how dramatic this type of light can be when it works to your advantage.
Then came a bird that I have always wanted to photograph, the stunningly beautiful Lazuli Bunting. Singing constantly at the top of a small tree with a perfect background, I got a handful of lovely shots.
That alone made my day, but we weren’t done yet. First came an unusual song of a bird that we couldn’t see. The Merlin app told us it was a Warbling Vireo, another first for me. It sounded like it was buried deep within some scrub oak and we eventually found it…sitting in a nest! No babies yet that we could see but she seemed quite happy singing away. Because the nest was so deep and we always stay as far away as possible when nests are present, the only photos I got were marginal at best but the sight and sound of her took my breath away.
Back near the bottom of the canyon we caught a larger bird landing on a wire. We were excited that this might be a Merlin or perhaps a Prairie Falcon, but it turned out be the largest American Kestrel either one of us had ever seen. Kestrels are a part of the Falcon family but are the smallest species of falcons. Not this guy. A nearby open field likely serves as an all-you-can-eat buffet of rodents that he overindulges on daily.
The last bird we saw before hitting the trailhead was a nemesis bird of mine. In the bird photography world a “nemesis bird” is one that you’ve seen or heard frequently but can never get a decent photo of. Once again, Shelley found it sitting atop some vegetation wide open for a photograph which I quickly did before it decided to fly away. This is a Gray Catbird and it is now no longer a nemesis bird (but the evasive Ruby-crowned Kinglet remains atop that list).
So, can’t wait to get back out to the canyon and see if there is still a “moose on the loose” (groan).