Our Denver Audubon bird class scaled Genesee Mtn. this morning. We call it a "Pretty-Lady" day. Painted Ladies all over the hillside, quite distracting when you want to turn them into birds.
But most amazing: on the top of Genesee, and only on a narrow line along the topmost section, pods of Lady-bird Beetles (aka Lady Bugs). They snuggled in tightly-massed groups of 100 or more, folded into the shelter of Mountain Mahogany and Wild Rose bushes. Several pods on a bush, on perhaps 10 shrubs. The total must have amounted to 5,000-10,000, all just hunkered down waiting for ??.
The birds behaved poorly for us who wanted good definitive looks. Gray-headed Juncos acted like juncos, but Yellow-rumped Warblers also acted like juncos (but they sortied into tall grass, where we couldn't see them, looking, I suppose, for insects).
Pygmy Nuthatches noisy everywhere, but did not cooperate in showing themselves.
Lots (a dozen or more) of Western Bluebirds that we did see well.
A few migrating raptors -- a Northern Harrier, 2 Accipiter spec., and one Northern Goshawk (Confirmed by a photo). A rufous-morph Red-tailed Hawk that perched for scope views by the whole class and which then flew overhead.
PS: Dave Leatherman: do birds eat lady-bugs? Does anything? These didn't seem to have any hovering predators.
Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO
-- Franktown, CO
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