Kayaking

I finally got the kayaking season started this weekend. I met Craig up in Buena Vista and hit Brown's Canyon on the Arkansas on Saturday, followed up with a town run in Pagosa Springs on Sunday, and finished up with a Upper Rio Grande trip today. Here's some pictures from the Rio Grande:

Just one more....

One of Craig's from today. We finished up the season with a 5 nest day and a total of 25 chicks banded. A new record!

More eagle pictures.

These are Craig's pictures. Click the picture to start.....

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2007 Golden Eagle Banding

This week I had a great privilege. I got to work beside my brother, hanging off ropes and banding Golden Eagle chicks. I have been working on this project for the past 4 years for the Nation's Department of Game & Fish, but my friend Jim who has been my climbing partner for those years has taken another job and left the state. We needed a strong climber and I got to pick him, so Craig got the job. It is hard to imagine being paid to do something this much fun. There are bad times too, some hiking and bushwhacking through thick oak brush, rattlesnakes, scary nests with no ledge to sit on, thunderstorms, piles of rotten rabbits in the nest, etc. We set a new record on Monday and banded 9 chicks in 5 nests. Craig was invaluable; setting anchors, hauling gear and even banding 3 chicks. The rest of the week was not as productive, but we still visited 12 active nests (out of 19) and got 17 chicks banded. We have some follow-up work to do next week and should finish with around 25 chicks banded.
Here are some pictures from the first week, I'll have more a little later: (click the picture to get started)

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Springtime in the Mountains

Hazardous weather condition(s):
Hazardous Weather OutlookShort Term ForecastToday...Windy. Thunderstorms with rain and snow showers likely in the morning...Then numerous thunderstorms with rain and snow showers in the afternoon. Snow accumulation 1 or 2 inches above 8000 feet and near the colorado border. Cooler. Highs in the upper 40s to lower 60s...Except in the 30s to mid 40s over the higher elevations. Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph becoming west 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph. Caution advised on area lakes.

The train has started....

Check out the web-cam pictures to see if the train is moving around in it. The past couple days we've been hearing the whistle as it starts preparing for the "Train Season"