Birding Eastern Colorado 5/25-5/28

May 28

• Crow Valley (Weld)
  Blackburnian Warbler (male)
  Red-eyed Vireo
  Plumbeous Vireo
  Veery
  
• Latham Reservoir (Weld)
  White-rumped Sandpiper (4); near canal on south side!
  Great-tailed Grackle (first ranch west)
  Red-necked Phalarope (2, breeding plumage, in tall grass)
  
• Beebe Draw Ponds (Weld CR 42)
  Great-tailed Grackle (1)
  Burrowing Owl (2, 0.8 miles west of CR 42/ CR 49)
  

May 27

• Republican Wildlife Area (Yuma)
  Blue-winged Warbler
  (male, Republican river, Cheyenne County, Kansas to 0.3 miles west into Yuma County)
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2)
  Eastern Bluebird (12+)
  Red-headed Woodpecker (4)
  Wild Turkey (4)
  Northern Bobwhite (2)
  
• Bonny Reservoir; Wagon Wheel Campground
  Yellow-throated Vireo (east of campsite 42)
  Baltimore Oriole (2 males)
  
• Julesburg Wayside Rest Stop (Sedgwick)
  Baltimore Oriole (male)
  
• Ovid Woods (Logan)
  Northern Cardinal (male, northern end)
  
• Sedgwick Bar WLA
  No success searching for Upland Sandpiper!
  
• Tamarack Ranch
  Bell's Vireo (2)
  Eastern Towhee
  (1, southwest of camping area, between parking area one and highway)
  
• Sterling Overland Park
  Not much!
  

May 26

• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area (Bent)
  Least Bittern (singing recorded Wednesday morning)
  While I reported bird to CoBus on Friday morning,
  did not list bird until it was observed on Sunday morning (5/30)
  American Bittern (CR 16/ halfway between CR HH-JJ)
  Sora (2)
  Virginia Rail (2)
  Black Rail (1)
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1, CR HH)
  Tennessee Warbler (male, CR HH)
  Indigo Bunting (male, CR HH, field to north)
  
• John Martin Reservoir/ Hasty campground (Bent)
  Black-billed Cuckoo (first cottonwood NE of group camping area cabin)
  Green Heron (along creek between hasty and group camping area)
  
• Eastern Bluebird (male, Black-billed Cuckoo area)
  Northern Mockingbird (2)
  
• Lamar Community College (Prowers)
  Northern Parula
  Broad-winged Hawk
  Great Crested Flycatcher
  
• Neenoshe Reservoir (Kiowa)
  Not much at Locust grove
  
• Upper Queens Reservoir (Kiowa)
  Cattle Egret (3)
  Black-crowned Night-Heron (4 adults, immature)
  No Little Blue Heron
  
• Lake Sheridan (Kiowa)
  Grasshopper Sparrows (road down to reservoir)
  

May 25

• Last Chance Rest Stop (raining) (Washington)
  Magnolia Warbler (female)
  Northern Waterthrush
  Veery
  
• Lake Henry (Crowley, raining with quite muddy roads)
  Cape May Warbler (female)
  Gray-cheeked Thrush (possibly two, or one observed twice)
  Veery (1)
  
• Lake Holbrook (Otero)
  Scaled Quail (2)
  Great-tailed Grackle (2)
  
• Highway 194 and CR HH (southeast corner)
  Upland Sandpiper (this was second sighting in two weeks near this intersection)
  
• Blue Lake
  Not much!
  
• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area (camping at CR 16/ CR HH)
  American Bittern (two called most of the night)
  

Back to Boulder 5/22

Boulder County 5/21

• Gregory Canyon
  Hooded Warbler (male) At 5:20am, he was along creek, 20 yards north of parking area.
  MacGillivray's Warbler (4 males, 1 female)
  Virginia's Warbler (3)
  Western Tanager (7 males, 3 females)
  Many Black-headed Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds
  
• South Boulder Creek (Marshall and Hwy 93)
  Trumpeter Swan (0.5 miles east)
  I keep returning in hope of getting photograph of its new plumage.
  However, the bird has stayed far away from bike path lately.
  

Birding Northern Colorado 5/19-5/20

May 19

• Gregory Canyon (Boulder county)
  Hooded Warbler (male); west of restroom
  No sign of Black-throated Green or Chestnut-sided Warblers.
  Yellow-breasted Chat
  Turkey Vulture (8)
  
• South Boulder Creek Trail (Marshall road and hwy 93)
  Trumpeter Swan (continues to hang around; 0.5 miles east)
  
• Walden Ponds
  Not much!
  
• Jim Hamm Park
  Chestnut-sided Warbler (male singing)
  No sign of Hermit Warbler
  
• Highway 14 and Weld CR 51
  Mountain Plover (2)
  Burrowing Owl (1)
  Chestnut-collared Longspur
  
• Weld CR 51 and CR 90
  Mountain Plover (1)
  McCown's Longspur
  
• Crow Valley CG (Briggsdale)
  Harris's Sparrow (2, behind restroom at group picnic area)
  

May 20

• Crow Valley CG
  Harris's Sparrow (2)
  Veery
  Northern Waterthrush (singing atop willows, first observed by Joe Himmel)
  Red-eyed Vireo
  Plumbeous Vireo
  Least Flycatcher (2)
  Long-billed Dowitcher (4)
  Common Nighthawk (My first of 1999)
  
• Latham Reservoir (Weld)
  Great-tailed Grackle (2)
  
• 0.8 miles west of Weld CR 47 and 42
  Burrowing Owl (2)
  

Chatfield Reservoir 5/16

• East Side of Platte river at Kingfisher Bridge
  I did not find Vermilion Flycatcher, but several other birds made up for it.
  Black-and-White Warbler (grove of cottonwoods
  even with end of paved path on West Side of river)
  Yellow-throated Vireo (same location and likely the same bird from across the river on 5/12)
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (3)
  Least Flycatcher (2)
  Turkey Vulture (1)
  
• West Side of Platte river at Kingfisher Bridge
  Plumbeous Vireo (north of kingfisher bridge, end of paved path)
  
• Balloon Launch area:
  Lazuli Bunting
  
• Sand spit (boat rental area)
  Western Tanager (3 males)
  Brewer's Sparrow (4)
  
• Plum Creek Delta
  White-eyed Vireo (from just south of paved path, south of parking area,
  to 0.3 miles further south)
  Plumbeous Vireo (from parking area to reservoir shoreline)
  Savannah Sparrow (2)
  Warbling Vireo (4)
  Virginia's Warbler
  
• Discovery Pavilion (south end of Chatfield;
  from parking area to river and then south 0.1 miles)
  American Redstart (2 adult males)
  Plumbeous Vireo
  Clay-colored Sparrow (6)
  

Eastern Plains 5/12-5/15

May 12

• Lake Henry (Crowley)
  Gray-cheeked Thrush
  Chestnut-sided Warbler (female)
  Black-throated Blue Warbler
  Great-tailed Grackle (42+)
  Common Tern
  Sora (2)
  Baltimore Oriole (male singing, beautiful bird)
  Plumbeous Vireo
  Great Crested Flycatcher
  Burrowing Owl (2, south side)
  
• Rocky Ford (Otero)
  Eurasian Collared-Dove (1)
  
• Lake Holbrook (south side) (Otero)
  Olive-sided Flycatcher
  Great-tailed Grackle
  
• Otero CR HH and Hwy 194
  Upland Sandpiper
  
• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area (Bent)
  Magnolia Warbler (male) (deep woods)
  Veery (1) (0.2 miles north cemetery)
  Gray-cheeked Thrush (0.4 miles north of cemetery)
  Snowy Egret (2)
  Great Crested Flycatcher (deep in woods)
  Virginia's Warbler
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  Black Rail (1, CR 16, halfway between hwy JJ and CR HH)
  
• Lake Hasty CG (John Martin Reservoir) (Bent county)
  Blue Grosbeak (11+)
  Virginia's Warbler
  
• Lamar Community College (Prowers)
  Northern Parula (female)
  Hooded Warbler
  Magnolia Warbler
  Ovenbird
  Mississippi Kites (2)
  Green Heron (flew in around sunset)
  Blackpoll Warbler
  Black-and-White Warbler
  Veery
  
• Willow Creek Park (just north of Lamar CC)
  Mississippi Kites (2)
  Peregrine Falcon (As I hiked to northern end of park,
  the PEFA flew through park to south, landed on stone building,
  and a minute later flew back past me at 20 feet off the ground)
  

May 13

• Two Buttes Reservoir
  (Following a tip by another cobirder, I camped below the dam and south side of the creek.
  I heard a Least Bittern before first light. Later, I found it on the south side of the third pond.
  My route at Two Buttes is to walk up to dam, cross over to south side cliffs
  and walk back west away from rising sun.
  I have found more birds that are interesting in willows below south cliffs,
  than on the north side which is more heavily birded.)
  Least Bittern
  Worm-eating Warbler (below south side cliffs)
  Indigo Bunting (male and female; south side)
  MacGillivray's Warbler (3, south side)
  Greater Roadrunner (on dam, it has appeared here at first light,8 of my last 10 trips.)
  
• Springfield, CO (Baca)
  Eurasian Collared-Dove
  
• Walsh, CO (Baca)
  Not much!
  
• Lamar Cemetery
  Red-headed Woodpecker
  
• Lamar Community College
  Mourning Warbler (male, highlight of my day. I observed it for 2 minutes
  and spent the next 1.5 hours trying to photograph it; without success)
  Northern Parula (female)
  Black-throated Green Warbler
  Nashville Warbler
  Tennessee Warbler
  
• Willow Creek Park
  Mississippi Kite (6)
  Tennessee Warbler (trees along memorial drive, south side of park)
  Eastern Phoebe
  
• Neenoshe Reservoir
  Not much!
  

May 14

• Lamar CC
  Northern Parula (female)
  Chestnut-sided Warbler
  
• Higby WLA (Prowers)
  Not much!
  
• Hammit WLA (Prowers)
  Not much!
  
• Holly Rest Stop
  Burrowing Owl (3+; north of hwy 50)
  

May 15

• Republican WLA (Yuma)
  Eastern Screech-Owl
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2)
  Eastern Bluebird (11)
  Red-bellied Woodpecker (male, female)
  American Redstart (first year male)
  
• Bonny Reservoir
  Black-and-White Warbler
  Blackpoll Warbler
  
• Last Chance Rest Stop (Washington)
  Not much!
  

Boulder; Gregory Canyon 5/11

CoBus Trip 5/7-5/8

• Boulder at Baseline Road and Sixth Street (Friday 7):
  Carolina Wren; I spent from 5:30am to 10:00am along Baseline Road
  to Gregory Canyon Friday morning.
  I heard the Carolina Wren at 6:15am and again at 7:19am
  west of Baseline Road and 6th avenue.
  I hiked up Gregory Canyon, but found few birds.
  On the way back down, I heard the CARW again
  downstream from where the creek crosses under Baseline Road.
  Several other birders observed the bird.
  
• On the way back to Denver, I checked South Boulder creek trail at Marshall Road.
  Trumpeter Swan and Great Egret still at the small pond
  approximately 0.5 miles east of trailhead.
  
• Cameron Pass to Fort Collins (Friday 7-Saturday 8)
  On CoBus' first field trip (Cameron Pass) we observed:
  Boreal Owl (just east of parking area to Joe Wright reservoir)
  Blue Grouse (2, just west of summit)
  Northern Pygmy Owl (campground along hwy 14 towards FC)
  Peregrine Falcon (mile marker 81; overhead 0.5 miles either side of mm)
  
• Cherry Creek Reservoir
  Bryan Ehlmann and I setup a scope and created quite a commotion
  on the main road into CCK.
  We showed about 18 people the Glossy Ibis in the flooded field near the group picnic area.
  The GLIB was with approximately 150 White-faced Ibis.
  We had to explain to most of the people what an Ibis was.
  The remarks were rather humorous. (From "look a baby heron" to
  "did the park service bring the birds out here to drink up the water?"
  Great Egret (new pond, just east of Prairie Loop parking area)
  

Birding Southeastern Colorado 5/3-5/6

May 6

• Republican Wildlife Area (Yuma county)
  Eastern Bluebirds (37)
  Red-headed Woodpecker (yearbird for me)
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2)
  MacGillivray's Warbler (male, yearbird)
  Alder Flycatcher (2, captured video, email details later)
  Field Sparrow (1, eastern entrance to Hale Ponds)
  
• Bonny Reservoir
  Osprey (3) (wagon wheel campground)
  White-throated Sparrow
  Red-bellied Woodpecker (male and female, wagon wheel picnic pond)
  
• Highway 287 and Highway 36
  Peregrine Falcon (strange location, my first Yuma county PEFA)
  
• Last Chance Rest Stop
  Nashville Warbler (female)
  Western Wood-Pewee
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  

May 5

• Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca county) 3 hours
  Cerulean Warbler!!! (male)
  Broad-winged Hawk (immature)
  Gray Catbird
  Cassin's Vireo (sang while I videotaped it).
  Common Loon (on reservoir Tuesday and Wednesday)
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (5)
  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (highway 287, north of CR S)
  
• Lamar Community College (Prowers)
  Black-and-White Warbler (north end of woods)
  Northern Parula (2 males and female)
  Yellow-throated Vireo (north end)
  Gray-cheeked Thrush
  Worm-eating Warbler (thanks Warren Finch)
  Northern Waterthrush (next to WEWA, east of yellow building)
  
• Lamar Cemetery
  (Another two hour search, unsuccessful for Yellow-throated Warbler)
  
• Thurston Reservoir
  Great-tailed Grackle
  Cattle Egret (14)
  
• Lake Sheridan (ranch 1.5 miles west)
  Great-tailed Grackle
  

May 4

• Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca)
  White-throated Sparrow
  Northern Mockingbird
  Cassin's Kingbird (campground, above and south of dam)
  Worm-eating Warbler (south side, below dam)
  Northern Parula (south side, below dam)
  Greater Roadrunner (2, along dam)
  Broad-winged Hawk
  
• Springfield, CO
  Eurasian Collared-Dove (1, after my fifth trip I finally found and filmed one)
  Great-tailed Grackle
  
• Cottonwood Canyon (Baca)
  Ash-throated Flycatcher (2, yearbird)
  Rufous-crowned Sparrow (1.2 miles east of campground and two more up south draw)
  Western Screech-Owl (1, called briefly in response to my terrible WESO imitation)
  Eastern Phoebe (5, nest here)
  Northern Cardinal (male) (0.7 miles west of campground)
  
• Long-billed Curlew:
  Baca CR 13 and CR M (three)
  0.5 miles south of CR 18 and CR M (three)
  
• Picture Canyon
  Rufous-crowned Sparrow (2, first draw to east from picnic parking area)
  
• Lesser Prairie Chicken Lek
  Eleven Males and Zero Females
  Cassin's Sparrow (2, road into lek)
  
• 1.6 miles east of intersection of CR 36 and CR G
  (this is one of my favorite stops on route to Lek; I have many good sightings here)
  (Another is the field with the abandoned shed southeast of CR J and CR 36.)
  Mountain Plover (1)
  Burrowing Owl (between woods and intersection)
  

May 3

• Lamar CC (Prowers county, four and two hour searches)
  Northern Parula (2 males)
  Black-and-White Warbler (north end)
  American Redstart (1st year male, north end)
  Chimney Swifts
  Virginia Warbler
  Broad-winged Hawk (2, north end)
  Long-eared Owl (1, north end while birding with Keith Chamberlain)
  
• Lamar Cemetery (searched three hours, unsuccessfully for Yellow-throated Warbler)
  Bullock's Oriole (yearbird)
  
• Hasty Campground at John Martin Reservoir
  Black-headed Grosbeak (male)
  Rose-breasted Grosbeak (three males)
  Eastern Bluebird (1)
  Northern Parula (1, three witnesses)
  
• Fort Lyons Wildlife Area (Bent) Very windy, not much!
  Snowy Egret (next to cemetery)
  Great Egret (CR HH and CR 16)
  
• Two Buttes Reservoir
  Broad-winged Hawk
  White-throated Sparrow
  

Birding Around Denver 5/2

• Cherry Creek Reservoir:
  At the new pond, east of Prairie Loop
  Great Egret (1)
  Black-crowned Night-Heron (2)
  Great Blue Heron (8)
  Common Yellowthroat (2 males)
  
• At Lake Loop
  Savannah Sparrow
  Lincoln's Sparrow
  Vesper Sparrow (dozens)
  
  I did not relocate Nashville Warbler or Blackpoll Warbler of 5/1.
  
  There was a flock of 190+ White-faced Ibis. This flock eventually split into two groups.
  Approximately 80 stayed in flooded field across from group picnic area
  and the rest went to feed in flooded field near shooting range.
  
• Barr Lake
  The sun finally appeared at 11:00am!
  Two birders observed the Hooded Warbler at mile marker 8.8 (9:30am).
  I searched briefly, but could not relocate it.
  
  Common Loon (breeding plumage; As I hiked across the footbridge at 10:30am,
  The Common Loon was feeding 15 yards off shore to the north.)
  Harris's Sparrow (behind nature center)
  Least Flycatcher (mm 8.5; banding station)
  Swainson's Thrush (mm 8.2)
  Cordilleran Flycatcher (mm 8.0)
  Hermit Thrush (mm 7.5; boat ramp)
  Yellow-rumped Warbler (87+ at boat ramp)
  Orange-crowned Warbler (19, at boat ramp)
  Empidonax species (2, unidentified)
  
• Burrowing Owls
  4@ 0.5 miles south of Picadilly and 128 avenue
  1@ 0.7 miles east of Picadilly and 128 avenue
  5@ 3.4 miles east of Tower road and 96 avenue
  

Chatfield Reservoir 5/1

Around Denver 4/30

• Chatfield Reservoir:
  Northern Parula (male) Balloon launch area; western bridge to 50 yards east of bridge.
  Parula was followed by a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Thanks Norm Lewis for reporting bird!
  
  Northern Parula (male) A second one, 40 feet downstream from Waterton Canyon Bridge
  This bird was accompanied by three or four Orange-crowned Warblers
  and stayed high up in the trees. Thanks to Joey Kellner for reporting bird!
  
• Cherry Creek Reservoir:
  Glossy Ibis (flooded fields west of 12-mile picnic (group) area.
  It was briefly in puddle next to the road.
  A scope is necessary now that the whole field is flooded.
  Monday there was just a few puddles and 42 Ibis.
  Today there was 120+ Ibis scattered across the flooded field.
  
  The 15-minute video I took clearly shows blue and gray facial skin
  and red joints on gray-green legs.
  The website photo shows the fleshy skin does not extend behind the eye or under the chin.
  While the White-faced Ibis photo shows how the facial skin extends behind eye
  and under chin (and has white-feathered border).
  Among these 120+, Ibis were several immature White-faced Ibis.
  These lack the white-feathered border around the facial skin.
  They did exhibit the red facial skin that extends further
  than the grayish facial skin on a Glossy Ibis.
  

Birding Northern Colorado Again; 4/28

• Walden Ponds and Sawmill Ponds
  I had no luck in a three hour search for Little Blue Heron,
  but two American Bitterns were calling after the female observed Monday!
  
  American Bittern (2 males)
  Great Egret (3)
  Semi-palmated Sandpiper (8; at Bass Lake)
  Western Grebe (2)
  Yellow-headed Blackbird (many)
  
• South Boulder Creek
  Trumpeter Swan (immature)
  
• Gregory Canyon
  Two hour search produced few bird sightings!
  
• Thomas Lake (Boulder county)
  American White Pelican (2)
  
• Latham Reservoir
  Great-tailed Grackle (8; moved from south inlet to ranch to the west)
  Solitary Sandpiper
  Sandhill Crane (Probably still around because it appears to have bad leg)
  
• Beebe Draw Ponds
  Willet (11)
  Lesser Yellowlegs
  Greater Yellowlegs
  Solitary Sandpiper
  Great-tailed Grackle (2)
  Swainson's Hawk (2)
  
• Barr Lake
  Harris's Sparrow (nature center feeders)
  Orange-crowned Warbler (9+)
  Yellow-rumped Warbler (36+)
  House Wren (2)
  Chipping Sparrow (12+)
  Swainson's Hawk (an small invasion; 17+)
  Great Blue Heron
  
• Adams County Burrowing Owls
  2@ 0.5 miles south of Picadilly Road and 128th avenue
  2@ 3.4 miles east of Tower Road and 96th avenue
  

Cherry Creek Reservoir 4/27

Northern Colorado 4/26

• Walden Ponds/ Sawmill Ponds (Boulder) (foggy, 52 degrees, no wind)
  I searched four and a half hours for Little Blue Heron; without success!
  Highlight; video taping 8 minutes of male American Bittern romancing a female AMBI.
  
  American Bittern (2)
  Sora (1)
  Great Egret (2)
  Snowy Egret (1)
  Say's Phoebe
  American Tree Sparrow (2)
  
• Horseshoe/ Boyd Lake (Larimer)
  Caspian Tern
  Bonaparte's Gull (5)
  
• Pawnee National Grasslands (Weld) CR 51 and Hwy 14
  Long-billed Curlew (3)
  Mountain Plover (8)
  Burrowing Owl (2)
  Chestnut-collared Longspur (9+; 1.6 miles north of intersection)
  McCown's Longspur (1.8 miles north)
  
• PNG; CR 63/ CR 94
  Mountain Plover (2)
  Many McCown's Longspur
  
• PNG; Crow Valley Campground (by now, day was beautiful, sunny, 60 degrees)
  Hooded Warbler (male)
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  
• Latham Reservoir
  Not much!
  
• Beebe Draw Ponds
  4 species of sandpipers
  Burrowing Owl (2; CR 49/ CR 42)
  
• Adams County
  Burrowing Owl
  5@ Picadilly/ 128th; 0.5 miles south
  2@ Picadilly/ 128th, 0.7 miles east
  2@ 3.4 miles east of Tower/ 96th
  
• Barr Lake (Adams) (gorgeous sunset)
  Painted Bunting (male)
  Hooded Warbler (male)
  House Wren
  Harris's Sparrow
  

Barr Lake 4/24

• Barr Lake:
  Painted Bunting (male)
  Hooded Warbler (male) mile marker 8.9 to 8.7
  Golden-crowned Kinglet mm 8.8
  Hermit Thrush mm 8.8
  Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  Wilson's Warbler mm 8.5
  Harris's Sparrow (nature center feeders)
  Common Loon (northeast corner, observed from boat ramp)
  Swainson's Hawk (3)
  
• On the way to Barr Lake, we observed 24 Burrowing Owls:
  16@ 0.5 mile south of Picadilly road and 128th avenue
  3@ 0.7 miles east of Picadilly road and 128th avenue
  5@ 3.4 miles east of Tower road and 96 avenue
  
  Along this loop were two Loggerhead Shrikes.
  

Barr Lake 4/22

• I started at Barr Lake at 6:10am, highlights follow:
  
  Harris's Sparrow (feeders still)
  Sharp-shinned Hawk (mile marker 0.2)
  Audubon Warbler (male)
  Swainson's Hawk (3)
  Ruby-crowned Kinglet (mm 8.5; banding station)
  Orange-crowned Warbler (my first of 1999, mm 8.1)
  Spotted Towhee (14+)
  Townsend's Solitaire (3)
  Cooper's Hawk (attacked birds at feeders and sat on nearest fence post for several minutes)
  
  
• Ronan Brown's pasture (3.4 miles east of 96th avenue and Tower road)
  Burrowing Owl (2)
  
• 0.7 miles east of Picadilly road and 120th
  Burrowing Owl (2)
  
  I missed the Common Loon for second time; visibility was 20 feet over water.
  

Birding Colorado Mountains 4/19-4/20

April 19

• Georgetown
  Rosy Finch (7 Gray-crowned, 3 Brown-capped, no Black)
  I only hung around about 45 minutes.
  
• Guanella Pass
  White-tailed Ptarmigan (5+)
  Again, I stayed only 30 minutes
  just to check that they were still there after last week's snow storms.
  
• Yampa River Wildlife Area (hwy 14, 6 miles west of Hayden)
  Tree Swallow (400+) My first swallows of 1999, they put on quite a show.
  Sandhill Crane (20)
  
• Yampa Valley Airport
  Yellow-headed Blackbird (2)
  Sandhill Crane (27)
  
• Hayden Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek
  STGR (2 males with one more heard)
  Sandhill Crane (3)
  Vesper Sparrow (dozens)
  

April 20

• Coalmont Sage Grouse Lek
  SAGR (40 males, 7 females)
  
• Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge
  Osprey (my first of the year)
  Rough-legged Hawk (2, getting late in the year for them)
  Ferruginous Hawk
  Bald Eagle (2 adults)
  Mountain Plover (CR 32)
  My first ever, Mountain Plover observed in the mountains (mountain park that is).
  
• Lake John (14 miles west of Walden)
  Turkey Vulture (2, my first for 1999)
  
• Beebe Draw Ponds area
  Burrowing Owl (2) Just west of CR 49, on Weld CR 42
  Long-billed Dowitcher (2)
  
• Latham Reservoir
  I met up with Steve Messick and while we waiting
  for Short-eared Owls to appear (which they did not)
  Great Egret (1)
  Marbled Godwit (10)
  Sandhill Crane (1)
  White-faced Ibis (43+)
  

Barr Lake 4/15

• Intersection of 96th avenue and Tower road (3.4 miles east of here)
  Burrowing Owl (2) Thanks Ronan Brown
  
• Intersection of 120th and Picadilly Road (0.4 miles east of here)
  Burrowing Owl (1)
  
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Buckley and 56th avenue; 0.9 miles north of Eagle Watch Bunker)
  Burrowing Owl (2)
  
• Barr Lake (nothing spectacular, but several firsts for 1999 Barr Lake)
  Harris's Sparrow (feeders behind nature center; almost in adult plumage now)
  Swainson's Hawk (3)
  Brewer's Sparrow (3; mile marker 8.2)
  Lincoln's Sparrow (5+; mile marker 8.5; banding station)
  Swainson's Thrush (1; mile marker 8.1)
  Audubon Warbler (1 male in breeding plumage;
  it was enjoyable to hear the singing AUWA again)
  Bald Eagle (White-belly subadult)
  

Birding Clear Creek County 4/12

• Georgetown:
  At 6:15 am, there was a flock of 40+ Rosy Finches at the feeders at Rose and 2nd avenues.
  Most flew when I drove up, but some returned 10 minutes later.
  Brown-capped (3+)
  Gray-crowned (4+)
  I returned later at 10:00am and there were
  Black Rosy Finch (3)
  Brown-capped (2)
  Gray-crowned (4+)
  
• Guanella Pass
  Southeast of the southern parking area:
  White-tailed Ptarmigan (32+)
  My first viewing found 9-11 birds. I then hiked above them and could see at least 32.
  
• Guanella Pass Campground
  Three-toed Woodpecker
  I stopped at pullover overlooking campground on the way down from summit.
  The TTWO was working the dead tree right in front of me.
  I later snowshoed Last Dollar Lake Trail for one mile
  and heard a TTWO about 0.7 miles up trail.
  Pullover is 0.9 miles south of campground and LDLT is 0.3 miles south of campground.
  Later I hiked one mile north of campground, but had no further encounters with TTWOs.
  
  There were Pine Grosbeaks everywhere.
  Nine in Georgetown, three at pullover, and 6+ at Guanella Campground.
  
• An hour was spent at Echo Lake, without sighting the TTWO found there last week.
  

Birding Around DIA 4/10

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal
  Burrowing Owl (2) (0.9 miles north of Eagle Watch Bunker)
  
• Barr Lake
  Harris's Sparrow (behind nature center feeders)
  Great-tailed Grackle (1; nature center feeders)
  Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2; banding station area)
  
• Burrowing Owl (3; first bridge east of Picadilly and 120th)
  Rough-legged Hawk (chasing the Burrowing Owls)
  
• Short-eared Owl (1; 3.3 miles east of Tower Road and 96th)
  
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal
  Great Horned Owl
  

Northern Colorado 4/5-4/6 and 4/8

4/5

• South Boulder Creek
  Trumpeter Swan (immature is still there)
  
• Walden Ponds
  Sage Sparrow (At 3:30pm it was in the willows along pond,
  just west of ranger's office at Walden Ponds!)
  
• Horseshoe Lake
  Not much; one Lesser Yellowlegs
  
• Boyd Lake
  Lesser Black-backed Gull (just north of swim beach
  and at eastern end of sand spit!)
  Thayer's Gull (1st year; at swim beach)
  
• Ponds just north of Larimer CR 32 and CR 11
  Long-billed Dowitcher (1)
  Greater Yellowlegs (1)
  Lesser Yellowlegs (10+)
  Solitary Sandpiper (1)
  American Avocet (2)
  
• Windsor Reservoir
  Not much!
  
• Timnath Reservoir
  Not much!
  
• Wellington Wildlife Area
  Northern Saw-whet Owl (west of northeast parking area)
  
• Cameron Pass
  Boreal Owl (One heard from eastern end of summit parking area)
  

4/6

• USDA Experimental Center (Pawnee National Grasslands CR 114/39)
  Northern Mockingbird (1)
  Rough-legged Hawk (3; interesting to see them so late into year!
  
• Pawnee National Grasslands (CR 114/ CR 49; 0.5 miles north)
  McCown's Longspur
  
• PNG (CR 51; 1.8 miles north of Hwy 14)
  Mountain Plover (2)
  
• PNG (CR 90; 0.2 miles east of CR 51)
  Mountain Plover (10+)
  Sandhill Crane (9 flew overhead)
  
• PNG (CR 90; 0.1 miles west of CR 49)
  Mountain Plover (1)
  

4/8

• Latham Reservoir
  Not much!
  
• Along Weld CR 74
  McCown's Longspur
  Chestnut-collared Longspur
  
• Crow Valley
  Not much!
  
• Weld CR 90; 0.2 miles east of CR 51)
  Mountain Plover (6+)
  
• Weld CR 51; 1.8 miles north of hwy 14)
  Mountain Plover (2)
  

Chatfield Reservoir 4/3

Around Barr Lake 4/2