Rich Stevens' Bird Trips

May 2000

Weld County 5/29

Debbie Stevens, Cindy Earnhardt, Sue Dorsey and I traveled to Weld County this morning.
It was quite warm (91 degrees) and windy as well!

At 3.8 miles east and north of CR 59 along highway 392, we observed three Upland Sandpipers
(reported last week). Also, there were Blue-winged Teal and two American Avocets.

Just south of Gill, there were two Great-tailed Grackles in the cattails along the highway.

At mile marker 5.0 of Barr Lake there is a pond and cattails which contained
Yellow-headed Blackbirds and two Great-tailed Grackle (reported earlier in the year).

A Snowy Egret is still at Lochbuie Ponds.
A second Snowy Egret was at the pond just East of I76 and the South Platte River.

Birding Colorado 5/22-5/26

May 22
Traveling down to Pueblo to give a lecture, I birded several locations on this warm, sunny day.

May 23
I camped along Fosset Gulch Road (La Plata County). This was sight of June 18- July 3, 1999;
Whip-poor-will sighting. No Nightjars were heard or observed that night.
May 24
I drove most of the night to meet Jim Malone in Denver for a trip to Crow Valley
May 25
May 26
On this cloudy and cool day, Bryan Ehlmann and I traveled up to Pike National Forest

Following M. Brown's report and directions, we found a female Summer Tanager
at Reynolds Park. The Tanager was 50 yards from the bridge along the trail.
We also observed one Blue Grouse. From here, we traveled to Pike National Forest.
At the kiosk of Skipper Trailhead, we located a female Three-toed Woodpecker
(about 50 yards north of kiosk). Several Williamson's Sapsuckers were just north of
the Buck Creek Bridge (along Skipper Trail).

Clear Creek Greenbelt 5/21

On this sunny, warm spring day, I hiked Clear Creek Greenbelt
from Ward Road to Johnson Park and back (about 8 miles).

The definite highlight of the day was a singing White-eyed Vireo at 6:30am.
It was just east of the Girl Scout corral area. When I passed the area on
my return trip around 10:00am, several birders were observing the bird from
east of the corral to the power lines overhead of the main path (At Prospect Park).

There was a Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk in the same area, north of the path.

Also observed by other birders:
A Plumbeous Vireo in same area as the White-eyed Vireo.
An Eastern Screech-Owl (along dirt path south of main path)

I found my first House Wren of the Greenbelt trail this spring about 0.5 miles west of Johnson Park.
Nothing else different from 5/15 trip was found. I could not find the Black-throated Blue
or Tennessee Warblers observed earlier in the week.

Denver 5/16

While on the way to a meeting, I stopped for two hours to search for the White-winged Dove
near Leyden & Dakota. Unfortunately, it was 12:30pm to 2:30pm. Searches earlier and
later in the day produced many Mourning Dove sightings and the White-winged Dove sighting.
Today, I observed only three Mourning Doves in two hours. I believe it was too hot for the birds.

A neighborhood birder came out and presented proof that she had four White-winged Doves
at her feeders on May 15 (Monday). She drew pictures of the birds and confirmed that
the photos I presented to her were similar to the doves visiting her feeders. These birds
flew east-southeast after visiting her yard (toward Dakota & Alaska streets). I also
noticed that Fairmount Cemetery is only six blocks from this intersection (Locust & Dakota).
There was no time to check the cemetery today; a future trip has been planned.

Wheat Ridge Greenbelt 5/15

I did not observe the Kentucky Warbler in a nine-hour search today at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.

The Eastern Phoebe was found twice. It was East of the Girl Scout Corral
at 10:10am and along the creek at the Corral that runs into Clear Creek.

Along the creek at 10:45am, I found a Northern Waterthrush (30 yards east of
Chain Link Fence) and a Swainson's Thrush (20 yards east of Chain Link Fence).

A Chestnut-sided Warbler was found around 11:25am in a Cottonwood south of the
Prospect Bridge. It flew from and to the south (across Chain Link Fence).
Two other birders in separate sightings, thought they found two Chestnut-sided Warblers each.
These sightings were around 1:00-2:00pm at the end of the Tree Bridge Trail
(Trail is now fenced off at its western end).

Schofield found a Plumbeous Vireo around 9:00am,
just south of the main trail (the part that is cement).

There were Black-headed Grosbeak, one at the Corral and one south of Bass Lake.

Also found:
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Western Tanager (7 males and my first female of season)
Northern Bullock's Oriole (5 males and my first female of season)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (14+)

Boulder County 5/14

After receiving a report of a Chestnut-sided Warbler in Gregory Canyon
from Tom McConnell, Bryan Ehlmann and I drove up to Boulder County.

Tom found the CSWA near the second fence up the Amphitheater Trail.
Bryan relocated the bird after about an hour search. The CSWA was 50 yards south (uphill)
from the western fork of the Amphitheater trail. There was also a Plumbeous Vireo in the area.

Also reported by all of us:
Warbling Vireo (2+)
Virginia's Warbler (3+)
Spotted Towhee (2+)
Green-tailed Towhee
Gray Catbird (2+)

We then traveled to Marshall Road and Doudy Draw.
Trumpeter Swan (pond along South Boulder Creek)
Eastern Bluebird (one at picnic area)

We struck out in locating the Bell's Vireo and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
observed Saturday by Loch Kilpatrick.

Denver Neighborhood 5/13

On this beautiful sunny windless spring day in Denver,
I traveled to the Hageman's neighborhood North of George Washington High School.

After checking in at 3:00pm with Glenn Hageman who had not observed
the White-winged Dove since 10:00am, I hiked around the neighborhood.
I thought I caught a glimpse of the male White-winged Dove at 3:10pm in
the tall evergreen trees just East of South Leyden Street and Dakota
(about 1/2 block North of the Hageman home). After walking around the block,
the White-winged Dove flew from the backyard near Locust and Dakota Streets to
nearby telephone wires around 3:30pm.

I filmed the male White-winged Dove for about 2 minutes. During that period
the bird tried to copulate with a female Mourning Dove.

Later while sitting on the Hageman's back porch, we observed
a Green-tailed Towhee lurking under the feeders in their backyard.

Wheat Ridge Greenbelt 5/12

On this windy, rather cold day, I birded Clear Creek Greenbelt for six hours.

After parking at Wadsworth Blvd and 44th Avenue, I hiked 0.5 miles North to
Clear Creek and Johnson Park. I then walked one mile east, returned, and
hiked the three miles west to Prospect Park (Wheat Ridge Greenbelt).

At Johnson Park, there was a Black-and-White Warbler (10 yards south and 80 yards
west of restroom). One male Western Tanager foraged along Clear Creek.

Not much else was observed until I reached Prospect Park. Here I ran into a Wood-Pewee.
After hiding and waiting in the bushes, the bird called for about two minutes.
It turned out to be a Western Wood-Pewee.

Other birds encountered were:
Yellow-breasted Chat (one rather loud and incessant male)
Blue Grosbeak (female)
Common Yellowthroat (2 males, along southern fence line, east of Bass Lake)
Western Tanager (7 males, north of Bass Lake)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (3)
Northern Bullock's Orioles (5 males)

I watched a female Bullock's start the building of a nest.
She made amazing progress in the hour watch.
Much better than I could do with my two hands!

A Canada Goose pair escorted 8 youngins across the hiking path for a meal.
The interaction was quite entertaining. Another female Canada tried in vain
to keep six young birds under her while she lay on a nest.
The little one's heads kept popping out from underneath her!

Southeast Colorado 5/9-5/11

Bryan Ehlmann and I birded Southeastern Colorado this week.
The weather varied from windless and warm to quite windy.
May 9
May 10
May 11
The wind was quite strong today.

Northern Mountains 5/7

Bryan Ehlmann and I accompanied several out-of-state birders to Jackson County.
The weather was overcast and in the lower 50's.

We stopped at Cameron Pass at 4:30 AM in hopes of hearing a Boreal Owl.
None were heard in the 30 minutes we hiked both sides of Joe Wright Reservoir.

At the Coalmont Lek, we found several male Sage Grouse on the road into the lek.
Because of time restraints of our visitors, they decided not to stay until sunrise.

On the way back to Fort Collins, we stopped at the Colorado State Forest Visitors Center.
Three female and one male Pine Grosbeaks were visiting the feeders behind the building.
There were many Cassin's Finches, Mountain Chickadees, and a few Tree Swallows.

No Wilson's Warblers, Yellow Warblers or Fox Sparrows were observed.
In the past, this has been a good location for them in June.

Boulder County 5/6

A quick visit to Walden Ponds and Sawhill Ponds did not produce a sighting
of the Little Blue Heron observed the day before. We did find one
Green Heron at Sawhill. One Great Egret was also at Sawhill Ponds area.

Chatfield Reservoir 5/5

On this warm, windless day I took a brief hike at Chatfield Reservoir.
A first year male American Redstart was found while hiking between
Waterton Canyon Bridge and Kingfisher Bridge. One unidentified
Empidonax species was in willows along the Platte.

Southeast Colorado 5/2-5/4

Jim Malone and I birded southeast Colorado for three days.
May 2
May 3
May 4
More Bird Trips

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Please feel free to contact CoBus and
Rich Stevens at the following address:
E-mail:cobus@worldnet.att.net