The raccoon finally discovered we hid bird seed under the bowl. The robins, grackles and blue jays were among the fairly-regulars. The red-winged blackbird had come before, but repeated visits throughout the day were a new thing. And I always loved watching the bunny chases.

The squirrel got up on the lunch table and peed in the guacamole dish, and I never forgot it. He's beautiful but he's always the spoiled brat that gets away with things. He's often a bully. I was thrilled when I got to watch the buildup and afterwards when he got to the 'find out' stage.

On the trip home, I wanted to try a time lapse setting on my "dash-mounted trail camera." I set it for every 15 seconds, and took 2,222 photos over the next five hours. It wasn't hard to sift through and find the trip highlights: fog and snow on the pass, wind turbines not moving.

On our last day, the sun came up moody and dramatic, then climbed into clouds. The sky was the biggest story as almost all the usual birds were in shadows. Then as we finished the loop, suddenly we had bright sun. We decided to go back around the loop, and I had enough energy.

Mary is in a care facility now, and Ron's glossectomy is also on our minds. I had three sleep starts, misfires in one night, so my energy took a major hit. But I enjoyed my rest while I looked through more than 2,000 photos of hungry critters. We know we are truly blessed people.

On our second time around the loop, the sun lit the iridescent feathers on the ibises. The marsh wren sang on the tallest reed, the white feathers on the Canada geese were also crisp and bright, and the night heron had emerged from deep in the reeds.

While we focused on the night heron deep in the reeds, I also watched the cinnamon teal and canvasback ducks nearby. And I caught glimpses of spring’s mating behaviors all around us. The dash-mounted trail cam quietly recorded beautiful wide open spaces bathed in golden sunlight.

Even more rain and less light on Tuesday, but we visited MVNWR and there were plenty of things to enjoy. The solitude, vibrant colors, and the reassurance that at least a few of the night herons and avocets had returned in the last month. As always, we enjoyed photos of blackbirds.

It was raining and we headed to Monte Vista NWR anyway. Our reward was our best day (for the variety of wildlife} in a long time. As we got to the refuge, the deer moved until they got a safe distance away and then they stayed there for a while and just watched us before disappearing.

Kate had made it through the surgery, and I was recovering too. I had anesthesia-caused sleep issues and of course stress. I changed timing of meds and used music to get back to my former excellent sleep. 3,960 images per day was becoming the norm and I still enjoyed all of them.

It’s always jarring when nature reminds us who’s in charge. Losing a tree—or anything familiar—can feel like losing part of your story. No matter how strong you are, moments like these can knock the wind out of you. And still, somehow, we stand. Because courage is contagious.

On Monday, based on what we knew from past years, we were amazed by the thousands of cranes that had stayed until the end of the month. Not quite as many as a month earlier, but still the sky was full of them, and we'd never before seen them in the barley field by the thousands.

When I was trying to understand our 3 kinds of bunnies, I spilled to the AI bot that we'd been a National Backyard Wildlife Habitat for a long time. It meant a lot to me, that they made an embroidered version with our official number as well as a wooden badge to use on my pages. When I asked...

The neighbor Savannah cat took a handsome selfie. so I learned all about this fascinating cat who likes to hunt. Caught up on a few things, I decided it was time to understand which of eastern, desert, and mountain cottontails we've seen. I suspected a mix: more study needed.

That was a mid-Spring Wednesday, sunny, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. A typical pattern for us in the foothills of the Rockies. So the lighting changed throughout the day. Remember the oranges and jelly we tried but had no takers, except squirrels and ants for the jelly.

The Canada geese were paired and it was nice to see them again. It was very different than at home, where we had a background of city life. Our happy place was in the sunshine with plenty of open space and quiet. I also loved to see the blackbirds finally feasting on last year's cattails.

I wasn't crazy about giving up my sprinkler system, but for more than 30 years it has kept you healthy, to haul the heavy duty 50-foot hose all over our property every few days each summer. Suddenly in April the grass was turning green again and you were out getting your exercise.

I'm partial to bunnies and to Ukraine—but sometimes I think Russia is a bit like the squirrels. They're just being who they are. First, a squirrel harasses a bunny. Then he chases the grackle, shoving his way in at the feeder. I wish we could all get along, but nature doesn’t work that way.

Primarily known for his sculptures in cast bronze and forged steel, Bernie Brenner was a dedicated educator. He influenced a generation of students. He emphasized the importance of understanding diverse cultural perspectives & the therapeutic potential of artistic expression.

We're used to it, one day 67 and the next day snow. It's springtime in the rockies. At the beginning of the week, our feeders weren't popular but the critters all showed up when they knew a storm was coming. We planted the Corsican violet, and I even saw a tiny white butterfly.