Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
November 2002
Cherry Creek Reservoir 11/30
Rebecca Kosten & I stopped by Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County) while doing chores. We stayed about 2 hours.
None of yesterday's loons could be found.
We did see an adult male Barrow's Goldeneye from the picnic area
in the southwest corner (tables have gull shaped overhangs).
The 7 Long-tailed Ducks were in the cove northwest of the swim beach.
Gulls were split in four groups and mostly too far away to identify.
Groups, sandbar 100 yards north of the southwest marina; the middle
of the reservoir; sandbar in southeast corner; and swim beach.
Arapahoe County Reservoirs 11/29
What a beautiful winter day to enjoy by birding.
Temperatures almost reached 60 degrees.
Winds varied from 10 mph to 40+ mph.
First light found me at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
The seven Long-tailed Ducks were again in the cove northwest of
the swim beach. I could not pick out any Barrow's Goldeneyes in
the 150+ Common Goldeneyes to the south. Also the Trumpeter Swan
that I digiscoped last evening was nowhere to be found.
Over 2000 gulls stood on the swim beach at 7:30am. Most were
Ring-billed Gulls and several dozen California Gulls. One gull
with a small head and short bill caught my attention.
The bird was a second winter Mew Gull.
From the southern point of the swim beach I could see a Common Loon
and Pacific Loon. They were in the cove west of the Lake Loop.
Hundreds of gulls and geese swam in the distance. Other birds
identified were 2+ Eared Grebes, 4+ Herring Gulls, 100s of
Western Grebes, 14 Red-breasted Mergansers, hundreds of
Common Mergansers, and 3 Double-crested Cormorants.
I found no Bonaparte's Gulls.
Next I met Bryan Ehlmann, Gary Weston, and Steve Spencer at
Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe), 10 miles east-southeast of
Cherry Creek Reservoir. We hiked the 7.8 miles around the lake.
Of course the distance is longer when walking the shoreline.
New birds for the month were 2 first winter male White-winged Scoters.
These were not part of the 4 White-winged Scoters reported last Friday
(all of which were female/immature birds).
The adult Great Black-backed Gull was swimming in the middle of
the reservoir. Two Common Loons also were observed. They did not
stay together as had been the case last Friday. One Pacific Loon was
also found below the dam (northern area of lake).
Other birds observed included 3 Western Grebes, 2 Eared Grebes,
14 Red-breasted Mergansers, dozens of Common Mergansers,
17 Hooded Mergansers, 9 Redheaded Ducks, 28 Ruddy Ducks,
hundreds of Canada Geese, hundreds of Common Goldeneyes,
and 1200+ gulls (mostly Ring-billed, 8 California, 6 Herring).
A first year male Northern Harrier frequently flew across
the reservoir from east to west.
Along the shore we counted 193 American Tree Sparrows,
2 Song Sparrows, and 81 Horned Larks. No Snow Buntings :-(
Bryan Ehlmann & I ended our birding day by walking four miles
of the South Platte River at 88th avenue. Many ducks were in
the river and lakes. The only uncommon bird found was a male
Barrow's Goldeneye. He was in the middle of the most northern
East Gravel Lake. A possible female was with him (we did not
bring our scopes and were not positive of the id).
Return to Standley Lake 11/28
After our thanksgiving feast, eight of us decided to walk the South Platte
River at 88th avenue (Adams County). The weather has been mild and
none of the many ponds have frozen yet. As a result, the waterfowl are
scattered among many locations. We did not find any uncommon birds today.
This is a traditional Barrow's Goldeneye wintering location and
occasionally a Long-tailed Duck makes an appearance.
We received a phone call that the Tundra Swans were still at Standley Lake
(Jefferson County) and that was our next destination. We hiked up to the
gazebo northeast of the most western parking area. (This was the mistake
I made yesterday as I stayed along the shoreline and could not see the
far northwest bay and shoreline). It took us just a few minutes to find
the 2 Tundra Swans, which were standing on the northwest shore.
One of the birds even swam out and gave us a better look.
Our last stop was Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Thousands of geese
and other waterfowl were hundreds of yards offshore. We did not identify
any Long-tailed Ducks, Barrow's Goldeneyes, or loons. The birds were
so thick, that identification was difficult. As we scoped from the southeast
end of the swim beach, a Trumpeter Swan flew into the cove northwest
of the swim beach. I managed to take several photos by circling around
through the woods north of the swim beach.
That was the end of our great thanksgiving day!
Much turkey, good friends, and a couple of nice bird sightings!
Standley Lake 11/27
I finally made it over to Standley Lake (Jefferson County) today.
The weather was windy; temperatures were in the high 30s.
I did not find the Tundra Swans reported today and Monday.
I did find a lone Common Loon off in the distance.
The Black Scoters were also not found by me.
Six Red-breasted and a couple of Common Mergansers were seen.
No uncommon gulls could be picked out.
Chatfield Reservoir 11/26
Bryan Ehlmann & I planned to drive down to Chatfield Reservoir to
check on loons and then Standley Lake to check on Scoters & Swans.
Unfortunately we ran into traffic and only made it to Chatfield Reservoir.
We observed only two loons, both of which were Common Loons.
If the Yellow-billed Loon is still around, it was not found.
Not much else was found in the 1.5 hours of light remaining.
Return to the Western Slope 11/23-11/25
Rebecca Kosten & I went to see the Broad-billed Hummingbird in Clifton again.
Saturday 11/23
All three species of Rosy Finches came to the feeder near Lift #1 at
Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek County) during our brief stop.
We next stopped in Clifton (Mesa) and enjoyed great views of the female
Broad-billed Hummingbird. Perhaps she will stay the entire winter.
Bryan Ehlmann & Sue Dorsey joined us and we headed to Baxter Pass.
Along the way we observed the Western Screech-Owl on 23 Road in
Grand Junction. On Baxter Pass we observed a Northern Saw-whet Owl!
Further owl searches came up empty.
We followed our friends to De Beque and then drove Sunnyside Road.
One Northern Saw-whet Owl was heard about 9:00pm (south of De Beque).
Bryan & Sue continued toward Glenwood Springs and we returned
to Grand Junction.
Sunday 11/24
We found our Gambel's Quail for 2002 at the picnic area just inside
the southwest entrance to the Colorado National Monument.
Not much else was moving about during our 2-hour stay.
Our next stop was Confluence Park in Delta (Delta County).
The Western Screech-Owl, Common Loon, and Ross's Geese
were just where Bryan and Sue said they were!
A Common Loon remained at Sweitzer Lake State Park also.
Another look at the Broad-billed Hummingbird and we headed to
the Grand Mesa to search for owls. None were heard during several
hours of searching. High winds made hearing anything almost impossible.
Monday 11/25
We snowshoed up several trails and around mile marker 34 of highway 65
in search of White-winged Crossbills and/or Blue Grouse. Neither was found.
A Northern Goshawk flew through the woods at mm 34. Mile marker 34 has
several White-winged Crossbill reports in past years.
Because we had chores in the area, we were back at Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe County) at sunset. The Rusty Blackbird reported several days ago,
could not be located. The 7 Long-tailed Ducks and Common Loon are still
at the reservoir. We could not pick out any Bonaparte's Gulls.
Beautiful Day At Arapahoe County Reservoirs 11/22
What a beautiful winter day we enjoyed Friday.
Winds remained mild and the temperature reached 72 degrees.
I drove down to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) at first light.
The 7 Long-tailed Ducks were swimming just off shore in the cove northwest
of the swim beach. Two male Barrow's Goldeneyes were here also.
Again I could not pick out the reported females among the 80+ Goldeneyes.
Lisa Edwards and I watched the Arctic Loon from 7:45am to 8:10am as we
stood off the southwest end of the swim beach. The bird dove frequently.
However it stopped for 5 or 6 minutes and put on quite a show for us.
The bird swam back and forth; several times it exercised it wings.
The water was somewhat calm which revealed the white flanks of an Arctic Loon.
After picking up Rebecca Kosten from DIA (Denver International Airport),
I lead the CoBus bird trip to Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
Gary and Dianne Weston joined us and we enjoyed several surprises
and the great weather. We hiked around the 7.8-mile lake; it is
the only way to see down the three or four coves at the southern end.
Two Common Loons swam below the dam at mile marker 6.5 (middle of the dam).
Two Pacific Loons worked the western edge of the lake at mm 7.5.
The adult Great Black-backed Gull, which has been around for several
weeks now, was chased around by numerous fishermen in boats.
The bird was observed at mm 4.5 and 1.5. Half a dozen adult and
several juvenile Herring Gulls moved about. The one legged
(actually 1.5 legged) adult Herring Gull was at the scuba area
(same location as my last visit; photos on the CoBus Photo library).
The best surprise of the day was the sighting of 4 White-winged Scoters.
We were scoping the reservoir from mm 3.5 at the time.
The White-winged Scoters stayed toward the middle of the reservoir;
but they moved from 300 yards of the north and south ends.
Eventually all four stretched their wings and gave us
nice looks at their white wing patches.
Two flocks of 80+ Horned Larks flew about the eastern side.
No Snow Buntings were unfortunately found among them.
Quite a few American Tree Sparrows were observed (total number 95+).
No additional sparrows were counted today.
As we left at 4:00pm, the Common Loons and Pacific Loons could be
seen at one time in our scopes. They were 200 yards south of
the dam, mm 6.5. The wind died down and the water looked like glass.
The many Common Goldeneyes, Redheads, Common Mergansers, 2 males
and 6 female/immature Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, and Mallards
were then easily observed from the western shore.
A male Northern Harrier flew over our car as we left the City Reservoir.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 11/21
I birded Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) four hours.
Many birders observed the Arctic Loon, which most likely came from
Lake Walker (approximately 15 miles south as the Crow/Loon flies).
The seven Long-tailed Ducks continue to swim around in the cove
northeast of the swim beach. Two male Barrow's Goldeneyes were
also observed while watching the Long-tailed Ducks. I could not
pick out any female Barrow's Goldeneyes.
Six Double-crested Cormorants remain at the reservoir also.
A beautiful Colorado Winter Day 11/20
Our birding trip today started with watching the Arctic Loon
at Lake Walker (Douglas County) at first light.
Next we traveled to Guanella Pass (Clear Creek). We could not find
a Three-toed Woodpecker at the campground below the summit and
continued upward. Twelve or more White-tailed Ptarmigan were
found up the Rosalie Trail. It took only 45 minutes, which
was nice since my last three searches of 4 hours came up empty.
Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek) was slow today. Only four Gray-crowned,
2 Brown-capped, and 1 Black Rosy Finches showed up during our 2-hour stay.
Our birding day ended with a hike at Lair 'O the Bear Park (Jefferson).
We hiked from Lair to Little Park (approximately a mile east).
Two or three American Dippers searched for food in cold Bear Creek.
A Great Horned Owl screeched horribly loud at my pitiful Northern
Pygmy-Owl call. The surprise of the hike was the appearance of ten
Bushtits (approx. 100 yards east of the parking area).
Western Slope Bird Trip 11/16-11/19
Saturday 16
After birding with Paul Langendorfer at Aurora Reservoir Saturday morning,
I headed toward Grand Junction to see the Broad-billed Hummingbird.
I stopped at Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek) for 30 minutes to watch
the feeder below lift #1. A flock of Rosy Finches coming to the feeder
included 3 Black, 9 Brown-capped, and 40+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches.
Three male and two female Pine Grosbeaks also visited.
My next stop was the Blue River Waste Treatment Plant in Silverthorne
(Clear Creek). The pond is located 3.0 miles north of I70. Two males &
1 female Barrow's Goldeneyes were among the 30 ducks on the small pond.
Aeration of the pond keeps this small body of water open in the winter.
After dark I spent two hours driving south on Sunnyside Road south of
De Beque (Mesa County). I could not find any Northern Saw-whet Owls
during the search.
Sunday 17
First light found me at Fruita State Park (Mesa County).
A lone Common Loon swam in the lake. A Peregrine Falcon
stood in a cottonwood tree along the Colorado River.
My next stop was the house at 576 34 Road in Clifton.
The Broad-billed Hummingbird was quite cooperative.
She visited the feeder about every 15 minutes or so.
Next I drove over to Mesa County Road G.4 in Palisade.
Four Lewis's Woodpeckers were in the two large
cottonwood trees across the street from Pope's Orchard.
I backed tracked after this and headed to Grand Junction
northwest of the airport. A cooperative Western Screech-Owl
stood in a hole of an old cottonwood tree along Road 23.
My next stop was Cameo. I drove 2 miles up the Book cliffs south
of the power plant. The area was not birdy; 3 Rock Wrens were the
only birds observed. I stopped at the west end of the power plant
on the return to I70. The field here contained many White-crowned,
4 Song, and 2 American Tree Sparrows. Two Chukars walked by
during my 45-minute stop.
Just east of Cameo is the Grand Island section of the Colorado River
State Park system. A Western Scrub Jay was the only bird found.
After dark I drove up the Grand Mesa in search of owls.
Stops at several locations of previous Boreal and
Flammulated Owl reports were not productive this night.
Monday 18
Before sunrise I hiked the bike path west from Frisco (Summit).
Again no owls were found.
A male and female Barrow's Goldeneye were still at the Blue River W.T.P.
My wait at 409 South 5th Street in Kremmling was only 30 minutes
before a flock of Rosy Finches appeared. The flock included at
least 7 Black, 2 Brown-capped, and 17 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches.
Several American Tree Sparrows came to the yard also.
From here I headed to Grand Lake (Grand). Six male and 4 female
Barrow's Goldeneyes swam around the northwest end of the lake.
I next took the road around the northeastern end.
Many Cassin's Finches and 2 Gray Jays were found.
No woodpeckers or Northern Goshawks were around.
After dark I again struck out on hearing any owls.
Tuesday 19
The next goal was to find a place to watch the Leonid Meteor Shower.
Jackson Lake State Park (Morgan County) was chosen. The views
were great from the northern end of the campgrounds at the
western side of the lake. I watched from 3:00-4:00am and
was not disappointed in the show.
At 4:00am I walked the south side of the dam (lined with old cottonwoods).
The Eastern Screech-Owl that called on past days did not tonight.
At 6:30am I was back at the northern end of the campgrounds.
In past years, Short-eared Owls flew across the fields to
the north. However none did this morning.
I searched the campgrounds for several hours after first light.
Only one Long-eared Owl was found. Surprisingly I could not find
any sparrows. The predominant birds were the 300 American Robins.
Unfortunately no Varied Thrushes were among them.
Thousands of ducks and geese were out on the water.
Nothing uncommon was found. I walked the southern side of
the dam in search of Snow Buntings; none were found today.
I drove up the roads north of Riverside Reservoir (Morgan)
hoping for a Snowy Owl. Several flocks of Horned Larks
included a dozen Lapland Longspurs. A Prairie Falcon and
two Rough-legged Hawks were encountered along the way.
Crow Valley Campground (Weld) was quiet. An immature
White-throated Sparrow was the only interesting bird around.
My birding day ended with a drive up Rist Canyon (Larimer)
in search of Northern Pygmy-Owls. Again I found none.
Arapahoe County Reservoirs 11/16
Paul Langendorfer & I birded several Arapahoe County
Reservoirs on this chilly Saturday morning.
At Aurora Reservoir, we did not take the time to circle the whole
reservoir, but did hike the east side (from mile marker 6.0 to 3.5).
We observed a Pacific Loon below the dam in the northwest corner (mm 6.8).
The adult Great Black-backed Gull was at the shore at mile marker 5.5.
Two Common Loons were in the cove at mile marker 3.0. Many ducks, geese,
and grebes were here today. Five Red-breasted Mergansers were among them.
At Cherry Creek Reservoir, the 7 Long-tailed Ducks were between the swim
beach and picnic area to the east. A lone Ruddy Duck swam off the shore
at the southwest picnic area (tables with "gull" wings as covers).
A female Barrow's Goldeneye was further out with a raft of Common Goldeneyes.
Aurora Reservoir 11/15
Gary Weston and I went to Aurora Reservoir Friday morning. We really
wanted to go for the Broad-billed Hummingbird in Clifton, however the
snowy weather made us change our minds. The weather at Aurora
Reservoir was mixed. We saw snow, rain, clouds, and partly sunny skies.
The Surf Scoters are still there. Four of them were in the middle
of the reservoir and two others in the cove at mile marker 3.0.
Quite a few gulls were around also. The Great Black-backed Gull
reported last week by Gary was at the shoreline near mile marker 4.0.
The bird stood a head above the Ring-billed and California Gulls around it.
Two Common Loons swam in the cove at mile marker 3.5. We did not
see any Pacific Loons, Red-necked Grebe or the Barrow's Goldeneye
reported last Friday.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 11/14
I stopped by Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) twice.
In the morning, six Long-tailed Ducks were along the shore (at picnic
tables) east of the swim beach. At sunset, all 7 Long-tailed Ducks
were 300 yards west of the dam’s tower (toward southwest marina)
and 60 yards offshore. I found no other uncommon birds.
Four thousand Canada Geese at Utah Park (Arapahoe) did not
have a Brant or Greater White-fronted Goose with them.
Cold birding Day 11/4
Sue Dorsey and I birded around Denver Monday morning.
Before first light, we searched for Eastern Screech-Owls and Long-eared Owls
at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson County); without success. After sunrise,
we found at least one Swamp Sparrow at the inlet canal at the southern end
of Prospect Lake. We followed one bird to the grasses north of the restroom
and less than 20 seconds later observed another at the bike path/inlet canal.
It did not seem possible that the same bird managed to get behind us (however?).
Our next stop was Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). The previously reported
Swamp Sparrow at the bird platform at the Prairie Loop did not make an
appearance. The Long-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plover were gone also.
We did see at least one Common Loon. At least 10 Bonaparte's Gulls flew over
the southwest marina. The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull that has been reported
here and at Aurora Reservoir was back at the sandbar north of the marina.
Note: there is also a California Gull with a much darker mantle than the
other California Gulls around. No Thayer's Gulls today, but several adult
and younger Herring Gulls were there also. We did not take the time to
drive around the reservoir and check the swim beach and southeast corner.
Both distant locations had many gulls.
Next we headed up to Loveland and Boyd Lake (Larimer). The Yellow-billed Loon
was swimming in the southeast corner. Several Bonaparte's Gulls and an adult
Lesser Black-backed Gull were here also.
We scoped Horseshoe Lake (across road from Boyd Lake) for about 30 minutes.
The White-winged Scoter was not found. Several Bonaparte's Gulls were here.
I also picked out at least 2 male and a female Greater Scaups and a dozen
Red-breasted Mergansers. Hundreds of Lesser Scaups, some Common Goldeneyes,
and Buffleheads were here with many gulls (half of which were too far away
to properly identify). We did not have the time to bird from the east side
which has limited access due to private properties.
Boulder County 11/3
Holland birder Anton Zink & I birded in Boulder County Sunday.
After the thick morning fog disappeared, the day was pleasant.
Winds were mild; temperatures almost reached 40 degrees.
We sat in front of the Bed & Breakfast Lodge in Allenspark at
first light. No Rosy Finches showed up, but we did see many
Pine Siskins, Mountain Chickadees, 1 male Evening Grosbeak,
1 Clark's Nutcracker, and a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers.
At Meadow Park in Lyons, we watched an adult Golden Eagle soar overhead.
A Canyon Wren called from the rocks near the entrance to the park.
One Downy Woodpecker was found in feeders across the street.
We stopped at the corner of Pike & 75 Street near Lagerman Reservoir.
The immature Harris's Sparrow and a dozen American Tree Sparrows
came out of the few evergreen trees here. They searched for food
across the street to the south and returned to the evergreen trees.
Our next stop was the north end of Walden Ponds (75 street and
Boulder Creek). Thanks to Bill & Jim Schmoker, they gave us the
exact location of the Northern Waterthrush. The bird was on the south
side of the creek and only 70 yards from the bridge over 75th street.
The final stop of the day was the Walker burn at Mile marker 8.0 of
Flagstaff Mountain Park (west end of Baseline Road).
One Three-toed Woodpecker called right at the mile marker.
Clear Creek Rosy Finches 11/2
Holland birder Anton Vink & I traveled to the mountains and foothills.
Weather included cold temperatures and several snow storms.
We were fortunate at Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek County).
The Rosy Finches were visiting the feeder near Lift #1 as we
pulled into the parking area. The flock included 35 Gray-crowned,
4 Brown-capped, and 1 immature Black Rosy Finch. One male
Pine Grosbeak stayed at the feeder during our stay.
We found no Rosy Finches at Silver Plume today.
Unfortunately Guanella Pass road was closed.
With Saturday nights snow, the road will be closed Sunday also.
At Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson), we did not find the
Eastern Screech-Owl. However 2 1st winter Swamp Sparrows
made the stop worthwhile. The birds were in the grasses
and cattails along the southern inlet to Prospect Lake.
Several Denver Reservoirs 11/1
Daniela Heck-Garrett and I checked on several reservoirs around
Denver today. Weather was COLD and windy (the high was 21 degrees).
At Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas Counties), we did not find
any of the scoters reported two days ago. We did see 8 Common Loons
and 2 Pacific Loons! These were observed from the old heron rookery.
Flocks of Mountain Bluebirds were observed near the restroom at the old
heron rookery and just south of the boat rental building at the southeast
marina. Several Red-tailed Hawks stood sentinel along the main road.
At Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe), we found no scoters or the
Red-necked Grebe. Several Bonaparte's Gulls flew over the southwest marina.
A 1st winter Thayer's Gull stood on the sandbar 100 yards north of the marina.
A Common Loon was observed from the birding platform at the Prairie Loop.
The 10 Long-billed Dowitchers and 4 Wilson's Snipes were here also.
We could not find the Black-bellied Plover or Swamp Sparrow.
A Rough-legged Hawk was along the main road.
Double-crested Cormorants remain at both reservoirs.
Western Grebes were many; Pied-billed Grebes were at both.
More Bird Trips
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