September 22, 2008
Richard Stevens:
I decided to drive up to Summit County and search for the Hooded Warbler reported last week by Forrest Luke. I had waited too many days, but enjoyed the trip back into the mountains.
My arrival was timed just before sunrise to see if any Rosy Finches were coming down from higher elevations yet. No Rosy Finches were found but many other mountain species were visiting local feeders. Birds observed included Mountain Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadees, a pair of Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, 3 species of nuthatches, and Clark's Nutcrackers. Two Band-tailed Pigeons were the highlight.
About 45 minutes were spent searching for the Hooded Warbler along Johnson Road north of Silverthorne; without success. There are plenty of willows along the Blue River for the warbler to wander along.
The weather was fantastic and I decided to conduct a one man fall count at A.M. Bailey Bird Sanctuary up Rock Creek. About halfway between the parking area and the sanctuary, a male American Three-toed Woodpecker worked the trees on the east side of the trail. Another Three-toed Woodpecker was later found across Rock Creek at the west side of the sanctuary.
No Northern Pygmy-Owls were enticed into calling. A pair of Red-naped Sapsuckers flew about the Aspens. Other birds encountered included McGillivray's Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, 2 Fox Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, Song Sparrows, a Dusky Flycatcher, a Hammond's Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
A hike about a mile up the Ptarmigan trail (above tree line), found no Ptarmigan and I returned to my car.
My birding day ended at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). I was too tired to walk/circle the lake, instead scoped the lake for about an hour from below the dam. A juvenile Sabine's Gull flew around the west side of the Lake Loop, drove many times into the water hopefully catching a meal. Another juvenile Sabine's Gull flew around the swim beach area. A small tern near the east side of the Lake Loop was too far away to identify.
If the Long-tailed Jaeger was still there, it did not fly around. I only half heartedly searched through the hundreds of Western Grebes swimming around. If a Clark's Grebe was out there, I did not find it. The Mew Gull was not picked out among the several hundred Ring-billed Gulls flying about.
Half a dozen California Gulls, 60+ White Pelicans, and 14 Double-crested Cormorants stood on the southwest sandbar. An adult and juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron and 3 Great Blue Herons stood on the telephone poles outlining the southwest marina. The pelicans watched me as I enjoyed watching them. The Night-Herons waited for food to swim by and appeared to ignore me altogether. The Snowy Egret count was down to 9 from my vantage point.
Winds were calm; the air had the crisp cool smell of fall. Leaves have not changed colors yet at lower elevations; one of my favorite times of year to watch sunset (no mosquitoes). Unfortunately there was only a hint of sunset as the sun disappeared into the clouds over the mountains. It won't be long before the leaves turned to gold, fall off, then winter……….
Richard Stevens:
I decided to drive up to Summit County and search for the Hooded Warbler reported last week by Forrest Luke. I had waited too many days, but enjoyed the trip back into the mountains.
My arrival was timed just before sunrise to see if any Rosy Finches were coming down from higher elevations yet. No Rosy Finches were found but many other mountain species were visiting local feeders. Birds observed included Mountain Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadees, a pair of Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, 3 species of nuthatches, and Clark's Nutcrackers. Two Band-tailed Pigeons were the highlight.
About 45 minutes were spent searching for the Hooded Warbler along Johnson Road north of Silverthorne; without success. There are plenty of willows along the Blue River for the warbler to wander along.
The weather was fantastic and I decided to conduct a one man fall count at A.M. Bailey Bird Sanctuary up Rock Creek. About halfway between the parking area and the sanctuary, a male American Three-toed Woodpecker worked the trees on the east side of the trail. Another Three-toed Woodpecker was later found across Rock Creek at the west side of the sanctuary.
No Northern Pygmy-Owls were enticed into calling. A pair of Red-naped Sapsuckers flew about the Aspens. Other birds encountered included McGillivray's Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, 2 Fox Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, Song Sparrows, a Dusky Flycatcher, a Hammond's Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
A hike about a mile up the Ptarmigan trail (above tree line), found no Ptarmigan and I returned to my car.
My birding day ended at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). I was too tired to walk/circle the lake, instead scoped the lake for about an hour from below the dam. A juvenile Sabine's Gull flew around the west side of the Lake Loop, drove many times into the water hopefully catching a meal. Another juvenile Sabine's Gull flew around the swim beach area. A small tern near the east side of the Lake Loop was too far away to identify.
If the Long-tailed Jaeger was still there, it did not fly around. I only half heartedly searched through the hundreds of Western Grebes swimming around. If a Clark's Grebe was out there, I did not find it. The Mew Gull was not picked out among the several hundred Ring-billed Gulls flying about.
Half a dozen California Gulls, 60+ White Pelicans, and 14 Double-crested Cormorants stood on the southwest sandbar. An adult and juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron and 3 Great Blue Herons stood on the telephone poles outlining the southwest marina. The pelicans watched me as I enjoyed watching them. The Night-Herons waited for food to swim by and appeared to ignore me altogether. The Snowy Egret count was down to 9 from my vantage point.
Winds were calm; the air had the crisp cool smell of fall. Leaves have not changed colors yet at lower elevations; one of my favorite times of year to watch sunset (no mosquitoes). Unfortunately there was only a hint of sunset as the sun disappeared into the clouds over the mountains. It won't be long before the leaves turned to gold, fall off, then winter……….
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