Monday, March 7, 2011

Birding Along Interstate 76

March 6, 2011

Richard Stevens:

We headed up Interstate 76 to visit some friends near Julesburg. Along the way, we stopped at several reservoirs.

At Jackson Reservoir, we hoped to relocate the Snow Buntings found last week at the eastern end of the dam (we did not). Hundreds of gulls were flying around mostly in the middle of the reservoir. No black backed and no large white gulls caught our eyes. I was able to pick out a Thayer's Gull!

Long-eared Owls can still be found in the western Campgrounds. I could not entice the Eastern Screech-Owl to come out to look at my bad imitation. A couple of Great-tailed Grackles were at the first house east of the south end of the State Park.

Next, we stopped at Prewitt Reservoir (Logan/Washington). Again, hundreds of gulls flew around in the eastern middle of the reservoir. The only uncommon gull we could pick out was a Lesser Black-backed Gull. We could not find the previously reported Mew Gull and Thayer's Gulls.

Again, I could not entice the local Eastern Screech-Owl to come out. My imitation must be quite bad?

Finally, we did see an Eastern Screech-Owl on Roger Danka's ranch (Sedgwick County).

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