May's Peak and Sesame Canyon Loop 11/17/12

This was a wonderful hike - lots of nice surprises.  We walked up a then-chilly High Drive and then a little-known trail to summit May's Peak, which had very nice 360 degree views.  Then we came down Sesame Canyon back to the road.  Mark's pedometer put it at nearly 8 miles.  Beautiful day, beautiful hike - thanks Mark. :)  May's Peak seems to be a somewhat less-known gem in North Cheyenne Canyon - does not get many visitors to the summit. If you cut out the High Drive part by starting in the North Cheyenne Canyon big lot, it would be significantly shorter and with significantly less incline.

Pygmy Nuthatch - there were LOTS of these

deer at the top of High Drive

Good views as we head around May's Peak

Chickaree - aka Pine Squirrel

Mark awoke some hibernating lady bugs under a piece of bark he picked up to prop his camera

The summit shot :)

The sun is burning through the tree! :)

AlMagre

Garden of the Gods

The bike cuts on Captain Jacks

Mountain Chickadee

Taco Bell rock

mossy forest in Sesame Canyon

Stellar's Jay

ice on Bear Creek

heading home

35th Annual CSU Pueblo Math Day 2012

We did well and had a great time.  I'll refrain from mentioning names / tagging photos on a non-school-affiliated forum, but here are some photos.

Veteran's Day at the Cemetery

American Dipper, Cold November morning 11/12/12

Fountain Creek Regional Park 11/10/12

Big Johnson Reservoir 11/2/12

This bird was noted by someone on cobirders yesterday and I made note of the coordinates and went to try to find it myself after work today.  It is fully overcast and sunset is coming pretty early now so these pictures are wanting for light at 4:30 p.m., but as near as I can tell the markings of this bird do seem to match a gyrfalcon.  My first impression of the bird was that it is big - bigger than a red-tail hawk for sure.  New bird for me if confirmed, and considered 'rare' in this area, I guess!  Maps in my field guides show it mostly hanging out way up north in Canada/Arctic areas but Peterson did note that young brown ones sometimes venture further south.  But Prairie Falcon looks pretty similar - I doubt my pictures are good enough to tell it apart?  Or probably it is a Red-Tailed Hawk. :)