Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 29, 2018

What would you do if you saw this bird watching you wash dishes? My answer was, "Forget the dishes and grab the camera."

It took a few minutes with my Audubon Field Guide, but I learned that the visitor was a chukar.

The chukar is not a native bird but was imported from Europe in the last century. I won't give you all the details here, but if you'd like more information, you might find this article from Cornell interesting.

This chukar stayed for quite a while, posing so I could admire him from different directions. Unfortunately, he hasn't been back.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 22, 2018

One of the most colorful backyard visitors is the goldfinch. I'm always entertained by the contortions the finches go through to harvest seeds from the sunflowers, and the fact that their colors are so similar only adds to the appeal.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 15, 2018

Last week I highlighted the hawk that's been a backyard visitor. Today's post features a much smaller bird -- a rufous hummingbird. Here it is, perched on a piece of lawn art. What surprises me is how long it'll sit there, almost motionless.

The reason for choosing that particular perch is that only a few feet away are one of its favorite foods -- penstemons. Although it seems to me that the birds (there are at least three) visit the same blossom multiple times a day, making me wonder if there's any nectar left, they don't appear discouraged and keep returning.

I always laugh when I see the little hummer with its full beak and part of its head buried in the flower. Must be tasty!

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 8, 2018

It's one thing to have robins and sparrows bathing in the birdbath, but a Swainson's Hawk is a different story. Even though this one was a juvenile, he still had trouble fitting in the birdbath, yet he persisted.

A couple weeks later, he returned -- considerably larger than the prior visit -- and decided to do nothing more than drink. As you can imagine, the ground squirrels and bunnies were less excited about the hawk's presence than we humans were.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 1, 2018

Now, this is something you don't see very often in Cheyenne or -- for that matter -- anywhere.

Mr. Peanut and his NUTmobile came to one of the local grocery stores last month. It was a great photo opp, not to mention a chance to talk to the Peanutters, as the staff who tour with Mr. Peanut are called, and learn more about the famous nut.

Here's the NUTmobile in all its glory. If you were wondering, it's not a repurposed RV. The three NUTmobiles (one for each of three different regions of the country) were all custom made specifically for Planters.

Some fun facts about the NUTmobile itself.

In his almost a century of existence, Mr. Peanut himself has undergone some changes.

A fitting ending to the story, and to the NUTmobile itself: a personalized license plate.