Thursday, October 3, 2013

A Successful Day In the Mountains, Three Owl Day

October 2, 2013

Richard Stevens:

Yet another gorgeous fall day in Colorado impressed my out of state birders.  Sean Cooper and Kevin Willis joined Jerry Petrosky and me for an early morning search for Northern Pygmy-Owls.

We stopped and played a tape (still dark out) at highway 67 and Rampart Range Road.  A Northern Saw-whet Owl called back for a great start to our day!  In the dark, we were not able to see if any of the resident American Three-toed Woodpeckers were around.

I looked respectable (as if I knew what I was doing) when a Northern Pygmy-Owl was found along Sugar Creek Road, south of Sedalia.  It was less than a mile from previously sightings (GPS waypoints).

With most of the day ahead of us, we decided to continue toward Cheesman Reservoir and search at the infamous "woodpecker" spot.  Recent sightings have included Acorn Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker and Williamson's Sapsuckers. 

Unfortunately, only a lone Lewis's Woodpecker was found today.  We did see a Great Horned Owl and Wilson's Warbler not far from the Cheesman Canyon trailhead.

A quest for a Flammulated Owl was a baffling problem.  Normally I would head up to Pennock Pass (Larimer) where they are reasonably easy to find into the middle of October (or later).  The recent floods in Colorado have closed down many roads in Boulder & Larimer County (including Buckhorn Road, aka Pennock Pass).

I have found Flammulated Owls near Kenosha Pass.  A beautiful warm day, mild winds lured us into a hike up the Twin Cones trail.  We never encountered a Flammulated Owl but observed some interesting birds.

A Dusky Grouse walked across the trail just west of the first gate.  Red-naped Sapsuckers fluttered about the Aspens (where the trail turns from south to east).  A lone hummingbird, most likely a young Broad-tailed zipped passes us. 

A Hermit Thrush perhaps late in migrating south, surprised us just east of the cabins and official trailhead (a good 2.5 mile walk from the parking lot at hwy 285 and Kenosha Pass).

A flock of ten Red Crossbills stopped us on our return hike.  Unfortunately, none was a White-winged Crossbill.  Another Great Horned Owl was heard at the Kenosha Campgrounds; regrettably, no Flammulated Owls called.

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