Bryan Ehlmann: Hello cobirders,
Over the next three weeks I will be leading the CoBus summer birding tour. Sue and I are the core of the group and we will be joined at times by up to 7 other birders including Richard Stevens, Rebecca Kosten, Gary Weston, Jerry Petrosky, a few other Colorado birders and a couple of out of state birders.
Unfortunately the format of this blog doesn't allow chronological order of our trip. See Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 below.
July 29
Ehlmann group:
We continued to search for Yellow-billed Cuckoos but did not get any response early this morning around Hotchkiss or Paonia today. For the most part, we were again limited to public property and missed much good habitat on private property. There just wasn't enough time to run down landowners to obtain permission to enter private property.
We did find a Lewis's Woodpecker in Paonia; it was a new county bird for the three of us!
Campgrounds birded today included McCluskey and Roeber. We spent a lot of time around Paonia Reservoir, but had to see what Minnesota and Beaver Reservoir looked like. McCluskey and Roeber Wildlife Areas were visited also.
After receiving a text message about a Common Black Hawk and Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Hotchkiss, we returned to Hotchkiss in the afternoon. Our only hint was 0.5 miles southwest of town. We drove around the county roads found neither the Yellow-billed Cuckoo nor Hawk. We kept our eyes to the skies but never saw the Common Black Hawk.
We then returned to the mountains south and east of Paonia for owling. Our owl count tonight was 1 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 3 Northern Pygmy-Owls (2 Locations), and one Long-eared Owl. Scouting areas helped to find the owls later!
Weston group:
Our big search today was Forest Road 860 to Owl Creek Pass in Ouray County. It was one of the most exciting days so far. Besides finding Three-toed Woodpeckers at 2 Locations, a pair of White-winged Crossbills flew around the road up to Green Mountain!
We continued down to Silver Jack Reservoir and the Middle Fork of the Cimarron River. We found the trail to Big Green Falls and relocated 2 Black Swifts that Coen Dexter had reported on Monday!
We then turned around after dark and returned to Ridgway. Another great highlight was a Boreal Owl at the first switchbacks that turn extremely south from the Summit. There are only 3 or 4 records of Boreal Owls in Ouray County. I have been fortunate to be along during 3 of them!
One Northern Saw-whet Owl and two Northern Pygmy-Owls (2 Locations) were added during our all night journey.
July 30
Our groups are more or less back together staying at a cabin that we have rented for the summer in Montrose County.
Ehlmann group:
With yesterday's report of a Common Black Hawk and Yellow-billed Cuckoo near Hotchkiss, we went back for another look. Neither bird was found again.
We had a short day planned with no owling past midnight. We counted birds at Chipeta Lakes Campgrounds and Chipeta Lake Wildlife Area, Montrose County and Billy Creek Campgrounds and Billy Creek Wildlife Area, Ouray County. We also stopped at Ridgway State Park.
The Common Loon reported a few days ago was still at Ridgway S.P. Nothing unusual was recorded but we did count many nesting birds.
We made it down to Ouray and Box Canyon in time to see that several Black Swifts are still around. Hummingbird feeders in Ouray added Broad-tailed, Rufous, and a Calliope Hummingbirds to our day list.
We had several leads on Western Screech-Owls and Barn Owls around Montrose. They did not pan out either. Not one owl was found tonight. We thought the State Park would have at least one.
Weston group:
We are trying to find a couple of days of good weather to bird the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Telluride area. That left us with Paradox valley and the Nucla area for us today.
Five Black Phoebes were found over 3 Locations (2 at Uravan). Surprisingly, a Long-eared Owl was at the same GPS waypoint as last year!
At Buckeye Reservoir Williamson's Sapsuckers, Grace's Warblers, and a Virginia's Warbler was added to our day list.
After dark we found 5 Northern Pygmy-Owls at 5 stops (four in the Manti La Sal National Forest). Two again were close to GPS waypoints taken last year! One up La Sal Creek.
Over the next three weeks I will be leading the CoBus summer birding tour. Sue and I are the core of the group and we will be joined at times by up to 7 other birders including Richard Stevens, Rebecca Kosten, Gary Weston, Jerry Petrosky, a few other Colorado birders and a couple of out of state birders.
Unfortunately the format of this blog doesn't allow chronological order of our trip. See Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 below.
July 29
Ehlmann group:
We continued to search for Yellow-billed Cuckoos but did not get any response early this morning around Hotchkiss or Paonia today. For the most part, we were again limited to public property and missed much good habitat on private property. There just wasn't enough time to run down landowners to obtain permission to enter private property.
We did find a Lewis's Woodpecker in Paonia; it was a new county bird for the three of us!
Campgrounds birded today included McCluskey and Roeber. We spent a lot of time around Paonia Reservoir, but had to see what Minnesota and Beaver Reservoir looked like. McCluskey and Roeber Wildlife Areas were visited also.
After receiving a text message about a Common Black Hawk and Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Hotchkiss, we returned to Hotchkiss in the afternoon. Our only hint was 0.5 miles southwest of town. We drove around the county roads found neither the Yellow-billed Cuckoo nor Hawk. We kept our eyes to the skies but never saw the Common Black Hawk.
We then returned to the mountains south and east of Paonia for owling. Our owl count tonight was 1 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 3 Northern Pygmy-Owls (2 Locations), and one Long-eared Owl. Scouting areas helped to find the owls later!
Weston group:
Our big search today was Forest Road 860 to Owl Creek Pass in Ouray County. It was one of the most exciting days so far. Besides finding Three-toed Woodpeckers at 2 Locations, a pair of White-winged Crossbills flew around the road up to Green Mountain!
We continued down to Silver Jack Reservoir and the Middle Fork of the Cimarron River. We found the trail to Big Green Falls and relocated 2 Black Swifts that Coen Dexter had reported on Monday!
We then turned around after dark and returned to Ridgway. Another great highlight was a Boreal Owl at the first switchbacks that turn extremely south from the Summit. There are only 3 or 4 records of Boreal Owls in Ouray County. I have been fortunate to be along during 3 of them!
One Northern Saw-whet Owl and two Northern Pygmy-Owls (2 Locations) were added during our all night journey.
July 30
Our groups are more or less back together staying at a cabin that we have rented for the summer in Montrose County.
Ehlmann group:
With yesterday's report of a Common Black Hawk and Yellow-billed Cuckoo near Hotchkiss, we went back for another look. Neither bird was found again.
We had a short day planned with no owling past midnight. We counted birds at Chipeta Lakes Campgrounds and Chipeta Lake Wildlife Area, Montrose County and Billy Creek Campgrounds and Billy Creek Wildlife Area, Ouray County. We also stopped at Ridgway State Park.
The Common Loon reported a few days ago was still at Ridgway S.P. Nothing unusual was recorded but we did count many nesting birds.
We made it down to Ouray and Box Canyon in time to see that several Black Swifts are still around. Hummingbird feeders in Ouray added Broad-tailed, Rufous, and a Calliope Hummingbirds to our day list.
We had several leads on Western Screech-Owls and Barn Owls around Montrose. They did not pan out either. Not one owl was found tonight. We thought the State Park would have at least one.
Weston group:
We are trying to find a couple of days of good weather to bird the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Telluride area. That left us with Paradox valley and the Nucla area for us today.
Five Black Phoebes were found over 3 Locations (2 at Uravan). Surprisingly, a Long-eared Owl was at the same GPS waypoint as last year!
At Buckeye Reservoir Williamson's Sapsuckers, Grace's Warblers, and a Virginia's Warbler was added to our day list.
After dark we found 5 Northern Pygmy-Owls at 5 stops (four in the Manti La Sal National Forest). Two again were close to GPS waypoints taken last year! One up La Sal Creek.
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