Foothills and Eastern Plains May 28, 2007

Iain Wilkes and I went seeking several of his lifebirds.

Our first stop was Gregory Canyon in Boulder. The trails leading from the parking area (fee area) follow a stream west up the canyon and/or a dry stream bed to the south. MacGillivray's Warblers nest in the heavy foliage along the wet stream bed. Virginia's Warblers seem to prefer to nest further up the hillsides where it is a little drier.

We searched for an hour along the stream for MacGillivray's Warblers. None were found today. Perhaps because it was a holiday and many hikers and dog walkers were using the trail before we arrived.

Our luck changed as we hiked up the dry stream bed. A Virginia's Warbler was actively calling from the lower bushes. He seldom stopped calling during our 30 minute stay. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (another lifebird) appeared to be everywhere.

Other birds observed included a singing Black-headed Grosbeak. Several Yellow-breasted Chats were also tirelessly singing. A male Western Tanager wouldn’t let the other birds have the only say. Common Ravens harassed a juvenile Golden Eagle that flew through the canyon.

Gray Catbirds, American Robins, Yellow Warblers, and a dozen Warbling Vireos added to the noisy canyon.

From here we determined that the Pawnee National Grasslands would provide the most opportunities for additional lifebirds in the limited time allowed to us.

A stop at Highway 14 & CR 51 did not find any Mountain Plovers. We were more successful at the eastern end of the same pasture. Two Mountain Plovers were observed in the shorter grasses while we parked at the Dyer’s Driveway (0.7 miles east of the above intersection).

The birds were quite far away and Iain wanted a better look at a Mountain Plover so we headed to the field north of Weld County Roads 94 & 63. I usually find this pasture is lucrative for producing a Mountain Plover sighting. We did not find any plovers but did see many Lark Buntings and McCown's Longspurs (both lifebirds for Iain).

Crow Valley Campground was quiet today. A pair of Bullock's Orioles added much color and another lifebird. We were not able to locate the previously reported Black-throated Blue Warblers.

Time was running short and we headed back to Denver by way of Highway 392. We stopped at Weld County Road 67 and walked about 0.3 miles south. Iain found a Mountain Plover about 0.1 miles south of CR 67. This bird was only 20 yards from us and allowed great views.

A Burrowing Owl was approximately 60 yards further south. While watching these birds, we heard one or two Cassin's Sparrows and watched a couple of Brewer's Sparrows. Thanks to Gary Lefko for bringing this area to our attention!

A brief stop at the wetlands south of Lower Latham Reservoir added a male Cinnamon Teal and 2 male Blue-winged Teal to Iain’s life list. A pair of Great-tailed Grackles was perched on the northern fence line.

Beebe Draw Ponds added Wilson's Phalaropes, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeons to our trip list. A couple of peeps were too far away to ID.

We were not able to find any Prairie Falcons along our trek and offered Iain a reason to return to Colorado on another day.