My owl friends: Coffee With The Owls

Spring time is so great for photographing wildlife! Everyone that migrated south is starting to return, so everyday is very exciting!

Today I decided to go see my owl friends, then stop over at the 75th St bridge and path, then finish at Saw Mill ponds. Since my owl friends only live about 10 minutes away from me, I got to sleep in a bit. I was there by 7am with coffee in hand.

The moon was just setting.......

Momma Cher was perched very close to the nest and the kids were sleeping.

A bit further down the trail was Sonny......

I was getting pics of Sonny when something big flew by. He landed in a tree and I realized it was a turkey vulture. Then two more showed up and perched in the trees. Hmmmm I do see turkey vultures around Boulder but I have not seen them here.

I walked over to the east lake and saw a killdeer. So darn cute!

I walked back to see the owls when this robin landed close by. Loved how the light was hitting him!

Sonny had left his spot but Cher was still by the nest doing a bit of grooming. They remind me so much of how cats groom themselves.

Check out those talons!

While I watching Cher, I heard some blue jays calling and chattering. Yup! They were harassing Sonny in a nearby tree.

Everything was pretty quiet, so I headed over to 75th st. It's only a five minute drive which I love!
The birding websites I watch had mentioned there was an eastern phoebe, a black phoebe and wood ducks in this area. So I hoped to see them.

Lucky me! I walked over to the bridge and there was the eastern phoebe with some nesting material.

Another well known resident here is the american dipper. A very cool bird that actually dives into the water......

I decided to go look for the wood ducks. I walked down the path along the boulder creek and spotted 3 pairs of woodies. They all flew off, so I followed hoping they would land nearby.
I heard the familiar call of the wood duck and spotted the female up in the tree.

Below her in the creek was one of the males. I never get tired of seeing wood ducks!

I went back to the bridge to look for the black phoebe and there he was! Sweet! I love when a plan comes together!

Next stop was Saw Mill Ponds which is about a five minute drive from 75th St. The ospreys have been returning to the area, so I figured the pair of osprey that nest here would be back and there they were!

One of the osprey flew off and came back with a branch for the nest. The coolest part is that they just fly by a tree and grab a branch with the talons without stopping! I guess it makes sense because thats how they catch fish....still amazing!