For the last few years we have been hearing Cordilleran Flycatchers in the garden were we enjoy Friday-morning coffee after a hike in Garden of the Gods. Trouble is they are so small, SO fast, and rarely stay in one place for long, making picture taking tough. Suddenly a youngster seemed interested in people and we started to wonder, who’s watching who?
At the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, at the south end of the park, you’ll not only find outstanding creations from local artists, as well as regular tourist stuff, but a beautiful garden area to enjoy coffee and breakfast/lunch. The garden is among pines and cottonwood trees with running water and beautiful flowers. The Cordilleran typically lives in Rocky Mountain canyons with running creeks and surrounding forests. They eat all kinds of insects they hunt just below the forest’s canopy. Maybe this much tamer but similar habitat is inviting.
Between 5.5 and 6.5 inches long, they whiz around so fast you often miss them. They often hold their crown feathers in a peak. It looks more like he/she is having a bad hair day, but not always.
The Cordilleran Flycatcher is nearly identical to the Pacific-slope Flycatcher found in California. Originally the two were considered the same species called the “Western Flycatcher”. There are subtle differences, but their songs and home ranges are different. When they both travel to Mexico in the winter they are apparently impossible to tell apart aside from their slightly different calls.
Cordillera is Spanish for mountain range, their primary habitat. As you can see, they live mainly in the Rocky Mountains and Mexico’s Sierra Madre.
We have gone for coffee more often lately to see if the youngster is still around and one day there were two! They seem in no rush to abandon the human-filled location which is surprising, and they come so close.
Suddenly one day, riddle solved. We saw an adult land near a nest above the sliding doors to the garden.
It seems the youngsters were simply trying to figure out life beyond the nest. They would often look up and now we know why. Since they grew up to the noise of humans, they had little fear. I’m expecting we’ll see less and less of them, but this has been so special.
Slow down and look around for the special connections with nature near you. Until next time my friend . . .
Love how you captured Cordilleran Flycatchers, incredible photos and storytelling!