Broomfield, Weld and Adams Counties

March 2, 2018

Richard Stevens:

I drove up to Highway 7 and Huron Street, Broomfield County.

It was a pleasure to meet Ivan Mota who has been watching a Burrowing Owl in the southwest field since last year.  Today they were capturing Prairie Dogs for relocation to another part of Broomfield County.

After an hour, I found the Burrowing Owl on a fence post along the fence running east to west at the ditch north of the oil rig road (suggested by Ivan, thanks much)!

My next stop was Luna Reservoir located only 2-3 miles east of the Burrowing Owl.  The reservoir was 3/4 ice covered.  Hundreds of gulls stood on the ice. 

I scoped the reservoir for two hours and picked out a Glaucous Gull, adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and Iceland Gull.  The afternoon sun lit up the legs, which helped picking on the Iceland Gulls, etc.

At least four Greater Scaups utilized the open water.  The many female Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks made it quite difficult to find a Long-tailed Duck in the heat waves.  If one was still there, I missed it.

Several Great-tailed Grackles flew around the Town of Barr.  No Yellow-headed Blackbirds have returned yet at the cattail fields north of the Reservoir.

A stop at Barr Lake (Adams) found it mostly ice covered.  No uncommon birds were encountered.  I cannot walk so could not check on the Barn Owls, Long-eared Owls and Great Horned Owl(s) nest(s).

A drive around the DIA Owl Loop did not find any Burrowing Owls.  It is several weeks early.  It is believed the Broomfield owl was a hold over from last summer.  It has been there for at least 3-4 months.

No Short-eared Owls appeared this evening when I was parked 0.2 miles north of West Cargo Road and Third Creek.

Two Red-tailed Hawks, one Ferruginous Hawk and one Rough-legged Hawk watched the prairie dog village here.