r/ColoradoBirding

If that’s not at least a little bit adorable, you might be dead inside.

This gal/guy has been around for a few weeks, but until today, I hadn't managed to get a picture. I apologize for the crappy photos it's my phone camera. For clarity, it has a black head, white checks/neck, and looks like it's wearing a red ascot.

All of these except the blue jay are new lifers (Ive seen them several times here) and my second flycatcher in Colorado besides the Western kingbird.

This beauty let us get quite close for a look before he took off. Got to watch him fish a bit, too!

first 2 pics are the first week i saw them - sleeping mom & her 2 fuzzy babies. 3rd picture is exactly 1 week later. 4th/last picture is the last owlet after his sibling started to fledge the 3rd & final week! all stops by their tree on my trail were as fast as possible as to not stress them. forgive the quality - these were taken 200 ft away with binoculars & and an iphone. 🥲🦉

at work this morning & obsessed /distracted by this neighbor. at first glance i thought it was a western kingbird, but now the dark head coloration and white mustache might have me leaning towards cassin's kingbird? help!!! pls lmk how you can tell as well for my future knowledge! i think the tail is black tipped but i can't tell due to the lighting. he's my buddy. thank youuuuu 💛🐥🐤💛

I took this today at about 6pm when I got home from work. It was a spontaneous "let's try this out" when I got out of the car as I heard and saw the hummingbird. I took it from my front patio at my house.

I kept going back and forth on this. While I wish I had a camera/lens capable of faster shutter speeds in our cloudy weather today (Canon R50 + RF 100-400 @ 400mm). The composition kinda works for me when I think about it.

The tree is "Fort McNair Horsechestnut" https://bowerandbranch.com/products/fort-mcnair-horsechestnut
I purchased it from Fort Collins Nursery in ~2022 when my ~60 year old crabapple got pancaked by that heavy April snowstorm in 2021.

Quite literally from their website:

>Ruby-throated hummingbirds have just returned from their winter homes in Central America when Fort McNair Horse Chestnut (or "Horsechestnut") blooms, and along with honeybees and other pollinators, they eagerly drink up. This remarkable medium-sized ornamental tree sends up scores of big, cone-shaped flower clusters that look like bouquets of orchids.

It felt like spring and I thought I would share.

Late edit: Thank you to everyone who volunteered and/or purchased plants from the Gardens At Spring Creek plant sale. It's always a fun event to volunteer for and I appreciate everyone in this community that supports a very unique place and vital resource that a city of our size is able to have.

These two have been showing up at my feeders around the same time every morning. Finally snapped a pic of them together.

A new bird for me! On my feeder in Highlands Ranch today. It was a team lunch with a collared dove, house finches, a towhee, and goldfinches.

Only saw this guy for a split second. Such fun colors

Saw this in Lowry.

Northern Yellow Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler from City Park today. Plus a bonus pair of Wood Ducks because I'm always shocked at how pretty they are.

Spotted what sure looked like Glossy Ibis today and now I’m a bit more confident seeing another post about them from a few days ago. My travel camera did its best. Gorgeous birds.

5.14.26

Watched them flying around and zooming off from impossible to shoot spots for 20-30 minutes before they finally landed on a branch I had a clear view of.