Cold,Cold,Cold!

Maybe it was a good thing I did not know the temperature when I left to go photographing this morning. I got in the car and the outside temp was 8 degrees! Hmmm that's a bit chilly I thought. But I figured it would warm up quickly as the sun came up..........

I decided to drive east to Barr Lake to see if any bald eagles were around. It takes about 45 minutes to get there, plenty of time for the temps to rise, I hoped......

Well, the temps actually continued to drop so by the time I got to Barr Lake it was 3 degrees!

Luckily I was dressed properly but it was cold! And with a good amount of snow on the ground, it made for a slow walk. I usually count on walking fast to warm up but it was tough with the snow.......

As I was getting out of the car, two immature eagles flew by. Sweet! I forgot about the cold as I grabbed my day pack and camera. I missed getting pics of those two but could see there were more near the barn owl nest box.

So I walked as fast as I could to get close enough for some pics. Such magnificent birds!

After enjoying the eagles I could see and hear the geese rising up! So cool!

I couldn't stand still for very long as it was so cold! So I headed back to the nature center.
One of the chukars was a bit shy but then realized I just wanted to get a few pics....

I had planned to walk to the gazebo which is about 1.5 miles one way. But it was just too cold......
So I decided to drive to the Adams county fairgrounds area. I have seen postings about the birds spotted there and it was on the way home. So I thought I should at least find out exactly where it is for the future.

On the way I spotted a few meadowlarks puffed up to stay warm!

I found the fairgrounds and park quite easily. Everything was frozen over but it could be fun on a warmer day, so I filed it in my memory.
I wasn't ready to go home and I remembered I was pretty close to 88th and the south platte river. So I drove over to check it out.

Yeah! there was lots going on! And it was now 12 degrees! Here is a green winged teal next to a canada goose. It's gives a great perspective on how small the teal is.

Lots of shovelers were there.....

A cute pair of green winged teals....

A female golden eye......

And some very handsome pintails!

After enjoying the pintails, I headed back to the car. A kestrel greeted me in the parking lot.

Whew! That was a very cold morning to be out photographing! By the time I got home it was 27 degrees, so Hazel got to hit the trail and enjoy the snow!
I plan head out New Year's day, so stay tuned.......

Thanks for reading!