Gullapalooza

Earlier today I tried something new. I went on a birding excursion. I had read in our newspaper that a reservoir used for a cooling pond for our local power plant would be open for people to come view gulls and other birds that remained in the area because of the warm water. So I packed my backpack, put on my hiking boots, grabbed my binoculars and went to join the avid birders. Knowing practically nothing about birds, I found the experts helpful and willing to locate and identify specific birds with their high powered telescopes. Over the course of several hours I saw numerous species of gulls as well as a night heron, a blue heron, three bald eagles, a golden eagle, two ferruginous hawks, a Cooper’s hawk, horned grebes and a tundra swan. Along the way I saw other wildlife included carp, deer and a coyote. In addition I had an opportunity to get in a good hike and see scenery that is not normally open to the public. My friend, Christine Goff, writes a bird watcher’s mystery series, and when I see her at the Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America meeting this week, I’ll be able to tell her I now understand why people get hooked on birding.