Aurora Borealis comes to Boulder!

Its a rare event having the night sky turn bright colors around here. The Front Range is a sea of light pollution but more than that, we are just way to far south, for the most part. 

Personally, I've been chasing this experience for years. The Aurora Borealis!

Then low and behold, the KP index hits 8+ this week and the night sky is clear. For mid November, it wasn't even that cold and so, without gloves or a hat, this gal tried her hand at capturing the night sky over Boulder ...

I've still got a lot to learn but I know this is just the beginning for me!

Hummingbird Bliss!

 Oh my... Balto Farm is gorgeous, filled with animals and birds, insects and flowers. 

Color everywhere. I couldn't stop clicking!

Pelican Smiles

Finding new-to-me, old places around here to spot wildlife in, is easier than I thought it would be.

Is this a cautionary tale about taking the area close to home for granted? Or should I just lean into the gratitude I have for living in this most precious environment and sharing it with some delightful critters - whether I see them (or look for them) on a daily basis or not?

Today I woke to sunshine - honest to goodness, warm and wonderful, bright and shiny rays of light not punctuated by loud drops or grey drizzle! I celebrated it by jumping up and heading outside to find out who else might be soaking it up.

Dodd Reservoir is a bit like a large pond sandwiched between someone's house and a moderately trafficked intersection. Yet, everytime I have driven by here, I have seen some kinda wonderful bird poking around in the reeds, balancing on the frozen top in winter, overflying with friends...  And while I didn't expect to see the eagle I spotted 2 weeks ago, I was ok sitting and waiting to see who did show up.

Pelicans did!!!!

(Yes, strangely we have pelicans in land-locked Colorado. They are our biggest bird with their 9' wingspan.)

Some of my favorites from this weekend: