Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
October 2001
Cherry Creek Reservoir 10/31
I spent the last two hours of daylight at Cherry Creek Reservoir.
Winds were 20 mph plus and temperatures were around 70.
One Common Loon swam about 300 yards westward of the dam's tower.
A Pacific Loon was under the dam's tower and later was observed
swimming along the shoreline north of the tower.
I worked my way around the reservoir and observed a second
Common Loon in the area east of the Lake Loop parking area.
There were plenty of gulls at the swim beach, however they were
mostly Ring-billed with eight or nine California Gulls.
Several dozen gulls stood on the telephone poles defining
the southwest marina. Again most were Ring-billed, a few
California, and one 1st winter Thayer's Gull.
My day ended under another beautiful Colorado late fall sunset!
The bird of the day showed up at my house before I departed for
Cherry Creek Reservoir. A White-winged Junco stopped by for
about ten minutes. It was the only bird at my feeders.
Standley Lake 10/30
I spent 6 hours hiking the southern and northern sides of Standley Lake
(Jefferson County) Tuesday. Winds were slight and temperatures rose
from the high 50s to low 70s.
I observed at least 15 Common Loons (that could be seen at one time)
while hiking the south side from 7:00-9:00am.
The northwest finger of water could be seen from the bench up the hill
from the southern most end of the reservoir. A better view of this
section was seen by walking west to the fence line. The Red-throated Loon,
Pacific Loon, and 2 Common Loons were off in the distance (scope was needed).
Many gulls stood on the sand spit. One Bonaparte's Gull flew from there
to overhead. During my 6-hour stay, I believe the Red-throated Loon
did not leave this area. I watched the bird for 30 minutes or so!
The plan was to circle the reservoir to get a better look at this section.
Unfortunately, when I reached the area, it was closed because of the
Eagle Nesting Area. I did get brief but unsatisfactory view of the
Pacific Loon from just east of Pelican Island. The Red-throated Loon
could not be seen from here (and much of the water was not viewable either).
No additional uncommon birds were observed during the hike.
My birding day ended at Colorado Blvd and 88th avenue (Adams County).
I circled the South Platte River from the parking area to Interstate 270
and back. A Common Loon was on East Gravel Lakes near sunset.
No Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the Platte yet. It is early for them
to show up for winter here. No Long-tailed Ducks were found either.
Jefferson County 10/29
Congratulations Loch on observing the good birds on Standley Lake!
I had planned to be there in the afternoon however was sidetracked.
I parked at Deer Creek Canyon Road at 6:00am and hiked completely around
Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas Counties) first by way of the dam.
This is only possible during the season when Plum Creek is low at its delta.
Temperature was 43 degrees and slightly breezy when I started; during the
six-hour hike the high reached 60 degrees and winds calmed.
For the first couple of miles over the dam and then at Plum Creek Delta,
I observed few birds. Winds were calm and the water surface looked like
glass. A flock of 7 Lapland Longspurs jumped up from the tall grasses along
the gravel road on top of the dam. When I arrived at sand spit west of
Plum Creek Delta, the usual flock of Canada Geese and two Pied-billed Grebes
were observed. One adult Herring Gull fed on the abandoned carp.
The sand spit had many Ring-billed, 3 California, a 2nd adult Herring, and
11 Bonaparte's Gulls. If anyone goes there, check the Bonaparte's Gulls
closely. I observed an interesting gull, which I do not want to speculate
on until my friend who lives on the Atlantic coast looks at the photos
I sent him. No other birds were in the southeast marina area.
Continuing around the reservoir's shoreline, the majority of grebes
were below the cliffs at the museum type cabin at the maintenance
office area. The Red-necked Grebe was easy to pick out.
I observed the six grebes common to Colorado (Pied-billed, Horned,
Eared, Western, Red-necked, and 2 Clark's Grebes). The Clark's Grebes
were the most difficult to pick out of the hundreds of birds.
Eight American White Pelicans, three Great Blue Herons, and five
Double-crested Cormorants were also on sand spits at this end of
the reservoir. Another flock of Canada Geese fed in the southwest
corner and were being watched closely by a Coyote!
I climbed up the cliffs and continued around to the Kingfisher
Bridge area. The Palm Warbler reported Saturday was not found today.
As I returned to my car, I observed a Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk,
one Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk, and one adult Bald Eagle.
No warblers, wrens, catbirds, towhees, were found.
I next drove north up Wadsworth 5.5 miles to Marsten Reservoir (Denver).
I walked the western side from southern end to northern end.
One Common Loon (south end) and no Scoters were found.
A quick stop at Belmar Historic Park (Jefferson) did not add
any birds to my day list. I then let traffic deter me from
a trip up to Standley Lake and headed for home.
Eastern Plains 10/27-28
B. Ehlmann, S. Spencer, S. Owdom, and M. Williams and I spent the weekend
birding in the northeast corner of Colorado. Temperatures were in the 60s and
winds were calm for the most part. The nights however, were quite cold (into
middle 20s). The crisp fresh cold air smelled great (I live in Denver).
Saturday 27
A four-hour search along the Sedgwick county roads did not produce a
Sprague's Pipit sighting. We did find several flocks of American Pipits.
The only sparrows sighted were American Tree and White-crowned Sparrows.
We also found 28 McCown's Longspur with a flock of Horned Lark.
Several miles southeast, we found 7 Lapland Longspurs accompanying
another flock of Horned Lark.
We worked our way south to Sand Draw wildlife area (Sedgwick County).
While hiking here for an hour, we observed six Red Crossbills (feeding on
thistles), three Spotted Towhees, one Northern Shrike and a male
American Kestrel. Sparrows were scarce here today.
Our next stop was back north at Julesburg Wayside Rest Stop (Sedgwick).
No birds were found here, so we crossed the highway to DePoorter Lake.
Fourteen Northern Bobwhites were kicked up while walking southeast to
the South Platte River. Two immature Harris's Sparrows were found in
the higher weeds along the riverbank. Two Spotted Towhees and many
White-crowned Sparrows were also in the area.
We drove on to a private ranch where the owner had spotted Harris's
and White-throated Sparrows earlier in the day. He was able to
show us two White-throated Sparrows and an immature Harris's Sparrow!
We had a plentiful barbecue while watching a colorful sunset.
Winds were calm and so was the serene moment!
Sunday 28
Our plan was to be at Sedgwick Cemetery (Sedgwick County) at first light.
Short-eared Owls have been observed here several times in the past,
however we found none today. The cemetery had 18 Cedar Waxwings,
2 Spotted Towhees, a Great Horned Owl, and many White-crowned Sparrows.
We back tracked next to Ovid. No Northern Cardinals were found today;
a female Red-bellied Woodpecker worked her way south down the woods
behind the high school maintenance buildings. No uncommon sparrows
could be found here or the sewage ponds (permission needed to bird ponds).
Two Burrowing Owls were observed along highway 138 as we drove toward
Jumbo Reservoir. It is getting late for them; we wondered if any will
stay until November? Maybe another trip is required before winter?
A Common Loon swam at the northeast end of Jumbo Reservoir (Logan).
Two Bonaparte's Gulls were picked out of the many birds flying around
the eastern side near the outlet canal. No birds were in the eastern
campgrounds. (We observed the area from the woods because much of
the area is closed due to a plague affecting the Prairie Dogs).
Our next stop was Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan).
Shorebirds were few and mostly Baird's Sandpipers (2 Western Sandpipers).
One Bonaparte's Gull flew by along with a dozen Franklin's Gulls (first
observed several weeks ago). Hunters kept us from getting too close to
the shoreline for a better inspection of the sandpipers.
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) was our next stop. The many shorebirds from
two weeks ago seem to have departed. We walked to the southeast corner
where 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 20 Baird's Sandpipers, 8 Long-billed Dowitchers,
and a Least Sandpiper were feeding. American Avocet, American White Pelican,
and Double-crested Cormorant numbers were down.
Our birding day ended at Barr Lake (Adams). We did not find the Surf Scoter
found Friday; nor did we locate the Pacific Loon and Swamp Sparrow reported
Saturday by B. Spencer. Few birds flew about the thickets near the banding
station. We did see a late House Wren and Lincoln's Sparrow.
Front Range Birding 10/26
Bucky Daniels, Donna Fortney, and I searched for Three-toed Woodpeckers
in Jefferson County this morning. The temperatures were in the cool
middle 40-degree range; winds were calm.
We were fortunate to locate a male Three-toed Woodpecker in the first
30 minutes of our search. The bird was 20 feet south of trail and
300 yards west of the plank bridge over Buck Creek (along the Skipper Trail).
We did not locate any additional birds in the next hour. While driving out
of the area, a Northern Goshawk flew across the road just west of the
intersection of Forest Roads 550 & 553 (my second NOGO of the week!).
Our trek took us next to the summit of Guanella Pass (Clear Creek County).
Bucky and I hiked the area for 2 hours searching for White-tailed Ptarmigan.
We could not find any birds this morning. No Three-toed Woodpeckers could
be found in a brief 30-minute stop at Guanella Pass Campground.
No Rosy Finches were found in short stops in Georgetown and Silver Plume.
After dropping Bucky off at the airport, Donna and I drove my favorite
owl loop North of DIA. No burrowing owls have been found now in
my last three trips in the area (last birds sighted 10/14).
We scoped several flocks of Horned Larks in hope of finding some longspurs.
No longspurs were picked out of the three large flocks we came upon.
Donna and I made a lucky choice and stopped at Barr Lake State Park
the last one hour of daylight. We hoped to find a loon from the boat ramp.
We scoped the area below the dam and a Surf Scoter was swimming and
diving below and approximately halfway up the dam from us!
While watching the scoter, we observed two Bonaparte's Gulls fly
by us several times! This turned out to be a most fortunate stop!
Birding Front Range 10/25
Bucky Daniels and I birded several front range locations today. While it
was cool, winds were calm and quite a change from the last three windy days.
At Lair o' Bear Park (Jefferson County) we found two American Dippers in the
first 10 minutes of our stop. Mountain Chickadees were the only other birds
found around the park. We heard and later spotted a Canyon Wren while hiking
west for about a mile. The Canyon Wren was just west of a wooden bridge.
Our next stop was Mt. Evans Wildlife area (Jefferson). We hiked in the
area of last summers' Back-backed Woodpecker sighting. We found a male
Three-toed Woodpecker approximately 50 yards downhill from the BBWO reported
location. A Hermit Thrush and four Clark's Nutcrackers were observed during
our woodpecker search.
As we returned to our automobile, a Northern Goshawk flew across the path
(uphill and west of the restroom). This was the bird for the day!
After eating lunch in Evergreen, we ended our birding day at Mt. Falcon Park.
Another of the Jefferson County Open Space Parks in Jefferson County.
A Cooper's Hawk flew across the road just before the entrance to the park.
The park contained many Townsend's Solitaires and all three nuthatches.
Four lifebirds for Bucky, it is always a thrill to find White-breasted,
Red-breasted, and Pygmy Nuthatches all in the same place!
The park also contained two male Hairy Woodpeckers! We stayed until dusk
in hopes of finding a Northern Pygmy Owl; none made an appearance tonight.
Metro Reservoirs 10/24
I decided to check metro reservoirs for Loons today. The high temperature
was 52 degrees; winds stayed around 20 mph most of the day.
Prospect Pond and Tabor Lake (Jefferson County) had few waterbirds today.
Standley Lake (Jefferson) contained many gulls, nothing uncommon.
Marsten Reservoir (Jefferson) had many common gulls, however no loons.
McClellan Reservoir did not have any loons or gulls this morning.
Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson) also had the same birds as Monday 22.
Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) did not produce any loon sightings.
Barr Lake (Adams) also did not seem to have any loons.
Birding remained slow this week. Loons seem to show up for a day and then
leave. No uncommon gulls are on the area reservoirs yet. A few Pelicans
(American White) and Double-crested Cormorants remain in the area.
Warblers are scarce (even Yellow-rumped Warblers).
Barr Lake 10/23
Sue Dorsey and I birded Adams County this morning.
The temperatures were in the 50s and winds were 30 mph.
It felt cold.
We found few birds at Barr Lake. A flock of 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets at
were spotted at mile marker 8.0. Two Townsend's Solitaires and two
Yellow-rumped Warblers were among the few other birds observed.
A Common Snipe was observed near outlet canal #7 while we hiked below the dam.
No uncommon sandpipers or gulls were found while hiking the northern shoreline.
Next we drove my favorite owl loop and checked five Prairie Dog Villages
north of DIA. No Burrowing Owls have been observed since October 14.
They may have migrated south for the winter season.
One Rough-legged Hawk stood on a telephone near the gasoline tanks.
We ended our trip at Bluff Lake Nature Area (Denver County).
The only sandpiper found was a Greater Yellowlegs.
The northern woods contained no birds!
Chatfield Reservoir 10/22
I spent 7 hours at Chatfield Reservoir this morning (starting at 6:30am).
Sunrise was miscalculated for some reason; it was dark until 7:00am.
Winds were calm during my stay; temperatures in the 50s to 60s.
I enjoyed the beautiful day in spite of few uncommon birds were found.
A flock of birds just west of the Plum Creek Delta area included
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and 14 Ruby-crowned Kinglets (at least 2 males).
No uncommon gulls, no loons, no owls, and only one warbler (yellow-rumped)
were found today. Eight California Gulls were among 100s of Ring-billed.
I could not even find a hawk. It was a beautiful fall day however!
The most interesting event of the day was spotting a dark Ammodramus sparrow.
The bird did not appear to be a Grasshopper Sparrow; I did not get a long
enough look to name the species. I walked for an hour in the tall grasses
250 yards uphill & to the west of the parking area for the northern
boat ramp. The bird was not kicked up for a second time.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 10/21
In a brief stop at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) this morning,
one Common Loon was found. I still missed the Pacific Loon reported Saturday.
The many gulls on the reservoir seem to be mostly Ring-billed with a few
California mixed in. Other birds observed were Horned and Eared Grebes and
a dozen Western Grebes. A few American White Pelicans persist along with
a several dozen Double-crested Cormorants in the southeast corner.
The day was overcast, however felt warm without the strong winds from yesterday.
Weld, Morgan, and Arapahoe Counties 10/20
I enjoyed a great day of birding in Weld, Morgan, and Arapahoe Counties.
Temperatures were in the lower 50s and it felt cold, winds 20 mph at times.
At first light, we watched the female Varied Thrush near the group picnic pavilion
at Crow Valley Campground (Weld County). The female bird fed on the ground and
came to drink at a small puddle near the parking area. A dozen American Robins
also came to the puddle. While the Varied Thrush at times stayed near the
American Robins, she did not appear to join them. The sunlight shone through the
trees; winds were calm; the small woods were silent; we enjoyed watching the
Thrush for an hour as she quietly searched for food among the picnic tables.
The cottonwoods above the pavilion held three Ruby-crowned Kinglets, half a dozen
Townsend's Solitaires, and one Townsend's Warbler. A Hermit Thrush scurried about
in the trees south of the horseshoe pits. One Mountain Bluebird flew around the
baseball field. Many White-crowned Sparrows hid in the woodpile near the entrance.
An adult Golden Eagle stood on a telephone along highway 392 and was observed
on our trip to and from the campground. It allowed me to take several photos
and move on without disturbing it from its sentinel post.
I spent three hours hiking various areas of Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County).
From the southwest corner, I could see 12 American Golden-Plovers and
2 Black-bellied Plovers. There were at least 3 Sanderlings, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers,
an adult Bald Eagle (in northeast corner), and a Peregrine Falcon eating a shorebird.
Hopefully the shorebird was a Killdeer and not the Red Phalarope.
Normally I like to walk the mud flats and watch the shorebirds quietly feeding.
Today, construction noise disturbed the scene and made the hike rather irritating.
While walking the Pelican campground area, I observed 260 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and 2 Townsend's Solitaires. No Long-eared Owls were
found today (it is a little early for them to show up at their wintering grounds).
I then hiked the southeast corner of the reservoir (avoiding the construction).
A Dunlin was with many shorebirds including Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs,
and one Red-necked Phalarope. I still could not find the Red Phalarope.
The shorebirds moved about much and the Red Phalarope could still be there.
I checked Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) at sunset. The last two
hours of light are one of my favorite hiking times and if I can find a bird or
two, they are an added bonus to the walk. The wetlands pond east of the
Prairie Loop was checked for a lingering Green Heron. No Green Herons were
found, however one female Wood Duck and 2 Mallards swam around the small pond.
From the handicapped fisherperson's dock, I could see two Common Loons, many
American Coots, a dozen Western Grebes, 8 Double-crested Cormorants, and
9 American White Pelicans. The only gulls identified were Ring-billed
and California Gulls. One American Bald Eagle (sub adult) flew overhead.
One Rough-legged Hawk and two Red-tailed Hawks were east of the campground!
My birding day ended under one of those beautiful Colorado sunsets
that filled the whole sky with pink and blue colors.
Birding Metro Denver 10/19
It was a slow birding day; however the weather was
superb with temperatures in the 70's and calm winds.
Rebecca Kosten and I drove to Barr Lake (Adams County) in the morning.
We found no uncommon birds while we circled the reservoir.
A large group of gulls stood on the north side; we could not
pick out the previously reported Sabine's and Thayer's Gulls.
We next tried Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson County).
Again, we found no uncommon birds.
A pair of Canvasback Ducks and Ruddy Ducks swam in the far western lake.
We did not know about Bob Spencer's Neotropic Cormorants found on
Wednesday until our return home. Nevertheless, we did not see any
cormorants. Yellow-rumped Warblers were the only warbler of the trip.
One House Wren was west of the tree bridge.
Denver Zoo 10/18
A short note today as Rebecca Kosten and I checked out a report to
CoBus of an immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at the Denver Zoo.
The day was windy; temperatures were around 60 degrees (it felt cooler).
We could not locate a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (YCNH) although
we did find several Black-crowned Night-Herons (BCNH) of various ages.
The Zoo does not keep YCNH as part of their collection.
We could find no one who has observed a YCNH in the past year.
Anyone visiting the zoo might want to keep an eye out for one!
Eastern Plains 10/16-10/17
October 16
Rebecca Kosten, Sue Dorsey, Bryan Ehlmann and I traveled to northeast Colorado
in search of Sprague's Pipits. Skies were partly cloudy and winds were strong.
Horned Larks numbering in the thousands were in the fields.
Our search centered around Sedgwick CR 30 & CR 59 to 5 or 6 miles outward.
We carried two-way radios so that our searches could be several miles apart.
After 2 hours, Bryan and I found separate Sprague's Pipits in the field
northwest of CR 28 & CR 59. We stood 100 yards apart and had our scopes on
separate birds! Eventually, the birds flew north up the field and toward CR 30.
We stopped at several Sedgwick County locations including DePoorter Lake,
Julesburg Wayside Stop, DePoorter Lake, Ovid Woods, and Sedgwick Cemetery.
No uncommon birds were added to our trip list during these various searches.
Jumbo Reservoir did not hold any uncommon birds either. Bryan observed a
Bonaparte's Gull flying over Little Jumbo Reservoir (Red Lion Wildlife Area)
while we had a picnic dinner. One Golden Eagle flew overhead east of CR 95.
We stood on the hill near Sedgwick Cemetery (CR 15 & 30) at dusk in hopes of
seeing a Short-eared Owl. None made an appearance. The southeast side
of Jumbo Reservoir (CR 3 & 68) was also checked for Short-eared Owls.
No owls were there either.
October 17
We started the morning in search of migrating sparrows in Sterling (Logan).
A White-throated Sparrow was in the weeds along the north side of the lake
at Overland Park in Sterling. A drive north to Sterling Reservoir did not
find any uncommon birds. Pioneer Park (east side of town) was rather quiet.
Prewitt & Jackson Reservoirs were passed up in order to search for the
Varied Thrush at Crow Valley Campground (Weld County). As far as I know,
the female bird was not found today (Wednesday). No uncommon birds, including
the previous reported Black-throated Blue Warbler were found by us.
Lower Latham Reservoir and Beebe Ponds (Weld County) were slow today also.
During our trek, we found 27+ Red-tailed Hawks, 7 American Kestrels,
2 Northern Harriers, and 1 Ferruginous Hawk. No Swainson's Hawks were seen!
Chatfield Reservoir 10/14
Rebecca Kosten, Donna Fortney, and I visited Chatfield Reservoir
this morning. Winds were mild and temperatures were warm which
was nice after birding in snow yesterday morning at Loveland Ski Basin.
Unfortunately we did not find many birds.
One House Wren and several Gray Catbirds still persist south of
Kingfisher Bridge. A Great Horned Owl watched us from a large
cottonwood tree just southwest of the end of the paved path.
We spotted one loon, which was too far away to name a species
(Northeast corner). We stood at the swim beach area of the park.
We hiked up Waterton Canyon to see the Mountain Sheep.
Nine Spotted Towhees and many American Robins were observed.
No swallows or swifts were found. One Red-tailed Hawk stood
in a cottonwood tree just west of the Waterton Canyon Bridge.
On the way home I drove the east side of Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
Two additional Red-tailed Hawks were found.
One Swainson's Hawk is still in the vicinity.
Two Burrowing Owls persist about a mile north of the Eagle Watch Bunker.
I did not drive my favorite owl loop to check on Burrowing Owls there.
Birding Clear Creek County 10/13
When Canadian birder Chris Escott called and wanted to see a Rosy Finch
I had a dilemma. This is not the best time of the year to locate one.
I decided to try Loveland Ski Basin, Silver Plume, and as a last
Resort Mt. Evans (the snow fields above Summit Lake).
At first light Saturday, we drove up to Loveland Ski Basin and parked
at the western end of the parking area. There is one bird feeder here
and it was empty. It was snowing quite hard as we arrived.
Eight Rosy Finches flew by and checked out the feeder within 5 minutes
of our arrival. The blowing snow however, made identification impossible.
After waiting an hour for their return, we drove back to Georgetown
and purchased a five pound bag of sunflower seeds at the local store.
We returned to Loveland Ski Basin and filled the feeder with our prize.
As we got back in our car, four Rosy Finches came down to eat the seeds.
The first group contained two Gray-crowned and two Brown-capped Rosy Finches.
During the next two hours, two additional groups visited the feeder.
We thought they were different flocks because the variety of species
differed with each group. The snow came down rapidly during our
entire visit and winds were roaring.
As we sat in the car, Chris noticed movement below the retaining wall about
5 yards to the south. A sparrow was hiding from the weather and feeding
along the wall. To our delight, the bird turned out to be a Swamp Sparrow!
We were entertained for two hours by the Swamp Sparrow and Rosy Finches.
It was time to move on. We stopped briefly at Silver Plume and found no
Rosy Finches or other birds at the feeders visited by last year's finches.
Since it was only noon, we decided to try the feeders at Fawn Brook Inn
up at Ferncliff (Boulder County). Chris was hoping for a Black Rosy Finch.
No Rosy Finches visited the feeders during our two-hour stay.
Many Pine Siskins, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees,
Stellar Jays, and a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds did stop by to eat.
One Cassin's Finch also made an appearance.
Winds were strong and it started snowing here also.
We ended our birding day at Rabbit Mountain, which is located just east of Lyons.
Dropping down several thousand feet and 15 miles east of the mountains put us
in sunny weather with temperatures a good 25 degrees warmer.
We hiked the Rabbit Mountain trail for about a mile or so to the east.
No Bushtits were found, however a beautiful Prairie Falcon flew over our heads.
A flock of Pinyon Jays flew by quite noisily.
One Red-tailed Hawk stood on a telephone pole far to the south.
Two Townsend's Solitaires, many White-crowned Sparrows, and
several Western Scrub Jays fluttered about in the limited trees.
Chris saw two Turkey Vultures off in the distance to the South.
We returned to our car under a beautiful sunset, no wind, and warm temperatures;
quite a satisfying ending to our varied birding day!
Southeast Colorado 10/8-10/12
I enjoyed an interesting week of birding in spite of various weather fronts which
passed through Colorado. Winds were high at times; temperatures were cool.
Monday 10/8
My trip was timed to bird the last two hours of the daylight at Pueblo Reservoir.
I did not locate the Bonaparte's and Lesser Black-backed Gulls reported on 10/6.
No warblers were moving about this late in the day at the Valco Ponds area.
Tuesday 10/9
I spent the day counting birds in Otero, Crowley, and Bent Counties.
Winds remained around 8-10 mph during the day.
No uncommon birds were found at Lake Henry and Lake Meredith.
Surprisingly, no Great-tailed Grackles were near the Meredith feedlots.
A two-hour hike around Rocky Ford Wildlife area did not add any uncommon
birds to my trip list. One Sharp-shinned Hawk was south of the parking area.
A Swamp Sparrow was singing at Fort Lyons Wildlife Area (west end of
John Martin Reservoir). A juvenile Harris's Sparrow was west of CR 16 &
CR HH. One Great Horned Owl called from the cemetery south of here.
A second Great Horned Owl called during the night at Hasty Campground
(east side of John Martin Reservoir).
Wednesday 10/10
Winds were stronger today, more like 20 mph.
No uncommon birds were found at Neenoshe Reservoir at first light.
One White-throated Sparrow was 200 yards north of the parking area
at Upper Queens Reservoir. Not much else was found in the strong wind.
I missed the Northern Cardinals that are frequently reported at Lamar
Community College. Blue Jays and House Finches were the predominant species.
Few birds moved around at Two Buttes Reservoir. One Brown Thrasher stayed
close to the ground and deep in the thickets. No Turkey Vultures flew overhead.
No Wild Turkeys were around either. The resident Greater Roadrunner
did not make an appearance either.
I drove the roads around the reservoir searching for Burrowing Owls.
None were located.
Thursday 10/11
Winds were strong again; temperatures a little warmer.
Upper Queens, Lower Queens, and Thurston Reservoirs added few
birds to my trip list. Several flocks of Sandhill Cranes called
loudly as they flew overhead and southward.
My trek took me west to Holly. No uncommon birds were found in town.
I drove to the Holly Rest Area and hiked east along old highway 50.
A covey of Northern Bobwhite was along the creek.
Two Burrowing Owls were in the Prairie Dog village north of Hwy 50.
Most of the sparrows encountered were White-crowned Sparrows.
One Field Sparrow popped up from the weeds (about 300 yards east
of the rest stop). Several Lark Sparrows were also in the vicinity.
My day ended with a two-mile walk at Mike Higbee Wildlife Area
(just east of Lamar). Approximately 100 feet southeast of the office
building an adult and immature White-crowned Sparrow were sighted.
Many White-crowned Sparrows fluttered about in the tall weeds.
My hope of coming across an uncommon migrating sparrow was dwindling.
So far, many Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Swainson's Hawks, 3 Ferruginous Hawks,
many Northern Harriers, and American Kestrel were observed.
Bonny Reservoir 10/12
I camped along the Republican River at Hale Ponds, east of Bonny Reservoir.
The resident Eastern Screech-Owl did not call during the night.
(First time in a dozen trips that the bird did not wake me up.)
My favorite 4-mile hike around Hale Ponds in the morning produced sightings
of 11 Eastern Bluebirds and a female Red-bellied Woodpecker. Many common
sparrows (Lark, White-crowned, Song, a few Chipping, one Lincoln) were
found. One male Common Yellowthroat was along the Republican River.
An adult White-throated Sparrow accompanied many White-crowned Sparrows
in the weeds along CR 4 (approx. 0.5 miles east of CR LL.5).
Two Spotted Towhees (no Eastern) were in the trees south of the Hale Store.
A Great Horned Owl flew out of here also.
Another flock of Eastern Bluebirds was below Bonny's dam, west of Hale.
Wagon Wheel and North Cove campgrounds did not add birds to my trip list.
One Osprey hunted at the southwest end of the reservoir proper.
At dusk, I decided to walk south from Wagon Wheel campground.
A Short-eared Owl hunted across the prairie about 1 mile to the south.
Two Great Horned Owls called back at Wagon Wheel.
Northeastern Colorado 10/6-10/7
Tom McConnell and I traveled to Sedgwick County this weekend
in search of Sprague's Pipits. We enjoyed a good birding trip
in spite of not locating any Sprague's Pipits.
Congratulations to Loch Kilpatrick's party for locating one!
Saturday 6
The low Friday night was 34 degrees.
The morning turned out warm, sunny, and windless.
We searched the area of Sedgwick County Roads 30 & 59.
We observed many Horned Larks, no Sprague's Pipits.
We were surprised in finding 60-70 American Pipits in a field
of sunflowers 40 X 25 yards. The American Pipits popped
up frequently to the sunflower heads at CR 34 & 63.
A stop at Julesburg Wayside Rest Stop (Sedgwick) found zero birds!
DePoorter Lake surprised us again with one Chimney Swift flying overhead.
An Orange-crowned Warbler, Chipping Sparrows, two House Wrens and
White-crowned Sparrows fluttered about along the South Platte River.
Our next stop was the woods along Lodgepole Creek in Ovid (Logan).
We did not locate the Northern Cardinals and Red-bellied Woodpeckers
that are repeatedly found. A Philadelphia Vireo was in the trees on
the east side of the creek and at the northern end of the woods.
One Swainson's Thrush and a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds were
added to our day list (further south along Lodgepole Creek).
A last minute decision to visit Sedgwick Cemetery turned into our
best birding experience of the day. The small cemetery northeast
of Sedgwick contained 2 Townsend's Solitaires, 3 Spotted Towhees,
14 Cedar Waxwings, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and 2 juvenile Harris's Sparrows.
The Harris's Sparrows were in a mixed flock of sparrows along the canal
at the southeast corner of the cemetery. A small flock of Sandhill Cranes
flew overhead to our delight! Yellow & Red-shafted Flickers were also here.
Jumbo Reservoir had a few interesting birds. One Bonaparte's Gull flew among
many Franklin's Gulls. A lone Snow Goose walked among 80 Canada Geese.
There were many Western Grebes and Double-crested Cormorants offshore.
Eight Burrowing Owls were observed along Highway 138 between
Red Lion Wildlife Area (Logan County) and the town of Crook.
We ended our day at Prewitt Reservoir (Washington/Logan counties).
The mixed group of sandpipers included 4 Sanderlings, Western Sandpipers,
Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers,
Long-billed Dowitchers, and Spotted Sandpipers. The most interesting
birds were one Red-necked Phalarope and one American Golden-Plover.
I hiked two miles along the north side of the dam at sunset.
Eight Northern Bobwhite, a male Ring-necked Pheasant, and
12 Franklin's Gulls were observed. Several hundred
Sandhill Cranes flew overhead also.
Sunday 7
The day started warmer at 50 degrees; winds gusted to 20 mph.
The sandpiper group contained the same birds as yesterday evening.
One Bonaparte's Gull was found along the northern shoreline.
A hike below the dam added 130 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 10 Wood Ducks, and a
Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper's Hawk to our trip list.
Winds remained strong.
One Great Horned Owl flew out of the large cottonwood trees
as we departed for further birding explorations.
A stop at Bijou Creek (known for its numbers of Common Snipe)
added only one Common Snipe to our trip list. A flock of 1000
Common Grackle circled above us on the drive to Jackson Reservoir
(something I had never observed before).
Our birding trip ended at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County).
Among the interesting birds observed here were 3 American Golden-Plovers,
4 Black-bellied Plovers, 6 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers,
and a Bonaparte's Gull. There were large numbers of American Avocets,
Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers,
Baird's Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs,
a few Sanderlings, and several Spotted Sandpipers.
Our study of the sandpipers was cut short when the shorebirds
scattered to avoid an Peregrine Falcon that flew over them.
Still present are 5 or 6 thousand American White Pelicans.
Three flocks of Sandhill Cranes (total 600 birds) flew overhead
during our stay. We hiked the outlet canal below the dam and
found 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 3 Wilson's Warblers,
3 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
During our 400-mile drive we observed many Red-tailed Hawks
(including 2 dark morph), 2 Swainson's Hawks, 2 Ferruginous Hawks,
many American Kestrels, 8 Northern Harriers, and 1 Prairie Falcon.
The only swallow seen during our trip was Barn Swallows
(2 at Prewitt, 9 at Jackson, 2 Jumbo).
Weld County 10/3
We decided to bird Weld County today.
Temperatures were warm, birds scarce.
Lower Latham Reservoir contained few birds.
Two Barn Swallows were still around.
We did not find the Pectoral Sandpipers at Beebe Draw Ponds.
Crow Valley Campground was slow. No uncommon birds were recorded.
We headed up to Murphy's Pasture. Two Red-tailed Hawks hunted overhead.
No Ferruginous or Swainson's Hawks could be found today.
We walked into the grasslands at County Roads 92 & 65.
A few McCown's Longspurs were disturbed and flew about.
There were many Horned Larks; no Mountain Plovers (expected).
Two Sage Thrashers popped up from the tall grasses around
the farmyard to the west. They were around the wooden fence.
We ended our day driving around the Wellington Wildlife Area.
Our hope was to find some Short-eared Owls; we did not.
Two Great Horned Owls called from the area northeast of CR 64 & 3.
A third Owl sat on a telephone pole near the western parking area.
We enjoyed a beautiful fall Colorado day, in spite of the lack of birds.
Clear Creek County 10/2
Bryan Ehlmann lead the Colorado Birding Society trip to Guanella Pass today.
Six people enjoyed a beautiful, warm, and windy fall Colorado day.
Unfortunately, we did not find any White-tailed Ptarmigan in a four-hour search.
We crisscrossed Guanella Pass' summit in groups of 2. The birds hid well today.
Two Brewer's Sparrows were among a dozen White-crowned Sparrows singing
while they stood in the short willows. One Prairie Falcon flew overhead.
We also struck out at Guanella Pass Campground.
The resident Three-toed Woodpeckers did not make an appearance.
Pine Grosbeaks were scarce; no warblers could be located either.
We hiked up Lost Silver Dollar Lake Trail for approximately 2 miles.
Again, Pine Grosbeaks and Three-toed Woodpeckers eluded us.
Stops at Silver Plume and Georgetown's City Park
did not add birds to our day list.
Bluff Lake Nature Area 10/1
G. Zeeto and I traveled to Bluff Lake Nature Area early this morning.
Temperatures were cool and winds mild.
While the gates are locked until 9:00am, it is legal to enter the park
before then. I usually park near Smith Road and Havana and hike
approx. 1/2 mile to the north end of the park where fence is down.
We circled the lake and observed few birds. Gary did put his scope on
a Pectoral Sandpiper that was walking along the middle eastern shoreline.
We found only two Wilson's Warblers in the trees at the north end.
This was the area, which was quite good a few weeks ago.
A hike through the trees approximately 70 yards north of the northern
path was the most interesting. One Townsend's Warbler was accompanied
by many Chipping Sparrows, a Lincoln Sparrow, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
and two Song Sparrows. Birding was slow! It was a beautiful morning!
More Bird Trips
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