Sunday, May 17, 2009

Another Owl Prowl

May 14 & 15, 2009

Richard Stevens:

On May 14: three of us planned to spend Thursday night-Friday morning searching for Boreal Owls on Cameron Pass (Larimer/Jackson). From the upper Joe Wright Parking area to the Colorado State Forest Visitor's center to the west, we found 6+ Boreal Owls. We got looks at 2 of them. The search lasted from 10:00pm to 5:00am.

On the way up to Cameron Pass we did a little birding in the afternoon. Red-necked Phalaropes were found at Beebe Draw Ponds area and Lower Latham Reservoir (Weld). A Willet was among several dozen peeps south of CR 48.

At Crow Valley Campgrounds we relocated the male Hooded Warbler and White-throated Sparrows.

Mountain Plovers were found at the field south of Weld CR 96 at 1.7 miles west of CR 77. Also at Highway 14 & CR 51 and one at CR 90 & CR 51. Burrowing Owls at CR 90 & CR 51 and Hwy 14 & CR 51.

Lark Buntings, McCown's Longspurs, Brewer's Sparrows, and a large number of Clay-colored Sparrows were easy to find on the Pawnee National Grasslands. Chestnut-collared Longspurs not so much.

A quick stop at Weld CR 57 and Highway 14 did not relocate the previously reported Lewis's Woodpecker.

The afternoon of May 15, Rebecca Kosten and I hiked at Barr Lake (Adams County) from the boat ramp (mile marker 7.5) southwest to mm 1.5).

We could not find the previously reported Palm Warbler; however the Northern Waterthrush reported yesterday by Andy Carpenter was along the water edge off the Pioneer Trail (mm 8.1). A Black-and-white Warbler was just west of the Niedrach Boardwalk (mm 0.6).

Birding was awful slow except for the expected summer crew: Western Kingbirds, Burrowing Owls, House Wrens, and swallows.

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