Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
September 2004
Arapahoe County Reservoirs 9/30
I joined the CoBus trip around Arapahoe County Reservoirs today.
Weather was fair; winds were mild.
At Aurora Reservoir, we circled the 7.8 miles around the lake this
morning. Highlights were 2 Common Terns along the shore at mile
marker 1.5 and a juvenile Sabine's Gull along the shore at mm 2.5.
Also observed were 2 Least Sandpipers, 6 Baird's Sandpipers, and
a Lesser Yellowlegs. Two Western Grebes and a dozen Ruddy Ducks
swam out on the lake.
At Quincy Reservoir, water levels are quite high. There is no
beach for shorebirds. Few birds moved about.
At Cherry Creek Reservoir, we enjoyed a few uncommon birds.
A juvenile Bonaparte's Gull continues to rest occasionally on the
telephone poles around the southwest marina. Four Common Terns
and a Forster's Tern made appearances also. The campgrounds
and 12-mile beaver pond areas were quiet.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 9/28
I passed through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) while
doing chores this afternoon. Temperatures in 60s; winds were calm.
At the southwest marina I observed 2 Bonaparte's Gulls,
5 Common Terns, and 2 cobirders!
There was a Swainson's Hawk flying over the northern entrance.
Observed 9 Swainson's Hawks yesterday between Jackson Reservoir
and Crow Valley. The day before on the DIA owl loop another
4 Swainson's Hawks found. Numbers are slowly decreasing.
Last large gathering was two weeks ago (with 51+ on DIA owl loop).
Return to Jackson Reservoir & Crow Valley Campgrounds 9/27
Another cobirder and I returned to Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County)
Monday afternoon. Weather varied as we ran into rainstorms and high
winds on two occasions.
The Red Phalarope and 4 Sabine's Gulls were in the small pond
just below the south side of the dam. Other birds observed were
Pectoral Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, and
Lesser Yellowlegs.
I put photos of the Red Phalarope and Sabine's Gulls on the CoBus
photo library.
Four Swainson's Hawks, two Red-tailed Hawks, and a Ferruginous Hawk
were found on the way to Crow Valley Campgrounds on the Pawnee
National Grasslands (Weld).
We spent the last two hours of daylight at Crow Valley Campgrounds
in search of Common Poorwills; without success. A Cassin's Vireo
fluttered about with Wilson's Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets
in the Russian Olive Tree grove along the southern property fence.
Total Wilson's Warbler count around the campgrounds was 28.
Nine Yellow-rumped Warblers were in the northern trees.
A Gray Catbird and Eastern Kingbird were in the willows just
south of the northern fence line. One House Wren was observed
in the southwest corner. A Long-eared Owl was also found.
No flycatchers or goatsuckers could be found.
Parker Regional Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal 9/26
What a beautiful Colorado fall day. Temperatures topped at
66 degrees and winds were mild.
Leonard Turville and I headed over to search for the Mourning
Warbler reported by Glenn Walbek at Parker Regional Park (Douglas
County). We spent 1.5 hours looking around the Old Covered Bridge.
We could not find a Mourning Warbler, however did see 2 Orange-
crowned Warblers, a 1st year MacGillivray's Warbler, 2 Clay-colored
Sparrows and 10+ Brewer's Sparrows. I put photos of the MacGillivray's
Warbler we found on the Witness photos page, CoBus website.
Our birding day ended with a hike along Buckley Road between 56th
and 88th avenues (about 3.0 miles of the eastern side of the Rocky
Mountain Arsenal, Adams County). Sparrows observed included
Chipping, Vesper, Savannah, Brewer's, and 1 Clay-colored Sparrow.
Best birds were two Sage Thrashers located about 1.0 miles south
of 88th avenue (similar location to Saturday). Five Burrowing Owls
were inside the arsenal at the same distance.
Further south we encountered a Loggerhead Shrike at 2.5 miles south
of 88th avenue. A Great Horned Owl was in the cottonwoods east of
same location. In all we found 5 Swainson's Hawks, 2 Red-tailed
Hawks, and 1 Ferruginous Hawk.
Four Burrowing Owls were observed at 3.4 miles East of 96th Avenue
and Tower Road. None at the other DIA Owl Loop locations.
Birding Around Denver 9/25
I attended the DFO Field Trip to Rocky Mountain Arsenal
(Adams County). It was a fantastic fall day in Colorado
with cool temps and little winds.
I arrived at 7:00am and hiked around Mary's Lake (before others
arrived at 8:00am). Mary's Lake is below and just South of the
Visitor's Center. A Green Heron along the eastern side of the
boardwalk was the first bird observed. Many birds fluttered about
the willows along the South side. These included 1 Spotted Towhee,
19 House Wrens, 8 Wilson's Warblers, a pair of Belted Kingfishers,
and an Orange-crowned Warbler.
Our first stop on the tour was officer's row. While I drove into
the thickets others observed a Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl.
I managed to kick up 2 Long-eared Owls, which did fly towards
the rest of the group. One owl stayed in a tree for quite a
while and gave all a good look. Other birds here included
Townsend's Solitaires, Green-tailed Towhees, White-crowned Sparrows,
a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, and Song Sparrows.
We stopped many times during our 5.5-hour tour. Additional birds
observed included a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2 Western Tanagers,
another Great Horned Owl, an Osprey, Savannah Sparrows,
Vesper Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, 6+ Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
1 Mountain Bluebird and Wilson's Warblers.
Four Burrowing Owls and a Sage Thrasher were found along the
east side of the Arsenal (along Buckley Road). These birds could be
observed by anyone walking Buckley Road south from 88th avenue
(location about 0.4 miles south of the Gates blocking auto
access to Buckley Road).
My next stop after the tour was Bluff Lake Natural Area (Denver
County). I managed to circle the area quickly in 45 minutes before
a huge rainstorm came. Birds observed were a Townsend's Warbler,
Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warblers, Lincoln's Sparrow,
and 2 Clay-colored Sparrows. Clay-colored Sparrows and
Townsend's Warbler were along north end (about 0.2 miles East
of the bird observatory platform).
After lunch, I stopped at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
Not much was happening. American White Pelican numbers were
way up from my previous visits (about 68 birds in southeast corner).
I noticed three small terns on the telephone poles around the
Southwest marina. By the time I got out my scope, only one
remained. It turned out to be a non-breeding Common Tern.
California Gull numbers were higher than previous visits and
equaled the Ring-billed Gulls on the poles around the marina edge.
Northeast Colorado 9/23-9/24
Birding success was a little better the past two days.
Thursday 23
Went by Marston Reservoir (Denver County) at first light. I had
forgotten all about the American Golden-Plover and Sabine's Gull
reported on Tuesday. Yesterday I was only a few miles from the
place, but would have had to look into the sunset anyway.
There was a Plover on the southeast shoreline. Whether it was
a Black-bellied Plover or American Golden-Plover, I could not
tell because of the distance between us. I waited an hour,
however it never did fly.
My next stop was Barr Lake (Adams County). I drove the DIA owl loop
on the trip over. It appears that the only location of remaining
Burrowing Owls is 3.4 miles East of Tower Road & 96th avenue.
Two owls stood on fence posts about 30 yards from the road.
Perhaps it was the time of day that I arrived?
Along the loop, many Brewer's Sparrows were found. The large
number of Swainson's Hawks from two weeks ago, seemed to have
diminished (only found 2). Five Red-tailed Hawk and a
Ferruginous Hawk were interesting. No Lark Buntings were
around (should be a few somewhere, I would look along the
North side of Rocky Mountain Arsenal if I needed to see one.
Will check on Saturday.
At Barr Lake, I hiked from the boat ramp (mile marker 7.6 to the
northeast end of the dam mm 6.0) to 300 yards southwest of the
northwest corner of the lake, mm 5.0). Two interesting groups
of birds were observed. A small flock of 40 sandpipers below
the northeast end of the dam included 6 Pectoral Sandpipers and
a Semipalmated Plover. No Marbled Godwit or larger plovers were
included.
At the southwest end of my trek, 2 Black-bellied Plovers walked
the shoreline. A juvenile Sabine's Gull flew by and was heading
southeast. Another possible juvenile Sabine's Gull swam about 100
yards off shore. It never flew and I am reluctant to finalize the
id from my vantage point. Many Franklin's Gulls, a few California
Gulls, and many Ring-billed Gulls were about. A pair of Western
Grebes swam in the northwest corner.
From here, I headed to Jackson Reservoir (Morgan). I circled
the lake until dark. It took 1.5 hours to find the Red Phalarope
reported earlier in the week by Beason (Thanks for indicating its
presence!). Also observed were 6 or 7 Red-necked Phalaropes,
1 Semipalmated Plover, 2 Snowy Plovers, 9 Pectoral Sandpipers,
2 Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers,
2 Common Terns, 6+ Black Terns, 1 Forster's Tern, several groups
of Black-bellied Plovers (5+), and a Willet. Gulls included
a juvenile Sabine's Gull and subadult Lesser Black-backed Gull.
After dark, I heard an Eastern Screech-Owl somewhere below the dam.
The campgrounds were quiet.
Before heading to Julesburg, I stopped at Prewitt Reservoir
(Washington/Logan Counties). No owls were found at the eastern
parking area or east of the ranger's residence.
September 24
Roger Danka and I went out before first light and found an
Eastern Screech-Owl on his ranch. He had not seen any warblers
in a few days; we found none. Highlight was a late Eastern Phoebe.
Birds were few and far between; winds were strong.
I stopped at DePoorter Lake (Sedgwick); nothing was found
(well a small covey of Northern Bobwhite). Ovid Woods was
quiet too (only 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves along 2nd street).
Ovid Sewage Ponds had few birds.
I only checked Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick Counties) for
about 30 minute or so. No birds flew about the campgrounds.
Shorebirds were not around today?
Found little in Sterling (Overland & Pioneer Parks).
Did not go up to Sterling Reservoir.
Checked out Empire Reservoir; little of interest found.
Brush WLA was quiet also.
Jefferson County 9/22
Don Leiberg and I decided to search for Eastern Screech-Owls at
Wheat Ridge Greenbelt before he had to catch his flight back home.
We arrived at 5:00am and started hiking west from the Kipling
parking area. It was not long before an owl answered our tape.
We were able to look at it with just a little effort! It rained
from 5:00am to about 6:30am; the sun shone for just
30 minutes around 9:30am.
Don took off and I decided to stay (stayed until 11:00am). Birds
were disappointing as few were around. Highlight was an Olive-sided
Flycatcher (10 yards North of the main path; 40 yards East of the
old Scout Corral area). A few other birds found included 1 Barn
Swallow, 1 Cliff Swallow, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 2 Virginia Rail (south
end of Bass Lake), 1 Sora (south end Bass Lake), 1 Green Heron
(northwest-central part of eastern Bass Lake), 2 Double-crested
Cormorants, 2 Great Blue Herons, and 1 Clay-colored Sparrow (path
leading west from between two parts of Bass Lake).
Without a car, I hiked from Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Prospect Park)
to Johnson Park (at Wadsworth; about 3.0 miles). Birds were few.
One Barn Swallow and another Cliff Swallow were about it.
No Northern Cardinals.
Next I took the bus south on Wadsworth to Belmar Historic Park.
My hope of finding some warblers did not work out; zero.
Four Snowy Egrets were the highlight. Birds were few,
I did see 2 Great Blue Herons and 2 Black-crowned Night-Herons.
I took the bus over to Denver City Park where a friend drove
my home. Nothing was happening at Ferril Lake or the park.
Return to the Mountains 9/21
Don Leiberg, Gary Weston, and I decided to search for White-tailed
Ptarmigan on Guanella Pass (Clear Creek County). The weather as
most know already was poor. Winds were strong and it snowed during
our stay on the pass. It took about 2 hours before Gary ran into
a Ptarmigan. We split up and used radios in order to increase the
amount of territory that could be covered. The Ptarmigan was about
110 yards downhill (south) from the top of the hill (southeast of
the upper parking area).
We could not find any Three-toed Woodpeckers at the Guanella
Campgrounds and headed to Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson).
Success was quicker here as it only took about 30 minutes to locate
a male Three-toed Woodpecker along the Buck Gulch Trail (about
300 yards south of Pine Lake). The next hour was spent looking for
the Northern Pygmy-Owl that "hangs out" at the west end of the
Narrow Gauge Railroad; without success.
We then headed to Reynolds Park (Jefferson) to search for the
Northern Pygmy-Owl reported there last week by M. Brown. No luck
again, however we did see another Three-toed Woodpecker about 20
yards north of the junction of the Oxen & Elkhorn Trails. Don later
found a Blue Grouse along the Elkhorn Trail (about 50 yards East of
above intersection). No Pygmy Owls were encountered here or near
the parking area.
Our wet birding day ended at White Ranch Park (another previous
site of Northern Pygmy-Owls); without success for a final time.
Mountain Birding 9/18
Jorge Khuly & I birded in the mountains on Saturday.
Weather was fantastic all day. Winds were mild, even
on Guanella pass; temperatures were in the low 60s.
Our first stop was Reynolds Park (Jefferson County). Birding around
the parking area was slow compared to three weeks ago when dozens of
Green-tailed Towhees, Wilson's Warblers, and Virginia's Warblers
flew around the willows along the creek. We decided not to hike the
trails up to the Three-toed Woodpeckers because the large number of
dog walkers on Saturday.
So, we headed over to Pine Valley Ranch Park, which is not far away.
A walk along the Narrow Gauge Railroad (north side of creek coming
from the West, must have a name, will have to look it up) added a
Nashville Warbler to our trip list. This is second consecutive year
I have found a Nashville Warbler here in September. Several
Wilson's Warblers also fluttered about.
While hiking up the Buck Gulch Trail on the South side of Pine Lake
we encountered 2 or 3 American Three-toed Woodpeckers. A pair hid
well but called constantly about 400 yards up the trail. It took
an hour to see the darn birds. A Townsend's Warbler was observed
approximately 200 yards south of Pine Lake. A White-breasted
Nuthatch and several Dark-eyed Juncos were also found.
After the frustration of a 2-hour search for the Three-toed
Woodpeckers, we decided to be more frustrated by looking for
White-tailed Ptarmigan on Guanella Pass. In this we were not
disappointed. No Ptarmigan were found in another 2-hour search.
When I think about it, I have only found Ptarmigan on Guanella pass
on a Saturday or Sunday, once in about 20 or so tries (I figure my
success rate during the week to be about 80 percent over the last
ten years in 100+ attempts). Hikers and dog walkers numbered in
the dozens. We did see half a dozen White-crowned Sparrows,
1 American Pipit, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, and 1 Robin.
Our next stop was Genesee Park (Jefferson) for a search for
Williamson's Sapsuckers. Again there were a number of people
having picnics and walking their dogs. It took about an hour
to find a male Williamson's Sapsucker. He was working the pines
around the parking area for the group picnic area with the
large building (about halfway up the mountain park).
Running out of daylight, our final stop was Matthews-Winters Park
just outside of Denver. This park has fantastic habitat with a
running stream and a variety of plants and trees. Unfortunately,
birds were few. We did find a Green-tailed Towhee, Vesper Sparrow,
Spotted Towhees, and a Black-headed Grosbeak. Not nearly enough
birds for this promising habitat. It is worth a visit after
a front comes in.
Search for Longspurs 9/17
I birded for 4 hours at Barr Lake (Adams County) this morning.
Winds were mild; temperatures reached 80s.
The State Park was rather quiet. Two Rock Wrens hopped around
the rocks near the boat ramp.
The biggest flock of birds was at the West end of the Pioneer Trail
(mile marker 8.1). First bird noticed was a yellow throated and
breasted, gray headed bird with a complete eye ring. Upon further
inspection it turned out to be a Nashville Warbler. Other birds in
the area included 8 Wilson's Warblers, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers,
3 Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Gray Catbird, 1 Western Flycatcher,
3 Western Wood-pewees, and a House Wren.
A lone Townsend's Warbler fluttered about high in the cottonwoods
at mile marker 8.6 (banding station is mm 8.7).
I met up with Jorge Khuly and we headed up to Pawnee National
Grasslands in search of longspurs.
Our first stop, Beebe Draw Ponds was quiet. We did see two
Great-tailed Grackles and several Brown-headed Cowbirds
among the cows at the south end of the pond.
Lower Latham Reservoir (Weld) was also slow. The ponds and
wetlands on the south side were all dried up.
Loloff Reservoir (a few miles East) contained many birds.
Highlights were 2+ juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes, many
Wilson's Phalaropes, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 20+ Long-billed Dowitchers,
1 Solitary Sandpiper, a few Baird's Sandpipers, and 1 American Avocet.
Crow Valley Campground was very slow. We only observed
1 House Wren, a pair of Wilson's Warblers, 1 Swainson's Thrush,
and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Perhaps the Sharp-shinned Hawk kept
the other birds from coming out (from where, we never discovered).
The Weld County Road 124 ponds were almost dried up.
The previously reported longspurs were not found.
So, we headed over to CR 114 & Hwy 85. Along the way we
passed CR 114 & CR 37. Here things picked up as we counted
20+ Sage Thrashers. Most were at the northeast corner of
the intersection. However additional Sage Thrashers were
found east and west along CR 114.
A walk in the field at the southeast corner of Hwy 85 & CR 114 was
eventful. Over 48 Chestnut-collared Longspur were overhead and
landed in the deep grasses. This made obtaining good looks
difficult. Three or so McCown's Longspurs were also in the mix.
Several interesting birds were observed during the drive to Hwy 14
and CR 51. A Ferruginous Hawk, many American Kestrels,
a Loggerhead Shrike, 2 Brewer's Sparrows, and many Horned Larks
were added to our day list. A Burrowing Owl was found at the
northwest corner of CR 90 & CR 51.
The field at the Southeast corner of Hwy 14 & CR 51 was scoped
without finding any Mountain Plovers. A Ferruginous Hawk stood in
the middle of the prairie dog village. We hiked east along Hwy 14
for about 400 yards when 1 or 2 Mountain Plover were spotted
approximately 60 yards south of the highway.
We ran out of daylight before reaching the south side of Lower
Latham Reservoir. This made a search for Short-eared Owls
impossible.
Broomfield County 9/12
After receiving the notice of birds in Broomfield County, I headed
up that way. Temperature was in the middle 80s; winds were mild.
I spent 1.5 hours at Plaster Reservoir. The Chestnut-sided Warbler
was not located until the last 10 minutes when I found the bird in
the Russian Olive Tree grove 80 yards East of Plaster Reservoir.
This grove of trees was loaded with birds including 18 Wilson's
Warblers, 1 Green-tailed Towhee, 1 Lark Sparrow, many
House Finches, and many House Sparrows.
Before searching this grove, I walked the south and east sides of
Plaster Reservoir. Just south of the dam (along west side)
I observed the bird of the day for me. A Barn Owl stood in one
of the cottonwood trees. Later it flew to just north of the dam.
When I left, the Barn Owl was in the south end of the cottonwoods,
just north of the golf course tee along the reservoir. Other birds
observed along the west side and north of the dam included 11
Wilson's Warblers, 1 Green-tailed Towhee, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow,
and an Orange-crowned Warbler.
Birds observed by others (not myself) included a Virginia's Warbler
and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Eric and Loch Kilpatrick also observed
a Calliope Hummingbird at the yard with the hummingbird feeder and
garden (west of the path leading into the area (from Plaster circle).
I could not find the Black-and-White Warbler at the Broomfield
Natural Area.
Another interesting sighting was a California Gull walking
someone’s front yard while I made a U-turn to return home.
On the way home, I passed 104th Avenue & Sheridan Blvd.
The partial albino Red-tailed Hawk was in his usual location
hunting for food along the creek (along golf course edge).
In the late afternoon, I drove south to Chatfield Reservoir.
A juvenile Sabine's Gull was flying off the swim beach area.
I watched the bird long enough to see it both in Jefferson
and Douglas Counties. Ran out of daylight before other areas
could be checked.
Barr Lake 9/11
I enjoyed the day birding at Barr Lake, Adams County.
Temperatures reached the high 80s; winds were mild.
The trip lasted from 6:00am to 1:00pm.
(Arrival was timed for before sunrise in hopes of
catching a Barn Owl "napping" around mile marker 7.8.
None were found today.
My trek started at the boat ramp at mile marker 7.6. I hiked
to the shoreline and then north to below the dam (mm 7.1).
Eight one Killdeer were accompanied by 57 Baird's Sandpipers,
1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 1 Least Sandpiper.
Then I walked the main road south to the visitor's center's
footbridge. Two Lincoln's Sparrows were along the canal at the
southwest end of the dam. A MacGillivray's Warbler was along
the canal at mm 7.4. A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew after
Rock Pigeons near the end of the dam.
Townsend's Warblers were everywhere (total count was 11).
Two Townsend's Warblers and a Plumbeous Vireo were observed
while I hiked west to the end of the Pioneer Trail (mm 8.1).
(Later relocated by Loch Kilpatrick and all).
Wilson's Warblers were numerous (count was over 71).
A flock of over 40 Orange-crowned Warblers, many Chipping
and several Song Sparrows fluttered about the field across
the canal from the banding station.
Continuing South, I looked around the Gazebo boardwalk at mm 1.3.
Two Rock Wrens jumped about the viewing area. From here, I
returned to the visitor's center. A Green-tailed Towhee flew
around Fox Meadow. A Great Horned Owl hid from the many
visitors today at the west end of the Fox Meadow trail.
A Black-and-White Warbler ate insects off a willow at 50 yards
south of the southern end of the Niedrach Trail (the boardwalk
trail). Also observed were 3 unidentified Empidonax Species.
Once I reaching the visitor's center, B. Spencer told be about an
Ovenbird 100 yards north of the banding station and a Nashville
Warbler below the dam. A search of both birds did not turn up
either. However a second run through those areas added a Gray
Catbird, Hermit Thrush, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (all north of
the banding station) to my trip list.
Below the dam, I found another MacGillivray's Warbler and a
Virginia Rail. Other birds found during the day were 9 House Wrens,
2 Belted Kingfishers, many Franklin's Gulls, Barn Swallows,
2 Tree Swallows, 17 Western Wood-Pewees, 2 Western Kingbirds,
1 Yellow Warbler, a second Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Bald Eagle.
Bonny Reservoir Area Fall Count 9/9
Again, I use Gary Weston's Bird Report.
Highlights of the Fall Count at Bonny Reservoir in Yuma County.
It was hot today as temps reached in the 90s.
Eight participants, 100 birding hours.
American Bittern (2) (Bonny)
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron (Bonny)
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Osprey (2)
Broad-winged Hawk (2 Hale Ponds)
Golden Eagle (2)
Wild Turkey (14)
Northern Bobwhite (29)
Sandhill Crane (42)
Black-bellied Plover (2, Bonny)
Semipalmated Plover (2, Bonny)
Mountain Plover (4, private fields)
Willet
Long-billed Curlew (2, private field)
Sanderling (4)
Least Sandpiper (2)
Pectoral Sandpiper (Bonny)
Red-necked Phalarope (2, Bonny)
Common Tern (1, Bonny)
Black Tern (8)
Black-billed Cuckoo (1, Hale Ponds)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (6)
Barn Owl (2, Hale Ponds)
Eastern Screech-Owl (3)
Burrowing Owl (14)
Long-eared Owl (2)
Short-eared Owl (1, Bonny; 1 Sandy Bluffs)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Bonny area)
Common Poorwill (1, Hale Ponds)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (2)
Lewis's Woodpecker (1)
Red-headed Woodpecker (32)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (11, various locations)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Beecher Island)
Empidonax species (Alder looking, never will know)
Least Flycatcher (2)
Black Phoebe (in Kansas, not recorded for our count)
Eastern Phoebe (2) (1 Bonny, 1 near Beecher Island)
Say's Phoebe (7)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Bonny)
Cassin's Kingbird (Sandy Bluffs)
Pinyon Jay (4, in Kansas, not recorded for our count)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)
White-breasted Nuthatch (10)
Brown Creeper (1!)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (3)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2)
Eastern Bluebird (18)
Townsend's Solitaire (2)
Swainson's Thrush (8)
Hermit Thrush (1)
Varied Thrush (reported by non-birder, not recorded for our count)**
Northern Mockingbird (4)
Sage Thrasher (5)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Cedar Waxwing (120)
Bell's Vireo (1, Bonny)
Plumbeous Vireo (Hale Ponds)
Blue-headed Vireo (private ranch)
Warbling Vireo (2)
Tennessee Warbler (Hale Ponds)
Nashville Warbler (Hale Ponds)
Yellow Warbler (2, Bonny)
Magnolia Warbler (1, private ranch)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (6)
Black-and-White Warbler (2) (1-Bonny)
American Redstart (1, Bonny)
Northern Waterthrush (1, Hale Ponds)
Common Yellowthroat (11)
Northern Cardinal (4)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1st yr male)
Black-headed Grosbeak (2)
Indigo Bunting (1, Hale Ponds)
Eastern Towhee (private ranch)
Cassin's Sparrow (2)
Clay-colored Sparrow (9)
Brewer's Sparrow (31)
Field Sparrow (1-Hale Ponds; 1-Beecher Island)
Savannah Sparrow (2)
Grasshopper Sparrow (18)
Swamp Sparrow (1, Hale Ponds)
White-throated Sparrow (2)
Great-tailed Grackle (2)
Purple Finch (2, private yard)
**Homeowner reports seeing the Varied Thrush for about a month,
but it could not be relocated in a 2 hour search.
Wray, Colorado Fall Count 9/8
Again, below is Gary Weston's Trip Report:
Results and highlights of Wednesday’s Fall Bird Count at Wray.
Birds accessible on public lands are in parentheses.
Complete list on request.
Today 11 participants, 128 birding hours, so far.
American Bittern (Stalker Ponds)
White-faced Ibis (20)
Mississippi Kite (Wray City Park)
Cooper's Hawk (3)
Prairie Falcon (7)
Greater Prairie Chicken (2 seen, rumor of hundreds)
Sora (Stalker Ponds)
Eurasian Collared-Dove (5, Wray)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2, Sandsage WLA)
Greater Roadrunner (may be furthermost North record)
Eastern Screech-Owl (3) (1-Sandsage)
Great Horned Owl (17)
Chimney Swift (9)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (female)
Red-headed Woodpecker (26)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Stalker Ponds)
Cordilleran Flycatcher (Stalker Ponds)
Eastern Phoebe (5) (1-Sandsage, 1-Stalker Ponds)
Say's Phoebe (4)
Possible Purple Martin (2, over north Wray)
Steller's Jay (most northeastern?)
Swainson's Thrush (9)
Hermit Thrush (1)
Wood Thrush (1!!!)
Gray Catbird (4)
Sage Thrasher (7) (2 Sandsage)
Cedar Waxwing (110)
Northern Shrike (1)
Loggerhead Shrike (7)
Bell's Vireo (2)
Plumbeous Vireo (2)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Red-eyed Vireo (3) (1-Wray City Park)
Golden-winged Warbler (2) (1-Stalker Ponds)
Tennessee Warbler (1)
Nashville Warbler (2) (1-Sandsage)
Virginia's Warbler (1)
Northern Parula (1) (Wray City Park, upstream)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1)
Magnolia Warbler (1)
Yellow-rumped Warblers (26)
Townsend's Warbler (1)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Palm Warbler (Sandsage)
Black-and-White Warbler (3)
American Redstart (4) (1-Stalker Ponds)
Ovenbird (Stalker Ponds)
Northern Waterthrush (2)
MacGillivray's Warbler (1)
Wilson's Warbler (4) (1-Stalker Ponds)
Yellow-breasted Chat (2)
Summer Tanager (1 male)
Western Tanager (2)
Northern Cardinal (7) (1-Stalker Ponds)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2)
Lazuli Bunting (1)
Dickcissel (4)
Green-tailed Towhee (1)
Cassin's Sparrow (2)
Field Sparrow (2) (1-Sandsage)
Savannah Sparrow (20)
Grasshopper Sparrow (12)
Swamp Sparrow (1) (Sandsage)
White-throated Sparrow (2) (Sandsage)
Dark-eyed Junco (2)
McCown's Longspur (4)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (91)
Great-tailed Grackle (2)
Orchard Oriole (2)
Baltimore Oriole (1) (coming to Wray feeder)
Lesser Goldfinch (2) (Wray feeder)
Boulder County 9/7
Michael Hait & I birded in Boulder County this afternoon.
Mike if you are searching for Common Mergansers, we found 11
female/immature birds at the southwest corner of Baseline Reservoir.
Gregory Canyon was quite slow.
At the northeast corner of Gross Reservoir we found a large flock of
birds, which included 8+ Western Bluebirds, 2+ Mountain Bluebirds,
1 Townsend's Solitaire, 10+ Audubon Warblers, and 12+ Chipping
Sparrows. Two Green-tailed Towhees were also around.
We stopped several places along the eastern side of Gross while
looking for Common Poorwills and Northern Pygmy-Owls; without success.
At the maintenance office at the south end of Gross we watched two
Common Poorwills hawking insects. The road to the southwest corner
of Gross was closed and we could not checkout last week's Northern
Pygmy-Owl location. None answered our tapes from the maintenance area.
Arapahoe County Reservoirs 9/6
I decided to search for the Lesser Black-backed Gull that was
reported Saturday at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County).
The bird was not found at Cherry Creek Reservoir. There was
little bird activity and many people enjoying water sports.
I scoped Quincy Reservoir about 4 miles east of Cherry Creek
Reservoir. The water level is quite high there. Few birds
were around.
Finally, I hiked the 7.8 miles around Aurora Reservoir (also in
Arapahoe County). This reservoir is only 9 miles east of Cherry
Creek Reservoir. The four hundred gulls there were mostly Ring-
billed with about 30 California Gulls. A few sandpipers walked the
shoreline and included 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs,
9 Baird's Sandpipers, and 1 Pectoral Sandpiper (at mile marker 2.5).
Northeast Colorado 9/4-9/6
While I did not attend all of the count days, I was present during
most and decided to just post Gary Weston's trip reports.
We packed up the honeys (that’s at least what my wife calls me),
the kids (well most of us do not have kids), and plenty of food
and headed to Roger Danka’s ranch in Sedgwick County.
Our caravan had 4 vehicles. Highlights of our three day
birding weekend included the following.
Saturday 4th Sept.
Jackson Res (Morgan County)
Herring Gull (1st winter)
No Lesser Black-backed Gull
American Redstart (wildlife area, north side)
Snowy Plover (2)
Pectoral Sandpiper (2)
Red-necked Phalarope (2)
Black Tern (5+)
Great Horned Owl (2, campgrounds)
Brush Wildlife Area (Morgan)
Slow
Fort Morgan Ponds (Morgan)
Eastern Bluebirds
Prewitt Res (Washington or Logan counties)
Snowy Plover
Willet
Red-necked Phalarope
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Redstart
Townsend's Warbler
Great Crested Flycatcher
Tamarack Ranch (Logan County)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Screech-Owl
No Bell's Vireos found.
Sunday 5th Sept.
Jumbo Res. (Logan/Sedgwick Counties)
Black-bellied Plover
Common Terns
No Canada Warbler or American Redstart
Ovid Woods (Sedgwick)
Eurasian Collared-Dove (3)
Northern Cardinal (male)
Private Ranches (Sedgwick)
Eastern Meadowlark (2)
Eastern Screech-Owl (2)
Golden-winged Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-billed Cuckoo
Sedgwick Draw (Sedgwick County)
Short-eared Owl
No Eastern Screech-Owl tonight
First Fall Count of Season (Monday, 6th Sept)
(Jumbo Res. to Tamarack Ranch; Logan/Sedgwick Counties)
Green Heron, Jumbo
Broad-winged Hawk, Jumbo
Black-bellied Plover (2), Jumbo
Common Tern (2) Jumbo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Tamarack
Eastern Screech-Owl, Tamarack
Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Tamarack
Williamson's Sapsucker!!!, female/juv., Tamarack
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tamarack
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red Lion WLA
Red-headed Woodpecker, Tamarack
Eastern Phoebe, Tamarack
Great Crested Flycatcher, Jumbo
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tamarack
Brown Thrashers, Tamarack, Jumbo!
Blue-headed Vireo, Private Ranch
Northern Cardinal, male Red Lion WLA
Northern Cardinal, female Tamarack
Nashville Warbler, Tamarack
MacGillivray's Warbler, Tamarack
Savannah Sparrows, Tamarack
Grasshopper Sparrow, Tamarack
McCown's Longspur, Red Lion WLA
Orchard Oriole, Tamarack
Baltimore Oriole, male, Tamarack
Unidentified grouse or prairie chicken, Tamarack
Also seen today:
Eastern Screech-Owl, Private Ranch
Chimney Swift (2+), Julesburg Wayside Rest Stop
Eurasian Collared-Dove, Julesburg
Eastern Meadowlark, Private Ranch
Golden-winged Warbler, Private Ranch
Tennessee Warbler, Private Ranch
Fox Sparrow, Eastern, Private Ranch
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Private Ranch
Wheat Ridge Greenbelt & Barr Lake 9/3
I led the CoBus trip to Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson County).
Birding was pretty slow. I stayed 4.5 hours, while Gary Weston,
Gary Zeeto, and Dick Yordan decided to try Reynolds Park after
2.5 hours. They did find a Three-toed Woodpecker at the Junction
of Oxen Draw, Raven's Roost & Eagle's View Trails.
At Wheat Ridge Greenbelt our bird count was 31 Wilson's Warblers,
2 Western Wood-pewees, and one Brown Creeper. No vireos could
be found today.
After lunch, I continued on to bird 4.0 hours at Barr Lake (Adams).
Here I enjoyed better luck. Around the Pioneer Trail, the bird
count was 14 Wilson's Warblers, 1 House Wren, 1 unidentified thrush
(thought to be Hermit), and 2 Downy Woodpeckers. A Great Horned Owl
was seen just south of the Pioneer trail.
Around the banding station, the bird count was 2 House Wrens,
1 Northern Waterthrush, 1 Cassin's Vireo, 19 Wilson's Warblers,
1 Blue Grosbeak, 3 Western Wood-pewees, and a Western Kingbird.
Three Burrowing Owls were observed at 3.4 miles east of Tower Road
and 96th avenue. A flock of 20+ Brewer's Sparrows fed on sunflowers
along Harvest Road.
Cherry Creek Reservoir 9/2
Rebecca Kosten & I drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe
County). The sunset was fantastic; birding was slow. I looked
unsuccessfully for the Townsend's Warbler at the south end of the
12-mile picnic area beaver pond. A Virginia Rail called briefly.
No Black-chinned Hummingbirds or Green Herons were found.
A Townsend's Warbler was observed at the south end of the
campgrounds. It flew across the road to the dump area and back
into the campgrounds while we watched. Not much else was observed.
More Bird Trips
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