Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
February 2004
Barr Lake & Cherry Creek Reservoir 2/28
We birded in Adams County today while running around doing chores.
Rain turned to snow about 4:00pm.
Four Great-tailed Grackles were at the corral along Bromley Lane
(152nd avenue) 1.1 miles East of Picadilly Road. The California Quail
seen for a month or so at the house just to the East, was standing the
two metal barrels in the backyard.
Twenty-eight Great-tailed Grackles were at the Gray house (with
blue shingled roof) about 0.5 miles south of above intersection.
We watched the feeders west of the Barr Lake visitor's center for
about an hour. Neither the Harris's nor White-throated Sparrow made
an appearance. They probably were disturbed by the 400+ Red-winged
Blackbirds and dozens of House Sparrows constantly flying about the
feeders. We heard thousands of geese on the reservoir, but did not
take the time to wander over for a glimpse.
A quick stop at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) did not find the
Glaucous Gull. We counted over 4,200 Ring-billed Gulls and twenty-
nine Herring Gulls. A male Barrow's Goldeneye was with 14 Common
Goldeneyes just south of the west end of the picnic area (north side,
west of boat ramp). Many American Robins (200+) and Red-winged
Blackbirds moved about the campgrounds. A Northern Shrike hunted
in the cattails Northwest of the Shop Creek parking area.
Jefferson County 2/27
Returned from mountains about 4:00am Friday morning and slept till 11:00am.
I picked up Rebecca Kosten from the airport and planned to look for the
Glaucous Gull at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) on the way home.
We could not find any uncommon gulls or the Barrow's Goldeneye.
However we did meet a birder from Florida who wanted to search for
American Three-toed Woodpeckers. So, Rebecca headed home and
Bucky Lanson and I headed to Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson).
It took about 20 minutes to locate the male American Three-toed Woodpecker
that roams around south of Pine Lake. The bird was 40 yards East of Buck
Gulch Trail and 60 yards South of Pine Lake.
We proceeded to Reynolds Park (Jefferson) to search for Northern Pygmy-Owls.
One bird was heard while hiking Foxton Road approximately 40 yards West of
the main parking area. This is probably one of the owls that roams from the
main parking area to 100 yards south, east, and west.
Bucky was game and we checked quite a few other locations for owls (included
Red Rocks Park, Golden Gate Park, Deer Creek Park, and Wheat Ridge
Greenbelt). While we found 4 Great Horned Owls, that was about it.
Birding In the Mountains 2/23-2/26
Bryan Ehlmann & I decided to try for the Snow Buntings in Ouray
County this week. Weather was again typical winter conditions.
The sun shone periodically; we ran into snow several times.
Monday 23
Bryan wanted to see Lewis's Woodpeckers, so our first stop was
Greenhorn Meadow Park in Colorado City. Two Lewis's Woodpeckers
roamed the cottonwoods near the ball field. The previously
reported Winter Wren could not be found. Burnt Mill Road was quiet.
Back in Pueblo, no White-winged Doves were found at 10th and
Ogden Streets.
We passed by Pueblo Reservoir (Pueblo). A male Barrow's Goldeneye
was below the dam with about 14 Common Goldeneyes. None of the
uncommon gulls previously reported could be found.
Along the Swallows Road (west of Pueblo West and the reservoir),
we located 2 Curve-billed Thrashers (check blue-gray house with
matching blue-gray shed). Three Scaled Quail were observed in
the yard at the Swallows Road & Woodstock.
Our birding day ended with a search for owls (Spotted & Northern
Saw-whet) north of Canon City. None were found.
Tuesday 24
Before sunrise, Steve Owdom showed us a Gunnison Sage-Grouse
at Houston Gulch. It was rather a cold hike this morning
(temperatures were in the 10s). Steve was also able to take
us to a Northern Saw-whet Owl north of Gunnison.
At the college, we observed a flock of Rosy Finches
(about 20 Gray-crowned).
We headed for Ouray with a stop at Black Canyon of the
Gunnison National Park. Two Blue Grouse were found while hiking
the campgrounds. Another was observed while driving to the west
end of the south rim self-driving car tour. A Spotted Towhee
was about the only other bird observed along the drive.
At dusk, a Northern Pygmy-Owl called off to the west of
the west end parking area.
Wednesday 25
We hit pay dirt just south of Red Mountain Pass. A flock of
5 or 6 Snow Buntings flew overhead. They would briefly land
on the shoulder of the road, but never more than a couple of
seconds. Eventually they flew west.
We continued to Silverton, saw no birds, and returned back toward
Ouray. We did not find any owls while stopping several times and
playing tapes. No owls could be located in Ouray either. A flock
of 10+ Rosy Finches flew overhead in Ouray. The falls were quiet.
Thursday 26
Leaving Steve in Gunnison, Bryan and I continued to Buena Vista.
We missed the Great-tailed Grackle at Sands Lake Wildlife Area (Chaffee).
Thanks to Marla Pranger, we were able to locate a Lewis's Woodpecker
at Roads 350 & 357 in Buena Vista. However, we missed the Pinyon
Jays and Great-tailed Grackle reported there.
A drive along the east side of the Buena Vista prison toward Ruby
Mountain added 27 Mountain Bluebirds to our trip list. A Northern
Pygmy-Owl asked our tape at the camping area at Ruby Mountain!
From Buena Vista Overlook, we could see 9 Pinyon Jays in the KOA
campground below. We drove along the gravel road leading north from
the overlook in search of owls. Another 17 Pinyon Jays were located
along this road. Bryan noticed a nest like ball in one tree.
It turned out to be a Northern Saw-whet Owl!
At dusk, we drove around Ranch of the Rockies and Trout Creek Pass
(Park County). The previously reported White-winged Crossbills and
Red Crossbill were not found. No owls answered our tapes at the pass.
On the drive back to Colorado Springs, we stopped and searched for
owls in the National Forest North of Divide (Teller County) and at
Manitou Lake. No owls were found.
During the trip we wanted to go to Slumgullion Pass (Hinsdale
County) and search for Boreal Owls. Unfortunately, we could not
determine if the pass was open or how close we could get to it.
Several years ago, I snow shoed to the campground and found half
a dozen Boreal Owls. Again unfortunately, this can require a 6-14
mile hike depending upon snowfall.
Denver & Arapahoe Counties 2/22
I went over to Gary Weston's house near Denver City Park at 5:00am.
Gary's neighbor has a nesting Eastern Screech-Owl. It called for
us briefly around 5:30am. In the past three years, the owl nested
on Gary's house (ledge under the roof). However this year it seems
to prefer the neighbor's.
Next, we looked for the Eastern Screech-Owl in Denver City Park
(Denver County) and were surprised to find it in one of the two trees
Gary discovered it in last week! Owling has been lucky this weekend!
We searched briefly for the Greater White-fronted Geese and found
three between Ferril Lake & Colorado Blvd.
After lunch, I picked up another cobirder and headed back to Cherry
Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). The Glaucous Gull was again south of the
northern boat ramp (quite far, 300 yards or more). Three Bald Eagles
stood on the ice and kept a close watch on the 900 gulls (mostly Ring-
billed) on the ice. At 4:55pm, another 1000+ gulls flew in from the
East (toward the direction of Quincy Reservoir and the Aurora city
dump?) A search for Great Horned Owls turned up 3 (one on a nest).
The campground was interesting. The American Robin count was over
400. Red-winged Blackbird count was 2000+. A few Dark-eyed Juncos
also fluttered about.
Arapahoe & Douglas Counties 2/21
Another cobirder and I visited Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe
County) around 2:00pm. The 1st winter Glaucous Gull was standing on
the ice about 50 yards off the handicap fisherperson dock on the north
side of the lake. Five Bald Eagles were also around. About a dozen
Herring Gulls and several thousand Ring-billed Gulls were there too.
Steve Spencer & Mike Williams showed up. After pointing out the
Glaucous Gull, we decided to drive down to Castlewood Canyon State
Park (Douglas) to look at the bluebirds and a Northern Saw-whet Owl
I discovered a week ago.
No bluebirds flew about at all, which is surprising since I always
find a few on every trip? A Wild Turkey was on the edge of the woods
where Castlewood Canyon Road runs East-West approximately 0.6 miles
South of the park entrance.
A bigger surprise was that the Northern Saw-whet Owl was in the
same tree I found it in previously. We backed off and played a tape for
just 30 seconds. Another Northern Saw-whet Owl answered from
about 30 yards away. We never observed this bird, but did not try
to get close. As a pair, these owls may be nesting soon in the area!!!
Denver City Park & Cherry Creek Reservoir 2/20
I spent the morning doing research at the Denver Museum of Nature
and Science (Denver City Park, Denver County). Went to my parked
car around 1:00pm and out the front window was 6 Greater White-fronted
Geese (20 yards from my car). I put photos of the group and several
single birds on the CoBus photo library.
At 5:00pm, I was at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). The 1st
winter Glaucous Gull was south of the handicapped fisherperson dock.
Took several witness photos, however an attempt to get closer by
walking on the ice was terminated by a little good judgment.
Not much good judgment, I should not have gone on the ice at all.
(it was 70 degrees several days ago).
Several thousand additional gulls were north of the Lake Loop.
No uncommon ones could be found.
Earlier, Quincy Reservoir (Arapahoe) has 1200 gulls on it. One large
very white gull stood on the ice. If this was another 1st winter
Glaucous Gull, it did not have time to fly to Cherry Creek Reservoir
before my sighting. A scope is needed to see the birds at Quincy
Reservoir as it is closed for the winter.
Barr Lake Area 2/18
What a beautiful winter day in Colorado. Temperatures reached
70 degrees; winds were mild. I went by Barr Lake (Adams County)
At the southwest corner of Bromley Lane & Picadilly Road,
250+ Great-tailed Grackles hunted for food in the cow pasture.
Just got a report that C. Blakeslee found them there this morning.
Male birds appeared to be singing everywhere. Red-winged Blackbirds
along the main trail toward the gazebo walk, male Ring-necked
Pheasants in the field southwest of the Visitor's Center, and
Western Meadowlarks sang all over the place. A male Northern
Harrier hunted low over the fields south of the main road.
A dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk stood in a cottonwood near mile
marker 8.1. A Rough-legged Hawk perched on a telephone pole
near the entrance.
The adult White-throated and 1st winter Harris's Sparrow were
at the feeders, southwest side of the Visitor's center when I arrived!
Later I found Song, White-crowned, and American Tree Sparrows.
Could not find the Greater White-fronted Geese out on the reservoir.
I found out why later. As usual at sunset, large flocks of Canada Geese
(3000+) were at the corner of 128th and Tower Road (the Turf farm,
smorgasbord for them?). Three Greater White-fronted Geese, 52+
Snow Geese, and 2 Ross's Geese were also there (not all in the same group).
Also just received a report that Lauren Hyde observed them here on
Tuesday. This is not far from where B. Schmoker reported 4 Greater
White-fronted Geese at Barr Lake on Saturday (just 0.3 miles north).
What a beautiful day! I hope everyone enjoyed it!
Birding Around Denver 2/14
Rebecca Kosten and I checked out several previous bird reports
around Denver (while shopping downtown, Arvada, and Westminster).
Our first stop was Denver City Park (Denver County). Six Greater
White-fronted Geese were spotted. One Greater White-fronted
Goose was with a group of 100+ Canada Geese along the sidewalk
that runs along Colorado Blvd. Five additional Greater White-fronted
Geese were in a group of 200+ Canada Geese South of the small
pond near the zoo (south of Ferril Lake).
Our next stop was Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson). The Eastern
Screech-Owl was in the same tree as past years. Drive South from
Kipling & 44th avenue to 41st avenue; then drive west on 41st avenue
to the parking area. The owl was in the tree that bends (from North
to South) over the gravel-walking path running west from the parking
area (about 0.2 miles west).
We stopped briefly at Red Rocks Park (Jefferson) to get an update
on the juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that continues at the
Red Rocks Grade School. We could find no place to park our car
because of the 10+ inches of snow the area received two days ago.
Therefore, no update!
We headed up to Westminster by way of Broomfield (Broomfield County)
and Brunner Reservoir. The Brant was easily found on the golf course
north of East Midway Blvd (across from the field North of Brunner and
where the bird was observed last weekend). Brunner was frozen and had
few birds on it. The Canada Geese seem to feed when there is much
snow on the field south of Midway and 0.3 miles East of Main Street.
As we drove toward Westminster Mall (by way of Sheridan Blvd),
we noticed the partial albino Red-tailed Hawk was on his
customary perch on the tall electric pole northeast of Sheridan
and 104th avenue. The electric wires run along the golf course.
The white bird was easily picked out even while driving down Sheridan.
A check of Dahlia Ponds and the South Platte River at Colorado Blvd
and 88th avenue (Adams) did not find any Barrow's Goldeneyes or
the Long-tailed Duck today.
Our next stop was Barr Lake (Adams). The White-throated Sparrow
was underneath the feeders just West of the Visitor's Center.
The 1st year Harris's Sparrow fed below the two small bushes
approximately 20 yards to the West of the building.
Seven Great-tailed Grackles were observed on the way over
to Barr Lake at the stables 1.1 miles East of Bromley Lane
(152nd avenue) & Picadilly Road).
We gave the DIA owl loop another shot for Snow Buntings. None could
be found in an hour search. We did encounter a Rough-legged Hawk,
Prairie Falcon, and Ferruginous Hawk on the trek. A flock of 1200+
Canada Geese was accompanied by 9 Snow Geese and 1 Ross's Goose
(the flock was along 96th avenue, 0.3 miles East of Tower Road).
This flock has been feeding near sunset (my past four visits) at
the Tuff Farm at 128th avenue & Tower Road (just south of Barr Lake).
Routt & Adams Counties 2/9-2/12
Bryan Ehlmann, Gary Zeeto, Gary Weston and I just returned from
an interesting birding adventure. We spent several days north of
Steamboat Springs (Routt County) in search of White-winged Crossbills
(along FR 550 and behind Hahn’s Peak). Mode of transportation was
snowmobiles. We have spent much time in the area in the past and
would not recommend meandering around without previous knowledge
because of the cold weather and snow conditions. We did stay
far away from potential avalanche areas.
While we did not find any White-winged Crossbills, several
groups of Blue Grouse (total 307 birds) were encountered.
We also observed a Northern Pygmy-Owl and heard a Boreal Owl!
Several flocks of Red Crossbills, Cassin's Finches, and
Pine Siskins were also found.
The downside of our trip (besides -40 degree temperatures at
Hahn's Peak) was returning to Denver last night in the snowstorm.
It took forever. We skipped searching for Barrow's Goldeneyes
and Rosy Finches because of visibility. Plans are to return
in a couple of weeks for another search and maybe an
overnight stay in the forest (again it has to get warmer).
I did not make it home (east of DIA) but spent the night near the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science. So this morning I walked
over to Denver City Park in search of the five Greater White-fronted
Geese reported earlier in the week. Most of the ground was covered
with snow and few Canada Geese were around. Ferril Lake was
frozen, no geese. The small pond next to the zoo had open water,
but no Greater White-fronted Geese.
Rebecca Kosten joined me in the afternoon and we drove the DIA Owl
Loop (Denver). No Snow Buntings were happened upon. Horned Lark
count was over 10,000. One location that looks good for a search
is 4.8 miles East of Tower Road and 96th avenue. Several thousand
Horned Larks were in the dirt field to the North and many birds flew
to the grass field to the South. We heard Horned Larks and several
other non-Horned Lark birds (however could not ID or see them).
A brief stop at Barr Lake (Adams) added the Harris's Sparrow and
White-throated Sparrow to our day list. Twenty+ Great-tailed Grackles
were along Bromley Lane 1.2 miles East of Picadilly Road.
The Great-tailed Grackles were in the yard just East of the stables.
Raptor count was good; which included Rough-legged Hawk,
Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier,
one Ferruginous Hawk and one Golden Eagle!
Broomfield & Adams Counties 2/7
Rebecca Kosten & I had to travel up to Boulder Saturday,
so we stopped by the Broomfield Civic Center (Brunner
Reservoir and Highland Park). It was a nice winter day with
plenty of sun, mild winds, and temperatures in the upper 50s.
Only two dozen Canada Geese were on Brunner Reservoir,
which was completely frozen. No geese were on the
soccer fields at Highland Park (though tracks showed
that many had visited since the last snowstorm).
We had success at the north end of the field North of Brunner
Reservoir. Several thousand Canada Geese and the Brant
were feeding in the taller grasses (East of the short grass field).
They were on the south side of East Midway Blvd, about 0.3
miles East of Main Street, Broomfield (Broomfield County).
The partial albino Red-tailed Hawk was in the cottonwoods at
Margaret's Pond (about 0.6 miles east of Sheridan Blvd and
104th Avenue). This is only a few miles from Brunner Reservoir.
We passed Dahlia Ponds on the trip home. No Long-tailed Duck
in the small open water area (however I did not have my scope).
I did not take the time to hike along the South Platte River
and the East Gravel Lakes (therefore no update on the
Barrow's Goldeneyes reported for several months now).
Several Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and a Rough-legged Hawk
were along the west side of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
Barr Lake & DIA Owl Loop 2/5
Another cobirder I headed over to Barr Lake (Adams County). It was
quite windy with temperatures in the low 20s. Snow covered the ground
from yesterday's storm. Fog was thick along Tower Road.
The White-throated Sparrow and Harris's Sparrow visited the feeders
behind the Visitor's Center many times during the hour stay. Several
Song, 2 American Tree, and many White-crowned Sparrows were also about.
Next we drove Picadilly Road to Bromley Lane and then East along
Bromley Lane to the stables about 1.1 miles to the East. Thirty-six
Great-tailed Grackles were observed just northeast of the Nursery at
the corner of Bromley & Picadilly. Several additional birds were
among the cattle in the field southeast of the Nursery.
Our birding day ended with a drive around my favorite Owl Loop in
search of Snow Buntings. We were encouraged by Jeff Price's report
of Snow Buntings inside the airport (at North end of the runways).
None were found, not for lack of trying as we scoped many flocks
of Horned Larks. We lost track of the number of Horned Larks at
over 20,000 birds. Not one Snow Bunting was found, but we did find
2 Lapland Longspurs and two Mourning Doves (lounging on 112th avenue).
Several Rough-legged Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and four
Northern Harriers were observed on the telephone poles.
This owl loop on which I have found wintering Short-eared Owl three
times follows from Barr Lake: South on Picadilly Road to 120th avenue
East on 120th to Trussville Road South on Trussville Road to 112th
avenue West on 112th continue on paved road (turns into 96th avenue)
while it curves south and west to Tower Road.
112th avenue runs along the North side of DIA. Two of my
Short-eared Owl sightings have been along this road. The
third was at the intersection of 120th & Picadilly Road.
More Bird Trips
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