Another Search for the Black-backed Woodpecker 7/26-7/27

July 26

July 27

Birding West of Denver 7/20-7/23

July 20

• Wolford Mountain Project Recreation Area
  This Wildlife Area is about 5 miles north of Kremmling; along highway 9
  Red-throated Loon (was located on the north end of reservoir)
  (I obtained permission from landowner to photograph bird for
  Colorado Records Committee and then continued on my way).
  
• McClure Pass
  As long as I was 80 miles west of home, the western trip was extended.
  McClure Pass is 40 miles south of Glenwood Springs. Ninety miles west of Wolford.
  
  Purple Martin (This is known location for PUMA)
  I was not disappointed and watched two PUMA go in and out
  of a hole in an Aspen tree to feed their young (which I could hear, but not see).
  They must be the Cadillacs of Swallows; it was interesting to watch their flights.
  
  Also present:
  Violet-green Swallow
  Tree Swallow
  Warbling Vireo (over a dozen, in the small meadow)
  Red-naped Sapsucker (male and female; feeding their young).
  
  After dark, I drove to the forest campground just 3 miles south in search
  of the Northern Pygmy Owl reported two weeks ago; without success.
  

July 21

July 22

July 23

Roxborough State Park 7/17

North Of DIA Airport 7/16

Birding Denver's Foothills 7/13-7/15

July 13

• Golden Gate State Park
  I hiked 1.0 mile north and 0.5 miles south of Bootleg Bottoms picnic area.
  Taking this trip twice just to be sure, I did not locate the hybrid bird.
  The evening was cool with no wind; quite a contrast from the 96 degrees at home.
  
  I did observe a male Mountain Bluebird, Tree Swallow, House Wren, and
  a female Red-naped Sapsucker all feeding their young!
  
  Waiting around until dark and hiking 0.5 miles north of Bootleg Bottoms,
  did not produce any owl sightings or hearings! :-)
  

July 14

• I camped in Pike National Forest along FR 550 (outside of Buffalo Creek)
  Hiking along a stretch of FR 550, 0.5 miles either side
  of 1.0 miles west of intersection of CO 126 and FR 550,
  a Flammulated Owl was heard calling (from 3:50am to 4:15am).
  (It was approximately 0.1 mile either side of 1.0 mile camping spot.
  While there was not a visible moon, it was possible to see quite well.
  The forest was so still (no wind); one could have heard a pin drop!
  I enjoyed the pleasant traipse while listening to sounds of the forest.
  
  The goal for the day was to observe as many Three-toed Woodpeckers
  as possible (or at least one).
  At 4.7 miles west of above intersection, there was a male TTWO.
  He frequently called to another bird (which answered, but was never observed).
  (A yellow "no motor vehicles" sign marks this spot.)
  with a narrow brown "no motor vehicles beyond here" sign 25 feet to the west.)
  
  From here I traveled to Skipper Trail. Hiking from Skipper to Homestead Trail,
  I observed another TTWO (which appeared to be female).
  (The reported nesting site and male TTWO were never discovered.)
  Later a further trek up Strawberry Trail to Park View Trail,
  produced my fourth TTWO of the day! (Again, I did not locate a mate.)
  
  Maps of trail locations can be found at Buffalo Creek Work Center.
  They are on the Bulletin Board at entrance.
  However, I never found a sign to FR 553
  and encountered some difficulty in finding trailheads.
  (Whether I was on correct Forest Road was not determined until I ran into trailhead.)
  (Special Note Added: 7/23) I discovered the reason for previous difficulty.
  My map showed FR 553 intersecting with FR 550.
  This does not happen. FR 553 is reached from FR 549 which intersects with FR 550.
  
  
• Later at a friend's residence in Bailey, I stopped to watch the hummingbirds.
  His 10 feeders were visited by dozens and dozens of
  Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and two Rufous Hummingbirds.
  The highlight of the watch was a visit by a male Calliope Hummingbird!
  
  
• Kenosha Pass
  I ended the evening by hiking the east side of Kenosha Pass.
  This road (closed to vehicles) goes to East and West Twin Cone Peaks.
  In the first 1.2 miles after the Closed Forest Gate,
  there were many Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Wilson's Warblers,
  two pairs of Red-naped Sapsuckers, and a male Williamson's Sapsucker.
  Again, I enjoyed a pleasant evening hike with a beautiful sunset and no wind.
  Several Hermit Thrushes serenaded as I returned to my car!
  

July 15

• Camp was at Michigan Creek Road (4.0 miles north of Michigan Creek Campground)
  This is traditional Three-toed Woodpecker territory;
  however, none were observed on this morning.
  
  I hiked the 1.5 miles north to the top of Georgia Pass.
  Not much was observed; two Pine Grosbeaks and many Gray Jays at summit.
  The view made the hike well worth the effort!
  
  
• From here I drove to Guanella Pass
  I joined up with a birder from California looking for his lifebird White-tailed Ptarmigan.
  We climbed the hill to the south-southeast of the summit parking area.
  On the south side of the hill, approximately 200 yards downhill
  our search proved successful. One lone WTPT was feeding on the willows.
  (It did require two hours to find! (Probably, it was not alone, but we located no others.)
  Just seventeen days earlier, Daniela Garrett and I had found
  two adults and a young bird in the same area.
  
  
• Guanella Pass and Clear Creek Campgrounds
  On the trip back to Denver, stops at the two campgrounds produced no unusual sightings.
  
  
• Empire, CO
  I stopped at Empire and hiked around the town.
  There were three Band-tailed Pigeons flying overhead.
  Two Pine Grosbeaks and several Broad-tailed Hummingbirds visited feeders.
  

Chatfield Reservoir and Castlewood Canyon State Park 7/13

• Chatfield Reservoir (many Mosquitoes and a few birds)
  American Redstart (along Platte river, west of Discovery Pavilion)
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1.5 miles south of Kingfisher Bridge)
  Yellow-breasted Chat (6+)
  
• Castlewood Canyon (Winkler Ranch, 1.0 miles south)
  Bobolink (3 males, 1 female)(0.3 miles south of ranch entrance)
  Lewis's Woodpecker (2, cottonwoods north of ranch house)
  
• Hummingbird Feeder, south of State Park
  Broad-tailed Hummingbird (14+)
  Western Tanager (male)
  

Brown Pelican Search Once Again 7/11-7/12

July 11

• Blue Lake I arrived at 5:00pm and the adult and immature Brown Pelicans
  were on the small island, north and west of boat ramp!
  
  Also observed:
  Great Egret
  Snowy Egret
  Least Tern (4)
  Least Sandpiper (2)
  Marbled Godwit (2)
  Long-billed Curlew (4)
  Long-billed Dowitcher
  I could not relocate Laughing Gull of 7/5.
  
  
• County Road 14 (0.7 to 1.6 miles north of highway 50)
  Dickcissel (4+)
  
• John Martin Reservoir; Lake Hasty Campground
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo and many Turkey Vultures.
  I could not locate Caspian Tern of 7/2.
  

July 12

• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area
  At first light, the following birds were heard:
  Sora
  American Bittern
  Virginia Rail
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (3+)
  
  I did not hear the Least Bittern this morning.
  If they are nesting, I have idea of location!
  Further research is needed to know when the young might fledge.
  Before knowing that, I am reluctant to approach closer to nesting area.
  Maybe on one of my trips, I will be fortunate to hear some young begging for food!
  
  
• Rocky Ford, CO
  Eurasian Collared-Dove (3+)
  
• Colorado Springs (Woodmen and Black Forest Roads)
  I stopped at STFL site.
  With possible mating of Western Kingbird and STFL, I will probably stop
  every chance I get. It would be interesting to see a hybrid!
  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (male, field northeast of intersection)
  

North of Denver International Airport 7/9

Search for Brown Pelicans of Blue Lake 7/6-7/7

July 5

• Hugo, CO
  Great-tailed Grackle (a pair; they seem to be many places in the state now)
  
• Hugo Wildlife Area
  Not much, some Northern Mockingbirds
  
• Karval Wildlife Area
  Not much, two Scaled Quail and two NOMO
  
• Lincoln County Roads 32 and F (4.2 east of this intersection)
  Many Grasshopper Sparrows
  Burrowing Owls (3+) within 0.5 miles east of intersection.
  
• Crowley CR 2 and CR G (0.2 miles north of intersection)
  Black Tern (3)
  Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet.
  
• Blue Lake
  I arrived at 3:00pm and stayed four hours.
  First, I drove around to the northern side of reservoir to dead-end of road.
  From here, I scoped the island to south for an hour. While there were no Brown Pelicans,
  I could see two plovers (unidentified from the long distance) and two Least Terns.
  There was a Prairie Dog village with two Burrowing Owls on this north side.
  Of further interest were two male Lesser Black-backed Goldfinch; quite out of place!
  
  I returned to the south boat ramp with the intention of rafting closer to the island.
  Three Jet skiers showed up and I bet myself that they would end up on the island
  (a bet I would eventually win).
  I returned 1 mile west to where there is a small island created
  because of the flooding of the road.
  There were 50 or so American White Pelicans here (no Brown).
  
  Along the road to this "island", there was a flock of 100 gulls or so.
  The bill on one of the gulls caught my attention.
  Its body was slightly larger than the Franklin's Gulls and turned out to be a Laughing Gull.
  Pulling out my P.J. Grant book "Gulls, an identification guide",
  I determined it was a second year Laughing Gull.
  
  Sure enough within 30 minutes in the water,
  the Jet skiers were standing on the island north of boat ramp.
  All the AWPEs flew to where I was sitting and waiting with my scope.
  Over 200 AWPEs came by, again no Browns.
  In the two hours that I sat here, three Least Terns flew overhead and chattered away.
  One of the plovers showed up and turned out to be a Piping Plover.
  Two Marbled Godwit also flew in from somewhere.
  
  Like magic, a flock of sandpipers appeared from nowhere and
  landed approximately 30 feet from me.
  There were 14 Western Sandpipers, two Least Sandpipers, and
  in a separate flock, 26 Baird's Sandpipers.
  Dozens of American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt added to the show.
  
  As I was leaving that night, 4 Long-billed Curlew
  landed along the shore east of the boat ramp.
  It was quite an enjoyable evening in spite of not seeing Brown Pelicans.
  
  Traveling to Fort Lyons WLA where a camp was planned,
  I observed three Dickcissels singing from top of short bushes.
  They were along the alfalfa fields 1.6 miles north of highway 50, along CR 14.
  Also there were five Burrowing Owls along CR 14, between Blue Lake and Hwy 50
  
  I took a side trip to Old Bent's Fort to search for Black Rails
  No Black Rails sighted or heard, but several Virginia Rails
  A male and female Northern Bobwhite jumped unto the fence
  Along with a great sunset, it was a nice ending to a great day!
  
  
• I set up camp on Bent CR 16, 0.5 miles south of CR JJ.
  While walking along CR 16 at 12:30am, I thought I briefly heard a Least Bittern.
  Nothing else made a sound except for the thousands (millions) of mosquitoes in my ears.
  

July 7

• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area
  I woke up at 4:30am and again hiked the surrounding area. I was searching for Black Rails.
  In response to my poor Black Rail call, I received returns from two Virginia Rails,
  two Soras, an American Bittern, and at 4:55am the Least Bittern called six times.
  No Black Rails responded (may be a comment on my Black Rail call?).
  
  There were at least four Yellow-billed Cuckoos along CR 16 and two others along CR HH.
  
  
• I checked the following reservoirs for Brown Pelicans; without success!
  John Martin (no Caspian Tern either)
  (Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Northern Mockingbirds at Hasty CG) Upper and Lower Queens
  Neenoshe
  Neegronda
  King
  Thurston
  
• Back to Blue Lake
  (Along CR 14, 0.7 to 1.6 miles north of highway 50 there were at least seven Dickcissels)
  (There were also 4 Burrowing Owls between CR 19 and CR 20, along highway 50)
  (Also, Dickcissel were observed in three different locations; the above the easiest to find!)
  
  No Brown Pelicans
  Laughing Gull still west of Boat ramp
  Long-billed Curlew (4, now west of flooded road)
  
• At Rocky Ford
  Eurasian Collared-Dove (2+)
  Along CR FF.5 (Trumpeter plants/Honeysuckle?)
  Broad-tailed Hummingbird (two males defending territories)
  My first hummingbirds of Otero county!!!
  
• Checking Lake Henry and Lake Meredith and finding no Brown Pelicans,
  I headed for home.
  There were two Burrowing Owls at the south side of Lake Henry. Many Great-tailed Grackles north of Lake Meredith (observed from CR G).
  
• Colorado Springs
  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
  
  Traveling home from southern Colorado, being 90 miles from home,
  and faced with going through Colorado Springs and Denver at rush hour,
  I decided to try to photograph the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher instead.
  
  At 3:00pm the male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was again on the second telephone pole
  north of the intersection of Black Forest and Woodmen roads.
  Side note: my fourth and last attempt to photograph this bird, it is not in the cards.
  I was approaching the bird with the telephone pole between the STFL and myself.
  Just when I was ready to move to the side and take a photo,
  an 18-wheeler parked underneath the telephone pole.
  Off the STFL flew!
  
  Just before 4:00pm the bird returned to its perch.
  I took a far off shot, resigned to the fact that a closer photo was not going to happen.
  From 4:00pm to 6:00pm the STFL was in the field 30 yards east.
  Every 5 minutes or so it would hawk an insect by flying up 20 feet or so above.
  
  The action became more interesting at this point.
  The STFL flew to the first telephone from intersection.
  It landed on the second crossbeam from the bottom
  where there is a nest hidden against the pole.
  The bird hopped onto the nest and then
  ran up and down the crossbeam chattering the whole time.
  After four or five minutes of this, the bird jumped back unto the nest.
  A Western Kingbird (I am assuming a female) flew out of the nest and
  the STFL tried to copulate with it.
  The Western Kingbird flew off and the STFL returned to the second telephone pole.
  
  Forty-five minutes later, the WEKI returned to its pole, the STFL swooped down on it,
  and this time may have succeeded in copulating with the kingbird.
  
  Several years ago, there were reported hybrid WEKI/STFL birds reported near Aspen.
  It may be worthwhile keeping an eye on what emerges from this nest in the next weeks.
  
  
• Okay, being late and sidetracked I decided to drive east into Elbert County.
  I found three Dickcissels along Elbert road (directions on CoBus website).
  From there, I headed to Fondis. Old notes in my field notebook stated that
  Lewis's Woodpeckers were found at the meat packing plant in Fondis.
  I did not observe any Lewis's Woodpeckers in Fondis.
  
  From here, I traveled to CR 99, eight miles north of highway 86.
  The late Joe Tenbrink had reported possible
  nesting Common Poorwill here several years ago.
  I ended an enjoyable day sitting here in the cool evening. No COPO were observed.
  

Southern Front Range 7/1-7/2

July 1

• I left Denver at 3:00am to be north of Colorado City at first light.
  Kentucky Warbler (male) The bird sang at 5:40 am
  approximately 400 yards west of the green refrigerator.
  He called for about 10 minutes and then flew north across creek into shorter oak.
  I observed him for 6 seconds, took witness photos, but nothing in the way of a good photo.
  I remained until 7:15am, but he did not make another appearance or sing again.
  There were many Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Spotted Towhees.
  
• Beckwith Reservoir:
  Common Loon (The bird is still circling the lake.)
  Golden Eagle (adult, flew overhead)
  
• St. Charles Trail (14.7 miles north of Rye; highway 165)
  Three-toed Woodpecker (about 1 mile north of hwy, north side of ridge)
  
• I went owling from 10:00pm to 12:00am and again 3:00am to 5:00am.
  No owls were observed or heard. However, it was raining most of the time.
  

July 2

• Temple Canyon State Park (Non-fee area, free primitive camping)
  (Roads are better than I have observed in 9 years)
  Gray Vireo (2)
  Gray Flycatcher (6+)
  Cassin's Kingbird (2)
  Ash-throated Flycatcher (6+)
  Because it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between Empidonax from a still photo,
  I added link to vocalizations of bird.
  On the video produced, the downward pumping of tail is possible to observe.
  
• B.F. Rockefellow Ecology Park (east of Temple Canyon SP)
  Scaled Quail
  
• Canon City; Tunnel Drive
  Rufous-crowned Sparrow (1 observed, 1 heard)
  I hiked trail (road) west and observed RCSP;
  halfway between blue barrel+picnic table to west and where trail cuts through rock to east.
  
• Swallows Road (mile marker 301 of highway 50, west of Pueblo)
  I returned to see if I could find Curve-billed Thrasher of March 23; no success.
  Sage Thrasher (4+)
  Scaled Quail (3+)
  
• Colorado Springs (Woodmen road and Black Forest)
  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (male)
  With the female still on nest (dead),
  the male was 20 yards away on a thistle in the field east.
  I waited 30 minutes to see if male would fly up to telephone wires.
  He flew but landed several hundred yards north on telephone poles
  by yellow shed with red roof (owned by first brown plywood ranch to the north).
  
• Castlewood Canyon SP (Winkler ranch, 1 mile south)
  Bobolink (3 males, 0.2 miles south of ranch house)
  Lewis's Woodpecker (1, north of ranch house)
  I went owling in Park from 10:00pm to 12:00pm; without success.