colorado – Page 32 – Five Acres with a View

Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds were flying over the Air Force Academy for the graduation ceremonies this afternoon. As I brought Lily and Lightning home from the groomers, I saw lots of people getting ready to watch from businesses, decks, parking lots and side roads. (People no longer try to watch from the freeway shoulders, fortunately.) Since we live in the valley due north of the Academy, I saw part of the show from our deck.

I pushed my kit lens about as far as it would go for this one. This wasn’t one of the years when they flew over our valley so low that one could practically read the numbers on the fusilage. Probably just as well: Lody (the thunder phobic Collie) thinks the Thunderbirds live up to their name and was worried enough as it was. It took the poor girl an hour after the flyover to stop panting and pacing.

Wished I Had My Camera

I saw a herd of nine elk in our valley on my way home this evening. This was not the first time this year, but they were much closer to the road than they had been previously. I am always astonished by elk: that creatures so stupid can be so magnificent.

Extreme Sunrise

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I’ve been going back through my folders of digital images and doing some pruning. I found this photo of a sunrise from December 2008 which I never posted.

Stalking

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I felt like I was stalking the hummingbirds last night as I waited by the feeder to take this shot. So far this spring, I have only seen Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and not the smaller, even more aggressive, Rufous Hummingbirds.

Still Life, With Hummingbirds

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The hummingbirds were feeding behind me as I took this photo. They are going full bore from dusk to dawn, and emptying one feeder a day. Last night I counted seven at one feeder at one time. I don’t believe I have ever seen that many at the same feeder before. I really like these new feeders since they can be completely dismantled for cleaning. The only thing I don’t like about them is that it can be hard to tell when one is empty.

Hummingbirds

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I put two new hummingbird feeders up Wednesday morning at 8:00 am and observed the first hummer at 9:30 am. Last night, as I took this photo, I saw four or five at a time. I like this design of feeder: a funnel is not required to fill it.

Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center

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I went to the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park with a friend today. I could have spent a lot more time, if we hadn’t left dogs at home in crates. I was pleased that allowed photography inside, even with a flash in most areas. I loved this restoration, which looks more like modern art than a fossile.

Still Coming Down

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It is not unusual to get snow in April, but it is rare to get so much. What makes this snow particularly strange is the temperatures have hovered right above freezing, and the snow is still accumulating. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the fifties.

Sleetfall

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For two and a half hours this afternoon, we had a thunderstorm with hail and sleet instead of rain. Lody, the Collie, who has moderate thunder phobia, paced and moaned for most of that time. Orion was pretty upset as well, and I couldn’t tell if he was reacting to Lody, to the storm, or to the disruption in his schedule. Snow is forecast for the next two days. Springtime in the Rockies is here!

Easter Morning

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The snow is very wet, and much needed. Rion came in looking as bedraggled as if he had been out in the rain. We even had some lightning and thunder before dawn.