Mountain Chickadees at Brush Hollow SWA feeding on leafminer larva inside leaves

[SeEttaM .]

I found a couple of Mountain Chickadees at Brush Hollow Reservoir yesterday (Tuesday) a location that is 25-30 miles from the foothills. I had spotted a single Mountain Chickadee on the Canon City Riverwalk last week but since this is only about 5 miles from the foothills a stray Mountain Chickadee sometimes comes down early but with those at Brush Hollow there may be an early plains invasion of this species. I found the one of them feeding on larva that is inside of most of the leaves in the cottonwood trees around my area in the fall that I had looked up two years ago and found they were leafminer larva (perfectly timed to be ready for eating during landbird migration).  I got two good photos of the chickadee picking the larva out from inside the leaf that I have uploaded to my Birds and Nature blog.

There were lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers moving through the trees at Brush Hollow SWA as well as 3 Orange-crowned Warblers and many Pine Siskins.  I was delighted to find 10 Monarch Butterflies feasting on the nectar in the large number of blooming rabbittbrush shrubs there as well as dozens of several other species of butterflies and hundreds of moths along with some bees. 

SeEtta Moss

Canon City

http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com