August 2, 2017
Richard Stevens:
I led the CoBus trip to Mt. Evans (Clear Creek County) today. The weather was great with temperatures in the 70s. Four birders and I enjoyed the cool temperatures.
Our first stop was Summit Lake area of Mt. Evans. Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches were found flying around the northwest corner of the Lake. It took about 20 minutes before they appeared; however, it is a good spot to wait.
The search for White-tailed Ptarmigan took much longer. We spread out and walked the field east of the Summit Lake parking area. After about an hour and a half, I found one Ptarmigan about 600 yards below the Road.
We drove to the top and looked for the eastern and western edges of the parking area. No additional Ptarmigan were found today.
At the Echo Lake Campgrounds, we walked to the Mt Captain trail. A male American Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming on a tree south of the trail!
Finally, we walked around Echo Lake. Six Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the water. A Green-tailed Towhee and Lincoln's Sparrow fluttered about the western side of the lake. A Pinyon Jay was observed at the southwest corner.
Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds show up in good numbers at the southeastern corner!
Back at home, many hummingbirds continued to visit our feeders. Many for us, in the past we have never had more than one each summer. Today we again saw at least one of the four common species coming through Colorado.
HOWEVER, we got a visit from a quite large hummingbird. It appeared to have a long bill and spots/stripes across its flanks and belly. Could we have a Rivoli's Hummingbird? We hope it returns tomorrow!
I am not counting it as a Rivoli's Hummingbird yet. Size is relative. It only came by once but did stay a good 4-5 minutes. No other hummingbirds were around for size comparison.
Richard Stevens:
I led the CoBus trip to Mt. Evans (Clear Creek County) today. The weather was great with temperatures in the 70s. Four birders and I enjoyed the cool temperatures.
Our first stop was Summit Lake area of Mt. Evans. Two Brown-capped Rosy Finches were found flying around the northwest corner of the Lake. It took about 20 minutes before they appeared; however, it is a good spot to wait.
The search for White-tailed Ptarmigan took much longer. We spread out and walked the field east of the Summit Lake parking area. After about an hour and a half, I found one Ptarmigan about 600 yards below the Road.
We drove to the top and looked for the eastern and western edges of the parking area. No additional Ptarmigan were found today.
At the Echo Lake Campgrounds, we walked to the Mt Captain trail. A male American Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming on a tree south of the trail!
Finally, we walked around Echo Lake. Six Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the water. A Green-tailed Towhee and Lincoln's Sparrow fluttered about the western side of the lake. A Pinyon Jay was observed at the southwest corner.
Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds show up in good numbers at the southeastern corner!
Back at home, many hummingbirds continued to visit our feeders. Many for us, in the past we have never had more than one each summer. Today we again saw at least one of the four common species coming through Colorado.
HOWEVER, we got a visit from a quite large hummingbird. It appeared to have a long bill and spots/stripes across its flanks and belly. Could we have a Rivoli's Hummingbird? We hope it returns tomorrow!
I am not counting it as a Rivoli's Hummingbird yet. Size is relative. It only came by once but did stay a good 4-5 minutes. No other hummingbirds were around for size comparison.
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