I'm fairly certain this is a female red-shafted northern flicker. The bird never got very close to me and it was difficult to see it moving among the tall grass. I took photos and hoped that at least some of them turned out good enough to determine what exactly it was.
I think this bumblebee is Bombus huntii. I'm not certain about it though.
This Clark's nutcracker that I saw at Rainbow Curve was much more comfortable around people than others I saw. I notice that it's also banded.
I originally thought this was a Clark's nutcracker, but the coloration was lighter and the beak is the wrong shape. Turns out that it's a Canada Jay. The Canada Jays in the Rocky Mountains have much lighter coloration than Canada Jays elsewhere.
In north central Texas, we have Eastern bluebirds, but Colorado has mountain bluebirds. Eastern and Western bluebirds have little reddish "vests," but mountain bluebirds are all blue and grey.
I didn't realize that there are ravens in Colorado. I thought they were just in the Pacific Northwest. When I first saw a raven in Estes Park, I mistook it for a giant crow.
Unlike the magpies, the ravens had no desire to come close enough for good photos. I caught glimpses of them in the trees, but never well enough to get a decent picture.
Not a great photo, but this female wild turkey was crossing the street behind our vehicle while I was trying to take her picture.
House wrens look rather non-descript, but their singing is pretty noticable.
Male house finches are surprisingly pretty... but they also kind of look like someone dunked them in red Kool-Aid
Magpies are amazing birds and so smart! I didn't realize that there are magpies in Colorado. I heard them in Estes Park before I actually saw them. When I first caught a glimpse of them flying, I was sure I couldn't be seeing magpies... but I was.
These magpies weren't interested in visiting the bird feeders until we put out a suet block. Then, they were very interested and didn't mind letting me get sort of close to them.
