Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
December 2000
Another Trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/31
My trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir this Sunday morning was from 7:30-10:30 AM.
The temperature was 23 at first light; winds were calm.
The Ross's Goose reported yesterday was not among the hundreds of Canada Geese at
the southwest marina. I counted many Common Mergansers, a few Barrow's Goldeneye.
I first observed the Golden-crowned Sparrow briefly at 7:41 AM. However, I was able
to watch the bird from 9:23-10:23 AM. It was still at the same location when I left.
I managed to get three minutes of video of the bird. It was enjoyable to study
the behavior and identification marks of a bird that I do not get to see every
year in Colorado. The bird was quite skittish and flew away to any disturbance.
While waiting for the Golden-crowned Sparrow to appear, I observed the
Northern Shrike (first found yesterday), a female Northern Harrier,
female American Kestrel, 14 Black-capped Chickadees,
23 American Tree Sparrows, and 9 Song Sparrows.
Because of the overnight snow (food supply is covered), the bird may
remain near the same location most of Sunday.
Back to Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/30
I returned to Cherry Creek Reservoir today in hopes of taking a photo of
the Golden-crowned Sparrow. It was cold and quite windy during my visit,
which lasted from 7:45 to 10:30 AM.
The Golden-crowned Sparrow made a 15 second appearance at 8:21 AM.
Shortly after coming out of the cattails, three joggers came down
the path south of the cattails.
Almost every 10 minutes people came down the path near the cattails
where the bird has been observed. In my experience, the bird requires about
a 20 minute undisturbed period before it is comfortable enough to emerge.
I gave up hope of getting this much undisturbed time by 10:30 AM and departed.
A better time to search for the bird maybe after the weekend (and holiday)
when fewer joggers and hikers use the path.
Clear Creek County 12/29
I joined three Boulder birders and traveled to Clear Creek County on Friday.
We enjoyed a noteworthy birding day; temperatures were in the 30s; winds were calm.
We located 5+ White-tailed Ptarmigan on Trail 603 at the Guanella Pass Summit.
The birds remained in view for 15 minutes or so as they fed on the willows.
On the trip down the pass, we stopped at Guanella Pass campground.
A male Three-toed Woodpecker was feeding on his favorite trees along the road
between the Campground and the trailhead to Lost Dollar Lake to the south.
Someone made the comment that we did not even have time to close our car doors;
I pointed out that on my previous three trips, two-hour searches were unsuccessful.
It is not as easy as our day indicated. However, an easy sighting now and
then sure is nice!
We had stopped at Silver Plume on our way up and did again on the return trip.
In the morning, there was a flock of 30 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches with
3 Brown-capped Rosy Finches. After 10 minutes, a Sharp-shinned Hawk
flew into the willows next to the feeders and all birds disappeared.
In the afternoon, the flock had increased to approximately 40 birds;
no Black Rosy Finches appeared for us today.
For those you enjoy homemade bread and preserves, the bakery two blocks east of
the house with the pink flamingos has super breads. Sample her breads and jams
(the jalapenos bread is fantastic). While making our purchases, a female
Pine Grosbeak came to the top of the fir trees across the street!
Our final destination of the day was Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.
No Eastern Screech-Owls could be located today.
After my Boulder birding friends departed for home, I hiked the bike path from
the western parking area to the bridge over Clear Creek with hopes of finding
the Harris's Sparrow found by Paula Hansley on Wednesday. Definitely looking
for a needle in a haystack, there are many hiding places along the path.
I noticed that someone had put out birdseed at the northwest corner of
the parking area. So, I backed off 30 yards and sat on the fence post behind
the entrance signs. I thought to give the birds two hours,
as it was sunny and warm. Two White-breasted Nuthatches,
8 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, a Song Sparrow and
many Juncos (including one beautiful White-winged Junco) visited.
Several Brown Creepers climbed the cottonwoods nearby.
After 45 minutes, the first winter Harris's Sparrow appeared from
somewhere and fed on the ground for about 10 minutes. The bird
eventually flew to the thickets behind the most northeastern cottonwood.
I walked west to Youngfield Street under a beautiful sunset to end my grand birding day.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/28
I was at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) this morning from 7:15-9:15 AM.
The Golden-crowned Sparrow was at yesterday's location
and appeared at 7:40 AM and again at 9:01 AM.
Location is 0.4 miles past turn-off for Southwest marina
(entering park from southwest entrance); the cattails
along bike path north of third yellow sign with arrows.
I sat on the hill to the south and watched 7 Song Sparrows,
16 American Tree Sparrows, and the Golden-crowned Sparrow
search for food along the bike path. I cannot think of any
adjectives other than enjoyable and serene,
another memorable birding time!
Thanks Bob Brown for reporting the bird to cobirds!
Clear Creek and Adams County 12/27
Mary Dodson and I birded along Clear Creek and the South Platte today.
The weather was great with temperatures in the 30s to 53 degrees, little wind.
We spent three hours in Silver Plume. One Gray-crowned Rosy Finch remained
at the feeders east and north of the fire station. The bird was within eight
feet of us for ten minutes or so. It did not seem to be bothered by us.
One Brown-capped Rosy Finch showed up for ten minutes also. The bird came to
the feeders in the yard with the pink Flamingos. An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk
also "visited the feeders" (looking to snack on the birds at the feeders anyway).
On to Georgetown, we found one Brown-capped Rosy Finch visiting the feeders
at Rose & Second Streets in Georgetown. It appeared to be the same bird
observed yesterday on our Christmas Count. We did not find the Red Crossbills
located south of the City Park yesterday.
We then traveled to the South Platte River at Colorado Blvd & 88th avenue.
During our one-mile hike along the eastern side of the Platte, we observed
many Song Sparrows and one Lincoln Sparrow. The highlight was a viewing of
the adult female Long-tailed Duck (just below the white & green water tower).
(First observed last Saturday by Bryan Ehlmann and myself).
There were two Barrow's Goldeneyes about 200 yards south of the water tower.
Unlike Saturday, when the Gravel Lakes were frozen, several open spots in the
lakes attracted many waterfowl. We could not pick out additional Barrow's
Goldeneyes, nor identify the gulls out in the distance (left our scopes in the car).
One male and three female/immature Hooded Mergansers in the open water.
One Adult American Bald Eagle and a female Northern Harrier flew overhead.
Our day ended under a colorful sunset.
Christmas Count Clear Creek County 12/26
CoBus conducted a Christmas Count centering in Georgetown today.
Count circle extends to Downieville, Empire, Silver Plume, and Echo Lake.
The few highlights included a flock of Rosy Finches (three species)
at Silver Plume (east of fire station). A flock of 9 Red Crossbills
were in fir trees just south of Georgetown City Park.
No Three-toed Woodpeckers were located at Echo Lake this year.
One Rosy Finch was at the Feeders at 2nd & Rose Street, Georgetown.
These feeders were visited by 11 Evening Grosbeaks.
More Mountain Chickadees than past years were observed.
No Pine Grosbeaks could be located.
Michigan Creek area had few birds (past years had many Rosy Finches)
Christmas Counts on the Eastern Plains 12/19-12/23
Six of us took off Tuesday to conduct Christmas counts on the Colorado Plains.
Temperatures ranged from 30s to 50s; it was windy most of the week.
Tuesday 19
Bryan Ehlmann's team observed a male Northern Cardinal and male Red-bellied
Woodpecker at Tamarack Ranch WLA. Two Marsh Wrens and a Lincoln's Sparrow
were added to their list. Two Eastern Bluebirds were behind the manager's house.
At Red Lion's WLA and Jumbo Reservoir, my team found few uncommon birds.
One immature Golden Eagle flew over the east side of Jumbo. Three Bald Eagles
were on the ice on the reservoir. A few Ring-billed Gulls flew overhead.
My team found a female Northern Cardinal and male Red-bellied Woodpecker at
Ovid Woods after our Christmas count later in the day. After many attempts,
we finally observed the female Purple Finch coming to a feeder in Ovid.
Bryan's team back tracked to Sterling and observed an Eurasian Collared-Dove.
(The bird was in its usual neighborhood centered around Cortez Street.)
In the late afternoon, we met at a private ranch where we observed Swamp,
White-throated, and Harris's Sparrows that were "staked out" by the landowner.
We ended the day hoping to see a Short-eared Owl at Jumbo Reservoir;
however none appeared in our two hour wait.
Wednesday 20
Bryan's team took the Wray Fishing Unit; their only uncommon bird of the day
was another male Northern Cardinal (Stalker Pond area). My team counted at
Sandsage WLA and observed a Swamp Sparrow and two White-throated Sparrows.
There were many Song, White-crowned Sparrows, and American Tree Sparrows also.
A couple of Great Horned Owls hunted from the tall cottonwoods. We did not
find the Eastern Screech-Owl that makes the wildlife area its home.
Later in the day on private land we all observed a Greater Prairie-Chicken and
another Swamp Sparrow! We ended the day on high ground hoping for a
Short-eared Owl, however missed the bird again.
Thursday 21
The last day of counts, we split up once again. Bryan's team took Bonny Reservoir
and observed many Snow Geese and a 14 Ross's Geese. They also observed a
Long-eared Owl west of Wagon Wheel Campground. A male Red-naped Sapsucker
was foraging in Wagon Wheel Campground.
My team took Hale Ponds area. The bird of the day was a female Varied Thrush
found in the fir trees south of the store. Thanks to the radios we carried,
Bryan's team managed to hurry over and observe the bird also.
My team also counted the 9 Eastern Bluebirds and 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
that make Hale Ponds its home. We also found a Common Yellowthroat and
Marsh Wren along the Republican River near the Kansas border.
We ended the day finally observing a Short-eared Owl that hunts south of
Wagon Wheel Campground. (Found by hoping fence and hiking to top of hill
to south; sometimes bird spends the day in trees at southern end of Wagon Wheel).
We did not find the Eastern Screech-Owl that lives in the Hale Ponds area.
Friday 22
Bryan and I stayed in Burlington while the rest of our counters returned home.
Friday morning we searched for the Varied Thrush again and could not locate it.
We also wandered north of the ranger's office in hopes of
a Greater Prairie-chicken sighting which was not to be.
We stopped briefly at a home in Burlington where the owner reported a female
Varied Thrush December 2-4. They had not observed it since and we moved on
south of Burlington. The Great-tailed Grackles that hang out at a ranch and
feedlots south of town were there again today.
We then drove to Karval Wildlife Area. Except for many American Tree Sparrows
and a few Song Sparrows, few birds were observed here.
At Flagler Reservoir, we were able to find the male Red-bellied Woodpecker,
which seems to have taken up residence in the cottonwoods below the dam.
The female previously observed was not around today.
We ended the day on high ground east of the reservoir and were able to observe
a Short-eared Owl hunting to the south. (Missed on my previous 7 trips).
Saturday 23
Having decided we were having too much fun to return home, we camped overnight
at Jackson Reservoir. The Eastern Screech-Owl that lives near the manager's
residence south of the dam did not call tonight. However, we did hear several
Long-eared Owls calling during the night.
In the morning, we observed at least 8 Long-eared Owls in the western
campground area. Except for many Northern Flickers, few birds moved around.
Our trip was ended at the South Platte River near 88th avenue and Colorado Blvd.
A hike from 88th avenue to 74th avenue and back produced sightings of 3 male
and 3 female Barrow's Goldeneyes. The highlight of the day was an adult female
Long-tailed Duck. She was in an area of the Platte (near green & white
water tower) that could only be observed from the east side of the river.
Along the South Platte River 12/18
Bryan Ehlmann and I birded along the South Platte River on Monday.
We parked our car at Littleton/Mineral Park and Ride, caught a bus to
Waterton Canyon and hiked the eight miles back to the Park and Ride.
We hiked up Waterton Canyon (Jefferson County) 2.2 miles in search of
the Northern Pygmy-Owl sighting of 12/16. We did not see any owls,
however there were several American Dippers in the river.
A flock of nine Spotted Towhees were joined by 40 or so American Robins.
Continuing North through Chatfield State Park, there were five more
American Dippers along the South Platte. At the reservoir proper,
we did not find the Glaucous Gulls reported on 12/16.
Winds were quite strong and it was cold all day.
At the shoreline near the boat house (southeast marina), we briefly
observed a bird that had white outer tail feathers, was light brown,
and had large white wingbars. Whether this was a Snow Bunting,
we never confirmed. The bird was with 14 Horned Larks along the beach;
eventually the flock flew among willows near the restroom to the southeast
and then continued south. The search to relocate the bird was
called off after two hours and we continued our journey.
There were two adult and two sub-adult Bald Eagles on the ice.
Several Herring Gulls, California Gulls, and many Ring-billed Gulls
hunkered down behind chunks of ice formed by the waves and
wind on the rapidly freezing reservoir.
We did not observe much else as we hiked north along the Platte River
to S.Platte Park (near Littleton/Mineral Park and Ride and our car).
The five ponds of South Platte Park were completely frozen.
Since we were only a few miles from Littleton Historic Park,
that was our next destination. There were no gulls on the ice
at the pond. Fifty or so gulls were flying overhead and southward.
The male Barrow's Goldeneye along with half a dozen Common Goldeneyes
were on the pond and made the trip worthwhile.
Six of us are off to the eastern plains to conduct Christmas counts in
a few hours, or Bryan and I would return Tuesday to search for
the suspected Snow Bunting.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/14
Donna Fortney and I relocated the Great Black-backed Gull at Cherry Creek.
The bird was in its usual location, 50 yards east of the southwest marina.
A dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk flew overhead while we were at the Lake Loop.
One Rough-legged Hawk was near the northern entrance to the state park.
It was pretty quiet except for those sightings.
Clear Creek County 12/13
John Moffat and I birded Clear Creek County today. Due to bad weather we could
not get up to Guanella Pass to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan, we did enjoy
a good day. Skies were cloudy; temperatures were cold; and winds were strong.
At Silver Plume, all three species of Rosy Finches are still visiting
the feeders at the most northern house (northeast of fire station).
At Georgetown, no Rosy Finches visited the feeders at 2nd street and Rose.
We did find a flock of Red Crossbills northeast of 10th and Main streets.
No Rosy Finches were located around town.
At Echo Lake and Campground, we did observe a male and female Pine Grosbeak
(campground). We could not locate any Three-toed Woodpeckers today.
Birding Bodies of Water Around Denver 12/12
Donna Fortney and I traveled to several reservoirs on this cold and windy day.
Skies were overcast most of the day; high temperatures were around 20 degrees.
At Cherry Reservoir, the Great Black-backed Gull was on the ice 50 yards
east of the southwest marina. Only a few small areas of water are still open.
At Standley Lake, the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull stood on the ice
(center of northern shore). The 1st winter Glaucous Gull was also located
center of north shore. Later this bird flew to southeast shoreline
(below the 5 foot banks). There were at least three Bald Eagles on the ice also.
Thanks to Larry Semo for reporting the birds this morning!
At Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, the Eastern Screech-Owl was not found in any of its
usually trees. Prospect Pond is almost completely frozen. There were several
Redheads, one Canvasback, and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers.
At the South Platte River (Colorado Blvd & 88th avenue), a female and male
Barrow's Goldeneye were about 50 yards south (downstream) from the white and
green water tower. Most of the gravel ponds are now frozen over.
Arapahoe County Reservoirs 12/10
Bryan Ehlmann and I checked several Aurora Reservoirs on this cold and dreary
winter day. Temperatures never reached 30 degrees; it was 16 degrees at 4:00PM.
We hiked the seven miles around Aurora Reservoir. While there were many
Common Mergansers, at least 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, and many American Coots,
we did not find any loons or scoters. Ring-billed and California Gulls were
the only gull species counted! A few Mallards were also found.
We scoped Quincy Reservoir from both the north side (outside the fence) and
the east side (from the subdivision). No uncommon birds were observed.
At Cherry Creek Reservoir, we found the Great Black-backed Gull on the ice
about 50 yards east of the southwest marina. One Herring Gull was accompanied
by many Ring-billed and a dozen California Gulls. An immature Rough-legged Hawk
stood in a tree near the northeastern entrance to the park.
Eastern Plains 12/7-12/8
I just returned from a birding trip to northeastern plains. I wanted to
sneak in one last trip before this weekends cold front and predicted highs
of 14-degree temperatures. Highs the last two days were in the 50's
until this afternoon. Winds were mostly calm, the moon was almost full.
Thursday, December 7
At Empire Reservoir (private) there were many Snowy Geese and at least
two Ross's Geese. I wanted to investigate the sighting of an Am. White Pelican.
Two years ago, I counted one American White Pelican here in December and January.
That bird was thought to be hurt. This one appeared quite healthy.
At Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan Counties), I found the male
Red-bellied Woodpecker below the dam. I have observed it every month this year
(first observed in October of last year). During my hike from the resident
manager's house to eastern end of dam, I also found one Orange-crowned Warbler
(uncommon), two Common Yellowthroats, and two Common Snipes.
There was nothing uncommon on the reservoir proper.
Several American Bald Eagles were on the southern side of the reservoir.
At Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County), I heard an Eastern Screech-Owl
while hiking the southern end (dam) at 10:00 PM. The moonlight night with
calm winds made the two-mile hike quite enjoyable.
Earlier I had hiked the northwest corner of the reservoir in hopes of
a Short-eared Owl sighting (no success). Three Great Horned Owls called.
Friday, December 8
At Jackson Reservoir, I found one Long-eared Owl in the western side campgrounds.
There were many American Robins, Northern Flickers, two Mountain Chickadees, and
three Yellow-rumped Warblers. Nothing uncommon was found.
American Tree Sparrows and two Song Sparrows were the only "little brown birds".
Three Great-tailed Grackles were in trees around the house south of Jackson's dam.
About 5 miles north of Jackson along County Road 4, I observed 20-plus
Lapland Longspurs and hundreds of Horned Larks. Five Red-tailed Hawks,
2 Rough-legged Hawks, a Prairie Falcon, and 6 American Kestrels were observed.
The day ended with a hike between 88th avenue and Colorado Blvd to
Interstate 270 (Adams County). Western and Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawks
were observed. One male Barrow's Goldeneye was in the South Platte River
approximately 40 yards south (upstream) of the green & white water tower.
The female Barrow's Goldeneye was not observed today.
The skies clouded up around 2:00 PM and it became quite cold.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/6
After the snow melted, I ventured out to complete some chores.
The sun warmed up the temperature to 52 degrees; winds were calm.
At Cherry Creek Reservoir, the Great Black-backed Gull was again on the ice
50 yards east of the southwest marina. Two White Snow Geese and a Blue Goose
stood near the GBBG along with 200 Ring-billed and several California Gulls.
Another 500 gulls were on the ice near the swim beach. While the majority
were Ring-billed Gulls, there were also two dozen California, four Herring,
and one first winter Thayer's Gulls.
Many Common Mergansers and Western Grebes fed with another 200 gulls
in the middle of the reservoir.
A lone Prairie Falcon stood watch in one of the two trees along the bike path
north of the northeast marina's higher parking area.
An adult Red-tailed Hawk and an adult Rough-legged Hawk were
also observed while driving around the southern edge of the reservoir.
Birding Larimer and Boulder Counties 12/5
I conducted one of my bimonthly all-night birding adventures and traveled to
Cameron Pass (60 miles west of Fort Collins, Larimer County, along highway 14).
After hiking between the parking area for Joe Wright Reservoir and Cameron Pass
at 11:00 PM, I heard a Boreal Owl on the trip back to my car. Winds were quite
strong and it was difficult to hear. Boreal Owl searches succeed much better
on the nights with calm winds. I have not however, figured out how to predict
those nights while down on the Colorado Plains.
I spend the rest of the night stopping at the numerous campgrounds along
highway 14 on the trip back to Fort Collins. While the hope was to hear/see
a Northern Pygmy-Owl, I enjoyed no success in that endeavor.
At 5:00AM, I walked around Lyons City Park (Boulder County). Again, I
received no response from my rather pitiful Northern Pygmy-Owl imitation.
I figure they were standing in the trees, laughing too hard to call back!
First light found me parked across the road from Fawn Brook Inn in Allenspark.
At 7:15 AM, a flock of 250 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, 8+ Black Rosy Finches,
and 2+ Brown-capped Rosy Finches came to the feeders at the Inn. Also there
were one Clark's Nutcracker, one White-winged Junco, 64 Evening Grosbeaks,
and many Siskins and Goldfinches. I went up there with hopes of seeing a
Pine Grosbeak; where are they this year?
The immature White-winged Scoter was still at Lafayette Holding Ponds (Boulder).
Anyone else see a possible first winter Greater Scaup there?
Another cobirder and I watched the Red-necked Grebe feeding at the southeast
pond, Hillcrest Reservoir (of Valmont Reservoir complex). There were a
couple of Western Grebes and two Double-crested Cormorants here too!
The rest of my day was spent hiking along the South Platte River between
C470 and Hampton Avenue (South Platte Park, Arapahoe County). I was searching
for a male Cinnamon Teal reported on December 1. There are few December records
of Cinnamon Teal in Colorado. While I did not find the Teal during the
six mile hike, I did observe 17 male and 26 female/immature Hooded Mergansers,
two adult Black-crowned Night-Herons, three Belted Kingfishers, one
Great Blue Heron, a Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk, and numerous other waterfowl.
Two "white" mallards are still in the area also.
At 4:20 PM, snow started to come down rapidly, and I quickly scurried for home.
Larimer County 12/3
My brother and I had to travel to Fort Collins on business. I managed to
persuade him to stop briefly at Warren Lake (Lemay & Horsetooth).
I initially observed two Oldsquaws at the southeast corner of the lake.
After convincing my brother he could see the birds from 30 yards,
he reluctantly joined me at the northeast corner for a glimpse .
There was an adult Thayer's Gull with many Ring-billed Gulls and
a few California Gulls also. Thousands of Canadas joined several
dozen Common Goldeneyes and hundreds of Mallards.
Later in on this beautiful sunny day with calm winds and 58 degree temps
we observed the Great Black-backed Gull at Cherry Creek Reservoir.
The bird was on the ice 50 yards east of the southwest marina at 4:10 PM.
Weld County 12/1
This morning I checked Cherry Creek Reservoir for the Great Black-backed Gull.
It was not observed during the hour of my trip. The gull was spotted down
the road at Quincy Reservoir earlier in the week. Several birders and I
observed it at Cherry Creek Reservoir last Sunday and Monday. There was
an adult Bald Eagle in the southeast corner.
Today we encountered mild winds, sunny skies, and temperatures in mid 40's.
Paul Langendorfer and I traveled to Weld County in the afternoon. We did not
locate the White-winged Scoter in an hour search (Poudre River/N. 35th Road.)
A lone Great Blue Heron hunted the shoreline. Two male Hooded Mergansers were
joined by several dozen Common Goldeneyes and thousands of Canada Geese.
We drove the area south of Lower Latham Reservoir for 1.5 hours
in hope of finding a Peregrine Falcon. None were located.
At least 1 male and 7 female Northern Harriers were observed however.
Also, 600+ Red-winged Blackbirds foraged along County Road 48.
At 4:30PM, we did observe a Short-eared Owl along CR 48 (south side of
Lower Latham Reservoir). Best observation point was the pullout for the
most southwestern oil company tank. Look south-southeast about 500 yards,
the owl flew along the fence line that runs east-west. It also landed
on the ground and was observed on a fence post by Ruth Dick.
More Bird Trips
HOME
Please feel free to contact CoBus and
Rich Stevens at the following address:
E-mail: