Saturday, May 25, 2013

Northeastern Colorado Trip Continued

May 24, 2013

Rebecca Kosten: transcript of telephone call:

Richard Stevens and Bryan Ehlmann continued their northeastern Colorado trip today.  Winds were steady at 20 mph with gusts to 28 mph.  Temperatures reached the middle 80s.

Before sunrise, they heard an Eastern Screech Owl on the north side of Jumbo Reservoir.  It is on private land so getting looks at the pair can be difficult.

Returning past Red Lion Wildlife Area, Logan County, they saw an Upland Sandpiper on a fence post along highway 138.

Their morning was spent on a private ranch in Sedgwick County.  This ranch was one of Dan Bridges favorite birding spots.  When he retired, Dan passed on access to Richard!

American Woodcocks have been found along the South Platte River that passes through the ranch.  Note: four times between 2004 and 2012; last11/20/2012.

They were not lucky today on American Woodcocks.  However, they found some interesting birds.

They ranked their highlight as a Louisiana Waterthrush that spent the day circling a ranch pond.  Richard and Bryan watched the waterthrush circle the pond about every hour.

Other interesting birds in the ranch's riparian area included a Barn Owl, Black and white Warbler and Hooded Warbler.  A flyover Purple Martin might have been heading toward Jumbo Reservoir?

An Empidonax Flycatcher looked quite a bit like an Alder Flycatcher.  They were quite certain, but not positive of the ID.  The bird never made a sound.

In the afternoon, they drove over to Ovid.  A Hooded Warbler was found along Lodgepole Creek at the northern woods.  They discovered a Brown Thrasher and Red-bellied Woodpecker in the southern woods.

Dozens of sparrows flew around the brush around the Ovid Sewage Ponds and South Platte River.  A Harris's Sparrow being the most uncommon, although not all that uncommon for the extreme eastern plains.

No Short eared Owls appeared at dusk around the Sedgwick Draw area.  A male Red-bellied Woodpecker was at the Sedgwick Cemetery.

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