October 2, 2009
Richard Stevens:
I started out this morning only to see if any Short-eared Owls would show up at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). At 6:15 am I parked along the main road, just west of the woods where Cherry Creek crosses under the road. Civil Twilight was 6:24 am; sunrise 6:57 am. No owls did fly by, so I walked the cattails along the road and found a Marsh Wren!
I reversed directions and walked along the main road into the woods on either side of Cherry Creek. While doing my rather poor imitation of a Black-and-white Warbler a flock of small birds appeared to get excited.
It must have been a bad imitation (or perhaps good?) as a Cooper's Hawk flew in and landed almost above my head. He called the whole time I was there; perhaps I was on his hunting grounds?
The flock included 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a very yellow Tennessee Warbler. I watched the warbler for a minute or so, observed the white undertail coverts well. The warbler was last seen 15 feet south of the main road and along the Wetlands Trail just west of Cherry Creek.
It was such a beautiful day (at 9:00am winds 10-12 mph, gusts to 16; temperature 44 degrees). I figured it would be a wash on seeing many birds but decided to get some exercise by walking the whole 6 miles around the lake.
As expected few birds were encountered, very few if you do not count the murder of 82 American Crows at the Mountain View Loop and dozens of Black-billed Magpies at the Cottonwood Creek Loop.
I did run into another Cooper's Hawk, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Red-tailed Hawk. Quite a few Pelicans, a couple of Double-crested Cormorants, hundreds of American Coots, Horned Grebes and Eared Grebes were out on the water.
The highlight was two American Avocets in basic plumage at the southeast sand spit.
(It was not until later in the day when talking to Rebecca that it occurred that I had spent 6.5 hours at Cherry Creek Reservoir and not seen one sparrow. At intervals I had played a Swamp Sparrow recording at the cattails on the south side from the Lake Loop to the southeast corner; not even a Song Sparrow responded. Usually I find that playing any recording gets a response from other birds; it is as if they can not allow one bird to fill the airwaves by themselves; not today.
It might have appeared that I was trying to avoid chores back home. I had every intention of returning to those chores, (but) Rebecca wanted to go back out, eat lunch, and go grocery shopping. So, what could I do? :-)
After lunch I got the idea that instead of shopping with her, she could drop me off at 88th avenue and Buckley Road (northeast corner of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal) and pick me up in two hours at 56th avenue and Buckley (4 mile hike along the east side of the Arsenal).
This turned out to be rewarding for me (chores be cursed, they will be there tomorrow).
In the first 0.5 mile I walked upon dozens of sparrows (Vesper, Brewer's, Lark, 1 Clay-colored, White-crowned, Chipping) searching for food in the weeds along Buckley Road. The only "hoped for" sparrow missing was a Grasshopper Sparrow (which was not to be).
I had my GPS with me, but unfortunately no extra batteries. Trail marks had to be the telephone poles along the road. If I remember correctly, every two telephone poles mark approximately 0.1 miles (or perhaps not).
At the fourth telephone pole from the gate at 88th avenue I came upon 2 Sage Thrashers. They would fly south as I approached, but eventually stopped at pole # 7 (allowed me to continue alone). They did fly on both sides of the road so got them for both Denver & Adams Counties.
At pole # 8, a Burrowing Owl was in the field east of Buckley Road (Denver County).
At pole # 11, a Burrowing Owl was inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal fence (Adams County).
Continuing South to the barrier across the road, another Burrowing Owl was seen one telephone pole south of the barrier. It was inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal property (Adams).
The highlight of the day was at 6 poles south of the barrier (I guess I was approximately 2.0 miles south of 88th avenue; therefore 2.0 miles north of 56th avenue). A Fox Sparrow popped up out of the weeds. First it stayed on the fence on the east side of Buckley (Denver) and then flew to the boundary fence of the Arsenal (Adams).
I figured that surely Fox Sparrows have been banded at Barr Lake (Adams), but the Denver sighting could be interesting. Fox Sparrows are neither listed on the CoBus County checklists or the CFO County checklists!!! (until now)!!!
I would have preferred a red form (eastern) Fox Sparrow, but this gray form looked quite impressive in the afternoon sun. It was a "slate colored" subspecies with gray head and gray unstreaked back. "Passerella iliaca schistacea"
Finally, two additional Sage Thrashers were around the old parking area for the Wildlife Watch Area (Adams).
When I arrived at the creek crossing about 0.5 mile north of 56th avenue, two Song Sparrows fluttered about the weeds.
Quite an enjoyable hike and I arrived at 56th avenue just as Rebecca and my ride pulled up!
Richard Stevens:
I started out this morning only to see if any Short-eared Owls would show up at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). At 6:15 am I parked along the main road, just west of the woods where Cherry Creek crosses under the road. Civil Twilight was 6:24 am; sunrise 6:57 am. No owls did fly by, so I walked the cattails along the road and found a Marsh Wren!
I reversed directions and walked along the main road into the woods on either side of Cherry Creek. While doing my rather poor imitation of a Black-and-white Warbler a flock of small birds appeared to get excited.
It must have been a bad imitation (or perhaps good?) as a Cooper's Hawk flew in and landed almost above my head. He called the whole time I was there; perhaps I was on his hunting grounds?
The flock included 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a very yellow Tennessee Warbler. I watched the warbler for a minute or so, observed the white undertail coverts well. The warbler was last seen 15 feet south of the main road and along the Wetlands Trail just west of Cherry Creek.
It was such a beautiful day (at 9:00am winds 10-12 mph, gusts to 16; temperature 44 degrees). I figured it would be a wash on seeing many birds but decided to get some exercise by walking the whole 6 miles around the lake.
As expected few birds were encountered, very few if you do not count the murder of 82 American Crows at the Mountain View Loop and dozens of Black-billed Magpies at the Cottonwood Creek Loop.
I did run into another Cooper's Hawk, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Red-tailed Hawk. Quite a few Pelicans, a couple of Double-crested Cormorants, hundreds of American Coots, Horned Grebes and Eared Grebes were out on the water.
The highlight was two American Avocets in basic plumage at the southeast sand spit.
(It was not until later in the day when talking to Rebecca that it occurred that I had spent 6.5 hours at Cherry Creek Reservoir and not seen one sparrow. At intervals I had played a Swamp Sparrow recording at the cattails on the south side from the Lake Loop to the southeast corner; not even a Song Sparrow responded. Usually I find that playing any recording gets a response from other birds; it is as if they can not allow one bird to fill the airwaves by themselves; not today.
It might have appeared that I was trying to avoid chores back home. I had every intention of returning to those chores, (but) Rebecca wanted to go back out, eat lunch, and go grocery shopping. So, what could I do? :-)
After lunch I got the idea that instead of shopping with her, she could drop me off at 88th avenue and Buckley Road (northeast corner of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal) and pick me up in two hours at 56th avenue and Buckley (4 mile hike along the east side of the Arsenal).
This turned out to be rewarding for me (chores be cursed, they will be there tomorrow).
In the first 0.5 mile I walked upon dozens of sparrows (Vesper, Brewer's, Lark, 1 Clay-colored, White-crowned, Chipping) searching for food in the weeds along Buckley Road. The only "hoped for" sparrow missing was a Grasshopper Sparrow (which was not to be).
I had my GPS with me, but unfortunately no extra batteries. Trail marks had to be the telephone poles along the road. If I remember correctly, every two telephone poles mark approximately 0.1 miles (or perhaps not).
At the fourth telephone pole from the gate at 88th avenue I came upon 2 Sage Thrashers. They would fly south as I approached, but eventually stopped at pole # 7 (allowed me to continue alone). They did fly on both sides of the road so got them for both Denver & Adams Counties.
At pole # 8, a Burrowing Owl was in the field east of Buckley Road (Denver County).
At pole # 11, a Burrowing Owl was inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal fence (Adams County).
Continuing South to the barrier across the road, another Burrowing Owl was seen one telephone pole south of the barrier. It was inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal property (Adams).
The highlight of the day was at 6 poles south of the barrier (I guess I was approximately 2.0 miles south of 88th avenue; therefore 2.0 miles north of 56th avenue). A Fox Sparrow popped up out of the weeds. First it stayed on the fence on the east side of Buckley (Denver) and then flew to the boundary fence of the Arsenal (Adams).
I figured that surely Fox Sparrows have been banded at Barr Lake (Adams), but the Denver sighting could be interesting. Fox Sparrows are neither listed on the CoBus County checklists or the CFO County checklists!!! (until now)!!!
I would have preferred a red form (eastern) Fox Sparrow, but this gray form looked quite impressive in the afternoon sun. It was a "slate colored" subspecies with gray head and gray unstreaked back. "Passerella iliaca schistacea"
Finally, two additional Sage Thrashers were around the old parking area for the Wildlife Watch Area (Adams).
When I arrived at the creek crossing about 0.5 mile north of 56th avenue, two Song Sparrows fluttered about the weeds.
Quite an enjoyable hike and I arrived at 56th avenue just as Rebecca and my ride pulled up!
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