July 3-4, 2013
Richard Stevens
July 3
I received a call about a Pileated Woodpecker north of Masonville; Rebecca Kosten, Bryan & Sue Ehlmann headed up that way.
Unfortunately, the woodpecker was not found during our five hour search. The Pileated Woodpecker is quite difficult to misidentify. There have been three reports in the last ten years. There definitely have to be Pileated Woodpeckers in Colorado. Regrettably, the locations where they have been seen have all been in thick forested areas. A birder friend in Wyoming has photographed them just over the Colorado border. Someday, records will be verified in Colorado.
After dark, Bryan and I drove up Ruby Jewell Road in the Colorado State Forest. Neither the resident Boreal Owls nor transient Flammulated Owls could be found or made a sound tonight.
July 4
We returned to the Roosevelt National Forest and spent another six hours or so searching unsuccessfully for the Pileated Woodpecker reported on July 2. The locations of the three reports (including this one) of Pileated Woodpeckers in Colorado have all been in dense forest areas with high mountains.
The only upside to our abortive exploring was receiving permissions to further, future searches on private lands. Several landowners were quite enthused with the possibility of owls on their property.
We celebrated the Fourth of July by watching satellites, the stars and a quarter moon from the Summit of Cameron Pass. Winds were calm tonight and the night sounds, which included many bird songs, were mesmerizing.
Richard Stevens
July 3
I received a call about a Pileated Woodpecker north of Masonville; Rebecca Kosten, Bryan & Sue Ehlmann headed up that way.
Unfortunately, the woodpecker was not found during our five hour search. The Pileated Woodpecker is quite difficult to misidentify. There have been three reports in the last ten years. There definitely have to be Pileated Woodpeckers in Colorado. Regrettably, the locations where they have been seen have all been in thick forested areas. A birder friend in Wyoming has photographed them just over the Colorado border. Someday, records will be verified in Colorado.
After dark, Bryan and I drove up Ruby Jewell Road in the Colorado State Forest. Neither the resident Boreal Owls nor transient Flammulated Owls could be found or made a sound tonight.
July 4
We returned to the Roosevelt National Forest and spent another six hours or so searching unsuccessfully for the Pileated Woodpecker reported on July 2. The locations of the three reports (including this one) of Pileated Woodpeckers in Colorado have all been in dense forest areas with high mountains.
The only upside to our abortive exploring was receiving permissions to further, future searches on private lands. Several landowners were quite enthused with the possibility of owls on their property.
We celebrated the Fourth of July by watching satellites, the stars and a quarter moon from the Summit of Cameron Pass. Winds were calm tonight and the night sounds, which included many bird songs, were mesmerizing.
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