January 18, 2008
Bryan Ehlmann and I started our birding day by searching for Short-eared Owls before sunrise at Sedgwick Draw (Sedgwick County) and east. We did not enjoy luck today and found none. A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was at the Sedgwick Cemetery. Cannot figure where he goes? The cemetery is small and we have only found him on two of our last five trips. The next group of trees is quite far away.
Next we went over to Sterling Reservoir (Logan). Birds were few. Temperatures were in the low 20s; it was cold.
We stopped at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) to search for owls and birds. Again few birds were around. There are one or two Long-eared Owls at the reservoir. It takes some searching to find one!
Inspection of the feeders in Log Lane Village found only House Finches and House Sparrows. These feeders have enjoyed visits by Common Redpoll and Purple Finches in the past.
Barr Lake (Adams) was skipped as the feeders there have been quiet for several months.
We picked up Rebecca Kosten and Sue Ehlmann and headed for an earlier dinner. It was decided to stop at the Highline Canal at Dahlia Street (Arapahoe) first to see if the Northern Mockingbird was still around. We did not find the Northern Mockingbird or the previously reported White-throated Sparrows. The "mockingbird" area (400 yards north of the Dahlia parking area) was filled with hundreds of European Starlings, dozens of American Robins, and a dozen Cedar Waxwings.
Our thinking was that they "scared off" the mockingbird. As we watched a Spotted Towhee underneath the Buckthorn bushes a flock of 70+ Bohemian Waxwings flew into the bushes. They stayed for the 30 minutes we watched them and were still there when we left. A local landowner walked by and said that the Bohemian Waxwings had first come there yesterday afternoon. The area is filled with Buckthorn berries; perhaps the waxwings will continue for another day or too?
After dinner, we drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Hundreds of geese were flying in from the golf course and Village Greens Park to the west. No uncommon ones were picked out. We drove over to the shooting range and found a Northern Shrike perched on top of one of the Russian Olive Trees near the entrance.
Two Red-tailed Hawks (one dark morph) were the last birds spotted as we left the park.
January 17, 2008
Today we visited several ranches in Sedgwick County. Our owl count was 7 Long-eared Owls (2 locations). One rancher reported seeing two Short-eared Owls last evening (which was where we later ended our birding day; without seeing any additional owls).
We worked our way south, driving most of the county roads in search of owls, longspurs, sparrows, and prairie-chickens. Mostly not finding any of our target birds or uncommon birds.
The only uncommon birds found at Sand Draw Wildlife Area were 7 Red Crossbills, 4 Mountain Chickadees, and 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches.
We did find 5 Western Meadowlarks that caused us to stop and study. Eventually they are sounded like Western Meadowlarks (no Eastern Meadowlarks for us on this trip).
Back at Roger's Ranch we watched his feeders while his wife filled us with fried chicken (so much for my diet). He has a Harris's Sparrow and 2 White-throated Sparrows visit now and then (Harris's Sparrow since 10/25; White-throated Sparrow since 11/26). He also noticed a Chipping Sparrow on 1/2 which also came by this afternoon. And it was a Chipping Sparrow, not American Tree Sparrow (which there were several of under the feeders).
Our sister listserve discussed Chipping Sparrow sightings in winter as if they were impossible. On the contrary, more and more are showing up during winter months in Colorado. Perhaps due to birder numbers and awareness of the possibilities and/or global warming.
Near dusk, we returned to private ranch #2 (as we have labeled it) to wait for the Short-eared Owls. Unfortunately, they did not appear this evening.
After dark, we took a final hike down Roger's creek and heard one of the two Eastern Screech-Owls on his property. For the past three years, Roger has seen young (successful nesting). We hope to experience that this spring!
January 16, 2008
We returned to the southeast corner of Jumbo Reservoir again this morning. The Short-eared Owl did not show up. A dog barked the whole time we stood at CR 24.8 & CR 3. Perhaps this did not help our cause?
Today we drove the roads north and east of Jumbo Reservoir (Sedgwick). We enjoyed more success today. Lapland Longspurs were again fairly common. Our day count ended up at 517 birds. There were plenty of Horned Larks also.
We ran into two Field Sparrows. The first was at Sedgwick County Roads 32 & 17; the second at CR 30 & 11. We also found 3 Long-eared Owls on a private ranch (#5) south of Highway 138. The Purple Finch that had been visiting his feeders 12/23 through 12/26 was gone. We also did not relocate the American Woodcock found on 12/23.
At Sedgwick Bar Wildlife Area we again found a flock of 5-7 Eastern Bluebirds. A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was west of the parking area.
A Golden Eagle was seen while we were driving along CR 28 (great road to visit some of the history of Julesburg and Sedgwick County).
Two Eurasian Collared-Doves were around the elementary school in Julesburg. We searched for a Northern Cardinal report in Julesburg (south of the school) but were not able to confirm the sighting.
Our birding day ended north on CR 32 and west of 63. We hoped for an Eastern Meadowlark or additional owls but did not have success.
January 15, 2008
Before sunrise, Roger Danka, Bryan Ehlmann, and I looked for owls at the southeast corner of Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick). About 15 minutes before sunrise, we watched a Short-eared Owl fly back and forth over the field southwest of Sedgwick County Roads 3 & 24.8. Little else was found at Jumbo Reservoir.
We spent the next few hours driving around the county roads north and west of Jumbo Reservoir. Several flocks of Lapland Longspurs were located (total: 113 birds). We hoped for a stray Snowy Owl; no such luck.
In Peetz, Bryan spotted a White-throated Sparrow east of the railroad tracks (along Park Avenue). At the first ranch east of CR 78 & 55, we found a Harris's Sparrow.
We did run into quite a few raptors. Our count for the day included: 7 Red-tailed Hawks, 16 Rough-legged Hawks, 9 American Kestrels, 3 Merlin, 2 Prairie Falcons, 2 Golden Eagles.
Ovid was pretty quiet. No Purple Finches, Common Redpolls, or White-winged Doves flying about. The only birds found at the Julesburg Wildlife Area were 2 Song Sparrows and 9 American Tree Sparrows. We did pick up a Ring-necked Pheasant for the day.
January 14, 2008
At first light, Bryan Ehlmann, Roger Danka, and I searched for hunting owls at Sedgwick Draw. We did not find the resident Eastern Screech-Owl at Sedgwick County Roads 32 & 15 thirty minutes earlier. No Short-eared Owls made an appearance this morning. Few birds were moving about Jumbo Reservoir and we continued to Tamarack Ranch Wildlife Area.
At Tamarack Ranch WLA, we hiked from the old ranger's home to CR 55 and back. A male Northern Cardinal was found around the fence line around the now maintenance building.
Two Red-bellied Woodpeckers were counted in section 1West & 1East. We found several flocks of American Tree Sparrows and 3 Song Sparrows. No uncommon sparrows were found (Field, White-throated, etc). We did see a Common Yellowthroat about 250 yards east of CR 55.
An immature Golden Eagle flew through during our hike and that was just about it.
We drove into Sterling to do some shopping and time the trip to check North Sterling Reservoir (Logan) for owls at dusk; without success.
A stop back at Tamarack Ranch WLA after dark added 2 Eastern Screech-Owls to our day list. Back at Roger's Ranch we found another 2 Eastern Screech-Owls.
January 13, 2008
Bryan Ehlmann and I birded several reservoirs along I76 today. Temperatures were in the 20s; winds 15-20+ mph.
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County) was pretty slow. A lone adult Bald Eagle flew across the west side of the reservoir. I could not get any Eastern Screech-Owls to respond to my recordings.
No Long-eared Owls were found either. However, I did not walk into the woods, but rather scoped them from the road. The campgrounds had several dozen American Robins and a flock of 5-6 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Prewitt Reservoir was also slow. I found 2 adult and 2 subadult Bald Eagles and not much else. Here I did hike in the woods below the dam. No Eastern Screech-Owls were found.
Bryan Ehlmann and I started our birding day by searching for Short-eared Owls before sunrise at Sedgwick Draw (Sedgwick County) and east. We did not enjoy luck today and found none. A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was at the Sedgwick Cemetery. Cannot figure where he goes? The cemetery is small and we have only found him on two of our last five trips. The next group of trees is quite far away.
Next we went over to Sterling Reservoir (Logan). Birds were few. Temperatures were in the low 20s; it was cold.
We stopped at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) to search for owls and birds. Again few birds were around. There are one or two Long-eared Owls at the reservoir. It takes some searching to find one!
Inspection of the feeders in Log Lane Village found only House Finches and House Sparrows. These feeders have enjoyed visits by Common Redpoll and Purple Finches in the past.
Barr Lake (Adams) was skipped as the feeders there have been quiet for several months.
We picked up Rebecca Kosten and Sue Ehlmann and headed for an earlier dinner. It was decided to stop at the Highline Canal at Dahlia Street (Arapahoe) first to see if the Northern Mockingbird was still around. We did not find the Northern Mockingbird or the previously reported White-throated Sparrows. The "mockingbird" area (400 yards north of the Dahlia parking area) was filled with hundreds of European Starlings, dozens of American Robins, and a dozen Cedar Waxwings.
Our thinking was that they "scared off" the mockingbird. As we watched a Spotted Towhee underneath the Buckthorn bushes a flock of 70+ Bohemian Waxwings flew into the bushes. They stayed for the 30 minutes we watched them and were still there when we left. A local landowner walked by and said that the Bohemian Waxwings had first come there yesterday afternoon. The area is filled with Buckthorn berries; perhaps the waxwings will continue for another day or too?
After dinner, we drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Hundreds of geese were flying in from the golf course and Village Greens Park to the west. No uncommon ones were picked out. We drove over to the shooting range and found a Northern Shrike perched on top of one of the Russian Olive Trees near the entrance.
Two Red-tailed Hawks (one dark morph) were the last birds spotted as we left the park.
January 17, 2008
Today we visited several ranches in Sedgwick County. Our owl count was 7 Long-eared Owls (2 locations). One rancher reported seeing two Short-eared Owls last evening (which was where we later ended our birding day; without seeing any additional owls).
We worked our way south, driving most of the county roads in search of owls, longspurs, sparrows, and prairie-chickens. Mostly not finding any of our target birds or uncommon birds.
The only uncommon birds found at Sand Draw Wildlife Area were 7 Red Crossbills, 4 Mountain Chickadees, and 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches.
We did find 5 Western Meadowlarks that caused us to stop and study. Eventually they are sounded like Western Meadowlarks (no Eastern Meadowlarks for us on this trip).
Back at Roger's Ranch we watched his feeders while his wife filled us with fried chicken (so much for my diet). He has a Harris's Sparrow and 2 White-throated Sparrows visit now and then (Harris's Sparrow since 10/25; White-throated Sparrow since 11/26). He also noticed a Chipping Sparrow on 1/2 which also came by this afternoon. And it was a Chipping Sparrow, not American Tree Sparrow (which there were several of under the feeders).
Our sister listserve discussed Chipping Sparrow sightings in winter as if they were impossible. On the contrary, more and more are showing up during winter months in Colorado. Perhaps due to birder numbers and awareness of the possibilities and/or global warming.
Near dusk, we returned to private ranch #2 (as we have labeled it) to wait for the Short-eared Owls. Unfortunately, they did not appear this evening.
After dark, we took a final hike down Roger's creek and heard one of the two Eastern Screech-Owls on his property. For the past three years, Roger has seen young (successful nesting). We hope to experience that this spring!
January 16, 2008
We returned to the southeast corner of Jumbo Reservoir again this morning. The Short-eared Owl did not show up. A dog barked the whole time we stood at CR 24.8 & CR 3. Perhaps this did not help our cause?
Today we drove the roads north and east of Jumbo Reservoir (Sedgwick). We enjoyed more success today. Lapland Longspurs were again fairly common. Our day count ended up at 517 birds. There were plenty of Horned Larks also.
We ran into two Field Sparrows. The first was at Sedgwick County Roads 32 & 17; the second at CR 30 & 11. We also found 3 Long-eared Owls on a private ranch (#5) south of Highway 138. The Purple Finch that had been visiting his feeders 12/23 through 12/26 was gone. We also did not relocate the American Woodcock found on 12/23.
At Sedgwick Bar Wildlife Area we again found a flock of 5-7 Eastern Bluebirds. A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was west of the parking area.
A Golden Eagle was seen while we were driving along CR 28 (great road to visit some of the history of Julesburg and Sedgwick County).
Two Eurasian Collared-Doves were around the elementary school in Julesburg. We searched for a Northern Cardinal report in Julesburg (south of the school) but were not able to confirm the sighting.
Our birding day ended north on CR 32 and west of 63. We hoped for an Eastern Meadowlark or additional owls but did not have success.
January 15, 2008
Before sunrise, Roger Danka, Bryan Ehlmann, and I looked for owls at the southeast corner of Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick). About 15 minutes before sunrise, we watched a Short-eared Owl fly back and forth over the field southwest of Sedgwick County Roads 3 & 24.8. Little else was found at Jumbo Reservoir.
We spent the next few hours driving around the county roads north and west of Jumbo Reservoir. Several flocks of Lapland Longspurs were located (total: 113 birds). We hoped for a stray Snowy Owl; no such luck.
In Peetz, Bryan spotted a White-throated Sparrow east of the railroad tracks (along Park Avenue). At the first ranch east of CR 78 & 55, we found a Harris's Sparrow.
We did run into quite a few raptors. Our count for the day included: 7 Red-tailed Hawks, 16 Rough-legged Hawks, 9 American Kestrels, 3 Merlin, 2 Prairie Falcons, 2 Golden Eagles.
Ovid was pretty quiet. No Purple Finches, Common Redpolls, or White-winged Doves flying about. The only birds found at the Julesburg Wildlife Area were 2 Song Sparrows and 9 American Tree Sparrows. We did pick up a Ring-necked Pheasant for the day.
January 14, 2008
At first light, Bryan Ehlmann, Roger Danka, and I searched for hunting owls at Sedgwick Draw. We did not find the resident Eastern Screech-Owl at Sedgwick County Roads 32 & 15 thirty minutes earlier. No Short-eared Owls made an appearance this morning. Few birds were moving about Jumbo Reservoir and we continued to Tamarack Ranch Wildlife Area.
At Tamarack Ranch WLA, we hiked from the old ranger's home to CR 55 and back. A male Northern Cardinal was found around the fence line around the now maintenance building.
Two Red-bellied Woodpeckers were counted in section 1West & 1East. We found several flocks of American Tree Sparrows and 3 Song Sparrows. No uncommon sparrows were found (Field, White-throated, etc). We did see a Common Yellowthroat about 250 yards east of CR 55.
An immature Golden Eagle flew through during our hike and that was just about it.
We drove into Sterling to do some shopping and time the trip to check North Sterling Reservoir (Logan) for owls at dusk; without success.
A stop back at Tamarack Ranch WLA after dark added 2 Eastern Screech-Owls to our day list. Back at Roger's Ranch we found another 2 Eastern Screech-Owls.
January 13, 2008
Bryan Ehlmann and I birded several reservoirs along I76 today. Temperatures were in the 20s; winds 15-20+ mph.
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County) was pretty slow. A lone adult Bald Eagle flew across the west side of the reservoir. I could not get any Eastern Screech-Owls to respond to my recordings.
No Long-eared Owls were found either. However, I did not walk into the woods, but rather scoped them from the road. The campgrounds had several dozen American Robins and a flock of 5-6 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Prewitt Reservoir was also slow. I found 2 adult and 2 subadult Bald Eagles and not much else. Here I did hike in the woods below the dam. No Eastern Screech-Owls were found.
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