June 12, 2010
Richard Stevens:
I enjoyed a long day of birding in the rain. Some of my most successful birding has been on rainy days. However, I did not expect to find much and was quite surprised.
Six hours were spent at Barr Lake (Adams County). Four and a half along the south side between mile marker 0.5 and 7.5. Another hour and a half below the dam mm 6.0 to 6.8.
While watching rather wet adult and young fledgling Great Horned Owls at mm 0.2 (just south of the Niedrach Trail boardwalk) a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak started singing. I took a couple of fuzzy photos and moved on (light was horrible in the rain).
At mm 8.8, a second male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was singing. He sang for a good 20 minutes before the rain started to pour down. Yellow Warblers and a couple of Warbling Vireos were in the same area.
Few birds were around the banding area at mm 8.7. A Plumbeous Vireo fluttered about at mm 8.6.
The brush at mm 8.3 is usually good for a thrush and did not disappoint. A Veery and Swainson's Thrush also rather wet came out briefly to the road.
At the Pioneer Trail, mm 8.1, I found another adult and young Great Horned Owl. The young fledgling with mostly adult feathers over his body except for a completely bald head looked quite strange.
The many conspicuous and noisy Western and Eastern Kingbirds from previous visits were nowhere to be found (only saw 1 Western Kingbird). They found shelter from the rain somewhere? A few wet House Wrens flew around chattering.
I moved around to the Old Stone House at the northeast corner of Barr Lake and walked the canal below the dam. I was trying to photograph a third adult Great Horned Owl when a Black-and-white Warbler flew between the two tall cottonwoods south of the mowed path/road leading south from the Old House.
A walk along the canal added 5 Common Yellowthroats, 1 Virginia Rail, a dozen American Goldfinches and another Swainson's Thrush to my day list. The "missing" kingbirds were found. In the 0.8-mile walk, the count was 9 Western Kingbirds and 4 Eastern.
Just north of outlet # 3, a rather rusty looking thrush flew out of the brush along the north-south canal. I was not able to get good enough looks (only saw its back) to distinguish between another Veery or a Wood Thrush. Most likely, it was a Veery.
The rainstorm turned into a lightning storm and I scurried back to my car. Arrived just in time as a downpour and hail was hurled down (cracked my windshield it was so hard).
Next, I was going to stop at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams) but the downpour changed my mind and I headed over to Bluff Lake Nature Area (Denver).
The rain was not as heavy here and I circled the area once. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo called from the tall cottonwoods north of the path, northwest corner of the property. It was on the far side of the pond and too wet an area to get over to try to photograph.
A Red-eyed Vireo was in the shorter trees hanging over the trail at the northwest corner. About seven Western Wood-pewees did not seem to be bothered by the rain and went on hawking insects.
Finally, I went back to Rocky Mountain Arsenal and made a quick walk to the Rod and Gun Club Pond (about 4 miles round trip). Nothing uncommon was found. The 6:00 pm closing time did not allow for much lingering/birding.
Richard Stevens:
I enjoyed a long day of birding in the rain. Some of my most successful birding has been on rainy days. However, I did not expect to find much and was quite surprised.
Six hours were spent at Barr Lake (Adams County). Four and a half along the south side between mile marker 0.5 and 7.5. Another hour and a half below the dam mm 6.0 to 6.8.
While watching rather wet adult and young fledgling Great Horned Owls at mm 0.2 (just south of the Niedrach Trail boardwalk) a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak started singing. I took a couple of fuzzy photos and moved on (light was horrible in the rain).
At mm 8.8, a second male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was singing. He sang for a good 20 minutes before the rain started to pour down. Yellow Warblers and a couple of Warbling Vireos were in the same area.
Few birds were around the banding area at mm 8.7. A Plumbeous Vireo fluttered about at mm 8.6.
The brush at mm 8.3 is usually good for a thrush and did not disappoint. A Veery and Swainson's Thrush also rather wet came out briefly to the road.
At the Pioneer Trail, mm 8.1, I found another adult and young Great Horned Owl. The young fledgling with mostly adult feathers over his body except for a completely bald head looked quite strange.
The many conspicuous and noisy Western and Eastern Kingbirds from previous visits were nowhere to be found (only saw 1 Western Kingbird). They found shelter from the rain somewhere? A few wet House Wrens flew around chattering.
I moved around to the Old Stone House at the northeast corner of Barr Lake and walked the canal below the dam. I was trying to photograph a third adult Great Horned Owl when a Black-and-white Warbler flew between the two tall cottonwoods south of the mowed path/road leading south from the Old House.
A walk along the canal added 5 Common Yellowthroats, 1 Virginia Rail, a dozen American Goldfinches and another Swainson's Thrush to my day list. The "missing" kingbirds were found. In the 0.8-mile walk, the count was 9 Western Kingbirds and 4 Eastern.
Just north of outlet # 3, a rather rusty looking thrush flew out of the brush along the north-south canal. I was not able to get good enough looks (only saw its back) to distinguish between another Veery or a Wood Thrush. Most likely, it was a Veery.
The rainstorm turned into a lightning storm and I scurried back to my car. Arrived just in time as a downpour and hail was hurled down (cracked my windshield it was so hard).
Next, I was going to stop at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams) but the downpour changed my mind and I headed over to Bluff Lake Nature Area (Denver).
The rain was not as heavy here and I circled the area once. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo called from the tall cottonwoods north of the path, northwest corner of the property. It was on the far side of the pond and too wet an area to get over to try to photograph.
A Red-eyed Vireo was in the shorter trees hanging over the trail at the northwest corner. About seven Western Wood-pewees did not seem to be bothered by the rain and went on hawking insects.
Finally, I went back to Rocky Mountain Arsenal and made a quick walk to the Rod and Gun Club Pond (about 4 miles round trip). Nothing uncommon was found. The 6:00 pm closing time did not allow for much lingering/birding.
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