Mt Evans and Surrounding Area July 10, 2007

Nicole Juhan and I headed to Mt. Evans in search of White-tailed Ptarmigan. Unfortunately we could not find any today. On the trip up the mountain we saw many American Pipits and a few Mountain Bluebirds flying around above tree line. A dozen White-crowned Sparrows were found a little lower on the mountain.

Both Mountain Goats and Big Horned Sheep were wandering around at the top of the mountain. Both were accompanied by young of various ages.

We kept an eye out for Brewer's Sparrows. While I have seen “Timberline” Brewer’s Sparrows a few miles to the west on Guanella Pass, we did not find any on Mt. Evans.

A stop at Summit Lake was quite productive. Four or so Brown-capped Rosy Finches were observed flying around the north side of the lake even before we got out of the car. Two landed on the rocks and flew down for a drink of water; allowing for great views!

We stopped briefly and watched the hummingbird feeders on the side of the Restaurant near the pay station for Mt. Evans. Only Broad-tailed Hummingbirds visited them during our stay.

Our next stop was the western end of Echo Lake. We hoped to find American Three-toed Woodpeckers or Red-naped Sapsuckers; without success. We hiked the Chicago Lakes Trail until the telephone wires crossed the path and then headed back north to our car along the telephone line. Several flocks of Pine Grosbeaks were encountered at the junction of the trail and telephone poles.

Back near the parking area, 3 or 4 Green-tailed Towhees and many Lincoln's Sparrows sang from the willows and firs above. We ran into a group of 4 birders who said they saw a Williamson's Sapsucker in the willows; it never appeared for us.

A short drive west up Chicago Creek Road at the base of Mt Evans added several Virginia's Warblers to our day list.

Our last stop was at Genesee Mountain Park and a search for Williamson's Sapsuckers. They could not be found today. Many Pine Siskins, Mountain Chickadees, Chipping Sparrows, and female and/or young Western Tanagers flew around the group picnic area. One adult male Western Tanager added nice color to the scene.

Williamson's Sapsuckers were also missed at the top of the park. A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers and a pair of Downy Woodpeckers flew around the nesting trees near the flagpole. Western Bluebirds were quite numerous. We ran out of time and headed back to Denver.