October 1, 2013
Richard Stevens:
What a fantastic fall day in Colorado. A snowstorm is predicted for Friday; however, today we enjoyed the calm before the storm.
Jerry Petrosky, visiting birders Sean Cooper and Kevin Willis and I enjoyed a hike at Guanella Pass. Our target bird was the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. Our choice of location was determined by whether Mt. Evans Road is closed for the season?
Guanella Pass provides a spectacular view of the western side of Bierstadt and Mt. Evans. It is one of my favorite places in Colorado. A slight dusting of snow made the view even more striking. Conditions were spectacular with temperatures in the 50s and mild winds (unusual for this elevation, 11,669 feet).
We stayed just a short hour. Jerry found a Ptarmigan shortly after our trek up the southeast hill. The male bird jumped up on a boulder, just southwest of the junction of the Rosalie & 603 trails.
A couple of White-crowned Sparrows were still around (they nest up here). We searched for a Brewer's Sparrow, which also nests here; without success. There are rumors of the split of Brewer's Sparrows into Plains Brewer's and Timberline Brewer's.
About a dozen years ago, I heard a Brewer's Sparrow in the willows at Guanella Pass. It sounded quite different from the "normal" song heard on Pawnee National Grasslands. At the time, I did not know about a split. When Jim Rising (Sparrows of North America) asked for a photo, I learned about the possibility of two species.
On the way back to Denver, we passed Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson) and decided to try for an American Three-toed Woodpecker and a possible Northern Pygmy-Owl.
The Three-toed Woodpecker was an "easy" find for a change. A male wandered around below the switchbacks along the Strawberry Jack Trail (just east of the Buck Gulch Trail). This intersection is sometimes good for a Northern Pygmy-Owl, but not today.
Other birds observed included three species of nuthatches (Red-breasted, White-breasted & Pygmy), Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, and a small flock of Pine Siskins.
We hiked along the Narrow Gauge Trail to the closed gate (another good spot of Northern Pygmy-Owl), again without success. A lone American Dipper was under the farthest western bridge.
We returned to Denver under another of Colorado's colorful fall sunsets.
Richard Stevens:
What a fantastic fall day in Colorado. A snowstorm is predicted for Friday; however, today we enjoyed the calm before the storm.
Jerry Petrosky, visiting birders Sean Cooper and Kevin Willis and I enjoyed a hike at Guanella Pass. Our target bird was the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. Our choice of location was determined by whether Mt. Evans Road is closed for the season?
Guanella Pass provides a spectacular view of the western side of Bierstadt and Mt. Evans. It is one of my favorite places in Colorado. A slight dusting of snow made the view even more striking. Conditions were spectacular with temperatures in the 50s and mild winds (unusual for this elevation, 11,669 feet).
We stayed just a short hour. Jerry found a Ptarmigan shortly after our trek up the southeast hill. The male bird jumped up on a boulder, just southwest of the junction of the Rosalie & 603 trails.
A couple of White-crowned Sparrows were still around (they nest up here). We searched for a Brewer's Sparrow, which also nests here; without success. There are rumors of the split of Brewer's Sparrows into Plains Brewer's and Timberline Brewer's.
About a dozen years ago, I heard a Brewer's Sparrow in the willows at Guanella Pass. It sounded quite different from the "normal" song heard on Pawnee National Grasslands. At the time, I did not know about a split. When Jim Rising (Sparrows of North America) asked for a photo, I learned about the possibility of two species.
On the way back to Denver, we passed Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson) and decided to try for an American Three-toed Woodpecker and a possible Northern Pygmy-Owl.
The Three-toed Woodpecker was an "easy" find for a change. A male wandered around below the switchbacks along the Strawberry Jack Trail (just east of the Buck Gulch Trail). This intersection is sometimes good for a Northern Pygmy-Owl, but not today.
Other birds observed included three species of nuthatches (Red-breasted, White-breasted & Pygmy), Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, and a small flock of Pine Siskins.
We hiked along the Narrow Gauge Trail to the closed gate (another good spot of Northern Pygmy-Owl), again without success. A lone American Dipper was under the farthest western bridge.
We returned to Denver under another of Colorado's colorful fall sunsets.
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