Thursday, September 30, 2010

Rocky Mountain Arsenal

September 30, 2010

Jerry Petrosky's email to "cobirders"

I met Rich Stevens at 6:00 AM at the entrance to Rocky Mountain Arsenal. A Prairie Falcon stopped briefly on the tall metal electric poles across from the Governor's Row.

[At 6:08 am, we saw a Long-eared Owl flying over Governor's Row. No Common Poorwills called this morning, most likely the two heard on 9/25, we just migrating through.]

We walked to the Rod and Gun Club Bird blind before sunset. Hundreds of sparrows were in the grass between the bird blind and the locust grove to the west. Included were Song, Lark. White-crowned, 9 Clay-colored, 19 Brewer's and 1 or 2 Savannah.

A lone Townsend's Warbler was above the bird blind. Eleven Wilson's Warblers and a Warbling Vireo were along the eastern side of the first New Mexico Locust grove east of the bird blind trail.

We then walked to Lower Derby Lake. One hundred and three Chipping Sparrows were in the field along Peoria Avenue, south of 6th avenue.

Three Lincoln's Sparrows and a Marsh Wren were at the south side of the most southeastern arm of Lake Ladora.

I was on schedule for work until we found a large flock of birds along the canal below Lower Derby Lake. Sixteen White-crowned Sparrows, one Field Sparrow and a late migrating Sage Thrasher were in the large brush pile south of the photography blind.

The Field Sparrow flew south of the canal and joined up with a loose flock of birds that included 3 Orange-crowned Warblers, 51 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 5 Wilson's Warblers and a Cassin's Vireo.

Another Townsend's Warbler was along the north side of the most southwestern arm of Lake Ladora.

At the famous "bird bush" along the east side of Ladora: 17 White-crowned Sparrows, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow, 2 Common Yellowthroats and a Green-tailed Towhee.

Other birds along the trip: 2 House Wrens, 7 Rock Wrens, 1 unidentified thrush, 1 unidentified vireo (Plumbeous or Cassin's) and a dark morph Red-tailed Hawk.

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