Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
May 2006
Barr Lake 5/31
This morning I ran over to Barr Lake to check on a
Rose-breasted Grosbeak report that came in at 7:00pm yesterday.
It was observed down the Pioneer Trail. I looked from the boat ramp
to the banding station; without success. Not much different was moving about.
Birding Around Denver 5/30
This morning I spent 4 hours at Barr Lake to see what the Monday
rainstorm might have brought. It was pretty quiet. Where are the
Yellow-rumped Warblers this year? I have only found a few.
The normal suspects were around; Western Kingbird, Eastern
Kingbird, Western Wood-pewee, Yellow Warbler, Warbling Vireos
(noisy), Bullock's Oriole, a Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,
and many House Wren. The highlight was a Blackpoll Warbler in
the cottonwoods west of the banding station.
Later in the afternoon, I stopped by Bluff Lake Nature Area.
It was pretty slow. I could not find any warblers. A couple of
Warbling Vireos once again were quite noisy. A male Black-headed
Grosbeak flew around the willows at the north end.
My final stop was the Apex Trail on the west side of Denver.
Here I did find a male Indigo Bunting, 2 male and a female Lazuli
Bunting. Earlier in the day someone had seen a bear about a mile
up the trail. I did not go that far up, so missed the chance.
Seems like lately, I find myself walking around lion or bear country.
Rocky Mountain National Park and West 5/29
We headed into Rocky Mountain National Park proper. The only
birds encountered on the trip up Trail Ridge Road were Clark's
Nutcrackers. A few Mountain Bluebirds flew below Rock Cut
pullover (no Rosy Finches). Many Ravens and Crows were around.
At Medicine Bow Curve, we only hiked about 30 yards when
Rebecca found a White-tailed Ptarmigan.
On the way to Grand Lake, we stopped at several picnic areas.
Rebecca's sharp eyes picked out a Three-toed Woodpecker.
We searched for the juvenile Trumpeter Swan that had wintered at
Shadow Mountain Reservoir; without success. We did not find it at
several stops at Grand Lake either. A pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes
were spotted at Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
A quick stop at Windy Gap Reservoir found another pair of Barrow's
Goldeneyes! An Orange-crowned Warbler flew about the trees below
the parking area!
Kremmling was quiet. No Rosy Finches flying around. We could not
get up into the mountains because of snow and retreated back to
the main highway.
We also could not get to A.M. Bailey Bird Sanctuary. The road was
a little too muddy for our vehicle.
A drive around Empire, CO helped us find 2 Band-tailed Pigeons.
They were up North Main Street. Unfortunately, the woman who
used to have the feeders at Sunny Avenue and Main Streets quit
feeding birds.
We could not see any Ptarmigan on Loveland Pass; however we did
not walk up any of the wet trails.
Our birding day ended around Montezuma. We played tapes but
heard no owls. Again, we did not venture onto any of the slushy trails.
Northern Birding 5/28
After a restful night's sleep the four of us were back in Larimer
County at first light. The Hudsonian Godwit first reported by Nick
Komar at Duck Lake yesterday, was still there.
Afterwards we pointed the car toward Pawnee National Grasslands.
We enjoyed a morning walk in the cool air in the field southeast
of Highway 85 and Weld County Road 114. We hiked to the windmill
to the southeast and back. Along the way we observed 3 male and
1 female Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Bryan also picked up on
a Cassin's Sparrow!
We then drove east and south to Highway 14 and CR 51. Along the
way we encountered many interesting birds including; a male
Blue Grosbeak, more Cassin's Sparrows, many Brewer's Sparrows,
2 Clay-colored Sparrows, a MacGillivray's Warbler!, 2 Prairie Falcons,
a Ferruginous Hawk, and 2 Golden Eagles.
Highlights included 2 Upland Sandpipers on a private ranch.
We were looking at a Sage Thrasher when Rebecca spotted the
sandpipers camouflaged in the grass.
Two additional Sage Thrashers were observed just south of CR 51
and CR 90. No Mountain Plover were found at CR 51 & Hwy 14.
They do nest here and could have been over the ridge. We finally
found a Mountain Plover along the dirt road that runs north from
CR 65 & CR 92.
Crow Valley Campground was slow. We found a Plumbeous Vireo
at the group picnic area. Not much else uncommon was observed.
Several Nighthawks lay along tree limbs. Many McCown's Longspurs
were found along CR 96 and mile west of Murphy's Pasture.
No Chestnut-collared Longspurs or Mountain Plovers were observed.
Before leaving Pawnee National Grasslands we went to visit friends
who have a ranch on the grasslands. They showed us a pair of
Mountain Plovers and a Long-billed Curlew that had been around
for several days.
Just before sunset, we arrived at Cow Creek, Rocky Mountain
National Park. We hiked up there to be at the trail crossing
a mile west of the parking area just before sunset.
A Northern Pygmy-Owl answered our tape north of where the wooden
stairs are along the main trail. We never did see the owl however.
After sunset, 2 Common Poorwills answered our tapes. We were
able to put a spotlight on both of them.
Owling in Boulder County 5/27
Four of us went owling (Friday into Saturday) in Boulder.
The night was quite still and we could almost hear a pin drop.
We followed an old Owl study that was conducted many years
ago in Boulder Mountain Park.
To summarize we found one Flammulated Owl and one Saw-whet Owl.
"Point Counts" were conducted every 300 yards (approximated as it
was dark). We recorded any sounds that were heard. Surprisingly,
quite a few birds were heard migrating or singing from perches.
We recorded them to study in the future (as of yet, I have not
returned to them).
Gregory Canyon was quite noisy. In spite of its proximity to
Boulder we were able to hear much. However, no owls answered
our tapes. We did not know about the Mountain Lion sightings at
the time. Probably for the best, four noisy people clamoring up
the trail would probably scare more off.
I did not convince my pals to owl at 4:00am in Shadow Canyon and
we left that for the future.
Later, Bryan Ehlmann and I returned to search for Bobolinks in
Boulder County; without success. Are they late arriving this year?
Gregory Canyon was birdy. We found Gray Catbird, Virginia's Warbler,
Black-headed Grosbeak, and a few Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.
Barr Lake 5/26
Again I thought I would see what the previous night's rainstorm
had blown into Barr Lake. It was cool at twilight; however many
Mosquitoes are now hatched.
A Yellow-billed Cuckoo called from the tall cottonwoods along
the main trail and just south of the Niedrach trail boardwalk.
If he had been silent, I would never have found him.
A Northern Waterthrush walked underneath the boardwalk
just north of the chute of trees at the eastern side of the trail.
Bullock's Orioles are back in full force. Dozens of males were
calling to the half a dozen females that I observed. House Wrens
were many and noisy. Western Kingbirds called and squawked
by the dozens.
Warbling Vireos kept their presence known also. A few Yellow
Warblers fluttered about. A couple of males harassed the few
females around.
Did I mention, there were many, many Mosquitoes?
A male Chestnut-sided Warbler searched for insects on the shorter
willows west of the banding station. He moved around quickly
catching many of his prey. I tried for a photo, but he did not
seem to stay still. The mosquitoes finally forced me out of
the area. They kept getting in my nose while I inhaled. When I
swallowed one, the quest for a photo was abandoned.
A lone male Western Tanager sang along the Pioneer Trail. I did
not see a female for him to serenade. A male Blue Grosbeak added
additional color to the area. Again, I retreated from the horde
of Mosquitoes.
The only thrushes found today included one Hermit and one
Swainson's. Both were under the fallen willow tree near the
Pioneer Trailhead.
A Tree Swallow perched outside a hole in a tree. I had observed
him last Tuesday. Perhaps he has a mate sitting on eggs? I did not
want to disturb them if that was the case.
Again many Eastern Kingbirds were around the boat ramp. No
sandpipers walked around the sandy shore near the boat ramp today.
At mile marker 7.2, many American Goldfinch hunted for food on
the tall miner's candle. The males sang happily from the tops.
A Western Meadowlark joined them and the airwaves.
Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Bank Swallows zoomed up
the canal. Cliff Swallows seemed to prefer the south end of the dam.
Three Snowy Egrets and a dozen Ring-billed Gulls searched for food
below the dam.
A walk along the canal below the dam was quite productive.
Several Western Wood-Pewees hawked insects. An uncommon
Olive-sided Flycatcher joined them.
A Virginia Rail walked out of his hiding place in the weeds at
mile marker 6.6. A dozen or more Common Yellowthroats sang
from the cattails. Yellow Warblers sang from the tall cottonwoods.
Another five Snowy Egrets hunted for food below the north end of
the dam.
The hike west was uneventful. A male Yellow-headed Blackbird
took a drink of water near mile marker 4.9. Mostly the trail goes
along the railroad tracks for a mile or so and it is not near
the lake itself.
A Great Horned Owl has several young near mile marker 4.5.
Lark Sparrows wandered around at mile 3.5. Many Cliff Swallows
flew around at mm 2.5. The Bald Eagles can be seen from the Gazebo
boardwalk. Brewer's Sparrows and one Clay-colored Sparrow
were observed along the trek. Chipping Sparrows were plentiful.
So were the Killdeer walking on the trail and vying for my attention.
More Owling 5/25
This was my most successful owling trip to the Colorado State
Forest. I guess experience helps as this is my fifth of the last
six years monitoring nesting boxes up there.
After a few hours of sleep during daylight, Terry and I wandered
around Ruby Jewell Road. Several Red-naped Sapsuckers and a male
Williamson's Sapsucker were observed. A rare American Three-toed
Woodpecker was spotted between our campsite and Michigan Creek
Road (MCR).
We searched Michigan Creek Campground and the surrounding area
after a report of 7-10 Yellow-eyed Juncos. The reporter was quite
familiar with the species and observed the birds from 10 feet.
They would be quite difficult to mis-identify. There are no state
records of the species and I am not sure there are any New Mexico
records of Yellow-eyed Juncos. The search was fun; however unsuccessful.
It would have been quite a "coup" if we could have located some!.
We drove down to Gould to check on the hummingbird feeders at the
store. A couple of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have found the many
feeders around the store. While only one had found the feeders at
the KOA store (entrance to Colorado State Forest).
The feeders behind the Colorado State Forest (CSF) Visitor's
Center were also checked. Here we found another dozen Broad-tailed
Hummingbirds, a Pine Grosbeak, several Gray Jays, Pine Siskins,
and Mountain Chickadees.
Wilson's Warblers and a MacGillivray's Warbler were fluttering
about the willows behind the building. Tree Swallows were
perched in the trees to the west.
We decided to drive over to the ghost town of Teller since we
still had many hours of daylight before our next owl search.
While this area is quite interesting (for just the history),
a 4-wheel drive vehicle is a must to descend down to the ghost town.
In the past, I have enjoyed success in finding a Three-toed
Woodpecker or two while hiking the self guided tour around this
old mining town. Unfortunately, we did not find any today.
About an hour before sunrise, we hiked down the Michigan Ditch
Trail. Again, Boreal and Flammulated Owl tapes were played about
every 0.2 miles. We finally heard (and observed) a Boreal Owl
about 2.1 miles from Hwy 14. (I only know the approximate distance
as there is a nesting box in the area). Again it does not appear
that the box is or has been used.
The other four owls found were 1 at the campgrounds below Cameron
Pass and 3 at the end of Michigan Creek Road (requires a 2 mile
hike beyond the pipe gate, no vehicles allowed).
Owling 5/24
I checked several birding locations around Denver in the morning
while waiting for Terry Michaels to get off of work. We planned
to go owling that evening.
Wheat Ridge Greenbelt had few birds. One male Western Tanager
sang from the trees along the chain link fence south of the
Prospect bridge.
A Warbling Vireo called along the Tree bridge trail. No warblers
were found? Where are they, this year?
I met up with Terry Michaels about 5:00pm and headed to Pennock
Pass. The roads were quite muddy; eventually we made it up to the
summit. From the summit to the west, we stopped every 0.2 miles
and played a tape of Flammulated, Northern Saw-whet, and
Northern Pygmy Owls.
Our only success was 1.1 miles west of the summit. The summit
is marked only by an open gate (two wooden posts, no gate).
Following the directions on the CoBus website will help locate
the summit.
After returning to Highway 14, we continued well after midnight to
Cameron Pass. Along the way, we stopped at the upper Joe Wright
Reservoir parking area and taped a Boreal Owl tape; without
success. It was quite windy and hearing anything but the wind,
almost impossible.
Again we stopped every 0.2 miles from the Joe Wright Parking area
to the top of Cameron Pass. We finally heard a Flammulated Owl
just west of the restrooms at the top. There is a nesting box
here, however there is no evidence that it is or has been used.
We continued stopping about every 0.2 miles without locating any
additional owls. Once we entered the Colorado State Forest along
Michigan Creek Road, we again stopped every 0.2 miles and played
a tape. No owls were found along Michigan Creek Road.
We turned onto Ruby Jewel Road to camp for the night. At 4:30am
we played a tape at the campsite (0.4 miles east of MCR).
A Flammulated Owl answered back for about 20 minutes!
Back to Barr Lake 5/23
In rained again last evening, so I wanted to see if any new birds
had been blown into Barr Lake.
In fact it was quite birdy. I arrived at first light and found
many birds singing. A Black-and-White Warbler moved about
the willows along the main trail and just south of the Niedrach
boardwalk trail.
A Plumbeous Vireo called from the trees in the middle of the
boardwalk trail. It sounded more like a Red-eyed than Plumbeous
Vireo. However, all that I could find was the Plumbeous. Several
Warbling Vireos and many male Bullock's Orioles were also singing.
Perhaps, the many songs got mixed together (or there really was
a Red-eyed Vireo that I could not find).
I headed back toward the boat ramp at mile marker 7.5 Along the
way, several Yellow Warblers, many Western Kingbirds, many more
House Wrens, and a MacGillivray's Warbler were seen.
A Northern Waterthrush walked along the northwest edge of the
wetlands at the Pioneer Trail. A Peregrine Falcon was again found
in the trees at the southwest end of the loop.
A Veery and 2 Swainson's Thrushes were seen in the downed
Willow Tree. It seems to be a good spot (deep cover) for thrushes
this year. It just recently fell and still has its leaves. There seem to
be more downed trees this year. Quite a loss of cover for future birds.
Quite a few birds were in the trees around the boat ramp. This
seemed to be the area for Eastern Kingbirds as I counted over 7 of
them. Yellow Warblers and several House Wrens were also around.
The only shorebirds of the day were on the shore south of the boat
ramp. Only five birds, they included a pair of Wilson's Phalaropes,
one Baird's Sandpiper, one Semipalmated Sandpiper, and one Sanderling.
I ran out of time before I could checkout the area below the dam.
Return to Cherry Creek Reservoir 5/22
Rebecca and I were back at Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County) early this morning.
The Blackpoll Warbler was relocated in the tall cottonwoods
along the shore and southeast of the sailing club building.
Not much else around but Pelicans and Cormorants.
Well not quite true, many American Goldfinches were singing
atop the trees and weeds. Robins scurrying along the ground
in search of food. Killdeer also running around.
The Great Horned Owl was again not on her nest (two days in
a row). Looks like she may have abandoned her nesting attempt.
Douglas & Elbert Counties 5/21
Gary Weston and I birded in Douglas and Elbert Counties.
A male Bobolink was observed on the Winkler Ranch south of
Castlewood Canyon State Park (Castlewood Canyon Road side).
The bird was on the hill about 0.4 miles south of the ranch's
entrance. A Savannah Sparrow was observed along the road
about 0.7 miles south of the entrance. One Cordilleran Flycatcher
sang on the hill to the west!
Next we headed to Elbert County Road in search of Dickcissels.
None have shown up yet. We did find 2 Grasshopper Sparrows,
Vesper Sparrows, and a Song Sparrow.
Sunday afternoon, Rebecca Kosten and I birded at Cherry Creek
Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
We searched for the Black-chinned Hummingbird; without success.
It was not east of the ranger's office or the 12-mile picnic area.
We did hear a Virginia Rail west of the picnic area.
A Yellow Warbler flew across the road where Cherry Creek goes
under the main road. Could not find the Gray-cheeked Thrush or
Yellow-throated Vireo reported last week. The Great Horned Owl
was not on her nest; I hope she did not abandon the attempt?
While walking the shoreline at the Lakeside Loop, we found a
Blackpoll Warbler working the trees northeast of the sail club
building. Not much else was around.
Nine Black-crowned Night-Herons and 3 Great Blue Herons
were on the poles at the perimeter of the southwest marina.
Jefferson County 5/20
Scott Morales and I went looking for Blue Grouse.
None were found at the upper parking area for Mt Falcon Park.
We also did not find any at Reynolds Park. A Northern Pygmy-Owl
flew out of the trees along Oxen Draw just south of the Elkhorn Trail.
We observed a male American Three-toed Woodpecker just south of
the junction of the Oxen Draw, Raven's Roost, and Eagle's View trails.
Next we drove over to Pine Valley Ranch Park (a few miles further
south). Another male American Three-toed Woodpecker was found
about 100 yards east of the junction of the Strawberry Jack and
Buck Gulch trails. A couple of Western Bluebirds, Hairy
Woodpeckers, 3 nuthatch species, and 2 Brown Creepers were
also found.
We drove up Guanella Pass from the Grant side. Unfortunately,
we could not find any White-tailed Ptarmigan.
Our final stop was Genesee Mountain Park. A male Williamson's
Sapsucker was observed in the trees at the parking area for the
group picnic area.
Barr Lake & Crow Valley 5/13
Bryan Ehlmann and I were at Barr Lake before first light.
We hoped to find some uncommon owls; however did not.
An American Bittern, Sora, and Virginia Rail were found
before our quick departure.
We received a report of a "wild" bird sighting at Crow Valley
Campground and headed up that way. In three hours of searching
we found no warblers. A Veery, Hermit's Thrush, and Swainson's
Thrush were counted. No warblers, especially in the willows north
of the campground. We also found an Eastern Bluebird and Mountain
Bluebirds. A Red-naped Sapsucker was around the Work Center.
No owls here either.
At Lower Latham Reservoir (wetlands along CR 48), we found
a few sandpipers and a Marbled Godwit. Beebe Draw had about
the same number of Dowitchers and sandpipers; nothing uncommon.
We ended our birding day back at Barr Lake around 4:30-7:30pm.
We did not locate the Black-and-white Warbler or Plumbeous Vireo
reported earlier by Jerry Petrosky (or is it Petrosky?). We did
find a Northern Waterthrush walking the water line along the
Pioneer Trail. A Veery was quite secretive at mile marker 8.2
(south of the Pioneer Trail). Look in the downed tree (with
catkins, so newly downed).
The only warblers seen were a couple of Yellow Warblers.
Many House Wrens, Bullock's Orioles (both sexes), and Western Kingbirds
are around now. Only two Eastern Kingbirds were found. Not much was
happening around the Bird Observatory grove at mm 6.0.
Birding Around West Denver 5/12
I birded the west side of Denver today.
First stop was Welchester Tree Park (Jefferson County).
I spent about 2.5 hours in this small park. I did not find
the Blackburnian Warbler in the first hour. However on
my third circle of the park, I heard it calling the trees over
the house and stables at the north end of the park.
It flew to the trees just south of the northern canal for about
15 minutes. Then it flew west. When I left it, it was in the large
tree, north of the canal and about 100 yards west of the stables.
(Just east of this tree was a metal pole with faded orange ribbon
and shorter wooden stake with a bright orange ribbon and blue
ribbon on ground).
Back at the trees south of the stables, there was a male Western
Tanager. I did get one witness photo of the Blackburnian Warbler.
I continued looking for the Black-throated Gray Warbler for
another 1.5 hours; without success.
My other stops of the day proved uneventful. I stopped at East
Reservoir, Main Reservoir, Smith Reservoir, and Belmar Historic
Park (Jefferson County). No Little Blue Herons could be found.
Stops at Lowell Ponds Wildlife Area, Jim Baker Reservoir, and
the Heron Rookery across from Jim Baker (Adams County) also
did not produce a Little Blue Heron sighting.
Return to Colorado's Eastern Plains 5/9 to 5/10
May 9th
Our first stop was Flagler Reservoir (Kit Carson County). We
hiked around the reservoir where highlights were a Red-eyed Vireo
and Northern Waterthrush on the south end. An Eastern Phoebe and
Say's Phoebe were catching insects on the west side. Below the
dam we found a MacGillivray's Warbler and Common Yellowthroat.
The east side had Chipping Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows,
Song Sparrows, and a Lincoln's Sparrow. We also saw a Stilt Sandpiper
and 5 Long-billed Dowitchers.
Our next stop was the cemetery in Burlington (Kit Carson).
Trees are thick and numerous. We counted 9 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
2 Orange-crowned Warblers, and a Plumbeous Vireo.
At Bonny Reservoir (Yuma) we enjoyed success. We found a male
Northern Cardinal and Blackpoll Warbler at Foster's Grove
Campground area. An Eastern Screech-Owl at Wagon Wheel Campground
area (nesting, so we will not say exact location). Shorebirds
included 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Marbled Godwits, 1 Whimbrel,
2 Willets, Stilt Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers,
Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, and a Solitary Sandpiper.
Several Say's Phoebes and a Great Horned Owl were below the dam.
No Long-eared Owls could be found near the Hale Store.
We observed 7 Eastern Bluebirds and 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
In Wray we stopped at a friend's home to say hi. She still has
a pair of Northern Cardinals that visit her feeders almost daily.
We did not find any uncommon birds at the City Park and continued
north.
At Holyoke City Park (Phillips), we found a Blackpoll Warbler.
At our friend's ranch (Sedgwick), Roger had a Harris's Sparrow
and 2 White-throated Sparrows. After dark, 2 Eastern Screech-Owls
called.
May 10th
We searched for Short-eared Owls before sunrise, without success.
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was along the Ovid Woods south
of Highway 138. We could not find the Baltimore Oriole reported last
weekend. No Northern Cardinals in the woods, however we heard
one calling when we were standing at the southwest edge of town.
At Jumbo Reservoir we found 2 Semipalmated Plovers south of the
campgrounds. A flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers were about it.
We missed the Red-necked Grebe reported Monday. The loons may
be gone also? Red Lion Wildlife Area was slow. Rebecca found
an Upland Sandpiper about 50 yards west of CR 95.
We stopped by the Logan County Road 64.5 pond
(between CR 89 & CR 93). No luck in finding a Piping Plover.
A few Glossy Ibis were just about all the caught our interest.
We spent much time at Tamarack Ranch Wildlife Area trying to
find our first Bell's Vireo of the year; without success. We did
count 7 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers,
2 Northern Cardinals, and a Nashville Warbler.
The Nashville Warbler was 200 yards east of highway 55.
Again we found Eastern Screech-Owls (probably because we have
discovered their nesting tree). No uncommon sparrows were found.
In the afternoon, we visited two private ranches near the Nebraska
border. The highlight was a Kentucky Warbler that had been around
for 2 days. We also added 4 White-throated Sparrows, another
Eastern Phoebe, and Barn Owl to our trip list. The second rancher
has a pair of nesting Long-eared Owls which are always difficult
to find on the Eastern Plains in spring!
We stopped at Sedgwick Bar Wildlife Area but only found a pair
of Eastern Bluebirds.
No Short-eared Owls could be found at several stops at previous
locations and we returned to Denver. We skipped Prewitt and
Jackson Reservoirs as I had visited them earlier in the week.
Eastern Plains 5/8
Terry Michaels and I headed to Last Chance Rest Stop (Washington
County) in hopes of seeing the Varied Thrush reported Sunday by
Larry Modesitt. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate it.
We did find a Great Crested Flycatcher at the rest stop area.
From there, we headed North to Brush. Brush Wildlife Area
(Morgan) was slow and we decided to see what could be found
at Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan Counties). Here we
experienced moderate success. We hiked around the east and south
sides and found a White-rumped Sandpiper, 4 Semipalmated Plovers,
and a Least Sandpiper among a small group of shorebirds.
Below the dam, we found a Northern Waterthrush that had to be
studied for 20 minutes before we decided it was not a Louisiana
Waterthrush. We also came upon 2 White-throated Sparrows.
Several Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Great Crested Flycatcher
were observed at the western end.
Our next stop was Jackson Reservoir (Morgan). Well we did stop
briefly at the bridge over Bijou Creek. Two Wilson's Snipes were
observed there. Log Lane Village only had a bunch of common birds
visiting their feeders (House Finches, American Goldfinches, House
Sparrows, and Common Grackles).
At Jackson, we hiked the southern side of the reservoir to the
east end and back to the Mobile Home Park. We found 2
Semipalmated Plovers among a bunch of common shorebirds and
an American Redstart in the cottonwoods just east of the Mobile
Home Park. A Peregrine Falcon flew by and gave us a short look.
A MacGillivray's Warbler was below the dam and east of the
parking area.
We only stopped briefly at the campgrounds area. No Long-eared
Owls could be found (however plenty of Robins).
Our final stop was Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld). We hoped
for a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or strange owl; it was not to be.
A few Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Common Yellowthroat were it.
Sunday Birding 5/7
Dave Rundle and I decided to search for Rosy Finches in Summit
County this morning. We did not find any. A couple of Pine
Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks were the highlight of the search.
Luck shined upon us as it only took 20 minutes to find a White-
tailed Ptarmigan at Guanella Pass (Clear Creek County).
We scoped the bird from the parking area. It was 30 yards east
of the flat rock about 50 yards uphill (south) of the huge
(largest) rock 300 yards south of the parking area.
Others had mentioned this rock in previous posts.
It only took about 15 minutes to find an American Three-toed
Woodpecker at Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson County).
A male ATTW was foraging on the hill south of Pine Lake
(at southwest corner).
We also observed 3 species of nuthatches, Mountain Chickadees,
and a flock of Pine Siskins. Around where the Tramway Trail
hits Highway 550, we found an adult Northern Goshawk!
In the afternoon, Rebecca Kosten & I drove over to Cherry Creek
Reservoir (Arapahoe County). We enjoyed some success as Rebecca
found a Tennessee Warbler in a flock of 23+ Yellow-rumped
Warblers. They were in the trees between the lake and the Smoky
Hill Group Picnic Area. I picked out a Cassin's Kingbird among
14+ Western Kingbirds flying about in the same area.
At the southeastern sand spit, we observed 11 Willets.
Two Semipalmated Plovers were scurrying back and
forth on the shore to the south of the sand spit.
Quite a few Brown-headed Cowbirds continued at the Lake Loop.
We could not find the Green Heron observed at the Cottonwood Creek
Wetlands Pond on Friday. Plenty of American White Pelicans and
Double-crested Cormorants were around the southwest marina.
Barr Lake 5/6
Rebecca and I stopped at Barr Lake in the late afternoon.
There was not the bird fallout that I saw at Cherry Creek
Reservoir yesterday. We did find a few good birds.
A walk from the nature center to the boat ramp found the
following. Five male and one female Bullock's Orioles.
Two Hermit Thrushes; one at the banding station and one
at mile marker 8.1. A Peregrine Falcon was in a tree at
mm 7.7. Seven House Wrens (only found one last Saturday).
Western and Eastern Kingbirds are back. A lone Great-tailed
Grackle was near the entrance.
Highlights included a Northern Waterthrush walking along
the waterline to the west of the banding table.
A Worm-eating Warbler was at mm 7.8. It tried hard to
stay in the bushes at the bottom of a large cottonwood.
With patience, we obtained really good looks.
At the picnic area around the boat ramp, we counted
159 Chipping Sparrows, 41 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
2 Lincoln's Sparrows, plenty of White-crowned Sparrows
and 2 House Wrens.
The Swainson's Hawk was sitting on her nest at mm 8.8.
Three species of Teal were on the water.
Burrowing Owls were observed at:
3.4 miles east of Tower Road & 96th avenue
Powhaton Road & 128th avenue
North end of field across from Wild Horse Ridge Housing
(2 blocks north of Tower & 56th avenue)
Earlier in the morning, we had a first Pine Siskin and
only the second Green-tailed Towhee at the CoBus office.
Back In Denver 5/5
The word is "tired".
Six Grouse Trips done!
Just finished six weeks of Grouse Tours. Total mileage: 11,503
miles and never left Colorado. Found some interesting birds over
those six weeks. Many owls, which I always find fascinating to
see (or hear)! We managed to see all the "Chicken-like Birds"
on each trip. Though several times it took two tries to find
White-tailed Ptarmigan on Guanella Pass.
I will try to summarize those trips in the next few days.
Too tired right now. My digital recorder has over 400 notes,
so we must have seen something :-) It is going to take a day or
two to go over them. Everything is not quite a blur, but the
old memory is not what it used to be.
We passed through Denver several times; I was able to see
the Little Blue Heron at Belmar Historic Park and the
Vermilion Flycatcher at Chatfield. Many times we drove at night.
Thought about all the good birding places that were passed by
and not birded. There is just not enough time to see it all.
Met some nice birders along the way and made some new friends
living in Colorado! The U.K. groups were always fun to run into.
Powell, Swash, Chapman, Padley, McCabe groups, I am leaving out
one? Met some, talked to others on the cell phone. Several
groups said to say "hi" to Dick Filby (if you are reading this)?
Five U.S. groups also supplied some welcomed and useful
information; Williams, Strand, Ruhl, Diller, and Martin. I think
Padley and Ruhl are still out there? Great time, will seem better
after I get a few hours sleep. Thanks to all for the information
and laughs!!!
Drove all night and things were kind of a haze this afternoon.
However, I did stop by Cherry Creek Reservoir while doing chores
(restocking food for home) this afternoon. The park was full of
birds. Birds everywhere.
I counted 328 Brown-headed Cowbirds; never observed so many in one
place. Too bad, if they are all laying eggs in other bird's
nests. Six species of swallows stood on the Miner's Candles
(I think that's what those dried plants are) on the Lake Loop.
Hundreds and hundreds of swallows! When they took off to eat,
it seemed like I had to duck so as not to be hit by them.
Brewer's Blackbirds were all over the place also. Chipping
Sparrows numbered in the hundreds. Also Brewer's Sparrows
and 2 Clay-colored Sparrows.
One male Yellow-headed Blackbird chased a female around the
parking area. An Osprey stood sentinel over the north end of
the lake loop. A Cooper's Hawk flew through also. While a
Sharp-shinned Hawk was at the Cottonwood Creek Loop. Finally
found the Brown Thrasher that Loch Kilpatrick found earlier.
Thanks much for letting me know about it! Off hand, I cannot
remember if I have ever seen one in Arapahoe County?
Song Sparrows at the Cottonwood Creek wetlands pond. Four
Black-crowned Night-Herons, one Great Blue Heron, and a
Green Heron were here also. The Green Heron was at the
shallower east end of the pond.
The Great Horned Owl is still sitting in her nest; no young yet.
I hope she has laid eggs at least and is successful? A Swainson's
Hawk was perched next to his/her usual nest near the Cottonwood
Creek Loop. May or may not have been another in the nest?
Only warblers observed were two Yellow-rumped Warblers in the
willows at the northeast boat ramp area. Plenty of American
White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants out looking for food.
Only observed half a dozen gulls; maybe I was not looking hard
enough as there should be more than that around?
Unfortunately, the water level is higher than I have seen in
many years. There is little shoreline for shorebirds to stop
for a rest. There were many Spotted Sandpipers, one peep,
too far away to ID.
More Bird Trips
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