Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
July 2004
Rocky Mountain National Park 7/29
Two North Carolina birders & I traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park.
We stopped at Meadow Park in Lyons (Boulder County) on the trip
north. An adult and 1st year Golden Eagle soared over the cliffs
along St Vrain Creek. An Olive-sided Flycatcher sang atop a dead
limb at the east side of the park.
Our next stop was a friend's home in Estes Park. Here we observed
Black-headed Grosbeaks (male, female), Green-tailed Towhee, many
Pygmy Nuthatches, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and a few male Rufous
Hummingbirds. Two Band-tailed Pigeons also visited the feeders.
A Western Wood-pewee hawked insects nearby.
Once in the park we located Clark's Nutcrackers at the Rainbow Curve
pullover. An American Dipper jumped into the creek in search of
food at Endovalley Picnic area. Many Steller's Jays watched us as
we ate lunch near the Alluvial Fan picnic area. We were not able to
locate Red Crossbills or Rosy Finches today. Birding was pretty slow.
Southern Colorado 7/27-7/28
Terry Michael & I headed south to spent two days at the CoBus
bird farm in Las Animas County. Our goal was to search for owls
and Hepatic Tanagers.
We detoured to Teller County on the trip south. Three Band-tailed
Pigeons were found at the south end of Hondo Road (Green Mountain
Falls). No Black Swifts flew over the falls today. At dusk we
searched for owls at Missouri Gulch (Teller/Douglas Counties).
One bird was heard about 300 yards north of the trailhead.
We never were able to see the bird.
The pair of Hepatic Tanagers successfully nested south of Kim.
The pair had two young, which had left the nest about a week ago.
We were able to find one of the juvenile birds and the female.
We went owling after dark on Tuesday night. The only owl found
was a Northern Saw-whet Owl (which made us quite happy to find).
Cassin's Kingbirds, Common Nighthawks, a few Western Kingbirds,
and many Chipping Sparrows are still around. Terry found a
Gray Vireo on Tecolote Mesa on Wednesday morning. There was
no evidence that it had nested here this summer.
We had planned to return to Missouri Gulch on the way back to
Denver. However, thunderstorms over the area added to our
decision to skip the side trip and head back to Denver.
Elbert County 7/26
Terry Michaels & I drove out to Elbert County to see if the
Dickcissels were still there. We found several Dickcissels in
the Alfalfa fields along Elbert County Road and 4.1 miles south
of Highway 86. We found one Black-chinned Hummingbird east of
the ranger's office at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County)
on the trip south and east to Elbert County.
A stop at Castlewood Canyon Road south of the State Park did not
add any Bobolinks to our day list. Thunderstorms threaten the
area by the time we arrived. A few Mountain Bluebirds and
Tree Swallows flew about in the high winds.
Clear Creek County 7/24
Gary Zeeto, Anthony Chance, Charles Pope, and I headed to Guanella
Pass (Clear Creek County) to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan.
My success streak was again broken as no birds were found in
a 3-hour search. Weather was horrible with high winds and rain.
Temperatures had to be in the middle 40s.
We also struck out on finding Three-toed Woodpeckers at Guanella
Pass campground. There just were no birds moving about up there.
Two Band-tailed Pigeons were found in Empire (Clear Creek). The
birds moved from the corner of Main & Sunny Avenues to 303 Main Street.
Our last shot for Three-toed Woodpeckers was Echo Lake. Here we
experienced better luck. A male bird was foraging among the trees
on the north side of the lake. I believe this bird moves from the
west side of Echo Lake to the campgrounds on the east side. So,
the day was not a total lost. A few hummingbirds flew around the
restaurant (Broad-tailed, Rufous, and one female Calliope Hummingbird).
We drove up Chicago Creek Road (to search for Rosy Finches); nothing
of interest was found.
Pawnee Grasslands, Cherry Creek & Barr Lake 7/23
Another cobirder, Bill & Jerri Haas, and I headed up to
Pawnee National Grasslands (Weld County) at 5:00am this
morning. They had to catch a plane at DIA at 11:30am,
but hoped to find a few lifebirds beforehand.
We located four Chestnut-collared Longspurs at the southeast corner
of Highway 85 & Weld County Road 114. The trip down south along
CR 49 added a Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, Blue Grosbeaks,
Bullock's Orioles, and McCown's Longspurs to our trip list.
It took awhile but 2 Mountain Plover were finally observed at
the southeast corner of Highway 14 & CR 51. We had to hike
about 200 yards east along hwy 14 to see the birds south about
100 yards. Several Burrowing Owls were at the same corner.
After dropping the Haas' off at the airport, we headed to Cherry
Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). No gulls or terns were at the southeast
corner sandbar. Winds picked up and it rained. We could not
find any Black-chinned Hummingbirds east of the ranger's office
(hopefully they were hiding from the rain & hail).
A pair of Clark's Grebes was off shore from the Lake Loop.
We ran into Don Belts and he kindly showed us a Cooper's Hawk's
nest. The first year female bird was feeding 4 juveniles!
Thanks much Don!
Rain poured down heavily for the next two hours. Winds were
30+ mph. Afterwards, we decided to drive the DIA Owl Loop.
Burrowing Owls were observed at 3.4 miles East of Tower Road
and 96th avenue. Additional owls were at 0.5 miles east of
Picadilly Road & 120th avenue and at Powhaton Road & 128th avenue.
Many Lark Buntings were observed along Trussville Road (south of
114th avenue). Several Vesper Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows,
and 2 Swainson's Hawks were searching for food here also.
Few birds were around the visitor center's feeders at Barr Lake
(Adams). Many sandpipers were along the shoreline at the boat ramp.
We observed Least, Stilt, Baird's, Western, and Spotted Sandpipers.
A lone Pectoral Sandpiper was north of the boat ramp. A Snowy Egret
and Great Blue Heron walked the edge of the island south of the ramp.
Two Burrowing Owls along Picadilly Road at 0.7 miles north of
Barr Lake's entrance were our final surprise.
Continued Search for Pileated Woodpecker 7/22
Four of us returned to Boulder Canyon to look for the Pileated
Woodpecker reported on July 19. The weather deteriorated
rapidly in the afternoon.
Our search today centered on Magnolia Road (which runs into
Highway 119). Also the area around mile marker 35.2 looks very
promising. We did not find the woodpecker; however 2 holes
that looked suspiciously like the kind found by a feeding
Pileated Woodpecker were found (near mile marker 35.2).
I did manage to add Band-tailed Pigeons to both my Boulder
and Gilpin Counties lists! Another new bird for Gilpin County
was a Northern Goshawk that stood in a dead tree just north
of Blackhawk (highway 119).
Search for Pileated Woodpecker 7/21
Rebecca Kosten & I returned early from southwest Colorado to
search for the Pileated Woodpecker reported in Boulder Canyon.
Latest information stated that the bird was observed just past mile
marker 35 of highway 119. I hiked from mile marker 33 to 37 and
back. Boulder Falls is actually at mile marker 33.2 (numbers go up
as you drive downhill or east toward Boulder). We repeated several
sections a couple of times; without success. In all, we put in
about 5 hours in to the search.
Colorado Birding Society's Cherry Creek Reservoir Trip 7/11
I led the CoBus bird trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County) this morning. Skies were clear, winds calm,
temperatures rose quickly as the morning progressed.
The only uncommon birds were the two male Black-chinned
Hummingbirds. They flew to the tops of the trees with dead
limbs around the parking area for the ranger's office.
Once they both were in the same tree.
An adult Killdeer protected a juvenile bird near the hotdog stand.
Yesterday there were two adults and four young. We hoped the
other birds were hiding well from the many visitor's.
Many Western Grebes "hung around" the southwest marina,
presumably to avoid the many boats out on the lake.
Dozens of Double-crested Cormorants stood on the telephone
poles bordering the marina. American White Pelican "hid" in
the southeast corner of the reservoir. I seldom venture over
to Cherry Creek Reservoir on a weekend. The waiting line to
put one's boat on the lake was 2-3 hours. Interesting!!!
We did not get any Wilson's Snipes or Virginia Rails to go out
of the cattails at the 12-mile beaver pond. Three Great Blue
Herons stood atop a dead cottonwood tree. Half a dozen
Common Yellowthroats were at the south end of the pond.
Many American Goldfinch and several Song Sparrows sang
from one of the taller trees along the southeast edge.
Colorado Plains Southeast of Denver 7/10
Rebecca Kosten & I were diverted from "Prewitt Reservoir's
Yellow footed Gull" and headed to Elbert County to count birds.
We stopped briefly at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).
Two Black-chinned Hummingbirds were observed around
and east of the parking area for the ranger's office.
At Elbert County road we drove south of highway 86 for 4.5 miles
to the red barn and museum. Then we turned back north and stopped
every 0.2 miles searching for Dickcissels. One Dickcissel was at
4.3 miles/south/hwy 86 (20 yards east/Elbert County Road and even
with the water pump house). There is an uncut field 0.1 miles north
of here (4.2/south/hwy 86). Four or five Dickcissels were observed
coming out of the tall grasses and feeding in the shorter grasses
along the south side of this field. We watched the field for 1.5
hours. Many Red-winged Blackbirds flew about, however we
could not locate any Bobolinks.
Several Western Kingbirds were observed along Elbert County Road.
More interesting, we found a Cassin's Kingbird at 2.4 miles south
of hwy 86. A Northern Mockingbird was on a fence post 0.1 miles
further north of here. A pair of American Kestrels stood on the
telephone wires watching the tall grass Dickcissel field.
Several Swainson's Hawks (including 2 juveniles) hunted overhead.
We watched the field 0.3 miles south of the Winkler Ranch, 1.5 miles
south of Castlewood Canyon State Park (along Castlewood Canyon Road,
west side of park) for an hour. Only two male Bobolinks popped up
from the field during that time. A Cordilleran Flycatcher called
uphill at the west side of the road. Many Mountain Bluebirds and
a pair of Western Bluebirds were observed on the drive back to
the State Park.
Our birding day ended by driving in the cool evening air the DIA
Owl Loop. Seven Burrowing Owls were observed 3.4 miles East of
Tower Road & 96th avenue. Another pair of Burrowing Owls was at
Powhaton Road & 128th avenue.
North Park Birding 7/3-7/9
Rebecca Kosten & I birded most of the week in North Park area
of Colorado. We searched for Owls, Crossbills, and Grouse.
Weather was interesting and not as good this week. We ran
into several rainstorms and high winds.
July 3
We decided to hike along the Michigan Ditch Road several miles
toward Mt Richthofen (Jackson County). There is a chain of
Boreal Owl nesting boxes along this road, which runs south from
the Cameron Pass summit. At about 2.5 miles into the hike,
we were 800 feet or so above and 1000 yards south of the
Crags Campground (accessed from highway 14).
Around 11:00pm, a Boreal Owl called from south (uphill) of the road.
However, we never did see the bird.
July 4
We got up at 4:00am and hiked Ruby Jewel Road. This time we had
more success as a Boreal Owl called for about 30 minutes. We were
able to see the bird through our spotting lamp. The bird was about
0.8 miles east of Michigan Creek Road (the main road into the
Colorado State Forest).
After sunrise, we found many Red-naped Sapsuckers, Warbling Vireos,
several Swainson's Thrushes, and many Ruby-crowned Kinglets during
a mile walk down Ruby Jewel road.
Hundreds of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds visited the feeders at the KOA
campground store at the Colorado State Forest entrance. Quite a few
hummingbirds visited the feeders at the old Gould restaurant down
the road. Here at least five male Rufous Hummingbirds and dozens
of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds joined a male Calliope Hummingbird.
Wilson's Warblers were abundant in the willows behind the Colorado
State Forest Visitor's Center.
We spent several hours at Owl Mountain Wildlife Area (Jackson).
Highlights were one Blue Grouse.
Our birding day ended at Steamboat Springs State Park (Routt).
We looked for the Long-eared Owl family reported a week or so
ago at the campgrounds; without success. Several Sandhill Cranes
(including juveniles) were along the west side of the park.
July 5
Today we looked for Crossbills and Grouse on the BLM lands north of
Steamboat State Park. Highlights included several Crossbill flocks.
Two White-winged Crossbills were found about 0.5 miles North of
Forest Roads 550 & 504. A Blue Grouse ran across FR 550 several
miles north of here.
Several birdy spots were found as we drove the forest roads
northeast of Hahn's Peak. Birds encountered included Fox Sparrows,
Lincoln's Sparrows, MacGillivray's Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, and
Swainson's Thrushes. At dusk we hoped to find a Common Poorwill;
again without success.
Owls found/heard during our trek included Flammulated Owl, 2
Northern Pygmy-Owls, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and 3 Great Horned Owls.
We searched for Boreal Owls on FR 412 (Continental Divide Scenic
Trail); without success.
July 6
We were pretty exhausted from the lack of sleep so far this week
and spent most of the day resting in Gould. We did hop over
Cameron Pass and check on the Nashville Warbler sighting of
Nick Komar and Cole Wild from 7/5. We had no luck in finding
the bird. We also stopped around Chambers Lake where
Three-toed Woodpeckers were found nesting last year;
without success in that also.
July 7
At 3:00am we headed back toward Fort Collins and Pennock Pass
(Larimer). Two Flammulated Owls were found (one at the same
location that Michael Hait and I had discovered on 7/2).
Again we stopped at several camping areas looking for
Common Poorwills; without success.
Just before civil twilight we stopped at Lory State Park.
A Common Poorwill responded to our tapes! We finally
got a look at this elusive bird.
Our plan was to stay around Estes Park and look for owls after dark.
We ran into a group of birds from Illinois who wanted to find a
White-tailed Ptarmigan and Rosy Finches. So we headed up to
Medicine Bow Curve with them. A White-tailed Ptarmigan was
found about 400 yards North of the pullover at the curve. Again we
did not find any Rosy Finches at the Lava Cliffs and Rock Cliff.
After dark, Rebecca and I hiked the Cow Creek trail for about a
mile. At least four Common Poorwills called (we only saw one of
them however). At 11:00pm, we managed to get a peek at the
Northern Pygmy-Owl (found by Michael Hait and myself 7/2).
July 8
We departed late morning from Estes Park and headed west up Trail
Ridge road toward the town of Grand. (I could not convince Rebecca
to search for Boreal Owls last night at the old ski area in Rocky
Mountain National Park). Perhaps next week :-)
Our goal was to search for the Three-toed Woodpecker and Rosy
Finches reported by Roy Halpin last week. We did not find his
birds. However an American Three-toed Woodpecker was found
north of the main road and just west of the west entrance to the park.
Few birds were at Windy Gap Reservoir (Grand). Pelicans and Ringed-
neck Ducks were all that were found. We headed to Guanella Pass to
search for owls after dark. Again, Band-tailed Pigeons were easy to
locate in Empire (Grand County, Main & Sunny Avenues).
While waiting at Guanella Pass Campgrounds, I found a Three-toed
Woodpecker (southeast of the restrooms). I hiked up Silver Dollar
Lake trail which turned out not to be birdy. Two Red-naped
Sapsuckers moved about the campgrounds. MacGillivray's and
Wilson's Warblers fluttered about the creek. Several Lincoln's
and Song Sparrows were also found.
July 9
After 10:00pm, we stopped about a dozen times on the drive back
down to Georgetown. Two Great Horned Owls were the only owls
encountered.
Search For Owls 7/1-7/2
Mitchell Hait and I decided to search for owls throughout last
night. The total lack of wind was quite surprising. Whatever
weather patterns we have been experiencing the last two weeks
(with rain, rain, and more rain), tonight was different.
Skies were clear with a full moon and no wind? I am used to
30+ mph winds on Cameron Pass most of the time. Tonight was fantastic.
We could hear and enjoy the night sounds for long distances.
We left Denver about 4:30 pm and arrived at Wild Basin Unit of
Rocky Mountain National Park (Boulder County) about 6:00 pm.
A walk around Copeland Lake and 1.0 miles west did not find any
Black Swifts. We did see 2 White-throated Swifts and many Tree
Swallows. Several Red-naped Sapsuckers flew about. An Olive-sided
Flycatcher sang “quick, three beers; quick, three beers” from atop
a snag. A Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming on a snag north of
the main road as it turns sharply south and west again (just west
of a huge 10 foot high rock on north side of road). Warbling Vireos
appeared numerous.
Our target bird (Williamson's Sapsucker) was missed and we headed
North on Highway 7 to Lily Lake. We got lucky here. A male and
female Williamson's Sapsucker were feeding a brood. We would not
have found them but for the young begging noisily. Mike if you
still need Williamson's Sapsuckers write for more specific
directions. We ran out of daylight and drove off to Cow Creek.
We hiked the main trail heading west from the Cow Creek parking
area. At about 0.8 miles west of the research buildings we turned
around where the trail starts to go sharply uphill. A Northern
Pygmy-Owl called north of the road at this point. Four Common
Poorwills called along our hike. Unfortunately we could not see
any of them. We briefly saw a shadow of one fly across the road,
but missed good views. It was nice to have another birder along
as this area is in Mountain Lion country. False security I suppose,
but the two times I have hiked this road alone this year have been
interesting.
Our next stop was Pennock Pass. We found a Flammulated Owl in
about 5 minutes (after the hour+ drive to get up there). CoBus is
monitoring at least 6 possible nesting birds. We took GPS readings
and would be happy to help anyone wanting to see a Flammulated Owl.
However it is preferable to spread visits around to several
locations rather than bother one pair.
On the way back to Highway 14 via Prairie Stove Road, we stopped
at several locations where Common Poorwills were found in the past.
None could be located tonight.
At 3:00am we stopped at 3 locations where I have been finding
Boreal Owls on Cameron Pass. However this night, the owls refused
to call. We tried again, but failed to find any owls at 4:30-5:30am.
A drive around the Crags campground at 6:00am did not produce
a Blue Grouse sighting.
At first light, many Swainson's Thrushes sang. A Fox Sparrow also
joined the chorus. We did manage to find a possible nesting
Dusky Flycatcher in the Colorado State Forest (Jackson County).
The willows behind the Colorado State Forest Visitor’s Center were
active with many Wilson's Warblers, a Lincoln's Sparrow, and many
Chipping Sparrows. A pair of Red-naped Sapsuckers drummed on the
building.
Four+ Rufous Hummingbirds visited the many feeders on the old
Gould Restaurant. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were numerous at
the Gould store and KOA campground at the entrance to the
Colorado State Forest. We did not see any Calliope Hummingbirds.
Fortunately, I received a call from Lisa Novin that Greg Luger had
retracted his sighting of 2 Sedge Wrens at Lake Johns Wildlife Area.
We were going to check the sighting (unfortunately for the second
time). A Common Tern and at least 5 Forster's Terns flew around
Walden Reservoir. Other birds here included a Snowy Egret,
American Avocets, American Coots, Cinnamon Teals,
Blue-winged Teals, and many American White Pelicans.
We headed back to Denver by way of highway 125 in search of
Red Crossbills. Unfortunately, we never located any. Our Red-naped
Sapsucker total was up to 9 birds before the trip was over.
Windy Gap Reservoir (Grand County) was slow. Two dozen American
White Pelicans and several pairs of Ring-necked Ducks were about
all we found on the water. I had hoped that a couple of the
Barrow's Goldeneyes observed in late April would still be around.
At Empire, we found Band-tailed Pigeons. Verna the homeowner at
Main Street and Sunny Avenues has decided to quit feeding birds
(because of her age). Fortunately, the homeowner at 303 Sunny Avenue
has taken up the slack and is feeding them. They still seem to
prefer the taller trees at the corner of Main & Sunny.
Our last quest of the day was a search for Common Mergansers.
We failed to find any during a search of the many ponds at 88th
avenue and Colorado Blvd (Adams County). Four Snowy Egrets and a
Cattle Egret were observed at the Dahlia Pond best viewed from the
service road along I76 (south side of the gravel pond complex).
Cherry Creek Reservoir 7/1
I looked for the Calliope Hummingbird reported by S. Kennedy on 6/29
at Cherry Creek Reservoir; without success. The Black-chinned Hummingbird
was east of the ranger's office and later at Auckland & Whitaker Streets.
Beautiful morning, temperatures in the 60s and no wind!
More Bird Trips
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