American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus, on a suet feeder, La Plata County, Colorado, USA, North America
These are American Bushtits. They are cute and adorable, active and fun to watch. They have an amazing zest for life. They are usually seen in groups of 10-40. The Bushtit is the only member of its family in the Americas; seven other species are found in Eurasia. All have similar complex hanging nests. (Speaking of hanging nests: the Oropendola was Jeanne’s bird of the day and they have hanging nests as well.)
A breeding Bushtit pair often has helpers at the nest that aid in raising the nestlings. This already rare behavior is made more unusual by the fact that the helpers are typically adult males. For most breeding birds, only one adult at a time sleeps on the nest, but all Bushtit family members sleep together in their large, hanging nest during the breeding season. Once the young fledge, they all leave the nest and thereafter sleep on branches. The quote is from Thich Nhat Hanh
We found a beautiful quiet area to do some snowshoeing. The snow and bushes were covered in ice crystals, The trees were covered with snow. No wind. Colorado blue skies.
I had 7.5 new wet inches of snow this morning. After doing some shoveling, lunch and a quick nap, I drove up to a nearby canyon (20 minutes away) and cross-country skied for a couple of hours. I am so very grateful that I am still healthy enough to do this and so grateful for where I live.
Last Sunday, I photographed the Christmas Concert put on by the Durango Choral Society. I just love all of the different expressions on the kids’ faces.
Adventures, Animals and Images 