Elk Meadow was dancing with activity. At least five flickers were spotted jettisoning though the timber and aspen groves. It was confirmed by their unique call. Within an hour at least six Hairy Woodpeckers were spotted creeping up and down the crevices of several aspen trunks or showing off their dipping swoop across a section of open sky. The Pygmy Nuthatches were in the midst of their Keystone cops skit bopping from branch to branch or scooting up and down stately Ponderosas. Not seen but readily heard was the always welcoming sound, a high-pitched chortle of the house wren. And of course the Steller’s Jay’s low pitched, raucous calls echoed throughout the forest.

The Steller's Jay had new neighbors this weekend.

While attempting to spot a wren I noticed a downward movement, a dive toward a dormant grassy section on the bank along the creek. The relatively large bird, kind of a dusty grayish brown, was quiet but alertly checking for insects from a high aspen branch. I didn’t recognize the bird or its action so I lifted my binoculars and scanned the upper branches. There it was about 8 to 9 inches in length with a dark bill and a very distinctive soft tan eye ring and a rather long tail. It was elegant and rather demur. Then in a matter of seconds it was gone, down  below the creek bank out of sight. My best bet of identifying the bird would be my visual memory when I got back home and thumbed through my field guides ( The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds,A Guide to Field Identification Birds of North America or The Complete Encyclopedia of North American Birds). I had not seen it before and my best guess along with my wife’s was a thrush.

To our delight we learned it was a Townsend’s Solitaire. It was our first spotting ever and I have been an amateur birder for nearly 20 years. It was a great discovery.

And speaking of discovery, “Rocky” raccoon came out of his late winter’s slumber  about 3 a.m.to find the assortment of bird feeders on the deck and one of the dog’s rubberized treat holders. His rummaging through the feeder is pretty common from time to time and isn’t particularly disturbing but when he got a hold of the dog’s treat holder-it’s known as a Kong®, I have to tell you the constant thud about every 20 to 30 seconds was driving us crazy. At 3:40 a.m. I decided Rocky and whatever he was up to had to cease. I traipsed outside only to be greeted by him shuffling along directly at me. I wasn’t afraid of him but I must admit I didn’t want to tangle with a raccoon in the dark during the middle of the night. So my tactic was to retreat and counter from another door. Sure enough I found the rubber noise maker and was back to catch a few more hours of sleep.

That was abruptly interrupted shortly after daybreak when the dogs started barking in all out war threats. Once again, uncertain what was going on, I checked outside to discover a portion, twenty two to be exact, members of the Mt. Evans Wilderness elk herd had found the early spring shoots of grass in our meadow to be to their liking.

A bit mangy as they shed their winter coats, elk don't exactly ask permission to rummage through your yard.

So, no matter what the weather is like. It’s definitely spring in Evergreen.

Note: If you are interested in confirming or discovering a bird in your neighborhood go to enature.com. They have great photographs and incredible sound recordings to help you learn about the winged ones. The elk are easy to spot. They are about the size of a horse, pretty ugly this time of year and will be eating everything green or living in your yard!

I had two projects to handle with just under 250 miles  and six hours threaded between them.

I started at day break and  was out the door heading to a corporate assignment in Louisville just east of Boulder before eight.

Ironically I was within ten minutes of where I needed to be the day before on an assignment but the stars weren’t aligned so back I went after getting home at 1 a.m.

Everything went smoothly in the morning and it appeared I would even be able to grab a bite to eat before my 2 p.m. Having the extra half hour was nice for regrouping and focusing on the next task at hand.

You see going from photographing corporate employees in a retail environmental setting to photographing a stuffed horse, pardon me, an NFL mascot takes a little bit of moxie. Clearly I am much more comfortable around Miles the Denver Broncos mascot than I am corporate types. However, in this economic environment I am grateful to be working no matter what.

Denver Broncos mascot Miles isn't afraid to ruffle his mane.

Miles’ handler had scheduled a photo shoot at an indoor sky diving venue which would feature the celebrity horse and two kids sky diving.

Miles, the human, yes, the ” hay burner” has a homo sapien alter ego, is ALWAYS  and I mean ALWAYS fun to be around. There are two problems  however when working with this creature. Number one he is about three “Sea Biscuits”short of  a full feed bucket and secondly, it is hard to photograph when you are laughing so hard you can hardly stand up.

Miles did a couple “test flights” just to get the hang of it in the wind chamber. Once we started shooting he did everything conceivable to hang on and keep himself collected next to two relatively expert  youth who have had hours of experience in the tunnel.

Just about the time I had all of them lined up precisely where I needed them,  there went Miles up out of sight or floundering toward the safety mesh below.

What I wasn’t aware of until his fourth and final attempt was his sense of balance was a skewed due to his over-sized head and shoulder pads. Consequently he was having to fight the natural contour of his body the gale force winds were attempting to mold him into during flight.

Safe to say he was mimicking a ping pong ball just launched in a Saturday night Powerball game. When all was said and done we got our shots and Miles was ready for a hottub or a jacuzzi.

Invesco Field looks different in the off season even though it is a familiar place to Eric Bakke.

With spring like weather dominating Colorado I decided to get a head start on an assignment that I needed to get in the bag in the next 30 days. Living at 8000 feet, my weather pattern is different than Denver’s so when it is nice up here in the mountains it usually is really nice in the city which is the main reason I decided I could get the photo shoot done. It was going to push the upper sixties in Evergreen today so nothing like working in spring weather the first part of March.

The mission was to photograph some permanent signage at Invesco Field at Mile High. It was scheduled to be used in a publication sometime in May.

As I entered the stadium mid-morning it struck me a bit odd. I hadn’t been in the facility for over two months and there wasn’t a soul to be seen in the stadium.The seats were empty and  in fact, other than a skeleton crew, there was hardly any body floating about the complex. Usually I am being bumped into or stepped on by numerous well-greased tailgaters or fans that left their radar at home prior to coming to a game.

After completing the project at hand I decided to enjoy the morning and do a little enterprise shooting. Besides, climbing some stairs would be good exercise as well.

A massive structure like Invesco ,which seats 76,125 human beings, has some interesting lines and graphic detail I seldom get to see when it is full of screaming fans. For a short time I just scanned the horizon and the various sections of the stadium. Then certain elements just seemed to jump out at me. Each time I moved I saw something different. It was definitely a pleasant surprise and a good exercise in visual awareness. I came away from there kind of refreshed and rejuvenated by a place that sometimes gets the better of me.

Wind created waves on the protective layer covering the turf at Invesco Field and gave it an unfamiliar look.

The headline on the final Rocky today read “Stop the Presses”. It was a paralyzing  headline.

I spent a good portion of my earlier career working for newspapers so this very much  is a punch to the gut. As I flipped through the Rocky’s special addition this morning commemorating its flamboyant history complete with colorful characters, cherished past and recent Pulitzer accomplishments, I was struggling with the feelings these friends of mine and professional peers were feeling. I can tell  you from experience these are intelligent, driven, hard working, caring individuals striving to give us a reasonable and responsible sense of the news and the world around us. Every day is different and every day is a challenge trying to uncover, sniff out and be on top of every topic imaginable.

The folks at the Rocky never gave up and continued to work at an extremely high, reputable level to the end. I didn’t always agree with every column, every story or every image in the paper for sure but I had a tremendous respect and admiration for the content that was delivered by people that were determined to give people in every nook and cranny in the mountain region a sense of place, purpose and reason.

There was a time when I worked as a competitor at a position in  the Denver Post photo department. When I joined the Post for my second stint it was probably one of the most exciting times in Denver’s long newspaper history. Long before the Joint Operating Agreement which eventually brought both publications under the same roof in recent years, we all battled in one of the craziest and intense newspaper wars in the country. Through those times I built many of the friendships and relationships I mentioned earlier. Those connections have lasted long since my departure at the Post twenty five years ago. Freelancing in the metro area has given me an opportunity to continue to work side by side some of these individuals. Others have connected through social settings.

For years now I have shared  by proxy their anguish, their compassion, their doggedness and their adrenalin-driven lives. I remember my own experiences like they were yesterday.

So on the morning I knew I would be retrieving ” My Rocky” for the last time I waited. I glanced out the window to make sure it was there much like I have every morning for a long long time. When I did stroll out to grab it in its neatly bundled blue plastic wrapper I didn’t let Gandalf, our two year-old Weimeraner snatch it for me like he has proudly been doing for the past six months. Instead, I called him off and I reached down to touch it and hold it for a moment just to reflect. It will be my last time out the door  in the morning for the Rocky but not the last time I will touch it as I plan to keep the last edition tucked away with many of my other life long mementos.

Best of luck to all the talented folks that managed to make us Westerners happy,sad, amused and pissed off from time to time.

And for the soft hearted you might check out this wonderful Rocky Mountain News final tribute at http://vimeo.com/3390739