January 29-February 2, 2018
Richard Stevens:
Richard Stevens:
Terry Michaels and I took off for some birding in southeastern Colorado.
January 29
It was another beautiful winter day. Temperatures reached 54 degrees. Winds were 4 mph with few gusts.
Our first stop was the Broadmoor area. It only took about 15 minutes to relocate the Red-breasted Sapsucker at 13 Mirada Drive. We did not have the same luck at Cheyenne Mountain Road. The Varied Thrush was not relocated during our 45 minute search. We saw the male a few weeks ago. Birders are reporting a female now?
Our main goal today was to bird Apishapa Wildlife Area (Las Animas County). Winds were calm fifty degree temperatures felt warm. Our highlight was an Eastern Phoebe hawking bugs down in the canyon. The mystery would be, did it winter here in this seldom birded area or is it migrating north or possibly south?
Several Rufous-crowned Sparrows wandered below the road. On the road out a Curve-billed Thrasher was found near the parking area.
The rest of our day was spent driving the Las Animas county roads hoping for a Snowy Owl or at least a Short-eared Owl. Just before sunset, we ran across a Short-eared Owl along County Road 15, south of CR N (west of Timpas).
Our first stop was the Broadmoor area. It only took about 15 minutes to relocate the Red-breasted Sapsucker at 13 Mirada Drive. We did not have the same luck at Cheyenne Mountain Road. The Varied Thrush was not relocated during our 45 minute search. We saw the male a few weeks ago. Birders are reporting a female now?
Our main goal today was to bird Apishapa Wildlife Area (Las Animas County). Winds were calm fifty degree temperatures felt warm. Our highlight was an Eastern Phoebe hawking bugs down in the canyon. The mystery would be, did it winter here in this seldom birded area or is it migrating north or possibly south?
Several Rufous-crowned Sparrows wandered below the road. On the road out a Curve-billed Thrasher was found near the parking area.
The rest of our day was spent driving the Las Animas county roads hoping for a Snowy Owl or at least a Short-eared Owl. Just before sunset, we ran across a Short-eared Owl along County Road 15, south of CR N (west of Timpas).
January 30
We spent the night at Vogel Canyon (Otero). Temperatures did reach 27 degrees in the night. However, during the day they rose to 77 degrees! Winds were high at 14 mph with gusts o 31 mph.
A walk down Vogel Canyon found two Rufous-crowned Sparrows along the cliffs. On the drive out of the canyon, a Greater Roadrunner ran across County Road 30.
We checked CR 804 and Higbee Cemetery (Otero). A Northern Mockingbird was near the Cemetery. We relocated a Rufous-crowned Sparrow near the GPS waypoint of Kathy Mihm-Dunning's sighting (1/27).
We continued south toward Cottonwood Canyon zig zagging the Otero & Las Animas County roads in search of Snowy Owl or Short-eared Owls
January 31
Temperatures were a little colder than yesterday's 77 with a high of 51 degrees. Winds were 8-9 mph with gusts to 23 mph.
The highlights at Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) included a Winter Wren, three Rufous-crowned Sparrows, a Western Screech-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Canyon Towhees, Cooper's Hawk, Bewick's Wren and Ladder-backed Woodpecker.
Picture Canyon highlights included another Winter Wren, Northern Mockingbird (North Canyon), Rufous-crowned Sparrow (near Picture Canyon parking area), a Curve-billed Thrasher.
We wandered by car around the Baca county roads in search of owls; without success.
February 1
Colder temperatures hit overnight. The high today was only 39 degrees. Winds were 8-9 mph with gusts to 18 mph.
A Short-eared Owl flew around the Upland Bird Management Area (Baca) before sunrise. A couple of Lapland Longspurs and several dozen Horned Larks fluttered about. No Chicken-like Birds or uncommon sparrows were found.
We backtracked to Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) because of a report of a possible Long-billed Thrasher. No thrashers of any species were found by us. We did relocated two Rufous-crowned Sparrows and one of the Winter Wrens.
Springfield had few birds and we continued to Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca). A Greater Roadrunner ran along the dam road about the same time as us. We could not fin the resident Barn Owls and settled on two Winter Wrens (which have been reported since 11/26). Five Wild Turkeys and a male Ladder-backed Woodpecker were also encountered.
Again backtracking, our birding day ended in a search for Lesser Prairie-Chickens east of Springfield; none was found.
February 2
We drove late into the night and rested at Bonny Reservoir (Yuma). One Eastern Screech-Owl called at Hale Ponds about 30 minutes before sunrise. Nothing uncommon was found in the couple of hours we drove around. My ankle did not handle the cold night and hurt too much for any hiking.
Local resident birds observed included three Red-bellied Woodpeckers, seven Eastern Bluebirds, a male Northern Cardinal (Fosters Grove) and 14 Wild Turkeys.
On the drive back to Denver, we detoured at Flagler Reservoir (Kit Carson). One of the previously reported Common Redpolls was in the northeast corner of the property. Few birds were around today.
Temperatures reached 54 degrees. Anemometer readings were 5-6 mph with gusts to 18 mph.
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