Rich Stevens' Bird Trips

March 2002

Driving My Favorite Owl Loop, North of DIA 3/31

Rebecca Kosten, Sue Dorsey, Bryan Ehlmann, and I drove my favorite owl loop
after a picnic at Barr Lake (Adams County). What a beautiful spring day!

Burrowing Owls are back!!!

My owl loop starts at Tower Road & 96th Avenue. I will give directions for
first time this year. Directions can be found on CoBus website:

To take the loop, start at Pena Blvd and get off at Tower Road exit.
Drive North on Tower Road to 96th avenue. Then turn East on 96th ave.
Continue on 96th avenue as it turns North and then East (now it is 114th ave)
. When 114th runs into a dead end, turn North on Trussville Road (paved road).
Continue North until it runs into a dead end and turn West (120th avenue).
Take 120th avenue to Picadilly Road; turn south on Picadilly Road to 128th ave.
(Continuing North on Picadilly Road from 128th, will take one to Barr Lake S.P.)
Drive East on 128th to Powhaton Road; then return to Picadilly Road & 128th.
Turn West on 128th and continue when it turns North (Now Tower Road)
You can travel back to 88th ave, turn right to access Pena Blvd & I70.

Burrowing Owls were found today at:

1 BUOW: 3.4 miles east of 96th ave & Tower Road
1 BUOW: 0.7 miles east of 120th ave & Picadilly Road
2 BUOW: 0.5 miles south of 128th ave & Picadilly Road
1 BUOW: northeast corner of Powhaton Road & 128th ave.

We also observed along the route 9 Rough-legged Hawks leaving the
ground and circling higher and higher overhead along 114th avenue.
A male & female Northern Harrier also hunted along the loop.

Our birding day ended as we watched one of those fantastic Colorado
sunsets over the mountains! I did not think that the sunset that
John Clem & I watched while at the Greater Sage-Grouse Lek on Saturday
could be beat. Tonight's sunset over Long's Peak was darn close!

Birding In Colorado's Mountains 3/30

John Clem from South Dakota and I birded in the Colorado Mountains.

We spent two hours searching for White-tailed Ptarmigan at Guanella Pass
(Clear Creek County). We did not find any birds as winds reached 40 mph
plus. Just standing became a chore. Tom Vanden Bosch had found 24 birds
on Friday; Kisa Weeman & I found 10 White-tailed Ptarmigan on Tuesday.

Fourteen Brown-capped Rosy Finches & thirty-nine Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches
visited the feeder under Lift #1 at Loveland Ski Basin during our 2-hour stay.

Three pairs of Pine Grosbeaks and many Mountain Chickadees also came by.
This was my highest Brown-capped count this year; no Black Rosy Finches
appeared. The Red-winged Blackbird count is up to 80 birds.

We spent another 2 hours at 409 5th street in Kremmling.
A flock of 42 Rosy Finches included 3 Black, 2 Brown-capped,
and 35 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches. Two Hepburn's were also seen.

Three male & one female Cassin's Finches, one American Tree Sparrow,
and one female Yellow-rumped Warbler were also added to our day list.

Our birding day ended at the Greater Sage-Grouse Coalmont Lek.
At 6:10pm, Greater Sage-Grouse started to walk in from the
south-southwest to the lek. At 6:50pm, we counted 34 male
Greater Sage-Grouse. No females were observed.

Birding Colorado's Eastern Plains 3/27- 3/29

Rebecca Kosten & I returned from three days of birding on Colorado's
Eastern Plains. We were enjoying the warmer weather with hopes of
beating some of my personal early dates for bird sightings.
Wednesday 27
The day was beautiful, however quite windy!

We found three Eurasian Collared-Doves on FF.5 in Rocky Ford (Otero County).
A Say's Phoebe was along the river just west of Rocky Ford Wildlife Area.
No Inca Doves were found while we hiked around Rocky Ford in the vicinity
of Washington & Virginia Streets. Many Mourning Doves were around.

Not much was observed during a brief stop at John Martin Reservoir (Bent).
A Red-bellied Woodpecker was at Willow Creek Park in Lamar (Prowers).
The woods behind Lamar Community College were quiet.

Our next stop was Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca). The Greater Roadrunner
is still around for the fifth year! The bird "hangs out" near the buildings
just north of the dam. We could not find the Trumpeter Swan or the
Greater Scaup reported earlier. We did find a Winter Wren below the
dam (perhaps the one reported by David Leatherman last week).
Two White-throated Sparrows were also below the dam.

To our surprise, two Burrowing Owls were along the road (CR VV) that
goes from the south end of the dam back west to highway 287/385.
The birds were approximately 0.7 miles east of hwy 287.
This was not my personal early date for Burrowing Owls (which is 3/24).

We drove toward the Campo Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek. At one of
my favorite intersections (CR J &36) we found 2 Scaled Quail and
2 Lark Buntings (my personal early LARB date is again 3/24).

We hiked up the dirt road that goes north from the road into the
Campo Lek. Two Sage Thrashers and 6+ Vesper Sparrows were found!

We hiked then hike south into the Campo Lek. One or two Cassin's Sparrows
were singing along the way. These are my second March sightings of
Cassin's Sparrows (the first being March 11, 1997).

Two Lesser Prairie-Chickens were displaying on the lek. We watched from
quite far away as we were on foot. They may have been additional birds;
however we scoped the lek from over 200 yards away.

Our day ended under a beautiful sunset.
Thursday 28
We camped in the area and at first light found several hundred
Lesser Prairie-Chickens on an unadvertised lek. Vesper Sparrows
numbered in the dozens. One Short-eared Owl hunted in the early morning.

We drove the remote county roads along the Kansas-Colorado border.
Our hope was to find a Mountain Plover; none were encountered during
our three-day trip. My personal early date is March 31, 1997 near Crowley.

Two additional Burrowing Owls were found CR K & 49.
Sage Thrashers were found along CR 56, north of CR M.

Burchfield Wildlife Area (Baca) was not exciting. We did kick up
two White-throated Sparrows. A Ferruginous Hawk was in the area also.

Another White-throated Sparrow & a Field Sparrow were found at
Little Bear Creek along CR 56, north of CR VV. We had stopped
because a Northern Mockingbird had caught our eyes!

At the Holly Rest Stop (Prowers) along hwy 50 just west of the Kansas border
we heard a Northern Bobwhite. We hiked a mile west along the old highway.
A Harris's Sparrow was 0.5 miles west of the rest stop.
One Burrowing Owl was on the north side of hwy 50.

A Swainson's Hawk was on a telephone pole just east of Granada.
My personal earliest date was March 29 (Hwy 50 & CR 14 in Bent).
I observed a Swainson's Hawk in Granada on April 3, 1997 and
thought this to be a good early location for them.

We ended our birding day at Upper Queens Reservoir. Thirty minutes earlier,
we had spotted an adult Great Black-backed Gull from the eastern side of
Neenoshe Reservoir (Kiowa County). Nothing much was observed at the
Queens Reservoirs. Fourteen Sandhill Cranes did fly over at sunset.
Friday 29
I am still searching for a good location for 2002 Greater Prairie-Chickens
without going on a supervised tour. We stuck out at several private
ranches in Yuma County that were successful in the past.
The windmill at CR 45 was not helpful this day.

Wray Fishing Unit was not birdy. We did see a Northern Cardinal at a
private home in Wray (Yuma). Sandsage WLA (Yuma) had many common
sparrows and one White-throated Sparrow this morning.

Several Great-tailed Grackles (3) were found in Holyoke (Phillips County).
A Merlin was the highlight at Sand Draw WLA (Phillips).

We drove the roads around Sedgwick CR 30 to prove to ourselves
that we were not going to find any Sprague's Pipits in the spring.
However, many American Pipits were found along CR 32, west of CR 61.

Ovid Woods & Wildlife Area (Sedgwick) produced a male Northern Cardinal
(WLA) sighting and Red-bellied Woodpecker (Woods).

Jumbo Reservoir (Sedgwick/Logan) was quiet. The campgrounds were not birdy.
Tamarack Ranch WLA had 5 Eastern Bluebirds and a male Red-bellied Woodpecker
(along the river and just west of hwy 55).

We ended our day at Sedgwick CR 46 & 89. We found a Greater Prairie-Chicken
about 1 mile north of this intersection. This area should be the southern
section of Tamarack WLA. The bird was in a similar location as
my March 19, 1999 sighting.

Eastern Mountains 3/26

Ohio birder Kisa Weeman & I enjoyed a wonderful spring day of
birding in the eastern Rocky Mountains Tuesday.

At first light we hiked around the Lake Loop at Pine Valley Ranch Park
(Jefferson County). Skies were clear blue; the air was a crisp 30 degrees,
and the mountains were beautiful with their dusting of snow!

We watched a female Three-toed Woodpecker work a tree and 10 yards
to the west a Hairy Woodpecker. It was helpful to compare the two birds
at the same time. The Three-toed Woodpecker was just east of the only
bench on the south side of the Lake.

We hiked up the Buck Gulch Trail from the south side of the lake.
A male Three-toed Woodpecker was tapping away about 150 yards
south of the Lake Loop Trail. Many Dark-eyed Juncos, a couple of
Mountain Chickadees, and a White-breasted Nuthatch were also encountered.

A dozen Song Sparrows sang away from the tops of the willows at the lake.
Two American Dippers fed in the creek and entertained us with their
technique as they jumped under the cold water. All (including us) seemed
happy that the sun was out, the snow had stopped, and spring was here.

We drove from the park to Grant and then over Guanella Pass to Georgetown.
Our time was limited and our stop at the summit of Guanella Pass
(Clear Creek County) was limited to 30 minutes.

We were out of the car about 15 minutes when we observed ten
White-tailed Ptarmigan feeding on willows on the hillside to the southeast.
After many searches of 4 hours each, it was nice to find them so quickly.

A brief stop at the campgrounds on the north side of the pass did not
produce any Three-toed Woodpecker sightings today.

Our final stop was at the feeder below lift #1 at Loveland Ski Basin
(also in Clear Creek County). Again we could only stay 30 minutes.

When we arrived 6 Brown-capped Rosy Finches were at the feeder.
Two male and a female Pine Grosbeak visited soon after.

Finally, a flock of 37 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches also dropped by.
The Black Rosy Finch did not appear. Several Common Ravens and
many American Crows flew over. Only one Red-winged Blackbird
was around today. With time short, we returned to Denver.

Wandering Around 3/25

Rebecca Kosten & I drove to the Brighton Gravel Pond (Adams County) to
try out our new scopes. The Red-necked Grebe & male Barrow's Goldeneye
were not there today. Winds were mild; temperatures in the 40s.

Many Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, 2 Redheads, and
3 Eared Grebes gave us something to look at and study!

We decided to try one of my favorite eating places in Greeley. Then since
we were so close to Crow Valley Campground, we decided to search for owls.
Neither the Long-eared or Northern Saw-whet Owls could be found today.

A male Red-naped Sapsucker was in the trees in front of the work center office.
The bird was a lifebird for the 2 Georgia birders that we ran into.

The Great-tailed Grackles found 3/21 at Weld CR 18 & 53 were not there.
The Ross's Goose in the pond at the northeast corner was also gone.

Search for Owls & Grouse 3/24

Late Saturday, Rebecca Kosten & I decided to check out the
Greater Sage-Grouse Lek at Coalmont. We left Denver about
8:00pm and arrived at Cameron Pass around 11:30pm.

The trip does not take that long; we wandered around on the way up.
Stops at several campgrounds on the trip up did not produce any
Northern Pygmy-Owl sightings (hearings?).

No Boreal Owls could be heard this trip from the highest parking
area for Joe Wright Reservoir (Larimer). We did hear a bird while
hiking just west from the rest stop area for Cameron Pass.
Only one owl was heard as we hiked about 1 mile downhill.

Sunday morning we found 3 Greater Sage-Grouse as we drove into
the Coalmont Lek (Jackson County). One bird stood in the middle of
CR 26 and would not move. I turned off my highlights for 10 minutes
and the bird was still there when I turned them on again.
He finally left and we continued to the dirt track into the lek.
Two additional birds were found on this track into the lek parking area.

The weather turned to the worse on our return trip.
Our only stop was a brief search for the Mew Gull at
Union Reservoir (Weld County). We did not find the bird.

Birding Metro Denver 3/23

Rebecca Kosten & I birded around metro Denver Saturday.
Temperatures reached into the 60s; winds were mild.

We did not see the Sage Sparrow at Chatfield Reservoir
(Jefferson/Douglas Counties) this afternoon. Gulls were few
and far between. Three Great-tailed Grackles were below the
hill at the old heron rookery. These are new county birds for me.

A drive up Deer Creek Canyon did not find the Northern Pygmy-Owl
reported by Bob Spencer about a week ago. Few birds flew about
Deer Creek Canyon Park (Jefferson).

Our next stop was Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson). We could
not find the Eastern Screech-Owl reported yesterday. Again few
birds flew around the mile section of Clear Creek.

We ended our birding day at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).
Nothing uncommon was spotted. One adult Thayer's Gull stood
on the railroad ties that surround the southwest marina.

Most of the gulls were in the center of the reservoir and
I was without my scope. No gulls were on the swim beach.
We did see one Double-crested Cormorant again.

Birding Around Denver 3/22

I managed to work in a little birding in this afternoon.
The weather was fantastic. Temperatures were in the
high 50s; winds were calm.

It was difficult to remember that yesterday I birded in
snow most of the day. My fingers freezing in the 20
degree temperatures, and the winds were "bitingly" cold.

When I pulled up to the Brighton Gravel Pond (Adams County),
the Hagemans were watching the Red-necked Grebe.

They also pointed out a male Barrow's Goldeneye.
Again, thanks much!

I did not locate the 5 wintering Trumpeter Swans at
Tom Frost Reservoir (Broomfield County), McKay Lake (Adams),
or Sterns Lake (Boulder). No uncommon birds were found
at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Most of the gulls
were in the center of the lake; I was without my scope.

Search for Owls! 3/21

Bill & Helen Dowling (from Florida) & I searched for owls.
We ran into snow most the morning and again late afternoon.
Winds were mild to strong; temperatures were in the low 30s.

A 3-hour search for the Northern Pygmy-Owl in Rist Canyon
(Larimer County) came up empty. It was snowing quite hard;
winds were strong. COLD was the word for the morning.
We did find a male Merlin near the entrance to the canyon.

We headed over to Jackson Reservoir in Morgan County to
search for Long-eared Owls, however never made it. A stop
at Crow Valley (Weld) produced a Long-eared Owl sighting!

I mentioned that several weeks ago a Northern Saw-whet Owl
had been observed near the Work Center Area. We walked right
to the tree the bird was observed in on 2/22. He was almost
in the same location on the same tree as my last visit!

A search for the Northern Shrike that wintered in the northwest
corner of the campground was unsuccessful. Over 60 Mountain Bluebirds
were flying about near the entrance to the campgrounds.

Our next stop was the small pond at Weld County Road 18 & 53.
The American White Pelican count was 11 today (up 3 from Tuesday).
One Ross's Goose accompanied a dozen Snow Geese.

The 128 Great-tailed Grackles found Tuesday northwest of
the intersection had disappeared today?

Ireland Reservoir #5 (Weld County) had few waterfowl.
One dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk stood in the dead
cottonwoods in the middle of the reservoir.

The day's final stop was Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
We hoped to find the Northern Shrike that wintered in the field
west of where Cherry Creek crosses the main road. Again we could
not find a Northern Shrike. Two adult Thayer's Gulls stood on
the railroad ties that surround the southwest marina.

No Bald Eagles were around this afternoon.
One Double-crested Cormorant (my first of the year) swam
with several Common Mergansers south of the dam's tower.

The CCK Reservoir hawk count included 1 dark-morph Red-tailed,
2 Western Red-tailed, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, and 2 American Kestrels.

Search for Rosy Finches 3/20

Bill & Helen Dowling & I and birded in the Colorado foothills.
The day was beautiful with little wind and temperatures in the high 40s.

We found ourselves at Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson County) at
first light. No Northern Pygmy-Owls could be found this morning.

The Three-toed Woodpeckers did not make an appearance either during our
two hour hunt. Seven Hairy Woodpeckers and 6 Downy Woodpeckers were
found along with many Dark-eyed Juncos and 2 White-breasted Nuthatches.

Two American Dippers searched for food under the bridge by the lower parking area.

We drove over Guanella Pass next. Many Mountain Bluebirds were in the valley
between Grant and Guanella Pass's summit. A brief stop at Guanella Pass
Campground did not produce a Three-toed Woodpecker sighting. We thought a
Three-toed Woodpecker was heard, however it could not be sighted.

We sat at the bench near the feeder at Loveland Ski Basin for one hour.
Thirty-nine Gray-crowned and three Brown-capped Rosy Finches visited
the feeder during that time. Two male & 1 female Pine Grosbeak and
2 Gray Jays came by also. The 20 Red-winged Blackbirds were there too.

Fearing the Black Rosy Finch would not show up today, we decided to head
up to Kremmling. Approximately 50 Rosy Finches came to the many feeders
at 409 5th Street during our 1.5 hour stay. The flock included at least
6 Black & 4 Brown-capped Rosy Finches.

All enjoyed the drive back to Silverthorne through the high mountain valley.
Several Red-tailed Hawks were observed along highway 9.
The sunset was spectacular!

Return to Eastern Colorado Plains 3/19

Bryan Ehlmann & I checked out several Eastern Plains birding locations
Tuesday in preparation for a couple of bird trips we are leading next week.

We have staked out several Greater Prairie-Chicken leks in Yuma County.
Greater Prairie-Chickens did not visit either location this morning.

A brief stop at a friend's yard in Wray (Yuma County) produced a
male Northern Cardinal sighting. Stalker Ponds and Wray Fishing Unit
were uneventfully. No Cardinals or uncommon sparrows found today.

We stopped at Sandsage WLA (Yuma County). We were trying to locate
an Eastern Screech-Owl but did not find any today. Two White-throated
Sparrows were among many sparrows found in an hour hike.
Two Great Horned Owls hunted from the large cottonwood trees!

White blobs at a pond north of Interstate 76 at Kersey Road (Weld County)
caught our attention. We got off at Kersey Road (Exit 34), drove 1.0
miles north to CR 18 and then 2.0 miles east to CR 53.

The pond at the northeast corner contained 8 American White Pelicans,
many Snow Geese and 1 or 2 Ross's Geese. The farmyard at the
northwest corner held 128+ Great-tailed Grackles.

We then took CR 53 south and under I76, weaved our way over to CR 49
and Ireland Reservoir (Weld). The water level was quite low.
A pair of Canvasbacks and Red-breasted Mergansers joined many Canada Geese.

Next we stopped at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (section north of
highway 52 is Weld County; section south of hwy 52 is Adams County).
Two Swamp Sparrows came up from the cattails while we hiked the
southern section. We did not walk the northern section; scanning
the area with our scopes did not produce any uncommon sightings.

No Swamp Sparrows were found when we stopped at the canal that
runs between Picadilly Road & Bromley Lane (Adams county).
We skipped going into Barr Lake and drove my favorite owl loop
north of Denver International Airport (DIA). No Burrowing Owls
were at any of last year's three locations (yet).

A flock of 14 Mountain Bluebirds were observed while driving
the eastern side of Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams).
No Burrowing Owls are here yet either.

Throughout the day we observed many Red-tailed Hawks (39) and
Rough-legged Hawk (51). Three Northern Harriers were along
the owl loop. Only 2 American Kestrels were seen all day.

CoBus Trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir 3/18

Bill & Jean Zorn, Bryan Ehlmann, and I went on the CoBus birding
trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir Monday. Temperatures were in the 40s;
winds were strong; it snowed around 3:00pm.

We first drove over to Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas Counties).
The Sage Sparrow did not make an appearance this afternoon at the model
airplane runways. Two Horned Larks and the Lapland Longspur did show!
Patience pays off; this was my third search for the Lapland Longspur!

Our trek took us to Cherry Creek Reservoir next. Two 1st basic Thayer's
1 adult Thayer's Gull were observed from the cove west of the swim beach.
We hiked west along the road that is below the dam and west of the
dam's tower. The Glaucous-winged Gull swam not far from the shoreline.

Many Herring, California, and Ring-billed Gulls were observed also.

No Harris's Sparrow came by the previously reported location (for third trip).

Eastern Plains 3/17

Jean & Bill Zorn, Rebecca Kosten, and I headed to the eastern plains today.
Skies were partly cloudy, temperatures in the 40s, and winds mild.

Two Long-eared Owls appeared at the western campgrounds at
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County). A Great Horned Owl and
several Bald Eagles were also found. Four Lapland Longspurs
were located several miles north of the reservoir on Weld CR 4.

Nothing much was happening at Riverside Park in Fort Morgan (Morgan).
Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan Counties) was quiet also.

We next drove south to Bonny Reservoir and Hale Ponds (Yuma County).
A flock of 9 Eastern Bluebirds were below the dam at Bonny.
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was found in the Hale Ponds area
just west of Kansas. We also found another Long-eared Owl at
Bonny Reservoir. Two Wild Turkeys were along Yuma CR 2.

Our day ended by watching male 2 Greater Prairie-Chickens boom
at a private ranch in Yuma County. We guess they are starting up
and birders should be on the lookout at their traditional locations!

Birding Metro Denver Reservoirs 3/16

Rebecca Kosten, Donna Fortney, Sue Dorsey and I traveled to
Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson County) this afternoon.
The temperatures were around 40 degrees and winds were quite strong.

The previously reported Sage Sparrow was feeding behind the garbage
container at the model airplane area. The bird hid well from the wind.

It eventually flew over to the east-west runway and fed along the edge.
I sat down on the picnic benches and let the bird come to me. It was
enjoyable to watch the little bird scurry across the "tarmac" with its
cocked tail. We watched the bird for 30 minutes or so and then backed off.

A search of the rest of the state park did not add any uncommon birds
to our day list. We could not find the male White-winged Scoter
reported 3/12-13. The adult alternate plumaged Franklin's Gull
found yesterday by Loch Kilpatrick was also not around today.

A check of McLelland Reservoir (Arapahoe County) did not turn
up any interesting birds.

Our final stop was Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
The swim beach contained a few gulls including 3 adult,
1 3rd basic, 2 1st basic Herring Gulls; 1 adult Thayer's Gull;
12+ adult California Gulls, and several hundred Ring-billed Gulls.

We carefully checked the Ring-billed Gulls in hope of spotting
a Mew Gull. None were found however.

Many gulls were in the water off in the distance. We decided to
hike the new road below the dam. The road runs west from the
dam's tower toward the southwest marina. Three hundred yards
west of the tower, we could see the 1st basic Glaucous-winged Gull,
2 1st basic Thayer's Gulls, and many California & Ring-billed Gulls.

Many Common Mergansers, American Coots, Redheads, and
Ring-billed Ducks were out there also.

An adult Bald Eagle stood on the stumps at the southeast end of
the reservoir. Another adult Bald Eagle was in the campground area.
A male Northern Harrier was here too. Two female Northern Harriers
hunted near the northeastern entrance to the reservoir.

The Red-tailed Hawk with leather straps to his legs for over two years
now, was in his usual location west of the eastern entrance.

Southeast Colorado 3/12-3/13

Bryan Ehlmann & I headed down to Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday.
The weather was much better than the snowstorm I am watching tonight.
Temperatures reached the 60s; winds were mild.

Our target bird was missed, however we still enjoyed a great trip.
Quick highlights of our owl survey in Baca & Las Animas Counties included:

We heard two Western Screech-Owls at Cottonwood Canyon after midnight on
3/13 (Wednesday morning). We also heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl for
approximately 5 minutes. It could not be located in the morning.

Rufous-crowned Sparrows were found 1.4 miles east of the camping area
at CR 5 & Carrizo Creek on Wednesday 3/13.

One Lesser Prairie-Chicken came to the Campo Lek when it was
almost too dark to see on the evening of 3/12

On the trip back to Denver, we stopped briefly at Lamar Community College
(Prowers County). A Swamp Sparrow and Red-bellied Woodpecker were in
the woods behind the college. No Cardinals made an appearance today.

We could not locate the Great Black-backed Gulls reported at Jet Lake
(Kiowa County) or the Black-legged Kittiwake reported at Lower Queens
Reservoir (Kiowa). Of course our search was quite late being five
days after the initial reports.

We returned Wednesday night to beat the predicted snowstorm that hit Thursday.

Loveland Ski Basin 3/11

Another cobirder/skier & I traveled to Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek County).
It was a beautiful day with mild winds and temperatures in the 30s.

I watched the feeder at Lift #1 for 4 hours. Rosy Finches constantly
visited the feeder. Three pairs of Pine Grosbeak also visited many times.
One large flock of 50+ birds included 6 Brown-capped Rosy Finches.
Another flock of 14 birds consistently had 8 Hepburn's.
One Black Rosy Finch visited twice (both times by himself
and when no other birds were around).

My friend found 25+ birds several times at the feeder below lift #4
(only access is while skiing). The Black Rosy Finch & other flocks
may have been flying between the two feeder locations.

Two Gray Jays, 18 American Crows, many Mountain Chickadees
and 27 Red-winged Blackbirds made frequent stops also.

Cherry Creek Reservoir 3/10

Bryan Ehlmann & I made a brief stop again at the state park.
Birds were scarce this afternoon. Winds were strong, temps warm.

We stood at the fork in the bike path south of the campgrounds.
The Harris's Sparrow did not make an appearance for my second
trip in a row. Many Dark-eyed Juncos were there however.

We circled the reservoir and found 2 1st basic & 2 adult
Thayer's Gulls among many Herring, California, and Ring-billed Gulls.
We did not find the Glaucous-winged or Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

The male Northern Harrier was again hunting around the campgrounds.
No Bald Eagles were around today.

Another Visit to Cherry Creek Reservoir 3/9

I travel over to Cherry Creek Reservoir in the late afternoon.
Wilds were mild; temperatures were in the low 40s.

Daniela Garrett & I stood at the bike path south of the campgrounds
from 3:30-4:30pm. The Harris's Sparrow did not show up today;
there was much foot and bike traffic this Saturday. I do not believe
we experienced a 15-minute period without someone coming down the path.

It was a strange day for the gulls. I had arrived at 2:00pm and
could not find any of the uncommon gulls. Dozens of Herring Gulls,
a dozen California Gulls, and hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls were
just about all that could be found.

However, when we hiked to the cove west of the swim beach at
4:30pm, the gulls started flying in from who knows where.

The Glaucous-winged Gull fed on a fish less than 30 yards from us.
Two immature & 3 adult Thayer's Gulls also took their turn on the fish.

Daniela departed and I decided to drive to the south side of the reservoir.
No gulls were at the southwest marina. I could see hundreds of gulls in
the middle of the reservoir; they were too far in the distance to identify.

Just before sunset at 5:45pm, I drove through the Lake Loop.
A dark mantled gull standing on the ice in the eastern corner of
Lake Loop caught my attention and I stopped. I walked down to
the reservoir to see a quite dark mantled 3rd year California Gull.

It looked suspiciously like a 3rd year Lesser Black-backed Gull,
however finally gave me good enough looks to properly identify it
as a California Gull. There was an interesting 3rd winter
Thayer's Gull here also along with several Herring Gulls.

I was 20 yards from the birds that did not seem to be bothered by me.
At 5:55pm, the two 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew in and
stood again 20 yards from me. They preened their feathers and gave
me great looks at their wings and tails. Steve Spencer and
Mike Williams were driving by and joined me for the show!

We enjoyed the last of the day's light watching the gulls.
Finally we departed under a beautiful sunset.

Return to the South Platte 3/8

This morning Sue Dorsey & I went over to the South Platte River at
88th avenue & Colorado Blvd (East Gravel Lakes). The weather was
quite different from yesterday's 64 degrees. It was 18 degrees.

We hiked the east side of the South Platte down to the green/white
water tower and back. The Long-tailed Duck was on the northern
most East Gravel Lake, 200 yards south of the pump station.
The male & female Barrow's Goldeneye were also on the lake,
another 40 yards south.

Again many Common (100+) and 7+ Red-breasted Mergansers
joined many Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, and Common Goldeneyes.

I was scheduled to meet several birders at Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County) at 3:00pm. When I got 4 miles from the state park
at 2:30pm the blizzard hit. I could see little. It took 1.5 hours
to return the 30 miles back home.

Rosy Finches at Loveland Ski Basin 3/7

Temperatures reached the middle 60s today; winds were
quite strong (especially in Boulder County).

Jean Hunter & I traveled up to Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek County)
this morning. Up to forty-one Gray-crowned & 3 Brown-capped Rosy Finches
visited the feeder at Lift #1 during our 2-hour stay.

Our next objective was observing Red Crossbills. We drove up to
Gross Reservoir (Boulder County) by way of Golden. It took two hours,
however we managed to run into a flock of 8 (4 males, 4 females)
Red Crossbills. The small flock was 1.3 miles south of Gross Reservoir.
No Bohemian Waxwings or Three-toed Woodpeckers could be found.

I had to return Jean to downtown Denver. On the trip south we stopped by
Tom Frost Reservoir (a few miles off Interstate 25 in Broomfield County).
The two adult & three juvenile Trumpeter Swans were feeding in the
northwest corner of the small reservoir.

After dropping Jean off, I drove to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).
During my two hour visit the cove west of the swim beach was visited
by 1st basic Glaucous-winged Gull, 2, 1st basic Thayer's Gulls,
1 adult Thayer's Gull, many Herring Gulls, 3 California Gulls, and
hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls.

I watched Dark-eyed Juncos feed along the bike path south of the
campgrounds for an hour. While I was photographing a White-breasted
Nuthatch, the adult Harris's Sparrow came and fed between the forks
of the bike path. The bird visited several times between 3:45pm & 4:00pm.

During most of my time here, many bikers, joggers, walkers,
dogs, and a ranger in a car came by, thus scaring the birds back
into the thickets between the forks of the bike path.

Five Bald Eagles, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Northern Shrike,
2 White-breasted Nuthatches, and 2 Ring-necked Pheasants
were also observed during my trip to the state park.

My birding day ended with a 2 mile hike along the South Platte River
at 88th avenue & Colorado Blvd. The most interesting birds were
on the northern most East Gravel Lakes.

A male & female Barrow's Goldeneye were 150 yards south of the
pump station. The surprise of the day was a Long-tailed Duck, which
was 100 yards south of the pump tower.

Many Common Mergansers, nine Red-breasted Mergansers (7 males, 2 females)
many Common Goldeneyes, Redheads, and Ring-necked Ducks were also here.

Another Snowy Owl Search 3/6

Robert Cussen & I returned to Weld County north of Riverside Reservoir
to search for the two Snowy Owls. We did not find them this morning.

We next drove to Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County).
No Great-tailed Grackles were found along highway 34 today.

Jackson Reservoir was quiet. Two Long-eared Owls were found in
the western campgrounds. Nothing else uncommon was observed.

I dropped Robert off at DIA airport and picked up Paul Langendorfer
at 3:30pm. We drove over to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).

The Glaucous-winged Gull was 30 yards offshore in the cove just northwest
of the swim beach. It fed on several fish frozen in the ice. When it
walked away, two adult and two 1st basic Thayer's Gulls took their turns
at the fish. The Lesser Black-backed Gulls could not be found today.
Many Herring, several California, and 100s of Ring-billed Gulls were
around as usual. Several Bald Eagles stood on the ice in the distance.

We stood at the bike path where Glenn Walbek found two Harris's Sparrows
this morning. One bird flew up for about 5 seconds. Neither bird
appeared after that. Many Dark-eyed Juncos came to feed along the
bike path. The path was popular today with joggers and bikers;
there never seemed to be a 20-minute lull in the foot traffic.

A murder of 60 American Crows was feeding just south of the campground
entrance. Two or three adult Bald Eagles and several sub-adult birds
flew pass the campgrounds. The Northern Goshawk was not found during
our 30-minute hike through the area.

Clear Creek County 3/4

Robert Cussen from Virginia & I traveled to Clear Creek County.
Winds were mild; temperatures reached the low 40s.

Robert wanted to see the Rosy Finches & a Three-toed Woodpecker,
so I choose Clear Creek County instead of the Pike National Forest
Three-toed Woodpeckers because of the proximity of Rosy Finches.

We watched for 2 hours the feeder at Lift #1 at Loveland Ski Basin.
Several flocks of up to 49 Gray-crowned Rosy Finches appeared during
our stay. Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches showed up three times.
Two male & a female Pine Grosbeak also came to the feeder.

Next we drove up to Guanella Pass Campground just north of the summit.
We were not out of our car 10 minutes before a female Three-toed Woodpecker
came to the well-visited tree approximately 20 yards south of the parking area.
While watching the bird, a second TTWO drummed to the southeast.

Robert & I hoped to find a Northern Pygmy-Owl. Our trek took us to
the forest south of Gross Reservoir in Boulder County. I have searched
here at least three times unsuccessfully for the previously reported owl.
Another search came up empty. We ended our day at last years site of
two Pygmy Owls near White Ranch Open Space in Jefferson County.
No owls could be found or heard. This was my third attempt here this year.

A Brief Return to Cherry Creek Reservoir 3/3

Gary & Diane Weston joined me late this afternoon at Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County). The temperature was around 20 degrees; winds were mild.

The gulls were further away today than Saturday. We identified two adult &
two 1st winter Thayer's Gulls among Ring-billed, Herring, and California Gulls.
The Glaucous-winged Gull & Lesser Black-backed Gull could not be picked out.

We hiked for an hour north of the campgrounds to the eastern entrance to the
state park. We thought a Northern Goshawk flew from the campground area.
Later we were able to identify a Northern Goshawk in the small woods north
of the new pond just west of the eastern entrance. The bird eventually flew
back toward the campgrounds. Again many American Tree, & a dozen White-crowned
and a few Song Sparrows foraged around the wood piles north of the campgrounds.

We made a quick stop at the bike path west of the campgrounds and south of
the main road. Within 2 minutes, the adult winter plumaged Harris's Sparrow
made an appearance. The sparrow fed at the bare spot in the snow about 20
yards south of the fork in the bike path (as one walks toward the swim beach).
It "rested" in the thickets between the forks in the path.

Again the Snow Bunting was not found; however all enjoyed a good time!

Cherry Creek Reservoir 3/2

I spent 9 hours searching for the Snow Bunting reported Friday at
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County)! I did not find the bird,
however had an enjoyable day hiking around the reservoir (considering
the high temperature was 18 degrees). The temperature kept the number
of visitors to a minimum and most of the day I hiked in fresh,
untracked 6+ inches of snow.

At 10:00am, two adult Thayer's Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull
were on the ice in the cove west of the swim beach.

I came upon three flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos and inspected them for
the Snow Bunting. A winter Harris's Sparrow was found south of the
campgrounds. The bird fed for several hours along the main bike path
that comes down from Parker Road. Many Juncos and the Harris's Sparrow
fed in pockets of open areas in the snow from just south of the main
road further south to the first fork in the bike path. There were
several additional holes in the snow for another 40 yards along the
left fork of the bike path. The Harris's Sparrow and many Juncos
"rested" in the thickets between the forks of the path.

North of the campground, I found 147 American Tree Sparrows,
26 White-crowned Sparrows, and 2 Song Sparrows near the woodpiles
below the ridge east of the bike path and which goes north to Parker Road.

A Golden Eagle (my first Arapahoe County GOEA) was near the eastern
entrance to the state park. Ten or more Bald Eagles were on the
frozen reservoir and two adults rested in the trees of the campgrounds.

I checked the stables several times to see if the Snow Bunting was visiting.
Up to sixty Dark-eyed Juncos were feeding there. Seventeen Ring-necked
Pheasants were south of the stables. I also hiked up the hill to the
south of last years Golden-crowned Sparrow sighting and continued to
S. Dayton Street. Thirty-seven Song Sparrows fed in the field; no
Snow Bunting however. A Prairie Falcon was standing in a distant
tree to the west of the cattails, which bordered the path southward.

A Northern Shrike stood in a tree just west of where Cherry Creek
crosses the main road (south side of the reservoir). The bird is
here on most of my visits to the park. A male and female
Northern Harrier hunted over the cattails west of here.

My hawk count stood at 3 Red-tailed Hawks and an additional
dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk (CG), 1 Rough-legged Hawk (dog training area),
1 Ferruginous Hawk (group picnic area), and 3 American Kestrels.

There was a pale gull on the ice early in the morning.
As far as I know, no one reported observing the Glaucous-winged Gull.
More Bird Trips

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