December 3, 2007
Gary Weston and I left Denver around 4:00am for Reynolds Park (Jefferson County). I am still trying to get a good photo of a Northern Pygmy-Owl. Unfortunately we could not find any owls this morning (or the whole day).
A consolation prize was a male Dusky Grouse walking across the Oxen Draw Trail, perhaps 15 yards south of the Songbird Trail. We did not take the time to hike up 0.7 miles to the intersection of the three trails (Eagle's View, Oxen Draw, and Raven's Roost). Twenty yards around this intersection seems to be a good location to find a resident American Three-toed Woodpecker.
Instead, we drove over to Pine Valley Ranch Park and hiked to the end of the Narrow Gauge Railroad Trail. No owls along here either.
We circled around to the south side of the park (Forest Road 550) hoping to find a Northern Goshawk. Struck out on that bird too. We tried hiking down the Tramway and 543 Trails. A couple of flocks of Pygmy Nuthatches and pairs of White-breasted Nuthatches & Red-breasted Nuthatches were just about all that we found.
From here, we decided to drive Rampart Range Road. Stops at locations of Northern Pygmy-Owl sightings of past years did not produce an owl.
The Sedalia Cemetery was quite birdy. Several Townsend's Solitaires, White-breasted Nuthatches, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, and many Pine Siskins kept our attention. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew in; unfortunately no Bohemian Waxwings were among them.
I dropped Gary off and ended my birding day at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). I hope people took time to look at the spectacular sunset just to the south of Cherry Creek Reservoir. Colorado does have some fantastic wintertime sunsets.
Hundreds of gulls and ducks were just off the northern picnic area and I headed there first. I managed to pick out a Long-tailed Duck among the multitude. At least one Bonaparte's Gull was in the mix.
A quick walk to the south end of the 12 mile beaver pond did not add much to my day list. No Dunlins, warblers, etc. A flock of American Goldfinch fluttered about the trees west of the group picnic area.
Hundreds of gulls stood on the poles outlining the southwest marina. No dark ones or large white ones, mostly Ring-billed Gulls with a few California Gulls mixed in.
As expected, hundreds of geese flew in around sunset. A lone Greater White-fronted Goose was in the middle of several thousand Canada Geese in the cove west of the Mountain Loop. For about 30 minutes around 4:30, there was no wind and the water was like a mirror (reflecting the sunset and the birds).
At 5:15pm however, winds started up and had to be 25+ mph quickly. I had planned to search for a Great Horned Owl as it has been almost a year since I have observed one at the park.
Eventually the winds encouraged me to head for home. I did not find a Great Horned Owl at the campgrounds, or northern picnic areas. The planned hiked back to the 12 mile beaver pond was called off.
Gary Weston and I left Denver around 4:00am for Reynolds Park (Jefferson County). I am still trying to get a good photo of a Northern Pygmy-Owl. Unfortunately we could not find any owls this morning (or the whole day).
A consolation prize was a male Dusky Grouse walking across the Oxen Draw Trail, perhaps 15 yards south of the Songbird Trail. We did not take the time to hike up 0.7 miles to the intersection of the three trails (Eagle's View, Oxen Draw, and Raven's Roost). Twenty yards around this intersection seems to be a good location to find a resident American Three-toed Woodpecker.
Instead, we drove over to Pine Valley Ranch Park and hiked to the end of the Narrow Gauge Railroad Trail. No owls along here either.
We circled around to the south side of the park (Forest Road 550) hoping to find a Northern Goshawk. Struck out on that bird too. We tried hiking down the Tramway and 543 Trails. A couple of flocks of Pygmy Nuthatches and pairs of White-breasted Nuthatches & Red-breasted Nuthatches were just about all that we found.
From here, we decided to drive Rampart Range Road. Stops at locations of Northern Pygmy-Owl sightings of past years did not produce an owl.
The Sedalia Cemetery was quite birdy. Several Townsend's Solitaires, White-breasted Nuthatches, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, and many Pine Siskins kept our attention. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew in; unfortunately no Bohemian Waxwings were among them.
I dropped Gary off and ended my birding day at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). I hope people took time to look at the spectacular sunset just to the south of Cherry Creek Reservoir. Colorado does have some fantastic wintertime sunsets.
Hundreds of gulls and ducks were just off the northern picnic area and I headed there first. I managed to pick out a Long-tailed Duck among the multitude. At least one Bonaparte's Gull was in the mix.
A quick walk to the south end of the 12 mile beaver pond did not add much to my day list. No Dunlins, warblers, etc. A flock of American Goldfinch fluttered about the trees west of the group picnic area.
Hundreds of gulls stood on the poles outlining the southwest marina. No dark ones or large white ones, mostly Ring-billed Gulls with a few California Gulls mixed in.
As expected, hundreds of geese flew in around sunset. A lone Greater White-fronted Goose was in the middle of several thousand Canada Geese in the cove west of the Mountain Loop. For about 30 minutes around 4:30, there was no wind and the water was like a mirror (reflecting the sunset and the birds).
At 5:15pm however, winds started up and had to be 25+ mph quickly. I had planned to search for a Great Horned Owl as it has been almost a year since I have observed one at the park.
Eventually the winds encouraged me to head for home. I did not find a Great Horned Owl at the campgrounds, or northern picnic areas. The planned hiked back to the 12 mile beaver pond was called off.
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