Mt. Esther 9/28/13

A lovely 5-hour hike with Rose up the Mt. Esther access to the Ring the Peak trail and up to the Catamount reservoirs on Pikes Peak.  Early fall colors showing!

Stratton Open Space and Gold Camp Rd. 9/21/13

Evidence of last week's flooding is still present.

I thought all the Starr Kempf sculptures were gone?

Only spot we could see down onto the road in North Cheyenne Canyon - we could see a bit of damage and evidence of repair work already.  A few orange cones, evidence of dirt brought in, cracking on the road that looks new.  There may be worse-looking sections we couldn't see.

Silver Cascade or Spoon Falls much higher than normal

Gold Camp Tunnel 1 - evidence of water through here.  On Gold Camp Rd. we saw some exposed coal where the water had eroded on the side but we forgot to pick some up - thinking it came off trains 100 yrs ago....

Clematis tangutica

Dying Douglas Fir looks like one of those 1950's pink Christmas trees....

Awesome moss

Stratton reservoir

Whatever you're thinking, NO

On the way back, we took a detour down a washed out gully - it apparently washed out through an old trash pile?

Broad-winged Hawk - lifer

This photo showing flooding/damage in North Cheyenne Canyon Park is credited to Mike Searle.  

Fall Bird Count Fountain Creek 9/14/13

Mom and I covered area six led by Jeannie and Ron Mitchell.  It was birdy, but no very rare birds. Lots of major flood damage after Wednesday/Thursday flooding. Part of the trail is just completely gone because the creek re-routed in a major way.  Lots of muddy muck but had fun trying to navigate it - adventure quota met.   Ken Pals was sent off with cake for his very last day of service in El Paso County.  Maybe he'll come down now and then, but he has passed the batons of the counts to Steve Getty and Tyler Stuart.

2nd year Mullen

Flood damage - memorial bench - garden behind is just gone, mud was fresh over a foot thick, lots of debris.

Several areas of trail and grassland wiped clean, even a few hundred yards from shore.

That's the trail, disappearing in the now wide and re-routed creek - major changes.

Western Wood Peewee or Olive-Sided? - lots of these.

I *think* these are female or young Lazuli Buntings or Blue Grosbeaks.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Ken Pals will be missed.  He's an inspiring mentor.

Blodgett 9/7/13

First time in Blodgett Open Space - it just reopened after the fire a few years ago.  After awhile, trails are many and hard to follow.  We could've used some better directions.

Peekaboo

Around this point, it was more like climbing than hiking.

Got covered in pollen from these - I guess I'm allergic because I started sneezing quite a bit up there....

Drake Pond and Ramah State Wildlife Area 9/2/13

Yellow-headed Blackbird

top left - Mourning Dove top middle - Red-tail Hawk lower left - Yellow-headed Blackbird lower right - Belted Kingfisher

Monday Birders

Northern Harrier

Cassin's Kingbird