It has been an interesting week which started off with the best attended bird walks since we began them a few weeks ago. On Sunday I discovered a seep near the Bryce Canyon Lodge that is a bird magnet and that will become a regular stop on the tour, I think. Then I come home for lunch that day to a sick Roxie who ended up taking a trip to the vet on Monday. I know she has a few fans out there and the good news is that she is all right; the meds did the trick. Tuesday was a regular day off and a day when I would try to get in a little shooting but, with here down-and-out, I didn't even pick up the camera, deciding to just hang around the "house" for the most part though at one point I ventured out for a bit and made an interesting discovery (see below).

Wednesday I rolled out early to do something I had not done since arriving in April (shame on me!): go out and shoot at sunrise. The image above is from Bryce Point overlooking the amphitheater, stretching from Inspiration Point at the upper left almost to Sunset Point at the upper right. The image at right is from the trail leading to Bryce Point from the parking area and was taken about 45 minutes after sunrise. What I find cool about it is that the white hoodoo and the pine tree are being lit by sunlight reflected from the white rock above them. Something about it gives the it an interesting glow. I'll be looking for more stuff like this in the future.

Back at the trailer after shooting the hoodoos the male Williamson's Sapsucker posed on a Ponderosa for a moment - and that is about all he'll give you, very skittish, this one. Though there has not been any chances for photos I have now seen both male and female Black-headed Grosbeaks in the campground now, will need to update my list but it should be approaching 80 species for the park (plus 5 miles outside). Which brings me next to the interesting discovery I made Tuesday: I found a Burrowing Owl not far from the park's north boundary. I knew it wasn't on the checklist for Bryce birds and mentioned it to the folks in Resources who were a bit wide-eyed. There's still some research going on but it appears that my sighting may be a first for the Paunsangunt Plateau (the uplift from which Bryce Canyon is carved). We'll find out, I guess