January 20, 2012
Richard Stevens:
"Persistence" paid off today. Robin Quintanilla, Mark Talbott and I were at Loveland Pass (Clear Creek County) at sunrise. For those who are not familiar with the area, many young skiers will hitch rides to the top of the pass and ski back down to Loveland Ski Area. This way, they avoid the hefty lift tickets. The commotion however, tends to scare Ptarmigan away.
We beat the rush today and we were compensated for our early rising and arrival time. Two White-tailed Ptarmigan walked around the thin evergreen trees just below the western side of the summit!
A trip over the Eisenhower Tower into Summit County provided for additional looks at the Barrow's Goldeneyes at the Blue River Water Treatment Plant and some Rosy Finches flying around Silverthorne.
A plan to drive north to Rabbit Ears Pass was scrubbed. Winds at Silverthorne were measured at 21 mph, gusts to 33 mph. Higher winds were predicted for Rabbit Ears.
After dropping my birding pals off, I decided to drive the DIA Owl Loop and also search for the Snowy Owl(s) near Harvest Road and 138th avenue. The Snowy Owl(s) were not found in a two hour search so we decided to drive the Owl Loop.
There were no Snowy Owl sightings. A Prairie Falcon and 2 Ferruginous Hawks were found. Both species have been hanging around the area for weeks.
At dusk, I stopped at the Snowy Owl location of a few weeks ago (3.1 miles east of Tower Road and 96th avenue). No Snowy Owl, however a great consolation prize was seen. A Short-eared Owl was flying around just east and downhill of my vehicle. I was able to capture a 1-2 minute video of the owl!
Richard Stevens:
"Persistence" paid off today. Robin Quintanilla, Mark Talbott and I were at Loveland Pass (Clear Creek County) at sunrise. For those who are not familiar with the area, many young skiers will hitch rides to the top of the pass and ski back down to Loveland Ski Area. This way, they avoid the hefty lift tickets. The commotion however, tends to scare Ptarmigan away.
We beat the rush today and we were compensated for our early rising and arrival time. Two White-tailed Ptarmigan walked around the thin evergreen trees just below the western side of the summit!
A trip over the Eisenhower Tower into Summit County provided for additional looks at the Barrow's Goldeneyes at the Blue River Water Treatment Plant and some Rosy Finches flying around Silverthorne.
A plan to drive north to Rabbit Ears Pass was scrubbed. Winds at Silverthorne were measured at 21 mph, gusts to 33 mph. Higher winds were predicted for Rabbit Ears.
After dropping my birding pals off, I decided to drive the DIA Owl Loop and also search for the Snowy Owl(s) near Harvest Road and 138th avenue. The Snowy Owl(s) were not found in a two hour search so we decided to drive the Owl Loop.
There were no Snowy Owl sightings. A Prairie Falcon and 2 Ferruginous Hawks were found. Both species have been hanging around the area for weeks.
At dusk, I stopped at the Snowy Owl location of a few weeks ago (3.1 miles east of Tower Road and 96th avenue). No Snowy Owl, however a great consolation prize was seen. A Short-eared Owl was flying around just east and downhill of my vehicle. I was able to capture a 1-2 minute video of the owl!
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