Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Some Birding On the Eastern Plains

October 7, 2012

Richard Stevens:

Bryan Ehlmann, Jacob Washburn, Ray Simmons and I returned to Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams County) hoping to relocate the Bay-breasted Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler found yesterday.

We had to settle for 1 out of 2.  The Bay-breasted Warbler was relocated at the northeast corner of Lake Ladora.  The Black-throated Blue Warbler was not found along the Rod & Gun Club Trail.  Two White-throated Sparrows were along the creek at the northeast corner.

After about 3 hours, we decided to go to Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld) just east of Hudson.  Birding was more successful here.   A Winter Wren was the highlight north of highway 52.  American Robins numbered more than the rest of the birds found.  A Great Horned Owl was around pond 8.

The southern sections were even better.  A Philadelphia Vireo and Blackburnian Warbler worked the cottonwoods along the west side of the property.  A Marsh Wren called from the cattails.  Chipping Sparrows appeared to be everywhere.

After three hours of walking, we needed a rest and drove to Jackson Reservoir (Morgan).  We put on our mud boots and got as close as we could to scope the mudflats.

Hundreds of shorebirds were out there.  They included 20+ American Golden-Plovers, 1 Black-bellied Plover, 8+ Pectoral Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, and Killdeer.

Later we checked out the western Campgrounds.  Two White-throated Sparrows were at the Campgrounds.  I showed them one of the Long-eared Owls that had summered (perhaps wintered) in 2012.  A Tennessee Warbler was around the Visitor's Center.

As dusk, we waited for Short-eared Owls at the northwest corner of the park.  None showed up tonight.  We heard two Great Horned Owls along the western shore.  An Eastern Screech-Owl also called briefly.

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