June 28, 2012
Richard Stevens:
Rebecca Kosten, Gregg Jones, Melissa Carter and I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park (Larimer County). Cooler temperatures and some mountain birds were the goal.
We hiked north along the trail at Medicine Bow Curve. White-tailed Ptarmigan were missed as we walked to the end of the trail (about 0.5 miles before the drop-off). On the return to our car, we dropped down about 20 yards and walked south.
This time we found 2 Ptarmigan near the "wet area" about 0.2 miles from the pullover. White-crowned Sparrows and 2 "Timberline" Brewer's Sparrows sang from the short willows.
We scoped the snow banks below the Alpine Visitor's Center; no Rosy Finches. The snow banks at the Lava Cliff pullover were a successful stop. Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches were observed picking "food" off the snow banks below the pullover.
We climbed to the top of the "hill" at Rock Cut Trail. No additional Ptarmigan were found. Several Horned Larks flew about the rocks.
A hike up the Bear Lake trail added a drumming American Three-toed Woodpecker to our trip list! We hoped to find a Gray Jay but did not have luck on that one. Historically, they held around the Bear Lake parking area (not reported for a couple of years now).
Clark's Nutcrackers were easy to see at the Rainbow Curve pullover.
Endovalley Picnic area is always worth a stop. Here we found Red-naped Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Green-tailed Towhee, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Pine Siskin and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
No additional Three-toed Woodpeckers were found (they have nested along the trail that heads west from the west end of the picnic area.
No Black Swifts appeared at the Alluvial Fan area. We also missed them at Copeland Lake (Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park). The Wild Basin Area did have a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers and another Red-naped Sapsucker.
We drove about a mile into the area and checked the snags for additional Three-toed Woodpeckers (none was found). We were able to get photos of an Olive-sided Flycatcher and several Warbling Vireos.
Richard Stevens:
Rebecca Kosten, Gregg Jones, Melissa Carter and I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park (Larimer County). Cooler temperatures and some mountain birds were the goal.
We hiked north along the trail at Medicine Bow Curve. White-tailed Ptarmigan were missed as we walked to the end of the trail (about 0.5 miles before the drop-off). On the return to our car, we dropped down about 20 yards and walked south.
This time we found 2 Ptarmigan near the "wet area" about 0.2 miles from the pullover. White-crowned Sparrows and 2 "Timberline" Brewer's Sparrows sang from the short willows.
We scoped the snow banks below the Alpine Visitor's Center; no Rosy Finches. The snow banks at the Lava Cliff pullover were a successful stop. Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches were observed picking "food" off the snow banks below the pullover.
We climbed to the top of the "hill" at Rock Cut Trail. No additional Ptarmigan were found. Several Horned Larks flew about the rocks.
A hike up the Bear Lake trail added a drumming American Three-toed Woodpecker to our trip list! We hoped to find a Gray Jay but did not have luck on that one. Historically, they held around the Bear Lake parking area (not reported for a couple of years now).
Clark's Nutcrackers were easy to see at the Rainbow Curve pullover.
Endovalley Picnic area is always worth a stop. Here we found Red-naped Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Green-tailed Towhee, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Pine Siskin and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
No additional Three-toed Woodpeckers were found (they have nested along the trail that heads west from the west end of the picnic area.
No Black Swifts appeared at the Alluvial Fan area. We also missed them at Copeland Lake (Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park). The Wild Basin Area did have a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers and another Red-naped Sapsucker.
We drove about a mile into the area and checked the snags for additional Three-toed Woodpeckers (none was found). We were able to get photos of an Olive-sided Flycatcher and several Warbling Vireos.
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