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La Veta, led by Debbie Barnes

Six women in two cars headed south early Saturday morning for what all would agree was the best birding day ever!

The weather was much warmer than we've had recently, and jackets were quickly shed. Still, La Veta had about three feet of snow on the ground, and more piled along the roads and paths. Icicles hung from the eaves to the ground, and huge drifts spilled over the roof tops. It was all pretty impressive, not to mention dazzlingly beautiful.

We arrived at Beverly's home in La Veta around 8:45. She was up and greeted us with a huge smile, a comfy kitchen table (with windows overlooking her backyard), and a gazillion birds! While the Rosy-finch numbers were down (due to the nice weather), there were still plenty for viewing and photographing. Evening Grosbeaks were also abundant. Cassin's Finches glowed ember-red in the sunlight.

Next we headed across town to Polly Wren's place. The Pinyon Jays hadn't yet arrived for the day, so we enjoyed the other birds (including a White-winged Dove!) and each others' company. Then, with a whirl of wings and raucous chatter, a huge flock of soft blue Jays swept all the other birds aside. We lost count at around 65 birds. The feeders were quickly emptied while shutters snapped. The hard part was getting a photo of just one bird, since the others constantly flew in front of the camera.

With a quick stop for lunch, we headed up Hwy. 12 to hunt for more species. Beveryly came with us, making it even more fun. It's a good thing there isn't much traffic on the highway there, as we were constantly slamming on the brakes—first for some cottonwoods full of turkeys, then for a Bald Eagle, followed by an immature Golden. A Lewis's Woodpecker was spotted on the other side of the road. We finally turned around and headed back, only to spot a small, squat shape on a branch overhanging the pavement. "That was an owl!"... and the brakes screechled again. Sure enough—a Northern Pygmy Owl was awake in the middle of the afternoon!

One last stop at a bridge yielded an American Dipper doing its characteristic deep-knee bends. Then we were back in town, dropping Beverly off at her driveway and thanking her for her amazing hospitality. Five out of seven birders added lifers to their lists, and most of us got "state birds" as well. As we drove back to the Springs, we were already planning our next trip. We hear that Beverly gets Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the spring, followed by swarms of hummingbirds in the summer.

Photos: Brown-capped Rosy-finch (JM), Cassin's Finch (LH), Evening Grosbeak (LH), and Pinyon Japs (JM)

Bird List

We listed 36 birds. I've highlighted the "special" ones. Here they are in no particular order:
Canada Goose, American Crow, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, (possible Chiuauan Raven), Horned Lark, Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Black Rosy-finch, Brown-capped Rosy-finch, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch (including Hepburn's subspecies), American Goldfinsh, Blue Jay, Steller's Jay, Pinyon Jay, House Finch, Cassin's Finch, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red-winged Blackbird, American Dipper, Pine Siskin, European Starling, Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Rock Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Turkey, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, House Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, and Northern Pygmy Owl.

American Dipper, by Leslie Holzmann

Jeannie Mitchell managed to get some good shots of the Northern Pygmy Owl.

Black Rosy-finch by Jeannie Mitchell, squawking Pinyon Jay by Leslie Holzmann