Valentine Comics

One of my favorite comics out in the inter tubes is Bird and Moon.  On this day of valentine cheer, I hope you send your love to a great artist over on their Facebook page.  Happy Valentine's Day my fellow adventurers and bird fanatics.

Book Review: Lost Animals

Lost Animals by Errol Fuller provides a photogenic account of the animals that are now lost to us through extinction.  The photos of the 28 species detailed in Fuller's book are remarkable.  Each species is given a detailed account with interesting insights to the last of the species.  I especially was intrigued by the account of the Carolina Parakeet and the lack of photos, except for two photos of captive individuals in private homes.  The photos of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker were also interesting and ones I had never seen before.  They were stunning!

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the book is that the photos are provided in their original detail.  No modifications or graphic enhancement is provided, but instead the author chooses to let the original photos speak for themselves.  The photos in this book give us the ability to really see a live individual before it was gone forever.  It makes one wonder how many more species will go extinct in our lifetime.

This review copy was provided by Princeton University Press.

Devil's Backbone with friends

Devil's Backbone is this really great hogback ridge near Loveland, CO.  There's a nice down and back trail that runs the length of the ridge and this is also the area that Em and I did some volunteer rattlesnake research this fall.  So when our dear friends Kristy and Ashley came to town, we couldn't think of a better place close by to go for a stroll.

We loaded up the dogs and headed to Devil's Backbone.  It was a gorgeous winter day and the trail was in good condition despite the melting snow. Our friends also seemed to enjoy getting out on the hike.

The trail provided us with a great lookout spot of the sun setting over the Rocky mountains. We watched the last sun drop over the mountain horizon and then we headed back to town.  Our final stop was the Big Beaver Brewery and Blown Spoke Cidery for some tasty spirits.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful visit from our friends.

Baba Ghanoush: Wild Dog

Baba Ghanoush is turning into the sweetest  pup when playing with her sister Daisy, let's just say Noushy runs the roost.  They play and romp in the backyard but it's always the smallest dog that comes up the victor.

Baba Ghanoush bites Daisy on the ears, lips, tail, legs, and more importantly, those teeth are razor sharp.  Look at Daisy's face, it's one pleading for help.

I guess it's the maternal instincts of our sweet bulldog that prevents her from biting back or even giving a growl.  Instead she stands and endures the bites or more often, she runs to us with those pleading eyes and hopes we will notice and tell Noushy to lay off.

Needless to say, adding a new puppy to the home has certainly mixed things up and provided new entertainment.  And when Daisy isn't being harassed by the new pup, they are curled up like two bugs in a rug on the couch or providing each other company during the day while we're away.

The Fawn Brook Inn Birds

The Fawn Brook Inn in Allenspark, Colorado has some stellar winter birds.  Before getting out of the car, I saw the Cassin's Finch below (the only photo I got of this lifer).  There was a large flock of finches and Pine Siskins flitting about the shrubs across from the natural spring flow.  Mixed in the flock were even bigger, darker birds: Evening Grosbeak!

I have had the Evening Grosbeak on my must-see list ever since it was the American Birding Association's 2012 Bird of the Year.  I was delighted to watch them at length and even capture a few poses.  They don't come very close but these photos were the best I could come up with on such a sunny day in the tree branches.

Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin's Finches were my two lifers of the day but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the spectacular Gray-crowned Rosy Finch seen from the feeders.  We also had Clark's Nutcracker, Hairy Woodpecker, Down Woodpecker, Pine Siskins, and two adorable Pygmy Nuthatch. 

Winter birding can be challenging but on a beautiful winter's day, I'd suggest heading to Allenspark, Colorado and catching the delightful bird show.