There has been so much cold weather in Missoula, we're wondering when it will be Spring! Here's a photo pointing along the Clark Fork River towards the Higgins Street Bridge. There is a walking and biking path along here with several pedestrian bridges across the river.
I'm not a bird watcher as such, but occasionally I see a bird I want to identify. These little creatures had a curious yellow tip on the ends of their tail feathers. (Click to enlarge.) We saw these as we walked across the Higgins Street Bridge. My bird book says they are waxwings, exactly what kind I'm not sure — probably the cedar waxwing.
I love identifying wildflowers. These have the leaves of our Washington lupines, but the flowers are smaller and single, rather than clustered in a column.
The ever popular and beautiful arrowleaf balsam — blooming much later than the ones we saw in central Washington when we left there in April. I plan to get photos of many more flowers as we see them. As it gets warmer (I hope!) we'll be taking some day trips around the area and I will be blogging a little more often. Thanks for visiting!
2 comments:
My birder man Forrest agrees that you saw a bunch of Cedar Waxwings. Aren't they gorgeous birds?
Hey, those are cool birds, and I looked them up in the Sibley Bird Guide. You're right, Cedar Waxwings. Very pretty. My book says that in recent years, they have been spotting more and more of them mutating to have an orange stripe on their tail because of some new berry's that they have been eating, which are different than the wild berry's they traditionally eat. In urban areas they are eating hybridized versions of the wild berries on trees in peoples landscaping. The pigments in the berries are affecting the tail color! I thought that was very interesting. I'm also a bird watcher, it is one of the little things that makes me happy and at peace. We have to look up once in a while and appreciate the nature around us. Your blog is cool! Keep writing it, it's good for those of us who don't get to travel much. Love you! Betsy
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