December 24, 2016
Richard Stevens:
Another nice winter day in Colorado, temperatures reached the low 50s; winds were 10-11 mph, gusts to 14 mph. It was colder than yesterday for sure.
Terry Michaels and I drove to Sedalia searching for waxwings (preferably Bohemian Waxwings). Two hours before sunrise, we walked along Rampart Range Road at Highway 67. A Northern Pygmy-Owl responded to our recordings. No Northern Saw-whet Owls were found this morning.
After sunrise, we heard the drumming of a male American Three-toed Woodpecker. It took another 20 minutes to find the woodpecker along Hwy 67 at 40 yards east of Rampart Range Road.
At the Sedalia cemetery, we did run into a flock of eight Cedar Waxwings, two Townsend's Solitaires and some Pine Siskins.
Yesterday I ran into a fisherman at Aurora Reservoir who had an owl on his property. I thought, a Great Horned Owl, however when he explained the size, it caught my attention.
Returning from Douglas County, Terry and I visited his ranch in Weld County. He graciously showed us the evergreen where the owl had been for the past four days. To our surprise, it was a Northern Saw-whet Owl!
That is when the idea of hunting for owls came to us. We stopped at nearby Banner Lakes Wildlife Area and relocated the Long-eared Owls I found yesterday. A Great Horned Owl was also here (owl number 4 for the day!)
We hurried to Barr Lake (Adams) and walked the main road to the owl boxes. Sure enough, a Barn Owl was in the eastern box!
We then parked up to hill from West Cargo Road and Third Creek and waited until dusk. A Short-eared Owl (owl number 6) flew along Third Creek, just west of Gun Club Road.
Along the DIA Owl Loop drive, we encountered Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, a Prairie Falcon, American Kestrels, and two Ferruginous Hawks.
Side Note: has anyone noticed Red-tailed Hawks sitting on nests. In the past five days, I have observed Red-tailed Hawks on nests on three occasions. One of those times, another Red-tailed Hawk stood next to the lying Hawk. It seems too early for them to be nesting already?
Richard Stevens:
Another nice winter day in Colorado, temperatures reached the low 50s; winds were 10-11 mph, gusts to 14 mph. It was colder than yesterday for sure.
Terry Michaels and I drove to Sedalia searching for waxwings (preferably Bohemian Waxwings). Two hours before sunrise, we walked along Rampart Range Road at Highway 67. A Northern Pygmy-Owl responded to our recordings. No Northern Saw-whet Owls were found this morning.
After sunrise, we heard the drumming of a male American Three-toed Woodpecker. It took another 20 minutes to find the woodpecker along Hwy 67 at 40 yards east of Rampart Range Road.
At the Sedalia cemetery, we did run into a flock of eight Cedar Waxwings, two Townsend's Solitaires and some Pine Siskins.
Yesterday I ran into a fisherman at Aurora Reservoir who had an owl on his property. I thought, a Great Horned Owl, however when he explained the size, it caught my attention.
Returning from Douglas County, Terry and I visited his ranch in Weld County. He graciously showed us the evergreen where the owl had been for the past four days. To our surprise, it was a Northern Saw-whet Owl!
That is when the idea of hunting for owls came to us. We stopped at nearby Banner Lakes Wildlife Area and relocated the Long-eared Owls I found yesterday. A Great Horned Owl was also here (owl number 4 for the day!)
We hurried to Barr Lake (Adams) and walked the main road to the owl boxes. Sure enough, a Barn Owl was in the eastern box!
We then parked up to hill from West Cargo Road and Third Creek and waited until dusk. A Short-eared Owl (owl number 6) flew along Third Creek, just west of Gun Club Road.
Along the DIA Owl Loop drive, we encountered Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, a Prairie Falcon, American Kestrels, and two Ferruginous Hawks.
Side Note: has anyone noticed Red-tailed Hawks sitting on nests. In the past five days, I have observed Red-tailed Hawks on nests on three occasions. One of those times, another Red-tailed Hawk stood next to the lying Hawk. It seems too early for them to be nesting already?
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