Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
February 2002
Birding Eastern Plains 2/26-2/28
Bryan Ehlmann & I returned from three days of birding on the
Eastern Plains of Colorado. We wanted to beat the 6-12 inches
of snow with single digit temperatures predicted for Denver on Friday.
Tuesday 26
At first light we found two Snowy Owls along Weld CR 89. The first owl
was 7.0 miles north of highway 34. The second took a little more
searching. It was spotted 0.5 miles west of CR 89, along a dirt track
5.0 miles north of the outlet canal for Riverside Reservoir.
Our next stop was a hike around Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County).
We found two Long-eared Owls in the western campgrounds. We did not
find any Snow Buntings, Common Redpolls, or other interesting wintering birds.
We ended our birding day at Ovid Woods (Sedgwick County).
Few birds were flying about in the cold temperatures and high winds.
Wednesday 27
We checked two Greater Prairie-Chicken leks and neither produced
a sighting. Stalker Ponds & Wray Fishing Unit (Yuma) was quiet also.
Hale Ponds below & east of Bonny Reservoir in Yuma County added
Eastern Bluebirds & Red-bellied Woodpeckers to our trip list.
The reservoirs in Kiowa County north of Lamar were not very interesting.
One Red-bellied Woodpecker was sighted in the woods behind Lamar
Community College in Prowers County. Again winds were mild to strong.
We skipped Two Buttes Reservoir and drove to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek
in Baca County. No birds appeared during the last two hours of light.
We managed to find a Barn Owl in an abandoned barn not far from the lek.
We heard Western Screech-Owls (2) & a Great Horned Owl in
Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) after midnight. The canyon was quite cold!
Thursday 28
Two Lesser Prairie-Chickens showed up back at the
Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek southeast of Campo.
Our plans were to hunt for owls Thursday night;
however the forecast convinced us to head back to Denver.
We hiked the 1.5 miles from the parking area to Oklahoma in
Picture Canyon (Baca County). We found a Greater Roadrunner and
one Rufous-crowned Sparrow along the way.
Two additional Rufous-crowned Sparrows were located back at
Cottonwood Canyon. Birds were in their usual location 1.4 miles
east of the camping area along Carrizo Creek.
Few birds were encountered on the drive back to Denver by way of
La Junta. We did see a flock of Lapland Longspurs. Higbee Cemetery
was quiet. In was dark before we reached Rocky Ford and could
check on the Eurasian Collared-Doves there.
We ran into snow on the trip from Limon back to Denver and
were quite happy with our choice to return!
Cherry Creek Reservoir 2/25
While doing chores this morning, I picked up Sue Dorsey and we made a
brief tour of Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County). We received
several inches of snow overnight; temperature was 6 degrees at 10:00am.
The Glaucous-winged Gull was off the shore at the Jet Ski Launch Area.
An adult Thayer's Gull was observed east of the Lake Loop (same as Sunday).
Also a 1st winter Thayer's Gull was between the Mountain Loop and the
picnic area with gull wing looking covers (again same location as yesterday).
Birding in the Mountains 2/23-2/24
Paul and Shirley Bucky and I birded in the mountains this weekend.
We ran into all types of weather including calm to strong winds,
warm to cold temps, and clear skies to a snowstorm.
Saturday 2/23
We searched for Gunnison Sage Grouse at the Waunita Springs Lek
Gunnison County) at first light Saturday; without success.
We found 3 Pinyon Jays from the Buena Vista Overlook in Chaffee County.
A stop in Granite (Chaffee) produced sightings of only Gray-crowned
Rosy-Finches at their traditional location.
All three species of Rosy Finches came to the feeders in Kremmling
(Grand County). The two Common Redpolls put in a brief appearance also.
We headed over to Cameron Pass in hopes that the Gyrfalcon would appear
along the drive. We drove around the county roads in search of the
Gyrfalcon and/or Greater Sage-Grouse. Neither bird was observed;
we managed to hear a Boreal Owl west of Cameron Pass' Summit (Jackson).
Sunday 2/24
Sunday morning we searched for the Three-toed Woodpeckers reported
early last year in Steamboat; without success.
Only Black & Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches came to the Kremmling feeders Sunday
as no Brown-capped were seen. The Common Redpoll did not show up either.
Gray-crowned & Brown-capped Rosy Finches were observed at Loveland Ski Basin
(Clear Creek County). We managed to find five White-tailed Ptarmigan in a
45-minute search! No Three-toed Woodpeckers were found at Guanella Pass CG.
After taking the Buckys to DIA, I picked up Donna Fortney and we headed for
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County). A check of the swim beach and
south marina produced no interesting sightings. A 1st winter Thayer's Gull
was on the ice between the Mountain Loop & Gull Picnic areas.
Loch Kilpatrick & Tony Leukering were looking at the Glaucous-winged Gull
at the eastern end of the Lake Loop. An adult Thayer's Gull was on the
ice off shore also. All together, we observed 3 adult Bald Eagles and
several subadult birds at the reservoir.
The Red-tailed Hawk with the leather strap on its leg is still "guarding"
the northeast entrance to Cherry Creek State Park.
Search for Gyrfalcon 2/21-2/22
Bryan Ehlmann & I spent the last two days looking for a Gyrfalcon
reported in North Park (Jackson County). We did not find the bird,
however gave it a good shot. We covered every county road in the
area that was drivable.
A possibility of a Sage Grouse sighting did not pan out either.
Two Rough-legged Hawks, a Golden Eagle, and several
Red-tailed Hawks were observed during our long trek.
A Boreal Owl called at 12:05am while we stood at the eastern end of
the highest parking area for Joe Wright reservoir (Larimer County).
We also heard a second owl by stopping every 0.5 miles while driving
down Cameron Pass toward Gould (Jackson County).
We stopped at the feeders at 409 South 5th Street in Kremmling (Grand)
on the drive home. The two Common Redpolls reported by Lilian Saul and
her husband Thursday made a brief visit during our 1-hour stay. A flock of
40+ Gray-crowned and 2 Black Rosy Finches also made an appearance.
Again (I was there Tuesday), no Brown-capped Rosy Finches were seen;
however they have been reported here in the past two weeks.
We stopped at Loveland Ski Basin for about 30 minutes.
Two Brown-capped and 30+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches visited.
Two male and a female Pine Grosbeak also came through.
Feeders at Silver Plume & Georgetown (Clear Creek County; great for
Rosy Finches in the past) are unfilled or taken down.
Our intention was to cut over to Loveland and search for the Varied Thrush
reported Thursday by Ruth Dick. However we ran out of light. We drove to
Boulder through Golden and by way of Gross Reservoir (Boulder County).
A flock of 30+ Red Crossbills were approximately 1.0 mile south of
Gross Reservoir. No Bohemian Waxwings or White-winged Crossbills were
found. Winds were quite strong even though the temperatures were warm.
Our birding day ended at Walden Ponds (Boulder County). We hiked from
the parking area along 75th street near Boulder creek. The Winter Wren
popped up from the grasses along the southern shoreline (approx. 70 yards
west of 75th street). This was my 7th attempt at getting a look at the bird.
The Eastern Bluebirds however did not make an appearance again.
The five Trumpeter Swans that have been reported in Boulder, Adams,
& Broomfield Counties were not at Baseline or Valmont Reservoirs of
Boulder County. The four reservoirs where they have been reported
since 1/9 are in a circle of a 10-mile diameter.
Another Search for Red Crossbills 2/20
Lilian Saul & I returned to Flagstaff Mountain (Boulder County) for
a second attempt to find Red Crossbills. The weather was better today
(partly sunny). After a 2-hour search 50+ Red Crossbills greeted us.
They were 1.0 mile south of the northeast parking area of Gross Reservoir.
This is a location where they have been seen regularly in the past two weeks.
Monday's snowstorm did not help are search then.
We could not find the flock of Bohemian Waxwings as we drove the roads
north of Gross Reservoir. An adult Bald Eagle flew overhead however.
Next we hiked from mile marker 8.0 to 9.0 and back.
No Three-toed Woodpeckers were found.
Five (4 male, 1 female) Hairy Woodpeckers and
four (3 male, 1 female) Downy Woodpeckers were
observed along with many Dark-eyed Juncos.
Hoping to find a Northern Goshawk, we next drove the peak-to-peak highway
between Estes Park & Nederland. It snowed the whole time and roads
quite treacherous. We stopped at Fawn Brook Inn in Allenspark
(Boulder County). No Rosy Finches appeared; there were a hundred or
so Pine Siskins however. No Northern Goshawks made an appearance.
Rosy Finches in Grand County 2/19
Lilian Saul & I traveled to Kremmling in Grand County on Tuesday.
We ran into snow around the Eisenhower Tunnel on the trip up and
back to Kremmling. Skies were clear in Kremmling & Mt. Falcon Park.
Fifty plus Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, at least three Hepburn's form,
and one Black Rosy Finch visited the feeders at 409 Fifth Street.
We had to wait about an hour for the birds to show up at 1:00pm.
The owner states that the birds regularly come at 7:00am!
She has observed all three species at her many feeders.
Thanks much to Mrs. Seltzer for filling her feeders and
inviting birders to visit & enjoy her many birds!
For the second straight day, no Red Crossbills could be found
(at Georgetown City Park, Mt. Evans Wildlife Area, and Mt. Falcon Park).
We did see a couple of Brown Creepers and a flock of Pygmy Nuthatches
at Mt. Falcon Park (Jefferson County). Several Red-tailed Hawks
were hunting along the road into Mt. Evans Wildlife Area.
Search for Owls 2/18
Lilian Saul & I birded the eastern plains and foothills on Monday.
At first light we observed the two Snowy Owls north of Riverside
Reservoir. They were on the fence line that runs east-west along
CR 89 (CR 87 turns into CR 89) 8.3 miles north of highway 34.
Mileage is accurate if you take CR 87 from Highway 34 (and not
county road west of Masters that runs into CR 89 also).
We then headed up to Crow Valley Campground where we were
fortunate to see a Long-eared Owl and the Northern Saw-whet Owl
(reported by Andrew Spencer on Friday). Thanks Andrew, I searched
for Northern Saw-whet Owl last week and did not see any; knowing
one was probably there, I searched a little bit harder Monday.
Our next stop was Gross Reservoir (Boulder County). We unsuccessfully
searched for three hours for Lilian’s lifebird Red Crossbill.
They were all over the place last week, however those darn lifebirds
are always a little more difficult. We searched in a snowstorm so
that did not help our chances. The only birds seen during search
were four Mountain Chickadees, five Hairy Woodpeckers, and “tons” of
Dark-eyed Juncos. All the nuthatches I saw last week were hiding also.
We stopped at Mt. Olivet Cemetery (Jefferson) and found few birds there
also. Hundreds of Black-billed Magpies made their presence known!
Utah Park 2/16
Rebecca Kosten & I checked out the birds at Utah Park this afternoon.
We enjoyed a picnic and 60 degree temperatures on this beautiful winter day.
As usual, there were many Canada Geese & American Wigeons.
Quite a few American Crows & European Starlings were about also!
A few Common Goldeneyes and two pairs of Ring-necked Ducks swan
in the small pond also. The only gulls were Ring-billed Gulls.
(Photos of Starlings and Crows were added to Photo Library).
CoBus Clear Creek County Trip 2/15
Rebecca Kosten & I lead three other birders to Clear Creek County.
The weather was nice with temperatures in 30s; winds were mild.
Thirty-nine Gray-crowned and 2 Brown-capped Rosy Finches came
to the feeder below Lift #1 at Loveland Ski Basin.
We were fortunate to find 9 White-tailed Ptarmigan after only
30 minutes of searching at the Guanella Pass summit.
No Three-toed Woodpeckers could be found in 30 minutes at the
Guanella Pass Campground below the switchbacks north of the summit.
After we split up back in Denver, I traveled south.
The male Long-tailed Duck was still at Lake #2 of South Platte Park
(Arapahoe County). A pair of Red-tailed Hawks flew overhead.
The Northern Goshawk reported earlier in the week at the campgrounds on
the south side of Chatfield Reservoir was not found. Few birds moved about.
I circled around to Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas County).
No bluebirds were found along Castlewood Canyon Road. I hiked
Cherry Creek from the old farmhouse to 1 mile south. A few
Spotted Towhees, Western Scrub Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches,
and Red-breasted Nuthatches were the few birds observed.
I ended my day with a 3-mile hike along the South Platte River at 88th
avenue & Colorado Blvd. The three male & one female Barrow's Goldeneyes
were still in the river (west of the green & white water tower).
One adult Bald Eagle was standing on the metal electric poles.
Colorado's Eastern Plains 2/10-2/12
Steve Spencer, Mike Williams, and I spent the last three days searching
for a Snowy Owl that was reported to CoBus Saturday afternoon.
The bird was sighted west of Sedgwick CR 15, 1.3 miles north of CR 32.
We missed the owl even though the better parts of the last three days
were spent in a search. As always we still had a pleasurable time!
One difficulty encountered was the limitation of roads around the
private ranches in the area. We covered the area the best we could,
however probably missed viewing 40 percent.
The highlights of our trek were finding Short-eared Owls in
four locations and Long-eared Owls in three locations.
Little Jumbo Reservoir (Logan County) produced sightings of
two Long-eared Owls and a Short-eared Owl!
Monday, we took time out to find a male Northern Cardinal at
the southwest corner of Ovid (Sedgwick County). A male
Red-bellied Woodpecker was at the northern end of Ovid Woods.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk visited this area also!
A Harris's Sparrow returned to a private ranch in Sedgwick County (2/11-12).
The Common Redpoll had not been observed since 2/7. My friend also
showed us a calling Eastern Screech-Owl late Monday night.
After again searching for the Snowy Owl Tuesday, a quick stop at
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County) found 3+ Long-eared Owls.
Riverside Park in Fort Morgan did not have any interesting birds today.
I decided to search for the Stearns Lake (Boulder County) Trumpeter Swans
on my way home Tuesday afternoon. The birds were not there, nor 4 miles
east at McKay Lake (Adams County). A quick stop at Tom Frost Reservoir
(Broomfield County) proved successful. The 2 adult & 3 immature
Trumpeter Swans were along the south edge of this small lake.
I stopped for a quick Taco at the Burger King at 124th & Washington Blvd.
A Prairie Falcon spent 20 minutes flying after the 1200 Rock Doves standing
on the roof of the Conoco Station across the street. They took off when
he flew over and he finally captured one with much persistence.
My birding day ended as I hiked 3 miles along the South Platte River at
88th avenue & Colorado Blvd. Three males & a female Barrow's Goldeneyes
continue in the river just west of the green & white water tower.
At dusk, 4 Rough-legged Hawks, 7 Northern Harriers (5 females & 2 males),
5 American Kestrels (3 males & 2 females) were along my favorite owl loop
north of Denver International Airport runways. No Short-eared Owls made
an appearance. I had stopped at Barr Lake to check the feeders west of
the nature center. Action was slow; strong winds felt quite cold.
In spite of high winds, cold temperatures, and some snow,
we enjoyed our trip to Colorado's Eastern Plains!
Birding Around Denver 2/8
I lead the CoBus trip along the South Platte River at
88th avenue & Colorado Blvd (Adams County) Friday.
Winds were in excess of 20 mph; this reduced our group to 3 people.
We only hiked 2 miles upstream of the South Platte. We did not go uphill
to East & West Gravel Lakes and expose ourselves to the high winds.
Three adult males and one adult female Barrow's Goldeneyes were in the
river, just west of the green & white water tower. The 1st winter male
Barrow's Goldeneye is still there also; though he is difficult to pick
out among 3 or 4 1st winter Common Goldeneyes. Several thousand Northern
Shovelers and 50 Ring-necked Ducks were further upstream from the tower.
Sparrows and hawks were scarce today.
On the trip to above, Donna Fortney & I stopped at South Platte Park
(Arapahoe County). The male Long-tailed Duck is still on Lake #2!
One Bald Eagle flew over the nature center during our stay.
Again, not much else moved about the high winds.
We also stopped at Fort Logan Cemetery (Arapahoe County). The female
Greater Scaup seems to have moved on and has not been reported since 1/28.
There is limited open water and no place for her to hide.
The Red-breasted Mergansers were still at Tabor Lake at Wheat Ridge
Greenbelt (Jefferson County). High winds (over 30 mph) prevented
photography; waves were quite high.
Clear Creek County 2/7
Another cobirder and I traveled to Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek
County) Thursday. The weather was fantastic; winds were calm.
Maybe it was too nice a day, for most of the Rosy Finches are
feeding higher up the mountains and not coming to the feeders.
I sat for 2.5 hours on the bench just north of the feeder below lift #1.
One flock of Rosy Finches consisted of eight Gray-crowned Rosy Finches.
Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches visited the feeders by themselves and
did not seem associated with either of the larger flocks.
At 2:15pm, a second flock of 41 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches came to
the feeder. This flock contained at least two Hepburn’s race.
Three male and two female Pine Grosbeaks came to the feeder repeatedly.
Two Gray Jays made several visits to the feeder also.
For those skiing and birding, there is now a second feeder at the
bottom of lift #4. They want to put up an additional feeder at lift #8.
We stopped at Tabor Lake of Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson County)
on the trip up to Loveland Ski Area. A male and female Hooded Merganser
joined five male and two female Red-breasted Mergansers! Coors Pond
(Jefferson) was 95 percent frozen and no birds were on the open water.
Birding Northeastern Colorado 2/6
Steve Spencer & I drove to Sedgwick County by way of Crow Valley today.
Temperatures reached the lower 50s; winds were quite strong (20+ mph).
At first light we drove the county roads south of Lower Latham Reservoir
(Weld County). We encountered no Short-eared Owls today.
Next we drove to Linn Cemetery in Greeley (Weld).
Two Eurasian Collared-Doves were at the northern end of the cemetery.
Our trek took us next to Crow Valley Campground (Weld).
We searched for 2-hours for the Common Redpolls observed last month.
The campground was quiet. No owls were observed at Briggsdale Cemetery
or the Work Center 0.5 miles north of the campground.
We drove next to Roger Danka's ranch in Sedgwick County.
He reported a Common Redpoll coming to his feeders last Sunday.
The bird cooperated and came to his feeders several times during
our 2-hour visit. The immature Harris's Sparrow, which he
observed twice last week, did not make an appearance.
A quick stop at Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan)
did not add many birds to our trip list. Two dozen
Bald Eagles were at the reservoir.
Our birding day ended at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan).
Two Long-eared Owls were in the western campgrounds.
We searched unsuccessfully for Short-eared Owls observed
previously at the Northwest corner of the reservoir.
Steve played tapes after dark and an Eastern Screech-Owl
responded near Pelican Campground! Two Great Horned Owls
and several Bald Eagles were also in the area.
Birding Grand Lake 2/4
Rebecca Kosten & I traveled to Grand Lake (Grand County).
Temperatures were single digits; winds were mild.
The adult Trumpeter Swan and 2 immature Tundra Swans were in the
small open water area on Shadow Mountain Lake. This area is just
west of the bridge between Shadow Mountain & Grand Lakes.
Twenty-one Goldeneyes were here also. Six male Barrow's,
14 male Common, and 1 female Common Goldeneye made up the mix.
Two female and another male Barrow's Goldeneyes were east of
the bridge in the small open water of Grand Lake.
We enjoyed good looks at a Northern Goshawk that flew across
highway 40 just north of Berthoud Pass (Grand County).
Next our trek took us to highway 72 to hwy 77 between Golden and Boulder.
We found two flocks of Red Crossbills. Two males and two females were
2.0 miles south of Gross Reservoir. Another flock of 8 males and
4 females was observed 1.0 mile south of Gross Reservoir (Boulder County).
We hiked between mile marker 7.8 & 8.4 along Flagstaff Mountain Road
hoping for a sighting of the Three-toed Woodpeckers reported last week
in the Walker Ranch Burn Area. We observed 5 male & 1 female
Hairy Woodpeckers; no Three-toed Woodpeckers made an appearance.
Several local residents stopped to inquire about the focus of our search.
One resident had observed 200+ Bohemian Waxwings about 10 minutes earlier.
She called back to her house and took us over to see the flock! The birds
have been observed for the last 15 days within a 1-mile radius of the
northeast parking area for Gross Reservoir. The most frequent location
is over the mailboxes at highway 77; Gross Dam Road & Lakeshore Drive
(extension of Flagstaff Mountain Road).
Our birding day ended with a quick search for the Swamp Sparrow reported
last week at the canal just south of Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane
(Adams County). We did not find the sparrow.
The Great-tailed Grackles reported last week around Buckley Road
& 136th avenue could not be found either!
Return Search for Trumpeter Swans 2/1
After picking up Rebecca Kosten from the airport, we headed to
Broomfield County and Tom Frost Reservoir. The Trumpeter Swans
were not there after having been reported from 1/28-1/31.
A beautiful Ferruginous Hawk stood in the tree right besides us.
His keen eyes were kept on the Prairie Dogs surrounding the parking area.
A sub-adult Bald Eagle stood in a tree off in the distance to the northwest.
We headed over to McKay Lake, which is only 3.0 miles northeast of Tom Frost.
Sure enough, the five Trumpeter Swans had returned to the small open water
at McKay Lake. A dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, and
adult Bald Eagle were in the woods to the north of the lake.
Our birding day ended with a 4-mile hike along the South Platte River
at 88th & Colorado Blvd. Two male and a female Barrow's Goldeneyes
were in the river just west of the green & white water tower.
A third male Barrow's Goldeneye was in the most northern East Gravel Lake.
No Peregrines were around on this beautiful winter day.
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