Rich Stevens' Bird Trips


December, 2006

Bonny Reservoir Christmas Count 12/28

Inserted by Bryan Ehlmann:

"The pending snowstorm forced a change in plans for our Christmas
Counts. Instead of making for Sedgwick and Logan Counties, we
conducted a Bonny Reservoir Christmas Count (originally scheduled
for the weekend).

We would have enjoyed adding a Greater Prairie-Chicken to the
count, but missed it. It was recorded for the count week!
Another count week bird missed this day was 6 Common Redpolls.

Total species: 84. Highlights included Barn Owl, Eastern
Screech-Owl, Winter Wren, Common Grackle, and Field Sparrow.

Missed White-throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, and Snow
Buntings.

Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Greater Prairie-Chicken --- count week
Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite --- 8; a surprising last minute find
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Merlin
Prairie Falcon
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle --- private ranch inside count circle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Common Redpoll --- count week
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Totals: 8 birders, 82 birding hours, 63 driving miles,
19 miles walking."

Cottonwood Canyon Christmas Count 12/26-12/27

Inserted by Bryan Ehlmann:

"We won't call this week's birding a disaster, but events didn't
go the way expected. Our return to Denver last night was not soon
enough as we hit snow and blizzard conditions around 11:00pm
about 30 miles outside of the city. Not wanting to sojourn for days
in Limon, our two vehicles came home at speeds of 35 mph or less
with blowing winds across the highway which at times made for
almost zero visibility.

Our southern downward trip to Springfield on 12/26 was agreeable
for this time of year. We stopped at Rocky Ford, Otero County
yearning to find an Inca Dove. That didn't come to pass,
nevertheless we did blunder upon a White-winged Dove and too
many Eurasian Collared-Doves around town.

We missed the Northern Cardinal at John Martin Reservoir,
Bent County. Our search was cut short as we wanted to get
to Campo before sunset. A hasty stop in Lamar found a
Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Lamar Community College Woods.

A second Red-bellied Woodpecker was found in Willow Creek Park.
Regrettably, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker reported the week
before was not found.

We forge ahead to the Campo Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek with
an hour of light remaining. Our reward was blundering upon three
Lesser Prairie-Chickens along Baca County Road G. We hoped
for a Short-eared Owl, but didn't find one.

Along the drive over, we spotted a Curve-billed Thrasher along
CR J. A Scaled Quail was on the wood pile at CR 36 and CR J.
After dark we found 2 Barn Owls at different barns where we
had prior permission to search.

On 12/27, we conducted our Carrizo Canyon Christmas Count.
Our 4 wheel drives were a must. Roads were slushy and twice
we used the snow shovels brought along to clear snow drifts.

We ended up with a surprising 72 species. Highlights included
a pair of Wood Ducks, 4 Barn Owls, Western Screech-Owls,
Northern Saw-whet Owl, a Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed
Woodpeckers, Lewis's Woodpeckers, a Rock Wren,
Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and a Northern Cardinal.

Biggest misses included the previously reported Steller's Jays,
Pinyon Jays, Juniper Titmouse, Bushtits, and no warblers as
we at least expected Yellow-rumped.

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Wild Turkey ---5 Cottonwood Canyon
Scaled Quail
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle ---3
American Kestrel
Prairie Falcon ---7
Sandhill Crane ---17; we considered rare, flyover
Killdeer
Eurasian Collared-Dove ---3; residence near Picture Canyon
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner ---2 Picture & Cottonwood Canyons
Barn Owl ---4 high count on any trip
Western Screech-Owl ---3
Great Horned Owl ---2 Carrizo Picnic Area
Northern Saw-whet Owl ---Carrizo Canyon
Belted Kingfisher
Lewis's Woodpecker ---5 total at two locations
Red-naped Sapsucker ---a surprise at Cottonwood Canyon
Ladder-backed Woodpecker ---male and female, Cottonwood
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Say's Phoebe ---added bonus, Cottonwood Canyon
Loggerhead Shrike ---2
Blue Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Rock Wren ---another added bonus
Canyon Wren
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
American Robin
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing ---flock of 150+
Spotted Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur ---1, only Longspur of trip
Northern Cardinal ---male in Carrizo Canyon
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Total: 8 birders, 112 birding hours, 71 driving miles (within
count circle), 32 miles walking. The center point was near
CR 8 & CR J so as to include Picture Canyon, North Canyon,
Cottonwood Canyon, and Carrizo Creek."

Return to the DIA Owl Loop 12/25

We tried again this afternoon to find a Snow Bunting along the DIA
Owl Loop. Our search was timed for 4 hours of daylight and then a
possible Short-eared Owl search. Unfortunately, a positive Snow
Bunting was not made.

Again, three large flocks of Horned Larks were encountered. The
biggest was the hill east of the road 3.0 miles east of Tower Road
and 96th avenue. It was here that we briefly observed a possible
Snow Bunting.

The bird looked good for a Snow Bunting; however we only
observed it briefly for 4 or 5 seconds. It flew up over the ridge
and quickly dropped back down. After spending an additional
unsuccessful hour waiting for another look, we departed for other
locations.

The second flock of Horned Larks were east of Trussville Road and
just south of 120th avenue. No birds (longspurs or Snow Buntings)
were found among 2000+ Horned Larks.

We continued around the DIA Owl Loop and over to Barr Lake.
Like yesterday, there was a large flock of Horned Larks feeding
on the ridge and below to the south of the Visitor's Center.
Again no uncommon birds were among 800+ Horned Larks.

Nothing unusual visited the feeders behind the Visitor's Center
and we headed back to the first location. Along the way, we
checked fields along E470 and Tower Road. Once back at the
location of the "possible" Snow Bunting sighting, we waited the
last 45 minutes of daylight. No further sightings helped our
decision about a Snow Bunting.

We drove the Owl Loop one last time, finding no Short-eared Owls,
Snowy Owls or Snow Buntings.

DIA Owl Loop 12/24

Rebecca and I drove around the DIA Owl Loop late Sunday afternoon.
We made several passes in hopes of finding a Snow Bunting;
that never happened.

A friend of mine is a supervisor of a hundred DIA employees.
Two employees reported seeing a "white owl" Saturday morning
at Trussville and 120th avenue. First it was in the field about
30 yards NE and then it flew to the small building about 600 yards
to the northeast. We scoped most of the Owl Loop, but never
found it. If it flew east to private property, we had no chance
of relocating it.

While scoping the fields we did find a Short-eared Owl. It was on
the snow just north of the top of the hill on the east side of
where 96th avenue turns north after running west to east from
Tower Road (about 3.0 miles east of Tower Road). Technically,
the road is no longer called 96th avenue after the turn north (it is
named differently on various maps). The spot is 0.4 miles south
of the Burrowing Owl colony listed in the directions to the "DIA
Owl Loop".

We found three huge flocks of Horned Larks. Thousands were flying
around the hill with the Short-eared Owl. A second large flock
was east of Trussville Road and just south of 120th avenue. The
third flock was at Barr Lake and just north of the visitor's
center. Unfortunately, no Longspurs or Snow Buntings were found
among any of the flocks.

No uncommon birds came to the visitor center's feeders during
the hour we watched them. We did count 9 White-crowned Sparrows,
4 Song Sparrows, and 5 races of Dark-eyed Juncos.

The Owl Loop Road was fairly clean in spite of the recent
snowstorm. We did ignore the detour sign at Powhaton Road and
120th. It was probably put out during the storm; however recent
plowing and winds made the road easy to drive in our front wheel
drive vehicle.

Snowed In 12/20 to 12/23

Twenty plus inches of snow kept us stuck at the CoBus Office.
It took until Saturday afternoon to dig ourselves out!

A Harris's Sparrow was a new "yard bird" on 12/21. Our bird
count was 4 times higher after Wednesday's snow.

The Harris's Sparrow returned again on Friday morning. Around
8:00am a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk stood sentinel on the back
fence. Sparrows and Finches were scarce after that.

The juvenile SSHA made three appearances, the last around 2:00pm.
While he stood watch, an adult SSHA also visited. The adult
accipiter took only about 15 minutes to catch a House Sparrow.

We watched the adult make quick work of the sparrow. Then it
left the remains and flew off. The juvenile quickly came over
the finished the rest.

The Harris's Sparrow and other birds have been scarce since then.
Both accipiters visited on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Cherry Creek Reservoir 12/19

Gary pretty well listed the Georgetown Christmas count yesterday.
Last night, Bryan and I only added one species, a Northern Pygmy-
Owl (St Johns Trail). We cross country skied Hunkidori Trail, St.
Johns Trail and part of the Argentine Pass trail. We erred on the
side of caution on Argentine pass which does register some
avalanches. Skiing in the middle of the night, that route was not
too desirable. No Boreal Owls, as we did get fairly high up the
Hunkidori Trail.

Two attempts at a Tufted Duck at Blue River Water Treatment Plant
(Summit County), we did not believe that we saw one.

I managed to end my birding day at Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe). At 4:25pm, the 1st winter Glaucous Gull stood on the
ice below the dam tower. A Common Loon swam along the ice's edge
(observed from the south end of the parking area east of the Tower
Loop; do not believe this has a name???).

At Greens Village Park across the Dam Road (SW Cherry Creek
Reservoir) a Ross's Goose was among 1200+ White-cheeked Geese and
2 Snow Geese. They flew to Cherry Creek Reservoir around 4:00pm
and we back at the park at 4:39pm.

The thought to camp at Crow Valley Campground overnight to see the
Varied Thrush in the morning crossed my mind (as I have camped up
there when temps dropped to 10 below). However, when they
predicted 24 to 36+ inches of snow for Fort Collins, I gave up on
that plan.

Birding and moving around Denver and anywhere in Colorado may be
interesting for the next two or three days.

Georgetown Christmas Count 12/18

The second annual Georgetown Christmas Count was conducted by
8 CoBus members today. Bryan Ehlmann and Rich Stevens are still
out there searching for owls; hopefully there will be a few more
species.

We counted 51 species. Highlights were Ptarmigan and Three toed
Woodpeckers on Guanella Pass. Evening and Pine Grosbeaks and
three species of Rosy Finches.

Good birding, species list below!

Gary Z

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
White-tailed Ptarmigan --4 Guanella Pass
Dusky Grouse --1
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Prairie Falcon
Rock Pigeon
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Dipper
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Black Rosy-Finch
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
Pine Grosbeak
Cassin's Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow

Birding Around Denver 12/16

We birded Cherry Creek Reservoir from 9:00am to 2:00pm Saturday.

The Black-legged Kittiwake was flying around the southwest marina
at 10:00am.

The juvenile Glaucous Gull and adult and juvenile Thayer's Gulls
were among the hundreds of gulls there. At least one female
Barrow's Goldeneye was found; we did not find the Long tailed Duck.

Another highlight for us was a Winter Wren. It flew across the
inlet at the Cottonwood Creek Loop at around 10:30am.
We went back later and found in on the mud along the east
side of the canal about 10 yards north of the bridge.
No Virginia Rails showed up today.

Hawks included 7 Red tailed and a dark morph Red tail, 1 Rough
legged, and a Northern Harrier. An adult and 1st year Bald Eagle
chased the gulls several times. A Golden Eagle flew around the
dog walking area (12 mile group picnic area).

Later I found a Northern Shrike on the bike trail leading from the
campgrounds to Parker Road. I was looking for sparrows which
were rare today. Only saw a couple of American Tree Sparrows.

Usual suspects, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Western
Grebes, a few Pied billed Grebes, Eared Grebes, Great Blue Herons, etc.

After an early dinner, we drove over to Emerald Strand Park and
LakeCrest. While there were thousands of White-cheeked Geese,
we found no uncommon geese in the mix.

No owls were found on the DIA Owl loop this evening. A Great Horned
Owl flew across the road as we drove into Barr Lake to the Visitor's
Center and back out.

Search for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers 12/15

After staying up all night for two nights in a row to go owling,
I slept from 9:00am to noon. Afterwards, I arranged to meet
Terry Michaels in Golden, Colorado.

We were searching for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Originally we
had decided to try Lyons where several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
usually winter. We opted for the shorted distance.


Our search area was Jackson Street to East Street (West-East) and
13th to 24th streets (North-South). We decided to give it a three
hour try; fortunately it did not take that long. Equipped with
radios to communicate back and forth, we zigzagged back and
forth in the search area.

At 2 hours 35 minutes of our search, I found a Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker in the Scotch Pine in the alley and halfway between 17th
and 18th streets. Terry was only a block away and came over as we
watched the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for about 15 minutes before
it flew east-northeast. We tried unsuccessfully to relocate the
sapsucker east of East Street.

During the search we ran across two Sharp-shinned Hawks and a
flock of Pine Siskins. One Sharp-shinned Hawk was busy chasing
House Sparrows. At one point he was headed directly at me (as a
House Sparrow was between us) and I had to duck to avoid him.
He must have come about 6 feet from my head.

The afternoon was fantastic. Winds were calm and temperature
was around 56 degrees.

After we split up, I headed to Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.
Unfortunately (due to traffic), I did not arrive until after
sunset. The Eastern Screech-Owl was not out of his hole when
I was able to get there. Usually it appears that he sits in
the late afternoon soaking up the winter sun. In my experience,
he goes back in his hole after direct sunlight disappears.

My birding day ended at Crown Hill Park which is not far from
Prospect Park, Wheat Ridge Greenbelt. I circled the small lake
(about a mile around) under a colorful sunset and pleasant winter
temps.

I managed to scare up a Long-eared Owl while circling the Wildlife
Area in the northwest corner of the park. The only birds on the
lake were White-cheeked Geese.

Birding in the Mountains 12/7

This morning Mary Roberts and I birded in Summit and Clear Creek
Counties. Five Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the Blue River Water
Treatment Plant. No White-tailed Ptarmigans were found at
Loveland Pass and we were forced to take the hike at Guanella Pass.

Fortune shined on us, it only took about 1.5 hours to find
3 White-tailed Ptarmigan south (uphill) from the junction of
the Rosalie and 603 trails.

We stopped along Guanella Pass Road and watched a flock of
14 Red Crossbills attack the pine cones on several Douglas Firs.

We received a text message from CoBus and went over to Gateway
High School. The Ross's Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose
were still there. Thanks Bill Cryder!

We stopped by Emerald Strand Park and LakeCrest. While there were
tens of thousands of White cheeked Geese there on Tuesday, the
numbers were reduced to less than one hundred at both places today.

We did find 14 Common Goldeneyes and a pair of Canvasbacks at
LakeCrest. No white geese were at either location.

Many Horned Larks (unfortunately no Snow Buntings or Longspurs
were found along the DIA Owl Loop. No Short-eared Owls showed
at dusk.

Birding Along Highway 285 on 12/6

Mary Roberts and I headed up to Reynolds Park (Jefferson County).
Winds were mild and temperatures in the 40s. We struck out on
finding Dusky Grouse or Northern Pygmy-Owls.

Our next stop was Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson). Again no
Northern Pygmy-Owls, however we did find a male American
Three-toed Woodpecker up the hill (south) of Pine Lake.
A flock of Pygmy Nuthatches fluttered about up the Buck Gulch Trail.

We gave Pygmy Owls and Dusky Grouse another chance at
Mt Falcon Park (Jefferson). Again no owls, however we managed
to find a Dusky Grouse in the woods north of the main trail
and west of the old Walker castle. Three species of nuthatches
(Red-breasted, White-breasted, and Pygmy) and Downy
Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers were found.

The Eastern Screech-Owl was not out of his hole at Wheat Ridge
Greenbelt.

Search for Geese 12/5

We did not have any better success this morning around Sterling
Reservoir (in search of Snowy Owls). We did find a Barn Owl
north of the campgrounds. Nothing else uncommon was found.

After dropping Joe off at DIA (Denver) I decided to see if I could
find 100,000 White-cheeked Geese in one afternoon. Someone
counted that many last week? I probably could have done it
easily by going over to Barr Lake. Instead I wandered around
Weld, Adams, and Denver Counties first.

The new park Emerald Strand Park (Denver) had an amazing number
of White-cheeked Geese. I counted over 20,000 geese on the ice
and the fields around it. As I sat there, White-cheeked Geese
continued to fly in, flock after flock. There did not appear to
be enough room for additional geese. However, they kept coming.
There was also one Ross's Goose in the middle (see photo in
December's "Colorado Field Notes").

I also stopped at the western end of LakeCrest (that's how they
spell it). Two Greater White-fronted Geese stood on the ice (see
CoBus website Photo library). Seven Snow Geese (including two
Blue phase) were among 7,000+ White-cheeked Geese. I could
pick out a dozen Cackling Geese without little effort. One Ross's
Goose stood on the ice at the southern end.

My birding day ended with a drive around Cherry Creek Reservoir
(Arapahoe). My first stop was a good one. The female Long-tailed
Duck swam about 30 yards off the western side of the Lake Loop
(photo; recent witness photos, CoBus website).

I looked for the adult Thayer's Gull that Terry Michaels reported;
without success. However, an adult and 1st cycle Lesser Black-
backed Gull stood on the ice at the cove northwest of the swim
beach. Tens of thousands of gulls flew around the center of the
lake. They were too far away to ID. Several thousand stood on
the ice around the edges. I counted over 200 Herring Gulls, a
dozen California Gulls, and many Ring-billed Gulls. Never did
find a Thayer's Gull.

Common Mergansers numbered in the hundreds. Two Double-crested
Cormorants stood on logs in the southeastern corner. Eared
Grebes, a couple of Horned Grebes, 3 Pied-billed Grebes,
and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers were also observed.

The Northern Shrike stood sentinel in the field west of where
Cherry Creek goes under the main road. A male Northern Harrier
hunted over the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands Pond. A Rough-legged
Hawk stood on one of the nesting boxes in the pond.

As I left the park by way of the Dam Road, a Prairie Falcon flew
over my car.

I searched for Barn Owls and Short-eared Owls along the DIA Owl
loop and Barr Lake; without success.

Search for Snowy Owls 12/4

Joe Peters and I spent the day unsuccessfully searching for
Snowy Owls on the Eastern Plains. At least a dozen Lapland
Longspurs were found in 3 locations in Weld and Morgan Counties.
Highest number was north of Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) along 4 Road.

Long-eared Owls are back at Jackson Reservoir. Two Great Horned
Owls were found at the northern campgrounds. An Eastern Screech-
Owl was south of the dam. No Snow Buntings though.

Search for Owls & Crossbills 12/3

Joe Peters and I went out searching for owls and crossbills this
morning.

Before civil twilight, we were able to hear a Northern Pygmy-Owl
at the old White Ranch Open Space location (Jefferson County).
The owl answered our callback and was observed as it quickly
flew across the road.

We then headed up the road toward Gross Reservoir (Boulder).
Several homes had feeders where we stopped to watch. The only birds
observed were Pine Siskins and Mountain Chickadees. Further down
the road, we ran into a flock of 9 (5 male, 4 female) Red Crossbills.
We did not see any Waxwings of either species.

We turned around and next checked Lair 'O Bear Park (Jefferson).
No owls were found, however we did count 5 American Dippers.
At the western end of the trail, we heard a Canyon Wren (however
never did see it)?

After lunch we tried Deer Creek Park and area. Again we found no
additional owls. After sunset, we heard two Great Horned Owls in
the Waterton Canyon Area.

Total owls: 1 Northern Pygmy-Owl, 2 Great Horned Owl

We had hoped for a few more; it was not to be. BTW, winds were
5-10 mph and the high temperature for the day was around 30
(if that).

A Cold Birding Day 12/2

After wandering around the foothills this morning, we stopped at
Fort Logan Cemetery (Denver County). The female Greater Scaup
was still there in a small open water area of Memorial Lake.

No male Greater Scaup, however 2 male and 3 female Lesser Scaups.
Veterans Lake (western lake) was completely covered with ice and
snow. Thousands of Canada Geese and a few Canada Geese
wandered around.

We drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir on our way home.
Highlights were an adult Thayer's Gull on the small frozen ice
area below the southwest boat ramp. Ten American White
Pelicans stood on the sandbar north of the southwest marina.

Thousands of gulls flew around the center of the lake.
Too far to ID, there were quite a number.

A Northern Shrike perched in a tree along the road to
the shooting range.
More Bird Trips

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