Sunday, November 11, 2012

Birding Adams County, Then a Murrelet Search in Jefferson County

November 10, 2012

Richard Stevens:

Bryan Ehlmann and I followed up on a report of Common Redpolls at a private ranch in Weld County.  Sure enough, my new friend and new birder had a pair of Common Redpolls visiting his feeders!  He also has two resident Long-eared Owls.

We stopped at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).  Too many hunters had reserved hunting areas and we decided to skip walking the windbreaks today.

The two Harris’s Sparrows were again below the eastern feeder at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Contact Station (old Visitor’s Center, Adams County).

No uncommon ducks were on Lake Ladora or Lower Derby Lake.  Several dozen American Tree Sparrows and two Song Sparrows lingered along the western side of Lake Ladora.  We could not find any Swamp Sparrows at Ladora or Mary Lake.

Many gulls were on Havana Ponds.  Unfortunately, they were mostly Ring-billed Gulls with a couple of California Gulls.

We stopped by Barr Lake (Adams).  The Harris’s Sparrow was still behind the Visitor’s Center.  Scoping the lake from the boat ramp did not find any uncommon birds.

We heard about the possible Iceland Gull at Lake Estes (Larimer) and started in that direction.  Fortunately, a text was sent that the bird was most likely a 2nd year Thayer’s Gull.  We decided not to make the long trip up there and wait for additional information (possibly try for the Gull tomorrow).

Instead, we decided to drive south to Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas) and scope several lakes along the way.  It started to snow.  All Murrelets found in Colorado have been reported during or the day after a snowstorm.  None was found at Chatfield Reservoir, Marston, McLellan or Bear Creek Lake Park.

We found a couple of Common Loons at Chatfield Reservoir, not the Mew Gull.

Nothing uncommon visited the feeders behind the Red Rocks Park Trading Post (Jefferson).

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