Search for Rusty Blackbirds and Northern Pygmy-Owls

March 2, 2010

Richard Stevens:

Before picking up Jacob Washburn, I drove over to I225 and Sixth Avenue. The Broad-winged Hawk found yesterday was not relocated in the woods along the Highline Canal, south of the DMV office and East 4th Avenue.

Jacob had the day off from classes so he and I went looking for the possible Rusty Blackbird at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Prospect Park, Jefferson County). A Rusty Blackbird was not found along Clear Creek from Youngfield Street (western end of the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt) to Kipling Avenue. Later we circled Bass Lake, again not finding a Rusty Blackbird.

We stopped and hiked the Tree Bridge trail without finding the Winter Wren or Northern Mockingbird. Two Song Sparrows and eleven Black-capped Chickadees were just about all we found.

Our next target bird was the Northern Pygmy-Owl reported numerous times at Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson). On the way to the park, we stopped at Red Rocks Park (Jefferson) where the Golden-crowned Sparrow was underneath the platform feeder behind the Trading Post.

At Pine Valley Ranch Park, I missed the Northern Pygmy-Owl for an uncountable (I have lost track) time. We continued up Buck Gulch trail to Strawberry Jack trail to Parkview trail and several hundred yards farther south. No Northern Pygmy-Owls. An American Three-toed Woodpecker was observed 10 yards north of the Strawberry Jack trail at 100 yards west of the Parkview trail.

We ended our birding day at Reynolds Park (Jefferson). No Northern Pygmy-Owls were found there either.