Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
July, 2006
Another Nice Day of Birding 7/28
I decided to checkout Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan
Counties) this morning. In a four hour hike, I circled
around to the southwest corner and back to the northwest corner.
I enjoyed a nice list of birds which included:
Long-billed Curlew
Snowy Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Pectoral Sandpiper
Willet
Marbled Godwit
Common Tern
Eastern Screech-Owl
A stop at Lochbuie Ponds (Weld) on the way back to Denver found
a lone Common Tern!
I hiked the southern side of Barr Lake for about 2 hours.
No uncommon shorebirds were observed, however I did find:
Baird's Sandpiper (189)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
Spotted Sandpiper (91, including many young fledglings)
Franklin's Gull (21+)
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
California Gull
Of course many Ring-billed Gull
I enjoyed seeing a high number of Burrowing Owls on the DIA Owl Loop:
9 @ 3.4 miles East of Tower Road & 96th avenue
8 @ 0.2 miles North of Tower Road & 56th avenue
2 @ Trussville & 112th avenue
6 @ 0.5 miles south of Piccadilly Road & 128th avenue
4 @ Powhaton and 128th avenue
3 @ 112th avenue & west of Tower Road
My last stop was Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) No terns at the
bird platform, however I did observe an adult Lesser Black-backed
Gull at the southeastern sand spit. Beware; there is also the usual
California Gull? with a darker mantle than the other California
Gulls around. I did not see the male Black-chinned Hummingbird
(however it was starting to get dark and was quite windy).
Nature put on one of the more colorful and entertaining sunsets
that I have seen in a while.
Hunt for Night-Herons & Hummingbirds 7/27
I enjoyed a fantastic morning of birding! I left Denver at 4:30am
in a pouring rain (quite unusual in Colorado). The rain did stop
however by the time I arrived in Boulder.
The rising sun turned the sky a magnificent orange between the
horizon and the high clouds. Temperatures in the low 60s made
for a pleasant morning. The day did not heat up until the clouds
dissipated around 11:00am.
Mosquitoes however were out in full force. Without bug spray, my
two hour hike around each pond at the Walden/Sawhill Complex
would have been a nightmare. I started around 5:40am.
I parked at Sawhill Pond 1A and heard many American Goldfinch
flying between the trees at the parking area. A pair of Eastern
Kingbirds hawked insects even this early in the morning.
Hiking west, I encountered 3 Green Herons at Pond #7. A fourth
Green Heron was at Pond #8. Mourning Doves and Northern Flickers
flew about everywhere.
I played a tape at Pond #9 and a American Bittern called back.
A Marsh Wren and several Song Sparrows jumped up out of the
cattails to see what the had caused the airwaves to be invaded.
Pond #6 was quite productive. Here five Great Blue Herons and
3 adult and 2 juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons were waiting
patiently for food to swim within range.
Several additional Great Blue Herons hunted at Pond #10.
I continued north and west past Pond #5 (original sighting of
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron). The private pond north of
Sawhill looked like a good place for the herons to nest and
spend the night. However, not much was there at 7:30am.
I thought to continue west until I ran into a boundary fence and
came upon Pond #15 (which I did not know even existed). At the
southeastern end of this pond were another Great Blue Heron and
my goal, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. I backed away and
tried to circle the pond to the west. The YCNH eventually flew east
(either to the private pond north of Sawhill or toward Pond #5.
I was not able to relocate the heron.
I passed Walden Ponds on the way back to my car. Two Great Egrets
were hunting on them. At Cottonwood Marsh (Walden Pond) I added
a lone White Pelican, Pied-billed Grebe, Baird's and Spotted
Sandpipers to my day list.
My next stop of the day was the northern trail for the East Teller
Farm (off Valmont, 0.5 miles west of 95th avenue). Even if I found
no birds, I enjoy hiking past the hay bales near the entrance.
They appear to be home for dozens of rabbits of various sizes.
It looked like at least five ages of rabbits (based on size) use
the crevasses in the hay as home.
The wet fields to the south provided many bird sightings.
If you walk south until path turns east, notice the two trees
south-southwest (trail will turn south and then west to pass
these trees). Most Dickcissels and Bobolinks were between
the two trees and the two trees 200 meters west.
Five or more singing Dickcissels perched on the alfalfa north
of the trail. A juvenile Bobolink was in with a flock of 300
Blackbirds along the canal between the trees above.
The Bobolink flew just south of the trail and joined an
adult male, adult female and 3 additional juvenile Bobolinks.
All eventually flew north of the canal.
My final stop of the day was Red Rocks Park. The two new
hummingbird feeders on the back porch of the trading center
were visited by dozens of hummingbirds.
Many Broad tailed Hummingbirds of various sex and ages were
observed. One or two female Black chinned Hummingbirds also
visited. The two Rufous Hummingbirds that made an appearance
looked like first year males. Finally an immature Calliope
Hummingbird also made a brief appearance.
(Thanks to Ken Chavez for reporting the feeders and hummingbirds
there now!)
It took 45 minutes, but I finally found a White throated Swift
flying overhead. A Canyon Wren called from the rocks north and
east of the Trading Center.
Red Rocks was not my last stop. After a late lunch, I drove
through Cherry Creek Reservoir. The male Black-chinned
Hummingbird was perched in a short tree north of the ranger's
office.
No terns or shorebirds were on the southeast sand spit or sandbar
at the Bird Platform Area (Cottonwood Creek Loop).
Adams County 7/26
Not much at Barr Lake.
Three dozen Baird's Sandpipers, one Stilt Sandpiper, and many
Killdeer (SE corner). One male Lark Bunting near the entrance.
Plenty of Mosquitoes however!!!
Drove the DIA Owl Loop and found Burrowing Owls
in spite of the rain:
7: 3.4 miles East of Tower Road & 96th avenue
2: SW corner of Trussville & 112th avenue
5: 0.5 miles south of 128th avenue & Piccadilly Road
2: 0.4 miles north of 56th avenue & Tower Road
I was going to walk the east side of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
(Buckley Road, north of 56th). Rain convinced me to try some
other time.
A Pleasant Drive for Birds 7/22
Bryan and Sue Ehlmann, Rebecca and I were looking for a not so
traffic busy drive after an early dinner yesterday. We headed
out to Elbert County. Temperatures started to drop and a cool
breeze blew across the plains.
We found 2 Dickcissels at their usual site along Elbert County
Road at 4.1 miles south of Hwy 86. We also saw 2 Grasshopper
Sparrows, many Vesper Sparrows, 1 male Blue Grosbeak, Eastern
and Western Kingbirds (missed a Cassin's), many Rough-legged Hawks,
and 2 Common Nighthawks (on fence posts).
From there we headed to Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas
County). On the Winkler Ranch (1.5 miles south of the west side
of the park), we found 4-6 Bobolinks. Most were just below the
hill about 150 yards east of Castlewood Canyon Road at 0.3 miles
south of the ranch's entrance.
Several Lark Sparrows and Vesper Sparrows were also found.
Spotted Towhees called from the bushes on hillside to the west.
Turkey Vultures circled overhead. We found single Common Nighthawks
at the southern and northern entrance to the State Park.
A pair of adult Western Bluebirds were feeding several young along
Castlewood Canyon Road (where it runs east to west, about 0.5 miles
from the state park).
We watched a colorful Sunset while looking over the beautiful
valley below Castlewood Canyon State Park. After dark, a search
for Northern Saw-whet Owls in the park and the subdivision of
homes to the northwest turned up empty.
On the way out to the plains we had a quick stop at Cherry Creek
Reservoir (Arapahoe). No shorebirds on the southeast sand spit,
however we did find the male Black-chinned Hummingbird just east
of the ranger's office.
Boulder County 7/17
Rebecca Kosten and I left for Boulder around 4:30am. Temperatures
were cool and winds were calm.
It took about 10 minutes to find the Eastern Wood-Pewee reported
several times in the past weeks by Scott Severs at Shanahan Ridge.
Thanks much Scott! The flycatcher was singing about 80 yards
west-northwest of the dry pond about 200 yards from the trailhead.
It only sang for about 1 minute between 5:30 and 6:30am. We had
located it by its song and were able to watch it catch insects for
30 minutes or so. I was able to audio and video tape the bird and
will write about it in August's "Colorado Field Notes".
Just east of the dry pond we found a Western Wood-pewee. This
allowed us to compare looks and songs. I taped it also. Other
birds in the area included Pygmy Nuthatches, American Goldfinches,
and House Finches.
Our next stop was the Boulder Bobolink Field along Baseline Road
at 0.1 miles west of Cherryvale Road. We found 1 or 2 male
Bobolinks here. The field is partially mowed and the Bobolinks
are probably not here for long.
A stop at Walden Ponds took only 10 minutes to locate a Green
Heron at the western side of Cottonwood Marsh. We did not stay
long because we wanted to visit the Dickcissel locations before
it became too hot.
At the Northern Trailhead for East Teller Farms (off Valmont)
we hiked south until the trail turned West and then another 1000
yards. We counted at least 5 Dickcissels south of the trail and
2 north. The Dickcissels were quite loud and continuous in their
songs. On the way back to the car, 2 male and a female Bobolink
stopped just along the trail. Unfortunately, we were walking east
and into the sun (no photos). They eventually flew south.
I did post photos of the Dickcissels on the CoBus Photo Library.
We found additional Dickcissels at two locations along 95th avenue
(north of Valmont). One across from Avocet Lane and another about
a mile north of Valmont & 95th avenue.
Our fortune ran out at Pella Crossing Park. The field where
Dickcissels and Bobolinks were reported about 10 days ago was
quiet. By 10:00am however, a strong hot northern wind had
kicked up.
We checked Rabbit Mountain Open Space for Pinyon Jays; without
success. I am leading a trip next week and would appreciate
hearing of any Boulder County sightings. Old St. Vrain Road in
Lyons was checked for Lewis's Woodpeckers; again without success.
After Lunch we headed toward Fossil Creek Reservoir (Larimer).
The Brown Pelican reported yesterday was not found and we drove
around checking other bodies of water; without success. Not much
on Duck Lake either.
Pelican Lakes Golf Course (Weld) was also checked (site of June,
2005 Brown Pelican). Not much was seen in the afternoon heat and
we headed for Denver.
Mt. Evans 7/16
Insert: Roger Danka:
"We arose early and got to Mt Evans at first light. On the way to
the top, we found a Ptarmigan below the road about 80 yards south
of Summit Lake.
Several Mountain Bluebirds flew around catching insects. Half a
dozen Pipits were just below the top. No Ptarmigans were at the
top, so we lucked out with our find.
We hiked to the west side of Summit Lake and found several Brown
capped Rosy Finches after a 30 minute sit. Back at the entrance
we saw Broad tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds, no Calliope.
We searched for 20 minutes for a Three toed Woodpecker at the
campgrounds and Echo Lake. None found, we did see Lincoln's
Sparrows and a male Red naped Sapsucker at the northwest side of
Echo Lake. A few Wilson's Warblers and a MacGillivray's were found
along Chicago Creek Road. "
Richard Stevens:
After Roger left for Julesburg, Rebecca Kosten and I drove over
to the Aurora Sports Complex. We searched about 2 hours for the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo that they found on Friday; without success.
It was however over 102 degrees during our search. It figures
that not many birds would be moving around. We may have walked
underneath the bird and not observed it?
Earlier on Mt. Evans, we just missed Greg and Melissa Coniglio.
They had driven almost the same route as we had; however in the
opposite order than ours.
Greg and Melissa found a female adult White-tailed Ptarmigan and
four young at the top of Mt. Evans. They also observed the
Brown-capped Rosy Finches on the hill at the northwest corner
of Summit Lake.
Later, they observed a Calliope, Black-chinned, Rufous, and
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at the feeders at Echo Lake.
Foothills and Mountains 7/15
I hooked up with the Danka's and Rebecca Kosten today.
We drove a loop into the foothills and mountains to escape the
heat down in Denver. It wasn't all that cool today in the mountains.
In Jefferson County We stopped briefly at Reynolds Park to see if
any Dusky Grouse, Northern Pygmy-Owls, or Common Poorwills
could be found; without success. A Virginia's Warbler and
Black-headed Grosbeak were observed along the creek west
of the parking area.
Our next stop was brief. It only took about 15 minutes to find
an American Three-toed Woodpecker at Pine Valley Ranch Park.
The adult male was foraging on the hill south of Pine Lake and
about 40 yards east of the Buck Gulch Trail.
A flock of Pygmy Nuthatches crossed Buck Gulch Trail just south of
Pine Lake. Rebecca found an American Dipper along the creek below
the bridge near the parking area. Roger saw a Northern Goshawk
near the Park View Trail switchbacks.
We continued south on Hwy 285 and turned toward Guanella Pass at
Grant. Several Mountain Bluebirds were along Guanella Pass Road.
At the campgrounds below the switchbacks we stopped for a short
walk and found Lincoln's Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows.
A male Pine Grosbeak foraged on the ground about 20 yards west
of the entrance.
A two hour search at Guanella Pass did not turn up any White-
tailed Ptarmigan today. We did see several White-crowned Sparrows
and Brewer's Sparrows (Timberline?). A Prairie Falcon zoomed by
(always nice to see up this high).
No American Three-toed Woodpeckers were found at Guanella Pass
campground. Once fairly easy to see here, they have become scarce
since all the road construction. We did see a male MacGillivray's
Warbler along the creek. Pine Siskins and Mountain Chickadees
were quite common. A flock of 8 Red Crossbills (no White-winged
Crossbills) flew through the area.
No Williamson's Sapsuckers today at Clear Creek Campground.
Not much around.
We headed to Loveland Pass for a quick look for White-tailed
Ptarmigan; again without success.
After lunch we drove to Empire. Two Band-tailed Pigeons were
found up CR 251 (quite far past Sunny Avenue and Main where
there used to be feeders). Another Pine Grosbeak was seen in
the yard just north of above intersection.
It was too late in the day to go up Mt Evans and we ended our
birding day at Genesee Mountain Park. A male Williamson's
Sapsucker was again around the group picnic area (though it took
40 minutes to find it). We saw a Golden Eagle soaring high above.
Raining Day Around Denver 7/8
It rained almost constantly all day Saturday.
The is quite unusual for Colorado. At least temps were cool.
Most of the birds appeared quite dark today because they
were wet or at least covered with water.
Bryan Ehlmann, Sue Ehlmann, Rebecca Kosten and I stopped for a
drink at the Del Taco near the Wal-Mart at Tower Road & I70 (Adams
County). I suggested driving the new roads north of the Wal-Mart;
since they were newly opened and I had never been on them.
Just north of Wal-Mart and west of Chilies, Rebecca found 2 Upland
Sandpipers. They were in the field 15 feet from the road at
Walden Drive & Walden Circle. After about 10 minutes they flew
only 30 yards west, did their classic wing raise and continued to feed.
Strange place, but it is migration. For years they could be found
at a traditional location (before all the human growth) about 6.0
miles north near 88th Avenue & Buckley Road.
Directions from CoBus website: From Interstate 70, take Tower Road
Exit 286. Drive north to road between Wal-Mart & Chilies.
Travel west and turn north at Del Taco. Field west of road at
intersection of Walden Drive & Circle. (All these roads are
less than 2 months old, not on maps.) DeLorme 40:A2
We continued from there to the DIA Owl Loop and Barr Lake (also
Adams County). Burrowing Owls were out but very wet as it rained
most of Saturday.
Burrowing Owls
3 at 3.4 miles East of Tower Road & 96th avenue
2 at northwest end of runways on new dirt mounds
2 across from Wildhorse Ridge condos (north of Tower & 56th)
3 at Powhaton & 128th Avenue
Barr Lake Willet shore west of Boat Ramp
After milk shakes at Dairy Queen in Brighton, we drove the DIA Owl
Loop again hoping to find a Short-eared Owl; without success.
Bryan and I searched for the Swallow-tailed Kite for about 3 hours
Saturday morning. We tried to drive every road between I25 & Hwy
36 (east-west) and Hwy 56 & Hwy 7 (north-south). Without success.
We stopped briefly at Pella Crossing Park. Found 2 Dickcissels,
but no Bobolinks and continued our Swallow-tailed Kite search.
Elbert & Douglas Counties 7/7
Rebecca Kosten and I looked for a quiet out of traffic drive.
We chose to follow Jerry Petrosky's route into Elbert and Douglas
Counties. Yesterday afternoon was cool and cloudy, but threaten
a storm.
It took only minutes to hear and then see a couple of Dickcissels
at the field along Elbert County Road at 4.1 miles south of
Highway 86. We also found a couple of Grasshopper Sparrows
and Vesper Sparrows.
A pair of Mountain Bluebirds was perched on the telephone
wires near the ranch with all the red horse shelters. All the
grayish-yellow kingbirds all turned out to be Western Kingbirds.
One Eastern Kingbird was also in the area.
We next drove to Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas). Instead
of entering we continued south on Hwy 83 to North Lake Gulch Road,
then west to Castlewood Canyon Road, then north to the Winkler
Ranch and through the western side of Castlewood Canyon State Park.
Two male Bobolinks were singing along the hill about 0.3 miles
south of the ranch's entrance. We were not able to locate the
Dickcissel found earlier in the week by Jerry. A Cordilleran
Flycatcher sang on the hill to the west of the Bobolink spot.
Several Spotted Towhees constantly sang. Vesper and Lark
Sparrows were everywhere.
About 20 Turkey Vultures circled over the southern end of the
State Park. While we did not find any Wild Turkeys along
Castlewood Canyon Road, we did find one in the park.
(I added my photo to Jerry's on the CoBus photo library).
We lingered until dark and searched unsuccessfully for Northern
Saw-whet Owls. Checked the subdivision of homes northwest
of the park for owls; without success and headed for home.
Search for Arapahoe County Bushtits 7/6
Inserted by Gary Zeeto:
"Beautiful morning cobirders,
I met up with Rich Stevens at 6:00 A.M. this morning at East Caley
and South Quebec. That's about a mile south of East Orchard and
S. Quebec. The nesting Bushtits starting feeding young about 10
minutes after our arrival.
By 6:30 they are visiting the nest every 5 minutes or less.
They would fly 3 or 4 yards east of the nesting tree and come
back with beaks full of moths. We watched the nest from far away
at the stucco beige home east of Caley and Pontiac. Please do not
disturb if you go to watch them. Thanks to Chris Blakeslee for
reporting them. County first for me!
At 7:00 we decided to look for the Say's Phoebes reported along
Popular between Fair and Oneida Streets. We never found them, but
Richard found a second pair of Bushtits. This pair foraged just
north and Popular and Oneida and continually flew behind the homes
there. We guess they might have a nest back there.
After wards we split up to look for more Bushtits. I found one on
my own north of Sunset Park at Maplewood and forgot the name
of the cross street that connects with Caley. It was the first
street west of Caley and Pontiac. I knew I should have written it
down. The Bushtit was foraging in the firs along the western side
of the Open Space at Sunset Park.
The open space looked like a good place for Say's Phoebes but
I didn't find any. Western Kingbirds, Common Yellowthroat,
Blue Jays, Bullock's Orioles, Starlings, etc. were plentiful.
Good birdin'"
Richard Stevens:
South Newport Street leads north from East Caley Avenue to
Sunset Park (just south of East Maplewood Avenue).
Later in the day, I spent an hour at Barr Lake without finding any
uncommon birds. The usual nesting birds were busy feeding young.
More Bird Trips
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