Woody's Hermosa Luz 2026

[Woodyg3]

Males sparing. It looks like these two Hooded Mergansers were racing each other. Really the one that is slightly behind is chasing. I watched them do this for a while, and the tactic for the chaser seemed to be to overtake the one being chased, then make a sharp turn to cut him off. It all seemed to be a lot of show and bravado. Fun to see.

 

[Woodyg3]

About 2 minutes after sunrise with very orange sunlight

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

Longs Peak in the background

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

Lorraine and I just got back from Bosque del Apache. Lots of dark overcast weather, but I was still like a kid in a candy shop. I'll be sorting and processing shots for a while.

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Marilynne]

View attachment 425388

Are these colors normal? Ours are a duller red.

 

[Woodyg3]

Are these colors normal? Ours are a duller red.

I don't think you have Pyrrhuloxia in Florida. They are a desert bird. Maybe you assumed, understandably, that this was a female Cardinal? Anyway, yes, they have very vivid red markings. This is a male.

 

[Marilynne]

I don't think you have Pyrrhuloxia in Florida. They are a desert bird. Maybe you assumed, understandably, that this was a female Cardinal? Anyway, yes, they have very vivid red markings. This is a male.

Correct, I thought it was a female cardinal. Nicely done.

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

Look closely, this bird is missing a foot. Fishing line can be the culprit in cases like this, or a predator, of course.

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]

Sandhill Cranes pair off for life, and their offspring live with them for most of the first year of their lives. Here we see a youngster (left) with two parents foraging very early in the morning.

 

[Woodyg3]

 

[Woodyg3]