Thursday, October 31, 2013

Reynolds & Pine Valley Ranch Parks, Jefferson County

October 29, 2013

Rebecca Kosten: transcript of telephone call:

Martin Cruse and I headed up to Reynolds Park (Jefferson County); target birds were Northern Pygmy-Owls, Dusky Grouse & American Three-toed Woodpeckers.

Weather was not good.  Winds 12 mph, gusts to 21 mph; rain/snow mix.

We made the loop from Oxen Draw to Raven's Roost to Eagle's View back to Oxen Draw without seeing many birds.  One of our target birds was found when a Dusky Grouse wandered west of the Raven's Roost trail at approximately 400 yards south of the old service road.

No Three-toed Woodpeckers drummed near their usual locations.  The lack of Three-toed Woodpecker sightings forced us to continue south to Pine Valley Ranch Park.

The elusive woodpeckers required us to hike all the way to the top of the Strawberry Jack trail (into Pike National Forest).  Finally, an adult male American Three-toed Woodpecker was found in the gully east of the Strawberry Jack trail approximately 300 yards south of the Parkview trail.  This is most likely the woodpecker found by Merlynn Brown on 10/24.

After dropping Martin off at his hotel, I passed by the flooded field along Tower Road, north of 96th avenue.  The Red Phalarope was not found as I scoped the field at least four times.  The dozens of Killdeer that had been there for weeks were also gone.

One American Avocet in basic plumage was the only shorebird seen.

A quick stop at Barr Lake (Adams) did not find the Pomarine Jaeger reported earlier.

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