Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Morgan, Logan & Sedgwick Counties

February 20, 2009

Bryan Ehlmann:

Before sunrise Richard Stevens and I checked out Brush Wildlife Area in Morgan County. An Eastern Screech-Owl answered our playback recordings as we stood west of the lake. Unfortunately we never did see the owl which Richard had seen last month.

We also relocated a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the same general area.

We then headed west to Boyd Ponds outside of Fort Morgan in Morgan County. It took about an hour but we finally relocated the Winter Wren! A White-throated Sparrow accompanied a nearby flock of 9 White-crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos.

On the way to breakfast in Fort Morgan we passed by Riverside Park and gave it a look. About 1,200 White-cheeked Geese were on the hill south of the most eastern pond. We figured there had to be a Greater White-fronted Goose among them; sure enough we found two!

After breakfast we drove to the Fort Morgan Ponds which are actually the eastern end of Riverside Park. Just south of the boundary there is a pond south of the mobile home park and north of the motels. Hundreds of White-cheeked Geese and 2 Greater White-fronted Goose were also there. We suggested that they could be the birds from the other end of the park.

To test this out we walked from the Fort Morgan Ponds parking lot back west to Riverside Park. Sure enough, the large flock of White-cheeked Geese and 2 Greater White-fronted Goose were gone. Most likely those back at the mobile home park.

Richard walked the south side of the southern tree line while I walked the north side. This tree line has been really good in the past for sparrows. Unfortunately the park workers are cutting down all the brush and cattails under the cottonwoods.

Richard finally found a flock of White-crowned Sparrows and one White-throated Sparrow just east of the number 3 hole of the Frisbee Golf Course.

On the return trip to our car I walked along the southern end of the Platte River while Richard walked the south side of the northern tree line. Just east of the number 14 hole of the Frisbee Golf Course an Eastern Screech-Owl answered my playback tapes. I was playing the recordings to attract sparrows, but I will take an owl!

I found a flock of 17 White-crowned Sparrows, 4 Song Sparrows, and another White-throated Sparrow along the southern bank of the Platte. This was near the only bench I saw along the river.

A call from Roger Danka alerted us to a "strange gull" at Jumbo Reservoir so we turned around and drove northwest.

Jumbo Reservoir was a gold mine of gulls. Mine you, we hadn't heard about Rachel Hopper's Gull sightings of 2/17. Still after finding that out later in the evening we were still thrilled at "gull" find!

On the ice not far off the western side of Jumbo we found 4 1st/2nd year Glaucous Gulls, 1 adult Great Black-backed Gull, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, an adult and 1st cycle Thayer's Gulls, an adult and 1st cycle Laughing Gull, and many Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.

Richard gets the credit for both Laughing Gulls. First he found a small dark mantled gull. We watched it for over 30 minutes before it raised its head and showed us a dark bill. Then it stood up and we saw the black feet. Finally it flew and we got to see the all black wingtips and extensive black on the underside of the primaries!

While photographing the rare gulls Richard saw another small gull that he said had the distinctive head pattern of a Laughing Gull. This bird had an all black bill, black feet, and darkish and grayish hindneck and breast similar in color to its mantle. It turned out to be a 1st cycle Laughing Gull!

Finally Richard found another black footed gull. This also looked like a 1st cycle Laughing Gull as above except its bill was 2/3 black with a fleshy colored base. No where can we find such a Laughing Gull. It did not fit any other gulls either?

As we continued around Jumbo there were many gulls on ice formations in the southeast corner, north of the campgrounds, and along the northern shore. We again found the/an adult Laughing Gull but figured it to be the one we saw flying away.

A flock of 46+ Greater White-fronted Geese stood on the ice north of the campgrounds. After dark we searched for Eastern Screech-Owls north of Jumbo and at the campgrounds, but without success.

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