Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
January 2005
Morgan & Arapahoe Counties 1/30
Weather was iffy today. Winds were calm to slow,
however there was much fog around everywhere today.
After driving to Fort Morgan this morning, I dropped Brad Newsome
off at DIA. We searched unsuccessfully for Long-eared Owls in
Jackson State Park and Greater White-fronted Goose at Riverside
Park in Fort Morgan. The Purple Finch did not turn up at
Log Lane Village either.
This afternoon, Rebecca Kosten & I headed to Cherry Creek
Reservoir (Arapahoe). We were able to see three 1st or 2nd year
Glaucous Gulls at one time. All three were close enough for us
to observe black tips (no pale color at end) and black eyes (1st
year?). One had much darker underwing coverts than the other two.
One adult Glaucous Gull was found first 100 yards northeast of the
southwest marina. Later we watched it fly to the southeast corner
of the lake.
Bald Eagle count was over 14. Red-tailed Hawk count was 9.
A Great Horned Owl stood in trees south of the amphitheater
at the campgrounds.
Nothing uncommon was found along the Owl Loop. We did see a
Ferruginous Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk. Great-tailed Grackles
walked around the feeding area near the natural wood house
south of Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane.
Pawnee National Grasslands 1/29
Brad Newsome & I headed up north to Pawnee National
Grasslands this morning. The weather was not as nice as
earlier in the week. We ran into rain, snow, and high winds.
We passed by Briggsdale twice during the trip. On the second
trip, Brad pointed out three Common Redpolls south of 4th and
Main Streets. They were at the top of the tree.
Crow Valley Campground was quiet. We did find a Long-eared Owl
in the southwest corner. The Work Center did not add any
uncommon birds to our day (no Northern Saw-whets yet this year).
Lapland Longspurs were found along Weld County Road 96 (approx.
2.0 miles west of CR 77). We drove the self-drive auto loop,
hoping to run into last weeks Snowy Owl. We did see 2 Northern
Shrikes, 2 Golden Eagles, Prairie Falcon, Rough-legged Hawks, and
Red-tailed Hawks. A Great Horned Owl was at the Central Plains
USDA Experimental Offices.
We next hiked Owl Creek (about 1.0 miles north and 0.5 miles west
of offices). Snow Buntings and Short-eared Owls have been seen
here in the past. None found today. They were many Horned Larks.
Our last choice of the day was to search for Short-eared Owls at
Wellington Wildlife Area or Lower Latham Reservoir. I chose
Lower Latham Reservoir, as my last 5 trips to Wellington have
been unsuccessful. This route allowed us to pass Briggsdale
again (hence Common Redpoll).
No Short-eared Owls made an appearance at Lower Latham Reservoir
and the Beebe Draw area. Perhaps human growth has increased
too much at both locations? A Peregrine Falcon surprised us
with a flyover at Weld CR 46.5 & 43.5.
Stay warm, it looks like winter is back!
Mountain Birding 1/28
Brad Newsome and I traveled up to Silverthorne (Summit County)
to search for Rosy Finches. We ran into partly sunny skies
and several snow flurries during our trek.
Feeders around town attracted Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins,
three nuthatches, and a few Rosy Finches. Actually we found
about 80 Rosy Finches (of three species plus Hepburn's).
Seven Barrow's Goldeneyes were at the Blue River Water Treatment Plant.
Not much was happening at the Loveland Ski Basin (as feeder is removed).
A trip up Guanella pass (Clear Creek) was productive. We found
nine White-tailed Ptarmigan by scoping the surrounding area
(and not leaving the parking area)!
A Three-toed Woodpecker was found south of Guanella Pass
campground. This was a nice find as I had missed them on
my last 7 trips through the area.
We ended our birding day at Reynolds Park (Jefferson).
No Northern Pygmy-Owls or Blue Grouse could be found.
An American Dipper was along the creek east of the main
(larger) parking area.
Cherry Creek in the Afternoon 1/27
Rebecca Kosten and I drove over to Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe) later in the afternoon.
The 1st year Glaucous Gull was eating a fish on the ice off the
southwest picnic area (picnic tables have covers like gull wings).
Later this bird flew over to dam tower.
The adult Glaucous Gull was observed near the dam tower
(northwest corner of lake). Later this bird flew toward
the east end of the reservoir.
A male American Kestrel stood atop a small tree at the Lake Loop.
Red-tailed Hawks numbered over 13. Bald Eagles numbered over 11.
Colorado January Big Day 1/26
After reading about another team's attempt at a January Big Day,
Bryan Ehlmann and I decided to make a precipitant attempt to do
better. I believed we had several species' locations that they did
not and it was highly possible to get more than 104 species.
This was a good January for such an attempt as Pueblo Reservoir
has quite a collection of interesting birds this winter.
I made some quick telephone calls inquiring about bird
locations and we started out from Denver at 8:00pm for Pueblo.
Unfortunately, the Spotted Owl that we thought was "staked out"
did not make a sound this night. So our start was dubious.
We recorded our first bird, a Northern Pygmy-Owl at 1:10am
at Beaver Creek Wildlife Area in Fremont County. I have seen
Wild Turkey here, but we did not want to waste time waiting
for daylight (never got Wild Turkey for the day). A check of
Phantom Canyon did not turn up a Spotted Owl either.
At first light we watched a Northern Saw-whet Owl that Steve Owdom
had found for us several days before. Thanks Steve and GPS!
We were near/on the BLM land along the Shelf Road north of
Canon City. A surprise Cooper's Hawk flew through the area!
Mountain Bluebirds and Pinyon Jays are somewhat common here.
Several Canyon Wrens called for us! A Golden Eagle flew overhead.
An American Dipper was found under one of the bridges as we
returned to Canon City.
In Fremont County:
Canon City added Greater White-fronted Geese and Rufous-crowned
Sparrow (Tunnel Drive), Greater Scaup, Ross's Goose, Williamson's
& Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Abbey). Thanks again to Steve Owdom
who has been watching the sapsuckers at the Abbey. We picked up
Eurasian Collared-Doves, Marsh Wren, Bohemian Waxwings, Lewis's
Woodpecker in Florence, but missed an expected Swamp Sparrow.
A stop at Brush Hollow Wildlife area added Ladder-backed
Woodpecker, Juniper Titmouse, additional Pinyon Jays, Bushtits
and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. And of course 100+ Black-billed Magpies.
In Pueblo County: Swallows Road (west of Pueblo West) added both
shrikes, Sage Thrasher, Curve-billed Thrasher, and Scaled Quail.
Pueblo Reservoir of course was super with 3 loons, 5 grebes,
7 gulls (Ring-billed, California, Herring, Thayer's, Lesser Black-
backed, Glaucous, and Great Black-backed), both Goldeneyes, and
a Long-tailed Duck. Pueblo City Park helped with a Snow Goose.
We searched only briefly (without success) for the Dunlin previously
reported along the Arkansas River (below Dwight Clark Stadium).
In El Paso County: A private home near Colorado Springs added
3 Rosy Finch species. American Crows, Common Ravens, and a few
additional Bohemian Waxwings were also found. Band-tailed Pigeons
were just up the road on the way to Green Mountain Falls.
Daylight ended before our return to Colorado Springs. With more
daylight we could have looked for Pine Grosbeaks and American
Three-toed Woodpeckers in Woodland Park. We had hoped to look
for Short-eared Owls northeast of Colorado Springs, however it
was too dark to see them (even if there).
Having missed Horned Larks we decided to drive the DIA Owl loop
(Adams) on the way to Barr Lake. Several Horned Larks flew up
from 112th avenue and were observed in our headlights! No Barn
Owls at Barr Lake, however we did not take much time searching
several previously reported locations.
With time running out, we decided not to see if the Trumpeter Swan
could be observed at the Highway 36 Farm Pond or Lake Valley Pond
in Boulder County. That's another one that got away.
An Eastern Screech-Owl answered Bryan's call in a Fort Collins
residential area (Larimer). Long-eared Owls were also found
south of town.
From there we pushed on for one final bird and drove all the
way up to Cameron Pass (Jackson County). My loyal Boreal Owl
did not disappoint and called for us at 11:35pm!
Our plan was to head to Steamboat Springs and checkout some
interesting bird sightings the next day. However snowstorms
were predicted (it was snowing on Cameron Pass) so we decided
to head back toward Fort Collins. Rabbit Ears pass on the
way to Steamboat Springs is one of the most dangerous
(well interesting) during inclement weather in Colorado.
We ended up with a whopping 116 species!
Birds missed that we thought should be found or possible included:
Black-crowned Night-Heron, Northern Goshawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon,
Prairie Falcon, Wild Turkey, Sandhill Crane, White-winged Dove,
Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker,
Say's Phoebe, Gray Jay Clark's Nutcracker Rock Wren ,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, American Pipit,
Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow, Lapland Longspur,
Rusty Blackbird, Pine Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill,
Pine Siskin, and Evening Grosbeak.
Especially American Pipit, surely they are around Pueblo
Reservoir? Clark's Nutcrackers should be on the Shelf road
north of Canon City? Say's Phoebes sometimes winter at
Pueblo Reservoir. And Rock Wren, aren't they everywhere?
Golden-crowned Kinglets winter at Pueblo City Park?
Didn't have time to look for Rusty Blackbirds in Pueblo.
Anyone wants a complete list; just ask. It will be
on my trip reports posted on the CoBus website.
Note: I decided a list of observed birds would be too
long for this. Just email if you want a copy.
Now for February!
Cherry Creek Reservoir 1/25
Rebecca Kosten & I drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir.
It was another beautiful Colorado winter day.
Temperatures in the 60s; winds were calm.
No uncommon birds were found during the drive.
Red-tailed Hawks numbered 14.
American Bald Eagles numbered 21.
A dozen Great-tailed Grackles were observed 0.4 miles
south of Bromley Lane & Picadilly Road. Another
dozen were near the shed 1.3 miles East of same intersection.
Sand Creek & Star K Ranch Open Space 1/24
I have been planning on hiking Star K Ranch Open Space for several
months now. I have wanted to see if the Red-bellied Woodpecker
that wintered here last year might still be around; it was not found.
The possibility of a reported American Woodcock convinced Bryan
Ehlmann to tag along. SKR is an Aurora Open Space along Sand Creek
between Airport Road & Chambers.
We started at 7:00am at Springhill Recreation Center located along
the Highline Canal. The plan was to hike the 5.5 miles along Sand
Creek to Bluff Lake (Havana & 26th avenue, Denver County).
We figured to scope as much of the banks along the creek as possible
and if progress was 1 mph, all was well. With zero wind, we could
hear a few Northern Flickers call over the background noise of
many cars on the surrounding busy streets.
No Snipe were found, but we enjoyed the beautiful winter day.
Temperatures must have reached the 60s during the walk; winds
were zero! This is not one of the birdiest areas in Adams County,
however a few birds did capture our attention.
Two pairs of Hairy Woodpeckers, 7 White-breasted Nuthatches, a
pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches, and 2 Song Sparrows were at SKR.
Belted Kingfishers numbered 3 pairs between Colfax and Chambers
(2.0 miles).
We detoured over to the Morrison Nature Center and the Wetlands.
Fourteen American Tree Sparrows and dozens of Red-winged
Blackbirds flew about the cattails. We got great looks at
a Loggerhead Shrike (not Northern which might be expected in
winter). What is up with them? Ted Floyd recently reported
another along Boulder Creek in Boulder. Two Downy Woodpeckers
drummed on the taller trees.
The highlight was an immature Harris's Sparrow that Bryan found in
the only flock of White-crowned Sparrow observed. The sparrows
were along Sand Creek, 300 yards west of Chambers Avenue
(directly north of a yellow house with green trim and volleyball
court in the backyard.
Two Red-tailed Hawks, one Ferruginous Hawk, and a Sharp-shinned
Hawk were observed between Chambers & Sable.
Birding was quite slow from Sable to Peoria (2.0 miles). Once
west of Peoria we entered Bluff Lake Nature Area. Birding was
slow here also. The lakes are bone dry. Two Red-tailed Hawks
soared overhead. A Rough-legged Hawk stood in a larger
cottonwood at the east end.
In case anyone is wondering, we took RTD buses back to our car.
Search for Weld County Snowy Owl 1/23
Bryan Ehlmann and I searched for the Snowy Owl of Weld County.
Wasn't the weather fantastic? Temperatures reached the middle
60s; winds were 10mph.
The area checked was west of CR 69. We figured there were enough
birders searching the area of Saturday's sighting (and they would
inform us if the owl was found). Unfortunately, no Snowy Owl was
found in our direction either.
We did find a Golden Eagle at Pawnee Buttes (CR 112 & 107).
Several American Kestrels were in the area also. We stopped at
a ranch of a friend. He had not seen a Snowy Owl, however
directed us to a draw where a Short-eared Owl was observed.
A pair of Northern Shrike was found east of Grover (122 & 95).
A Merlin was found on the east side of the small town. We checked
several areas where Sharp-tailed Grouse had been reported in the
past; without success.
No owls were found in Murphy's Pasture or the Briggsdale Cemetery.
Crow Valley Campground was quiet (just a couple of White-crowned
Sparrows and Tree Sparrows). A Great Horned Owl was seen at the
east side of the campgrounds (as we hiked a loop of the Work Center
to campground to cemetery).
No Saw-whet Owls at the Work Center this year.
The highlight of our day (besides the Short-eared Owl was
five Bohemian Waxwings at the Work Center!
Briggsdale had few birds. No owls were found south to CR 84.
We had hoped for at least some Common Redpolls; no luck.
We drove most of the county roads as we headed west toward CR 69.
Several Lapland Longspurs were found along CR 96. Other birds
observed included 2 Prairie Falcons, Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Rough-
legged Hawks, and a Ferruginous Hawk.
It was a beautiful day for a drive through the Pawnee National Grasslands.
Jefferson County 1/22
Rebecca Kosten & I birded Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson
County). Temperatures reached the low 50s; winds were calm.
We had no luck in finding the White-winged Scoters reported
Thursday by Bob Spencer. Bass Lake was quite interesting with
Common Mergansers, Canvasbacks, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots,
and Northern Shovelers. Tabor Lake added Red-breasted Mergansers
to our day list. Prospect Pond added Redheads and Common Goldeneyes.
The Eastern Screech-Owl did not make an appearance during our
trek. No Winter Wrens or White-throated Sparrows were found
along the Tree Bridge Trail. A dozen Black-capped Chickadees,
4 White-breasted Nuthatches, and 1 Brown Creeper were seen
along the main trail.
We tried searching for the Trumpeter Swan at the Coors Ponds,
McIntyre Ponds, and Mt Olivet Cemetery. It was not found.
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) was quiet. I did get photos
of an American Kestrel.
Great-tailed Grackles were observed at the nursery North of
Barr Lake and the Corral (1.1 miles East of Picadilly Road
and Bromley Lane).
Final Search for Snowy Owls 1/21
A friend offered to show us a Yuma County Barn Owl. On the trip
across his property, 2 Greater Prairie-Chickens were observed
crossing the road. The Barn Owl was quite cooperative until we
tried to take photos. Of course the owl than took off.
Our friend was nice enough to give directions to thickets where
several Long-eared Owls were previously seen. We managed to
find at least one of them and added them to our Yuma County list.
An Eastern Screech-Owl in a small group of cottonwoods along the
Republican River (North of Laird) answered a tape for 30 seconds
or so.
Again we crisscrossed northern Yuma County, but found no Snowy
Owls. A few Lapland Longspurs were found along 54 Road and kept
our record complete for each county visited so far.
We stopped for lunch in Wray and visited a friend afterwards.
She has a pair of Northern Cardinals that nest in her neighborhood.
The color added much to the drab winter foliage. Stalker Lake and
Sandsage Wildlife Areas were slow today.
We crossed into Washington County after lunch. Again several
flocks of Horned Larks had a couple of Lapland Longspurs.
We thought that there was a Chestnut-collared Longspur, however
did not get a good enough look to be certain (so did not count it).
A stop at another private ranch added Washington County
Long-eared Owls to our bird lists. I wanted to stop at the
Fox Nature Conservancy Ranch (easy location for Wild Turkey),
but we wanted to be at Flagler Reservoir before dark and
had to cancel that side trip.
Our birding day ended at Flagler and a nearby private ranch.
My friend managed to show us a Kit Carson County Barn Owl
and gave directions to an Eastern Screech-Owl (We went back
later but did not get a response to our tapes. So a Kit Carson
Eastern Screech-Owl was not to be.)
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker worked the cottonwoods below
the Flagler dam. Quite a few sparrows were along the eastern
side of the reservoir (Song, Tree, White-crowned). Rebecca even
found 2 Lapland Longspurs (so got them in six counties).
No Common Redpolls were among three dozen American Goldfinches.
A flock of 100+ Cedar Waxwings did not include any Bohemians.
At dusk, one of the previously observed Short-eared Owls
did not disappoint and hunted across the hills to the northeast.
While a pair of Great Horned Owls called back in the
taller cottonwoods to the West.
On the way back to Denver, we stopped at two locations
of winter roosting Long-eared Owls in past years.
Got no response at either site.
Still No Snowy Owls 1/20
We checked out a rumor that an Eastern Meadowlark was spotted at
the Jumbo Reservoir campground. None was found, however we did
kick up a Barn Owl.
Today was spent driving Phillips County roads in the continued
search for Snowy Owls; again without success.
Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks were again abundant along CR 61
(both Sedgwick & Phillips Counties). Western Meadowlarks were
somewhat abundant also. Sand Draw added another flock of Red
Crossbills (southeast corner) and a Harris's Sparrow to our trip list.
Marks Butte was quiet today. We had observed Greater Prairie-
Chickens here on past trips. One Northern Shrike was observed
along 10 Road. Holyoke was slow too.
Near dusk, we passed the area were Frenchman Creek crosses 61 Road.
A Short-eared Owl hovered over the east side of the road.
Continued Search for Snowy Owls 1/19
A large part of the day was spent searching most of Sedgwick
and Logan County roads for Snowy Owls; without success.
Roger Danka did show us an Eastern Screech-Owl and Harris's
Sparrow on his ranch (Sedgwick). He took us over to a friend's
ranch where a pair of Barn Owls nest in his old barn.
His friend also showed us 2 Long-eared Owls wintering in
some thick brush on the property. That was a nice surprise.
Lapland Longspurs were rather abundant north of 34 Road.
A flock of 7 Red Crossbills was in the Julesburg Park.
No Eastern Bluebirds or Harris's Sparrows were found today in
DePoorter Lake Park. We did run across a flock of White-crowned
Sparrows and 11 Northern Bobwhite (hill between lake and S. Platte).
Quite a few Western Meadowlarks were east of the park boundary.
Unfortunately, no Eastern Meadowlarks were among them.
Nothing unusual showed up today. Our birding day ended by
sitting at the top of the hill along 3 Road (Jumbo Reservoir).
A Short-eared Owl flew back and forth across the field to the south.
Search for Owls 1/18
Bryan Ehlmann, Sue Dorsey, Rebecca Kosten, & I traveled to
Sedgwick County. Winds were strong, however temperatures
were in the middle 60s.
We checked Log Lane Village for the Purple Finch reported
1/15 by Walker. We did not find the bird.
A stop at last years Long-eared Owl roosting site North of
Sterling added five LEOWs to our trip list. Lapland Longspurs
were seen along the north side of Sterling Reservoir.
Tamarack Ranch WLA produced a Red-bellied Woodpecker
sighting. The male bird was just north of the South Platte River
and west of the Highway 55 bridge.
A Short-eared Owl flew along Sedgwick Draw at dusk.
An Eastern Screech-Owl called from Sedgwick CR 32 & 15.
Search for Snow Buntings 1/17
I joined 7 other cobirders in search of Snow Buntings this
morning along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams County).
Temperatures reached the high 30s; winds were mild.
It took about 2 hours for us to locate a Snow Bunting.
Bryan Ehlmann found one among hundreds of Horned Larks along
120th avenue (0.4 miles East of Picadilly Road). Weston found
two Lapland Longspurs along 112th avenue (0.8 miles West of
Trussville Road).
Other birds observed included 4 Ferruginous Hawks, 3 Red-tailed
Hawks (1 a dark morph), 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 3 Northern Harriers
(2 female, 1 male), 2 American Kestrels, and a Prairie Falcon.
Again the feeders at Barr Lake were slow.
Great-tailed Grackles numbered over 100 at Picadilly Road and
Bromley Lane and the Corral 1.1 miles East of same intersection.
The 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves were back at the corral area.
Later, four of us checked the Cemetery in Brighton.
Unfortunately nothing was there. We did find 2 Common Grackles
in town. This is an uncommon sighting(s) in winter for Colorado.
Metro Parks 1/16
Rebecca Kosten & I birded several metro parks today.
Bird sightings were few and far between.
The Eastern Screech-Owl was not out at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt
(Jefferson County). We searched for a Northern Pygmy-Owl
reported by Mitchell Hait on Thursday; without success.
Bohemian Waxwings could not find found at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt
or Johnson Park (Jefferson).
Belmar Historic Park was slow also. Canada and Cackling Geese
were just about all around.
Memorial Lake at Fort Logan Cemetery was all but frozen. A pair
of Buffleheads was the only uncommon bird among many geese.
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) was slow also. Gull count
was less than 24? All were Ring-billed Gulls. The lake is
almost frozen. The small open water in the center contained many
Common Mergansers, 4 Common Goldeneyes, and 2 Ruddy Ducks.
The feeders at Barr Lake (Adams) were slow too.
No Snow Buntings were around.
American Goldfinch count was over 36.
Mountain Birding 1/15
Mitchell Hait & I birded Silverthorne (Summit County) in
search of Rosy Finches. Feeders around town provided us with
3 Rosy Finch species, Pine Grosbeaks, 3 Nuthatches (Red-breasted,
White-breasted, and Pygmy), Clark's Nutcrackers, Steller's Jays,
Mountain Chickadees, Hairy Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers.
We even found a Three-toed Woodpecker!
A visit to the Blue River Water Treatment Plant added 5 male and
3 female Barrow's Goldeneyes to our day list.
Unfortunately our visit to Reynolds Park (Jefferson) did not find
a Northern Pygmy-Owl. We did find dozens of Mountain Chickadees,
a few White-breasted Nuthatches, and some Dark-eyed Juncos.
We only had an hour for our search.
On our way to the DIA Owl Loop (Adams), we passed Picadilly
Road and Bromley Lane. Forty+ Great-tailed Grackles flew
about the nursery located at the intersection.
Again time was short, so we did not have much time to search for
Snow Buntings or Lapland Longspurs. Mitchell did find his
lifebird Rough-legged Hawk along 112th avenue. We also observed
a Harlan's Hawk, 2 Western Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Ferruginous Hawks,
and several American Kestrels.
Douglas County Search for Owls 1/14
Bryan Ehlmann & I traveled to Douglas County in search of owls
this morning. Temperatures were in the middle teens at sunrise.
Winds were strong.
When we passed the Sedalia Cemetery, several Townsend's Solitaires
and Dark-eyed Juncos were mobbing one of the evergreen trees.
When we took a closer look, we found a Northern Saw-whet Owl.
This was a first for me, that a mob of birds found an owl for me.
I had heard this phenomenon, but never experienced it.
Steve Spencer was not able to relocate the owl when he checked
several hours after we passed through the area.
We then followed Hugh Kingery's Sedalia to Deckers route for owls
(see CoBus website, "birding locations", "s", search for Sedalia).
We found two Northern Pygmy-Owls along the route hwy 67 to
Sprucewood to Oxyoke, 97 road to South Platte, South Platte Road
to Foxton Road to Hwy 285.
We stopped many times, scoped areas, and played tapes. Our first
encounter was near where Pine Creek crossed 67 Road. Our second
encounter was where North fork and South fork of South Platte
River intersect. Both sightings may or may not be reproducible?
In both cases the light was horrible and my photos came out
blurry. Roads were not in good shape due to weather and I
would not recommend trying this loop without a 4-wheel drive.
A brief stop at Reynolds Park did not find any Blue Grouse or
additional Northern Pygmy-Owls.
In the afternoon, I headed over to Barr Lake. I watched the
feeders on both sides of the Visitor's Center for about 1.5 hours.
No Snow Buntings showed up during my wait. Quite a few birds were
taking advantage of the feeders. A dozen White-crowned Sparrows,
1 American Tree Sparrow, and one Song Sparrow were probably the
highlight. Although watching dozens of American Goldfinch feed
from 10 feet or so was quite entertaining. Gosh they are small.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk kept an eye on the feeders and all the birds
would disappear for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. A female Northern
Harrier hunted along the canal. A Prairie Falcon flew by also.
A male Northern Harrier hunted near the entrance to the State Park.
A drive along the DIA Owl loop added a Ferruginous Hawk (near
112th & Quency), Rough-legged Hawk (Tower Road & 128th),
and Red-tailed Hawk (128th & Picadilly Road).
On the way home I checked the area North of Barr Lake (near
Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane) for Great-tailed Grackles.
Fifty+ birds were along the Nursery (at intersection).
Another fifty+ grackles flew between the corral (1.1 miles
east of intersection) and the shed (1.3 miles east).
Return to North of DIA 1/10
Inserted by Bryan Ehlmann:
Richard Stevens and I just finished driving the DIA Owl Loop in
Adams County. Only a dozen of the 200,000 Horned Larks observed
over the weekend were found. We will wait for another snowstorm
before searching for additional Snow Buntings and Lapland
Longspurs.
Great-tailed Grackles are around. Ninety birds were 0.4 miles
south of Bromley Lane & Picadilly Road. Another 40+ birds
were at the corral 1.1 miles east the intersection.
Barr Lake was slow. Few birds came to Nature Center feeders.
No white geese that we could find.
Red Rocks 1/9
I ventured out just briefly to search for the Sage Sparrow at
Red Rocks Park, Jefferson County. The bird did not show during
my 2-hour wait.
Several Western Scrub-Jays, one Spotted Towhee, and a quite
active Song Sparrow were all observed.
A Ferruginous Hawk was along the DIA Owl Loop.
North of DIA 1/7
Bryan Ehlmann and Richard Stevens birded North of DIA.
The ground was covered with snow from the recent storm.
Forty two Great-tailed Grackles were at the corral located
1.1 miles East of Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane (152nd avenue).
Another 111 Great-tailed Grackles were 0.4 miles south of same
intersection (just north of natural wood house).
We counted 200,000+ Horned Larks along 112th avenue. One or two
Snow Buntings were located along the road. Location coming from
Tower Road & 96th avenue, drive east on 96th avenue, it turns
north (becomes Quency Way & Quency Street, but is not marked as
such), at 3.4 miles from 96th & Tower you are at Burrowing Owl
colony (in summer of course), continue uphill to north and then
east, 112th avenue meets road at 45 degree angle coming from the
east, within 0.1 miles you will see a no passing sign (yellow
triangle) on the north side of the road.
We were parked here and scoping the hundreds of Horned Larks on
both sides of the road. Snow Bunting(s) were seen on north side
of road (about 25 yards north).
A Ferruginous Hawk was on the telephone poles to the south.
We also saw a Red-tailed Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk while
driving the “DIA Owl Loop”.
We had searched for Snow Buntings around Horse Creek Reservoir,
but did not find any.
Adams County 1/5
We did not venture far from home today, as temperatures were
around 12 degrees; winds were 25+ mph. Rebecca Kosten and
I decided to look for the Snow Buntings reported last week
near Horse Creek Reservoir.
Unfortunately, we did not find any. Road conditions were quite
poor. No Great-tailed Grackles were around the Picadilly Road
and Bromley Lane locations.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 1/4
Rebecca Kosten, Sue Dorsey, Bryan Ehlmann, and I briefly birded
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) this afternoon.
Temperatures were in the middle 20s; winds 20+ mph.
We did not locate any uncommon gulls. Hundreds of Common
Mergansers swan in the few holes of open water. A few Coots and
ducks were the other waterfowl out there. A lone Great Blue Heron
stood on the ice in the northeast corner of the reservoir.
Sparrows observed included 59 American Tree and 2 Song Sparrows.
Most were in the campground area. A few at the model airplane area.
We were able to observe the Bald Eagles roosting at the
campgrounds (thanks for the heads up, Don Belts!). Three adult
and two sub-adult Bald Eagles stood in the trees along the south
side of the campgrounds. A six eagle was observed standing on
the frozen lake. Hawk count today was 17 Red-tailed Hawks
(most of which again were at the south end of the campgrounds).
A few Dark-eyed Juncos were also around.
A final adult Bald Eagle was "standing sentinel at the northern
entrance to the state park.
Boulder County 1/3
Rebecca Kosten & I birded Boulder County most of Monday.
The sun was out most of the day (when there was no fog);
temperatures were in the middle 20s (it felt cold)!
Fog was quite a problem early in the morning. However, once we
headed up the mountains along highway 7 at Lyons, it broke up.
We sat at Fawnbrook Inn in Allenspark for one hour.
Unfortunately we did not arrive early and observed no Rosy Finches.
In my experience the best times for them is the first and last
hour of daylight.
The best bird was the Common Redpoll, which visited the feeders
at the back and southwest corner of the Bed & Breakfast.
Thanks Loch Kilpatrick for the heads up on that one.
Twenty-one Evening Grosbeaks were almost as interesting
a sighting. While not uncommon in the Colorado mountains,
it can be quite frustrating when searching for them.
Other birds visiting the many feeders included:
19 Mountain Chickadees, 7 Black-capped Chickadees, 81 Pine Siskins,
all three nuthatches (2 Red-breasted, 3 White-breasted, and 2 Pygmy),
one Brown Creeper, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a male Hairy
Woodpecker, Steller's Jays, and 2 Clark's Nutcrackers.
It was a beautiful but cold day up there; the large numbers of
birds made the 20-mile drive up from Lyons well worth it.
On the way down we stopped at the first pullover with restrooms
(and only I believe) along highway 7 from Lyons. A pair of
Golden Eagles was carrying sticks and landed on a ledge directly
north (about 15 feet from the top of the mountain). They made
several trips during our watch!
Back in Lyons, Old St Vrain road was not productive. An American
Dipper was under the western bridge. Apple Valley Road was slow
also (except for dozens of deer). We did not find the 2 Northern
Pygmy-Owls reported last week.
Our next goal was to search for Pinyon Jays. We found a small
flock of 9 birds flying east to west (while we drove along Blue
Mountain Road). We drew a line between the Ray Davis House
and Rabbit Mountain and tried to cross it as much as possible
while look for Pinyon Jays.
The Trumpeter Swan was still on the Farm Pond (east side of
highway 36) about 0.5 miles south of Lefthand Canyon Road.
Thanks Bill Kaempfer! No Bohemian Waxwings were found along
Middlefork Road (up to 0.5 miles west of hwy 36).
Long-eared Owls were difficult to find north of Boulder.
We dipped on the 4 Trumpeter Swans found during the Boulder CBC.
Most ponds/lakes in Boulder County were frozen.
A hike along Mesa South Trail found 8 Bushtits about 0.7 miles
up from the parking area. Doudy Draw was slow, however a
Prairie Falcon was added to our year and day list as it flew
down the valley.
We tried to beat the rush hour traffic back to Denver, but did not.
One lucky point while sitting in traffic, a flock of 24+ Bohemian
Waxwings were seen on the south side of the Boulder Turnpike
(hwy 36) about 0.4 miles northwest of Federal Blvd (Adams County).
This could be part of the flock observed several weeks ago at
Lowell and 81st avenues (perhaps 0.5 miles north).
Douglas County Christmas Count 1/2
I joined the Douglas County Christmas Count today. Five of
us birded West Jackson Creek Road and South Coronado Drive.
Nothing special was observed. We did find one of the few
American Dippers reported on this CBC over the years.
The American Dipper flew about Jackson Creek at W. Jackson
Creek Road. Photos on CoBus Photo library.
Feeders along Coronado Drive added American Tree Sparrows, dozens
of Western Scrub-Jays, 2 Steller's Jays, and a Blue Jay to our list.
Feeders on West Columbine Lane were interesting also. Thirty+
Mountain Chickadees were joined by three species of nuthatches
(8 Red-breasted, 7 White-breasted, and 2 Pygmy). Pine Siskins,
American Goldfinches, and Dark-eyed Juncos visited also.
A Golden Eagle flew overhead.
Red-tailed Hawks were numerous and included a dark morph bird.
Two Townsend's Solitaires, three Song Sparrows and a Spotted
Towhee were observed also.
Missed on Great Horned Owls (any owls) and Rough-legged Hawks.
We spent 30 minutes or so at the end of the day searching for
a House Sparrow. No loss that we could not find one!
Looking for 2005 Yearbirds 1/1
Eight of us went owling to start the New Year.
At 4:30am we hiked Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson County)
from the Prospect Bridge to the parking area to the east.
An Eastern Screech-Owl called north of the path and
somewhere just west of the yellow pole.
At 6:30am, a Northern Pygmy-Owl called near the junction of
the Oxen Draw & Elkhorn Trails in Reynolds Park (Jefferson).
Unfortunately we never did see the owl.
About an hour after sunrise, we hiked the Buck Gulch trail at
Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson). A male American Three-toed
Woodpecker was observed east and west of the trail and about
200 yards south (uphill) from Pine Lake. We added Song and
American Tree Sparrows to our 2005 list.
After dropping off the group, I returned to Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.
Six to eight Bohemian Waxwings stood in the tall trees at the
entrance to the park. They went down to the Choke Cherry bushes
about 40 yards west of Wadsworth Blvd. Later I hiked 400 yards
west along the bike trail in search of Cedar Waxwings; without
success.
We later ran into probably the same small flock of Bohemian
Waxwings at 47th and Balsam Streets (the streets run parallel
to Clear Creek uphill above the park).
Prospect Park (Wheat Ridge Greenbelt) was rather slow.
We could not find the Eastern Screech-Owl. A Spotted Towhee,
Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatches, Canvasback, and
Common Mergansers were added to the 2005 list.
Belmar Historic Park (Jefferson) was quiet also. Well, not really
quiet, as thousands of Canada Geese (and some Cackling Geese)
stood around the lake and flew in from fields north and south of
the park. I did not find the Swamp Sparrow observed two days earlier.
Fort Logan Cemetery did not have any Greater Scaup, however added
a Lesser Scaup to my year list.
I did not find any Great-tailed Grackles north of Barr Lake
(Adams) around the Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane area.
Two Eurasian Collared-Doves were at the corral 1.1 miles
east of the same intersection. We ran out of daylight before
reaching Barr Lake proper.
More Bird Trips
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