Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Kit Carson & Yuma Counties

February 18, 2009

Bryan Ehlmann:

Richard Stevens and I headed east to checkout some Greater Prairie-Chicken leks and WIAs in Yuma County.

A stop at Flagler Reservoir in Kit Carson County found a White-throated Sparrow and male Red-bellied Woodpecker along the eastern side. The sparrow was with a mixed flock of White-crowned, Song, and American Tree Sparrows in the bushes at the northern end of the eastern tree line. The Red-bellied Woodpecker was about halfway down/south of the eastern tree line.

We hit about half of the WIAs (walk-in areas) in Yuma County. The purpose to take GPS waypoints and photographs of the terrain.

Tired of that we visited Bonny Reservoir where a Red-bellied Woodpecker was seen along the road that runs along the southern side of the reservoir. This road is now gated and birders have to walk into the area.

We relocated a Long-eared Owl in the windbreak near Foster's Grove Campgrounds and then played recordings at the western end of Yuma County Road 3. An Eastern Screech-Owl briefly called back to us.

At Hale we found at least two Long-eared Owls in the windbreak there. Four Red-bellied Woodpeckers were found along CR 4 at Hale Ponds. Shortly after dark, an Eastern Screech-Owl called back when we played a tape northeast of the eastern Hale Pond.

No comments: