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.

Boulder Updates

Hey folks, I have surfaced.  I cannot promise how long it will be due to graduate school classes starting in a few weeks but let's get to some updates.  First of all, I moved as you know to Colorado.  For the first month I lived in Boulder, CO while I commuted to Fort Collins to find a rental. I also started the new job and hit the ground running.  It's not my traditional nature center/science education job but it's working with volunteers and animals and teaching as well so it's not half bad.

Let's get down to the good stuff though, I've seen a few birds lately:

These beauties were seen in and around Boulder.  The hiking trails there are plentiful and the birds are pretty cooperative.  Plus, I still can't get over the grebes out here!  They are stunning.  I guess I just love grebes everywhere I go.  I must admit I do miss seeing baby Pied-billed Grebes at Green Cay.  This is the time of year that they normally surface for viewing eyes to see.  In the earlier summer months the babies are kept hidden but the parents usually bring'em out around August to show off.

I hope to keep the updates a little more steady.  Until then, soak in these Flat Irons and wish me luck on this crazy adventure to move out West.

Colorado Living

After 4 days of driving I finally made it to Colorado.  I haven't wasted anytime since I arrived but it's slowly catching up to me this weekend.  On Thursday I bought a car, Friday I attained a CO license and returned the rental van, and Saturday I spent the day with friends in Denver.  Finally on Sunday I had a chance to unwind and go for a hike.

My afternoon Sunday hike was around Skunk Canyon on the south side of Boulder.  There is a great network of trails there and I ended up not going completely into the canyon and opted to hike up Kohler Mesa and then back down for a loop trail.  The birding highlights were Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee, and displaying Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.  I loved the small winding trails and the vistas.  It was a great way to enjoy my first hike in Colorado.

Work is going well but I do miss Green Cay.  It's not the same kind of job and I certainly don't get to do any birding but next week will have me teaching for the first time and meeting more people so that should provide at least a change of pace.  I know I left my dream job in Florida but I hope that my dream place will be Colorado.

Everglades Birding/Camping

November is the month when cool weather finally reaches South Florida.  Andy, Rosana, Emily, Charlie, and I packed up and got ready for our first camping trip of the Fall.  We were prepared and stoked but maybe we didn't realize that even though the weather is nice, the mosquitoes would be out in full force.  Regardless we survived the first night and woke up the next morning to a nice relaxing temperature.  We first headed out to Lucky Hammock and the Annex.  The wind was blowing a little but not enough for the quiet hammocks.  It was strange how little bird activity we found.  Emily did see her lifer Eastern Phoebe and we saw a multitude of Kestrels. 

Next we headed to Anhinga trail.  I couldn't believe how high the water levels were but it resulted in little bird activity or alligators in sight.  We did see a few waders but missed on the Purple Gallinule.

A quick walk through the hammock trail only yielded us a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  It was a slow morning but it felt good to be outside and hiking around.

At the Gate 15 mound we had a flock of Blue-winged Teal, a young Bald Eagle, and more waders.  It was a beautiful bright blue day but low on birds.  By this time we were starving and headed back towards Long Pine Key.

Charlie, our every faithful mutt seemed very content in the car and taking short walks at our breaks.  I couldn't believe how well behaved she was while we were gone.  I am sure she took a few naps.

After lunch we headed towards Flamingo.  At Mrazik Pond we had some excitement with a Redhead and a Gadwall mixed in with the teal and coots.

Once at Flamingo we were exhausted so we took a nap near the marina and watched the thousands of Turkey Vultures stream out across the Florida Bay.  It was entertaining and a much needed rest.  Near the amphitheater we found a Western Kingbird on one of the camp grills. 

Down by the shoreline Emily had her lifer American Avocets.  These little dainty birds always delight me.  I love that upturned bill and slender features.  Mixed in were some Willet and a few peeps.

We ended our day with another night camping.  I can't say it was the most pleasant due to all the mosquito/ant bites but for the first camping trip of the season, I thought it was successful.  Many thanks to Andy and Rosana who outdid themselves and brought the BEST camping food EVAH.  Thanks guys!

Michigan Camping

Our mini-Jekyll reunion took place near Ludington, Michigan this summer.  Katie, Melanie, Heather and I all met up near the lake for some camping and catching up.  We consumed some beverages, mostly beer.  We went to a few bars: The Mitten Bar being my favorite but The Rail treated us well too.  And we explored Ludington State Park.  The big lake was cold but invigorating and I enjoyed swimming with some of my favorite ladies in the big icey pool.  We also had some lounging times at another small lake but probably the best part of the trip was just hanging out at the campfire.  I loved our campsite and the weather was perfect for being outdoors.  I can't wait until the next reunion with these fine folks!

Best bird of the campsite: Least Flycatcher

Best beer of the campsite: New Holland Mad Hatter

Colorado Blue Skies

Boulder is a beautiful little town that packs a lot of punch. It has green spaces galore and the hikes around the town are not only fun but full of surprises. We left Emily's house for a hike downtown on one of our last days. Along the way we paused to watch House Finches collect nesting material and magpies hopping about the ground.

The first crocus of the season were blooming. I especially enjoyed the purple ones that seemed to dot the golden landscape. These flowers are a sign of spring but sometimes they come too early and hit a patch of snow. They must be hardy plants to survive these conditions. These were my first life crocus and ones I will never forget.

Once outside of the housing community our hike began to ascend upwards. I thought that the blue skies were made only more beautiful by the golds and browns of the land. The day was sunny but the little wind gusts kept us bundled up.

Aptly named Boulder, we saw many interesting rock formations. Also in the backdrop of the town are the Flat Irons which loom ominously to the west. I really loved the drastic differences of Colorado compared to my current state of Florida. It was hard to imagine that I left 80 degrees and balmy humidity for the beautiful, crisp Colorado air.

We hiked up the Goat Trail and let me tell you, this one has a perfect name. It wasn't too serious of a climb but it was definitly steep at times and rocky. Being a flatlander, it wasn't the easiest transition for breathing at these altitudes so we took it slow. It was well worth the view of Boulder and surrounding countryside once at the top.

The trail down was much easier and we stopped to watch Western Bluebirds flit around some small trees. We also had the whole jay trifecta: Black-billed Magpie, Stellar's Jay, & Western Scrub-jay all at one viewing.

One of the best parts of traveling is even the famaliar becomes exotic. I enjoyed the mountains, the birds, and even the large squirrels that Colorado had to offer. I promise this may have been my first visit but certainly not my last!

Corbett and the Loop Trail

Sunday night Emily and Rosana left us to go back to work. Andy and I had the place to ourselves. Literally we couldn't find another camper in the park. After being mildly harassed by a wildlife officer that seemed unsure what we could be doing there we settled in for the night.

Here's a view of our campsite from the tent. On Monday morning we would find that only a can of cashews was disturbed in the night. The can was cut open with many teeth marks but the cashews seemed undisturbed. We figured that it had fallen victim to the River Otter that Andy spotted when he emerged from the tent. We watched the otters swim about the canal from the campfire area and then got ready for the big day ahead.

Andy and I decided that we would take a nice loop hike through a section of the Florida Trail (Ocean to Lake section) and then loop back through trails 5 and 4 before returning to our car. We estimated on the map that it would be about 5 miles and take us 2 hours. What we weren't prepared for was the flooded trail, the intense heat, the sun, and the lack of water.

Our first mistake was I forgot my water bottle so we decided that since we were about a quarter of a mile in that we would just share Andy's nalgene. Thing started off well with a well marked path and many distractions along the way. We found many tracks below from the wild boars that call Corbett home.

The Florida Trail section was really pretty and the orange blazes marked a clear path but we often walked on the road that ran adjacent. Our fear was that at some point the FT would keep going straight and we would miss our turn to the right. Oh I forgot to mention, we also forgot the map. How we did this, I have no clue but the map sat quietly in the car and we were on our own to remember the way.

We also found many scat markings. Some were clearly Bobcats or Raccoons. The scat below was particularly large and had an assortment of beetles making fast work of the remains. I haven't IDed the scat yet but if you know what it is please leave the answer in the comments.

We were elated when we found the junction of the FT and Trail 5. That almost sealed the deal that we could find our way back on the loop. Trail 5 wasn't very long and it ran the course of a canal. Along we way we saw Turkeys and some Alligators. Unilke the FT, which was VERY sandy and slow trudging, we made okay time on the Trail 5.

When we found Trail 4, it seemed like we were home again but as we progressed down the trail we had more and more difficult terrain to cover. The road become very muddy and at times it was flooded completely. At this point in the journey our water reserves were almost depleted and we didn't have much choice but to keep going back towards our car.

Like most hiking in Florida, you always must expect to get wet. But without the map, we were unsure of the distance we needed to cover so we were reluctant to get our feet totally submersed. We navigated the side paths and crawled around many vines and air plants to fine our way around the flooded areas.

Florida has some beautiful air plants and the Cardinal Airplant, Tillandsia fasciculata, is one of my favorites. It had the smallest little blue-purple flowers blooming and it was striking with the bright reds, oranges, and yellows peeping through the mostly monotone Cypress areas.

Before long I noticed footprints on the trail that looked like ours. The night before we had hiked a little of Trail 4 but when nothing looked familiar we had feared that maybe we had many more miles to cover. With such a relief we settled in for just a few more minutes before seeing the green grass that signified the trail head. It was a nice hike and even though we thought we were lost for most of it with little water, it was still an enjoyable trip. We even saw a few birds but not the coveted Red-cockaded Woodpeckers that had lured us on this hike. Maybe next time...and you better believe I'll bring more water AND a map!