Friday, March 29, 2013

The Second Half of a Grouse Trip

March 24-27, 2013

Richard Stevens:

March 24, 2013

Jeff Palmer, John Murphy and I sat at the Waunita Hot Springs Lek about an hour before sunrise.  We could hear the Gunnison Sage-Grouse booming.  Temperature was 4 degrees; winds were mild.

When civil twilight rose, we could see dark spots moving on the snow covered hillside to the east.  Just before sunrise, we picked out sixteen males and four female Gunnison Sage-Grouse displaying and wandering around.

An added treat was enjoyed when the birds walked across the snow field and up on the road just in front of us.  They crossed the road perhaps 20 yards in front of our car!

The rest of our day was spent driving 400+ miles to the Elkhart, Kansas Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek for viewing tomorrow.  There was little time for birding along the way.

Our major stop was Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) in the late afternoon.  On the way to Cottonwood Canyon (driving along Highway 160, route Hwy 109 south of La Junta) we stopped and John got great looks at his Ferruginous Hawk lifebird!  Eventually we counted nine Ferruginous Hawks along the drive.

Once at Cottonwood Canyon, we hiked an hour around the "camping area".  Nine Eastern Phoebes were found.  Other birds included a Spotted Towhee, Canyon Towhee, Chihuahuan Ravens, Downy Woodpeckers and one possible Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

The target bird finally came out of the woods shortly after sunset.  A Western Screech-Owl flew across the campgrounds and landed in a scrub oak.  He called and gave us superb looks in the waning light!

March 25, 2013

We sat at the Elkhart, Kansas Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek about an hour before sunrise.  Temperatures were 7 degrees, winds mild. 

Although we could hear Lesser Prairie-Chickens booming on the distance hills, only two males showed up at the Lek.  They displayed several times, giving us good looks at the mating dances.  Unfortunately, they disappeared shortly after sunrise.

As we returned to Colorado, our route was chosen to increase chances to see sparrows (especially our target Brewer's Sparrow).

Baca County Road G (road to the old Campo Lek) has always been quite birdy (especially for sparrows).  It was early in the season and I did not expect much (however a few).  No sparrows were found, however, nineteen Sage Thrashers were seen in the two mile stretch of G Road, east of Baca County Road 36.

Our next stop was Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca).  Again, no Mountain Plovers or Long-billed Curlew was found.  Quite a few sparrows were below the dam (all White-crowned or Song).

Our first Turkey Vulture was circling overhead.  A Brown Thrasher creped in the deep brush.  A couple of Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers rounded out the bird count here.

Lamar Community College Woods (Prowers) was slow also.  A Towhee (labeled by some as an Eastern, appeared more to be a hybrid than a full blown Eastern).

A male Northern Cardinal was across from the tennis courts.

Driving North toward Wray, we saw a few additional Ferruginous Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, three Rough-legged Hawks and a Swainson's Hawk.

March 26, 2013

Our target bird this morning was a Greater Prairie-Chicken.  It was an interesting morning as temperatures were 4 degrees, winds 6-8 mph.  Fourteen inches of snow (two days earlier) did not help in driving the backcountry roads.

When we arrived at Yuma County Road 45, there were snowdrifts of several feet along the road.  We (I) did not even consider driving up the road.  Yesterday, I had us stuck briefly (30 minutes to dig out the car) at the entrance to Pasture G in Baca County.  Those 30 minutes taught me a lesson about the county roads in spring.

While Jeff stayed nice and warm back at the Sandhiller Motel, John and I decided to walk the 1.7 miles east to the lek.  (Sorry John, as I told him it was only a mile or so, which he eventually figured out during the trek).

We could hear Greater Prairie-Chickens cackling somewhere is the distance (over the hills) during our hike.  We arrived at the Lek to find no Greater Prairie-Chickens.  However, perhaps 20 minutes later, two Greater Prairie-Chickens flew onto the lek.

During the next 30 minutes or so, they displayed briefly.  Mostly they stood around looking over the snow covered landscape.

As John and I hiked in, I said that I heard voices.  John convinced me that it was cows so I let it go.  However, two birders from Idaho Springs popped up over the hill when we stood on the Lek (not going crazy yet!).

The hike back to our car was much more pleasant with the successful sighting of the Greater Prairie-Chickens.  In addition, temperatures had risen to a warm 8 degrees (we will ignore wind chill; it was nippy as we Minnesotans say). 

I do not believe the temperature rose above 28 degrees this day.  We drove several roads on the Pawnee National Grasslands (Weld) in search of Mountain Plovers and Brewer's Sparrows.  Not one sparrow was observed in three or four hours of driving (of course avoiding many of the muddy roads, did not want to be stuck again).

Our birding day ended in Fort Collins (Larimer) searching for Bohemian Waxwings.  A search from the public library to CSU did not turn up any waxwings.

March 27, 2013

John, Jeff and I enjoyed a better day of birding today.  Temperatures reached the highest during our seven day trek (almost 50 degrees at one point).

Shortly after sunset, we drove over to W. Laurel and S. Meldrum Streets and found 500+ Bohemian Waxwings in the trees.  They flew down for a drink of water in a small puddle at the northwest corner (allowing for some great photos).

After getting our fill of Bohemian Waxwings, we drove over to the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center where 30+ Common Redpolls were coming to the feeders behind the building.

As we headed to Woods Lake to look at geese, we saw 100+ Cedar Waxwings at College and Prospect Roads!

Thousands of Cackling Geese were on Woods Lake when we arrived.  They were smaller than the five Ross's Geese also swimming around the lake.  Many additional Cackling Geese flew in during our 30 minute stay.  The sighting and sound of wave after wave of geese coming was quite an experience.

I received a text that yesterday, two Brewer's Sparrows had been seen in the brush around the Weld County Roads 39 and 46 and that was our next stop.

Six Tundra Swans were still on the pond.  John counted 26 Bald Eagles in the cottonwoods on the far side of the lake.  A first year Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the near shore.  Other gulls included Ring-billed, Herring and one Franklin's Gull (in crisp new alternate plumage).

We walked the weedy fields to the east for an hour, no Brewer's Sparrows.  Two flocks of Sparrows (40+ and 50+) included White-crowned, Song and Chipping), but no Brewer's Sparrows.

Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld) was searched briefly with only one Song Sparrow found.

Our final search for a Brewer's Sparrow was at Barr Lake State Park (Adams).  We walked below the dam for about 1.5 hours without seeing one sparrow.

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