Sunday, February 28, 2016

Wandering Along Eastern Metro Denver

February 28, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Our warm weather continued again today.  Temperatures reached into the middle 60s; winds were 8-10 mph.

I scoped both Lake Ladora & Lower Derby Lake at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams) for 30 minutes each.  While I did not find the Surf Scoter, another birder reported it about 3 hours before my arrival?

A Greater Scaup was found among many Lesser Scaup, Redheads and Canvasbacks on Lower Derby Lake.

Deciding to give a Winter Wren report a try at Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas), I headed south.

Bar CCC Pond (Douglas) had only a few Lesser Scaup.  The male Barrow's Goldeneye that had been there for a week or so was gone.

Walker Gravel Pit Pond (Douglas) north end of Castlewood Canyon State Park was 100 percent ice covered.

McLain Gravel Pit Pond (just north of the western entrance to Castlewood Canyon State Park was only 80 percent ice covered.  A male Barrow's Goldeneye (previously reported) was swimming around in the northeast corner (see photo on Colorado Birding Society's website: http://coloradobirdingsociety.net)

A three hour search did not find the Winter Wren at Castlewood Canyon State Park.  However, the several mile hike in the warm sun was a pleasant consolation.

I found my first Mountain Bluebird (male) of 2016 near the Winkler Ranch (south of the State Park).

Misses: Turkey Vultures, any sparrows, Winter Wren.

On the way back home, a stop at Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe) found few birds around.

Most birds at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) were in the center of the lake.  I watched the cattail fields at Lake View Road & Cherry Creek at sunset.  No Short-eared Owls appeared.

After sunset, gulls wandered to the floating telephone poles around the southwest marina.  An adult Thayer's Gull was among them!

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Genesee Mountain Park, Barr Lake & DIA Owl Loop

February 27, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Temperatures reached 70 degrees today.  Winds were strong at 12 mph, gusts to 20 mph.

I drove over to Genesee Mountain Park (Jefferson County).  Target birds included Williamson's Sapsuckers.  However, my early day is 3/20; I did not expect to find one (and did not).

A flock of six male and four female Red Crossbills was south of the group picnic area parking lot.  All three nuthatches were eventually encountered.  Both Mountain & Black-capped Chickadees were present.

A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, 4 Downy Woodpeckers and a flock of Pine Siskins were also observed.

Next, I enjoyed the day while watching hundreds of gulls flying around Barr Lake (Adams).  No uncommon gulls were among the many Ring-billed Gulls.

Hundreds of Common Mergansers, a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, dozens of American Coots, hundreds of Northern Shovelers, dozens of Common Goldeneyes and a few Lesser Scaup filled the lake.

Highlight was relocating the Common Loon I first found on 2/20.  The loon was still in the southwest quadrant of the lake.

A drive around the DIA Owl Loop did not find any Short-eared Owls this evening. 

The lone Burrowing Owl is still at the southwest corner of Trussville Road & 114th Avenue (Denver County).  Today is was inside the chain link fence.  I parked near the sign for the Denver Water Company and looked back downhill to the southeast.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Searching for an Iceland Gull in Weld & Larimer Counties

February 26, 2016

Richard Stevens:

What a beautiful "winter" day!  Winds were mild; temperatures reached into the 60s.  I spent my day searching for an Iceland Gull in Weld & Larimer Counties.

While an/the Iceland Gull was never found, several nice birds were.  I enjoyed the drive and walking around some of the two county's lakes.

Black Hollow Reservoir (Weld).  This rather large lake required a good scope to inspect the hundreds of gulls scattered around the shore.
Thayer's Gull
Misses: no Red-necked Grebe for me.  Good luck finding a Mew Gull among the packed groups of Ring-billed Gulls.

The highlight was a lone Tree Swallow, my first of 2016!

Windsor Lake
Mew Gull was swimming among a dozen Ring-billed Gulls along the eastern side of the lake.
Misses: no Greater Scaup for me.

West Windsor Gravel Pits
nothing uncommon

Fossil Creek Reservoir (Larimer)
no gulls during my stay

Duck Lake (Larimer)
again no gulls

Farm pond/lake north of Horseshoe Lake (Larimer)
much ice, no gulls when I stopped

Boyd Lake State Park (Larimer)
It took quite awhile to drive around the large lake.  Few gulls were all Ring-billed Gulls.

Horseshoe Lake (Larimer)
Has been split in two with large dry area between.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Thayer's Gull

Lake Loveland (Larimer)
almost dry, forty gulls were all Ring-billed Gull

Giving up on gulls, I drove north to Wellington Wildlife Area (Larimer)
three Long-eared Owls in windbreak at CR 64 & CR 3
after sunset, one Short-eared Owl flying like a moth east of CR 3

Owling In Park County

February 25, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Terry Michaels and I spent the day in Park County searching for owls.  Temperatures reached close to 50 degrees; winds were 8-12 mph.

The day started out calm and ended with calm winds.  We set up our "owl listening stations" (see "Colorado Field Notes" for details) and continued to drive some of the county roads.

Eventually we found three Northern Pygmy-Owls (Park CR 61 & 96) and one Northern Saw-whet Owl (Tiny Town Area).

We have not listened to the recordings yet.  Owl count possibly will go up.

Northern Pygmy-Owls will not always call in response to recordings.  Quite often, they will give a brief contact call. 

Northern Saw-whet Owls in my experience will not call or contact.  They will approach a recording.  One has to be in the vicinity in order to see them.

We also found American Three-toed Woodpeckers at two locations (CR 61 & Michigan Creek Road).  A few Rosy Finches were around feeders in Jefferson.

Two Day Trip to the Northeastern Plains

February 23-24, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Randy Crisman, Jay Bays and I headed east to find Greater Prairie-Chickens.

February 23

We stopped at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan).  Six to twelve Long-eared Owls were in the western Campgrounds.  The resident Eastern Screech-Owl was enticed to make an appearance.

A stop at Brush Wildlife Area (Morgan) found two Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  We could not find the previously reported Winter Wren.

Another Eastern Screech-Owl was found at Prewitt Reservoir (Logan/Washington).

February 24

About an hour before sunrise, the three of us drove up and down Yuma County Road 45. 

Three Greater Prairie-Chickens were heard and seen at the CR 45 Leks.  My first displaying gallinaceous birds of 2016!

A stop at the Wray Fishing Unit (Yuma) added a Barn Owl to our trip list.

A male Northern Cardinal and White-throated Sparrow were found at nearby Stalker Pond. 

On the trip back to Denver, we stopped at Flagler Reservoir.  A Red-bellied Woodpecker was found along the northeast side of the Wildlife Area.

After sunset, we observed a Short-eared Owl flying over the field at the northwest corner.

Quick Trip to Jackson County

February 22, 2016

Richard Stevens:

I drove up to Gould to pick up Rebecca Kosten after her week in Steamboat Springs with her friends.

A stop at Cameron Pass on the trip up relocated one of the resident Boreal Owls just west of the Pullover at the Summit.

About 80+ Rosy Finches (no Black) came to the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center feeders.

The male American Three-toed Woodpecker was heard and seen drumming north across hwy 14 (40 yards west of the Visitor's Center).

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Owls at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area

February 24, 2016

Terry Michaels

During three hour walk around the north side of Banner Lakes Wildlife Area in Weld County I found some interesting sightings.

Six Long-eared Owls were found.  Four owls were west of Lakes 5-8.  Two owls were east at the 13 Pond windbreak.

All owls were in evergreen trees.  On the west side, one owl was 4 feet off the ground, one 7 feet and the other two over 15 feet high.  The eastern birds were at 6 and 12 feet.  To answer several emails I received about the Long-eared Owls.

I watched two Great Horned Owl copulate on a nest.  The male then moved just off the nest and continued to call.

The highlight was photographing an out of place Northern Saw-whet Owl!

I hung around until dark; no Short-eared Owl showed.

On my way to Banner Lakes, I drove by Trussville Road and 114th avenue.  The Burrowing Owl was not around as I passed by.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Reynolds Park, Adams County Lakes & Rocky Mountain Arsenal

February 21, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Randy Crisman, Jay Bays and I were at Reynolds Park (Jefferson County) before sunrise.  We head a Northern Pygmy-Owl somewhere around the larger parking area.  Unfortunately, we could not find the owl.

Later we found a male American Three-toed Woodpecker northeast of the intersection of Oxen Draw and Eagle's View trails.

Our fortune continued when we observed a Dusky Grouse walking north of the Eagle's View Trail near the overlook clearing.

We also found Pine Siskins, six Red Crossbills, three species of nuthatches (Red breasted, White breasted & Pygmy) and both chickadees (Mountain & Black capped).

Misses: no Williamson's Sapsucker was found, however, no expected.

With all the Long-tailed Ducks around Colorado recently, I thought to check the many gravel ponds in Adams County.  None was found.

A male Barrow's Goldeneye was on East Gravel Lake.  A pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes was at the southwest side of Tani Reservoir.

Nothing uncommon was on the three West Gravel Lakes, Cooley Gravel Pond, Dahlia Ponds or Barrington Reservoir #9.

I ended my birding day at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (also Adams County).  Canvasbacks were the most numerous ducks on Lake Ladora & Lower Derby Lake.

At least one Barn Owl and two Long-eared Owls were along the Legacy Trail.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Loveland Pass and Barr Lake State Park

February 20, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Never old, another nice winter day in Colorado.  Every day like today is one less cold wintry day! 

On the plains the temperature reached 62 degrees.  Winds were 11 mph, gusts to 29 mph.  A little cold but still nice.

Terry Michaels, Randy Chrisman, Jay Bays and I started our day at Loveland Pass (Clear Creek County).  We scoped the hills for a little over 2.5 hours before finding a pair of White-tailed Ptarmigan.

Saturday is never the best day for a search.  Too many skiers hitch rides to the top and ski down, avoiding the ski area lift tickets. 

Eventually we found the Ptarmigan underneath the evergreens on the east side of Hwy 9, across from the first large pullover south of the Summit.

We dropped down into Silverthorne and found three species of Rosy Finches.  Four Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the Blue River Water Treatment Plant (Summit).

After dropping the others off, I ended up at Barr Lake (Adams) around 4:00 pm.  A large group of gulls on the ice off/north of the telescope platform near the Visitor's Center included an adult Thayer's Gull and an adult Mew Gull!

A Common Loon was with hundreds of Common Mergansers, a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers in the southern half of the lake.

Thousands additional gulls were west of the boat ramp.  A 1st cycle Thayer's Gull was among them.

No Short-eared Owls were found tonight along the DIA Owl Loop.  The Burrowing Owl was not around/out at Trussville Street and 114th Avenue.

Scoping Lakes Around Denver

February 19, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Another beautiful winter day in Colorado.  Temperatures only reached 65 degrees today; winds were down from yesterday to 9 mph.

I visited many bodies of water in the southwest quadrant of Denver today.  Most were completely free of ice, quite a change from yesterday when most were 50+ percent ice covered.

Highlights were the three Long-tailed Ducks at South Platte Park Reservoir.  They swam from Arapahoe to Jefferson County (photos on the Colorado Birding Society's website: http://coloradobirdingsociety.net).

Nine Greater Scaup were scattered on the lakes at the south end of South Platte Park (just north of C470).

Other lakes checked without any uncommon bird sightings included Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas), Rampart Range Reservoir (Douglas), Highline Canal Reservoir (Douglas), Marston Reservoir (Denver), and McLellan Reservoir (Arapahoe).

Few gulls were encountered throughout the day?

I stopped by 2695 Newland Street yard.  The Carolina Wren did not make an appearance during my 1.5 hour stay.  I did photograph a male Downy Woodpecker & male Red-breasted Nuthatch.

No Short-eared Owl appeared tonight along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams/Denver).  The Burrowing Owl was still at the southwest corner of Trussville Street & 114th Avenue (Denver).

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Search for Gulls in Arapahoe County

February 18, 2016

Richard Stevens:

What another fantastic winter day.  Temperatures set a new record at 73 degrees.  While winds were calm before noon, anemometer readings achieved 22 mph, gusts to 38 mph in the afternoon.

I went exploring for gulls to test my new scope.  Would not you know it; gulls were scarce.

Only a hundred or so were dispersed around Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).  I did see a beautiful adult Thayer's Gull off the southwest boat ramp.  My old Nikon scope would not have been powerful enough to allow for identifying looks.

Less than two dozen Ring-billed Gull stood on the ice at Quincy Reservoir (Arapahoe).  No other species were in the group.

Less than one hundred gulls were scattered around Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe).  Again, I was able to pick out an adult Thayer's Gull as the only uncommon Gull among them.

No Short-eared Owls appeared along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams/Denver) on the drive home.  The Burrowing Owl was again at the southwest corner of Trussville Street & 114th Avenue!

Brief Trip to Jackson County

Feburary 17, 2016

Richard Stevens:

I took Rebecca up to the Walden area to meet several of her friends.  On the way up and before midnight, we heard a Boreal Owl at Cameron Pass (Jackson County).  It was my fifth owl of 2/16!

At sunrise, we observed 80 Rosy Finches (no Black) at the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center.  The American Three-toed Woodpecker whose territory is north of the Visitor's Center & Hwy 14 did not show this morning.

I snow shoed at Zimmerman Lake on my way back to Denver.  No Three-toed Woodpeckers, Common Redpolls, White-winged Crossbill or Red Crossbills were encountered.

The long drive through too much traffic changed my plans to hang around until sunset and drive the DIA Owl Loop.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

A Four Owl Day

February 16, 2016

Another fantastic Colorado winter day it was!  Temperatures made it to 50 degrees.  A slight windy day, anemometer readings reached 14 mph.

I managed to get in a little birding/owling in the afternoon.  Both Long-eared Owl and Barn Owl were relocated at Barr Lake (Adams County).  A Great Horned Owl was in the cottonwoods at the south end of the Niedrach trail.

A Burrowing Owl was at the southwest corner of Trussville Street and 114th avenue along the DIA Owl Loop (Denver County).

No Short-eared Owls appeared tonight as I stayed until 30 minutes after sunset.

Searching for Great-tailed Grackles in Denver

February 15, 2016

Had many chores to accomplish today.  I did stop by Green Lawn Park and Lowry Open Space (Denver).  None of the twenty five Great-tailed Grackles reported yesterday were relocated.

A drive through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) did not find any uncommon birds.  The Ross's Goose was with thousands of White-cheeked Geese in nearby Greenwood Village Park.

Trip South of Denver

February 14, 2016

It was cooler today with temperatures only attaining 45 degrees.  Winds were 5 mph.

Rebecca Kosten and I made a swing south.  Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe) had zero gulls.  That may have been a first for me.

Two dozen Ring-billed Gulls were all at Quincy Reservoir (Arapahoe).

Thousands of gulls stood on the ice shelf at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).  Unfortunately, they were too far away to identify, no large white gulls and no black backed gulls.

We stopped at Bar CCC Pond (Douglas) where Tim Ryan had reported 2 Barrow's Goldeneyes, a Greater Scaup & Thayer's Gull earlier in the day.  Regrettably, we only found a male Barrow's Goldeneye (see photos on the Colorado Birding Society's website:
http://coloradobirdingsociety.net

Our birding day ended at Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas).  After dark, we heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl in the old falls area of the park.

Trip to Southeastern Colorado

February 9-13, 2016

We received a report of a calling Barred Owl in Baca County and eventually planned to search for it.

February 9

Heading down I70, Terry Michaels and I detoured around Arriba, Colorado (Lincoln).  While we did not find the huge flocks of longspurs (3 species), we did encounter at least two of each species (Lapland Longspurs, many; McCown's Longspurs & Chestnut-collared Longspurs).

Flagler Reservoir (Kit Carson) was slow.  A Swamp Sparrow below the dam was our highlight.  We continued east.

At dusk, we heard Eastern Screech-Owls calling at Hale Ponds (Yuma).  Later we drove Yuma CR 3 and heard another Eastern Screech-Owl on the north side of Bonny Reservoir Wildlife Area.

February 10

The usual suspects were found this morning at Hale Ponds (Yuma).  Five Red-bellied Woodpeckers and six Eastern Bluebirds.

We skipped returning to the north side of Bonny Reservoir; however, a walk below the Bonny Reservoir Dam found the highlight of the day.  A Common Redpoll fluttered along the Republican River, eventually ending up next to the Hale Store!

On the drive south to Lamar, we stopped at the many Kiowa County Reservoirs.  Nothing uncommon was found (Upper Queens, Lower Queens, Neenoshe Reservoir, and Neesopah Reservoir.

Tempel Grove (Bent) was very quiet.  Although we did find a late or early Hermit Thrush along the ditch.  No way to know if it stayed all winter or was part of an early spring migration.

February 11

Lamar Community College (Prowers) was a different story.  We found another late/early Hermit Thrush, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Northern Cardinal.

The previously reported Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was at the north end of nearby Willow Creek Park.

Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca) had another Red-bellied Woodpecker & a Ladder-backed Woodpecker!  Several Wild Turkeys walked around the southeastern end.  The resident Barn Owls could not be found today.

We drove through Pasture G (Baca) which is known for nesting Mountain Plovers, migrating Long-billed Curlews and nesting Burrowing Owls.  None was around today.

After sunset, we found a Western Screech-Owl at Cottonwood Canyon (Baca).

February 12

Western Screech-Owls had again called an hour before sunrise.

A walk around Baca County Road M, Cottonwood Canyon was a delight this morning.  A pair of Rusty Blackbirds was along the creek, west of the Campgrounds.

A Winter Wren (90 percent sure, it did not make a noise to clinch the ID) was in the draw south of the Campgrounds.

Rufous-crowned Sparrows were in their usual location about 1.4 miles east of the Campgrounds at Carrizo Creek.

A Barn Owl was found under the bridge at Baca County Road 7!

We finally made it to my friend's ranch.  A walk around the property for several hours did not turn up the Barred Owl.  My friend listened to recordings and said he was 100 percent sure of his ID.  He had not heard it since February 10.

February 13

Terry and I walked around for another two hours (three hours before sunrise).  No Barred Owl was heard.  If my friend hears it again, we will return.

A stop at Picture Canyon (Baca) added two Rufous-crowned Sparrows, a Northern Mockingbird and Curve-billed Thrasher to our trip list.

A Barn Owl and two White-throated Sparrows were found at Burchfield Wildlife Area (Baca).

We stopped by the field north of the entrance to the old Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek off Baca County Road G.

An early Vesper Sparrow was found loosely associated with White-crowned Sparrows. 

Our first Burrowing Owl of 2016 was found along CR G, approximately 0.3 miles east of the Lek entrance.

Terry was not feeling well and we decided to head back to Denver early.  Of course, we had to be back anyway for tomorrow (Valentine's Day).

Our only stop on the way back to Denver was Lake Henry (Otero).  Nothing uncommon was found.

Back in Denver.........

I swung by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams) with an hour of daylight left.  Few birds moved about the National Wildlife Refuge.  Most other cars/people appeared more interesting in the bison and Bald Eagles.

While standing around with fellow birder Don Beltz, eleven Bald Eagles came into roost for the night.

Six were on the ice at Lower Derby Lake; five went to the roosting trees about 50 yards east of the Lake.

My search for black footed ferrets was not successful.  If I remember correctly, 30+ have been reintroduced to the arsenal.  The goal is to cull the prairie dog population.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Quick Trip Down to Denver City Park

February 8, 2016

I have not been feeling well recently.  Getting outside for an hour or two helped calm down my ailing body.  Unfortunately, I had no energy at night to update this blog.

Hoping to catch up tonight, I will skip weather reported for the past couple of weeks.

While out doing chores, I stopped by Denver City Park (Denver County).  The Glaucous Gull reported earlier in the morning was not around at 2:00 pm.  The only Scaup I found were Lesser Scaup (three Greater Scaup had been reported).

No geese were on Emerald-Strand Park or Lakecrest as I passed them around 4:00 pm.

I did observe a Short-eared Owl flying south of the corner of 96th avenue & W. Cargo Road.  It flew from Denver to Adams County!

Aurora Reservoir

February 7, 2016

I have not been feeling well recently.  Getting outside for an hour or two helped calm down my ailing body.  Unfortunately, I had no energy at night to update this blog.  Hoping to catch up tonight, I will skip weather reports for the past couple of weeks.

Jerry Petrosky and I hiked to the mile 2.0 cove at Aurora Reservoir (from the south gate).  Round trip is was about 2.5 miles.  That was just about all the energy I had.

Most of the gulls were along the ice edge at mile 2.0.  About six hundred gulls were mostly Ring-billed.  We counted four Herring Gulls, one California Gull and one Thayer's Gull.

Missed the Carolina Wren Today

February 6, 2016

While tending to some business on the west side of town, I passed 2695 Newland Street where a Carolina Wren has spent much of the winter.

I sat in a chair and watched the feeders behind the house for about 1.5 hours (1:30 to 3:00 pm).  The Carolina Wren did not show. 

Around 3:00 pm, a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew into a tree not far from the feeders; I left.

A quick detour to nearby Crown Hill Park found only 80+ Ring-billed Gulls on the ice (no Glaucous Gull)

An Unsuccessful Drive Around the DIA Owl Loop

February 5, 2016

I drove the DIA Owl Loop about 30 minutes before sunset.  No Short-eared Owls appeared tonight.  A couple of adult Bald Eagles stood on telephone poles along 120th avenue.

Five Northern Harriers hovered over fields south of 120th avenue.

Looking For Geese

February 4, 2016

A short trip out for groceries, I passed several small lakes.  Thousands of White-cheeked Geese (mostly Canada, if not all) were on Emerald-Strand Park's lake (Denver County). 

Two of the four Greater White-fronted Geese reported yesterday were with the White-cheeked Geese.  The noise was loud and awesome as hundreds additional geese flew in to join the 3000+.

A detour to Lakecrest (Denver County) found another two Greater White-fronted Geese (perhaps part of the four found yesterday)

No Brants or White Geese.

February 3, 2016

More Snow

February 2, 2016

Snow

DIA Owl Loop

February 1, 2016

Another drive along the DIA Owl Loop found a Short-eared Owl tonight.  It was flying over the field west of Gun Club Road, south of 112th avenue at 5:18 pm.

Search for Long-eared Owls

January 30, 2016

I visited several locations in search of Long-eared Owls today.

Three Long-eared Owls continued in the windbreak along the northern ponds at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).

Another three Long-eared Owls were in the windbreak near the Barr Lake entrance (Adams).

My birding day ended at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams).  Two Long-eared Owls and two Barn Owls were deep in the New Mexico Locust trees along the Legacy Trail.

Trip to Jackson County and Owling Around Denver!

January 26-29, 2016

Rebecca Kosten and I made a three day trip to Jackson County.  While the goal was to relax and re-cooperate, of course we squeezed in a little birding.

January 26

On the trip to Gould, we stopped at several locations and listened for owls.  A Boreal Owl was calling west of the restroom pullover at Cameron Pass.

January 27

Rosy Finches are visiting the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center feeders.  Numbers vary from day to day.  Black Rosy Finches are the most difficult to find.

During a drive into Walden in the late morning, we stopped at Ranger's Lake.  A male American Three-toed Woodpecker was heard drumming as we stood on the side of Highway 14.

Returning later, we found the male American Three-toed Woodpecker whose territory appears to be north of Highway 14, across from the Visitor's Center.

Late in the afternoon, we walked down to the Crags Campgrounds.  We timed the trip to return shortly after complete darkness (or as dark as it gets).  A Boreal Owl was heard calling from the south side of the Campgrounds.

January 28

Rosy Finches at the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center numbered 112 this morning.  All three species were represented (with the visit of one Black Rosy Finch).

January 29

Before returning to Denver this morning, we stopped again at the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center.  About 200 Rosy Finches included one Black Rosy Finch.

The male American Three-toed Woodpecker was busy drumming north across highway 14!

After dropping Rebecca at home, I had arranged to meet up with Jacob Washburn at Anderson Park (Jefferson). 

I made a quick detour to 2695 Newland Street (Jefferson).  I talked to Patty and shortly afterwards saw the Carolina Wren visit the feeders behind her home.

Jacob and I then walked the Clear Creek Trail behind (south of) Anderson Park (Jefferson).  Eventually two Eastern Screech-Owls responded to our recordings.

We continued hiking west across Kipling down to Prospect Park.  Another Eastern Screech-Owl was found at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.

We were not done and drove to Highline Canal south of Colorado Blvd.  Our fifth Eastern Screech-Owl of the night responded quickly to our recordings.

That is when our good fortune ran out for the night.  The Eastern Screech-Owl at Dry Creek Trail (Jefferson) did not call tonight.

We were not able to get a respond from the pair of Eastern Screech-Owls that live at Dekoevand Park.

Still one had to be satisfied with five Eastern Screech-Owls scattered over three locations!