Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Less Wind? In Northeastern Colorado

January 22, 2014

Richard Stevens:

Winds had "died down" relative to the last few days.  Anemometer readings steady at 16 mph, gusts to 23 mph, however, temperatures were 20 degrees cooler today (high around 39 degrees).

Roger Danka and took a drive around Phillips County to get him out of the house.  His broken leg is taking a long time to heal.

We stopped at Sand Draw Wildlife Area.  A few White-crowned Sparrows flew around the southwestern windbreak.  No Harris's Sparrows this trip, the highlight was a Barn Owl in the northwestern section of the windbreak.

While driving by several rather dry cattail marshes in the county (no Eastern Meadowlarks) Lapland Longspurs were found mixed in with flocks of Horned Larks.  Most were near County Roads 61 & 26 and 59 & 30.

I walked part of the S. Platte River at the Pony Express Wildlife Area (Roger limped around the car).  A male Red-bellied Woodpecker worked the cottonwoods (stripped of much of the understory by this summers floods).

At dusk, we sat along the eastern side of the southern section of Tamarack Ranch Wildlife Area (Logan County).  I walked about a mile west into the property.  No Greater Prairie-Chickens or Short-eared Owls appeared tonight.

The Eastern Screech-Owl called at Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick) about an hour after civil twilight.

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