After dropping into the "mile-high" city of Denver late yesterday we were quickly on our way, heading up into the snow-cloaked mountains that framed the horizon when we flew into the city. We headed to the town of Silverthorne where some snow-covered cabins and well placed feeders were covered in hundreds of amazingly friendly Rosy-Finches of three species. Every single one of them a lifebird for me. It was a rude awakening from my time in the flatlands of Texas recently to suddenly be in the snow covered high mountains of Colorado, although a mass of Rosy-Finches soon put me back on track! The most common was the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (bottom), with a healthy smattering of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches(including both the interior and coastal forms-middle photos), and the rarest of them in these parts, numbering just five birds in the melee of rosy-finches, the Black Rosy-Finch (top).
It was a great start, although a serious blizzard stopped us from having any real shot at White-tailed Ptarmigan too, although a few other long-desired lifers provided ample compensation and will be posted next...
It was a great start, although a serious blizzard stopped us from having any real shot at White-tailed Ptarmigan too, although a few other long-desired lifers provided ample compensation and will be posted next...
1 comment:
These are superb images,looks like a fantastic place to visit.
Must put it on our list.
john.
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