Eastern Phoebe Back at Rocky Mountain Arsenal

April 9, 2018

Temperatures reached 55 degrees this afternoon.  Winds were 6-7 mph with gusts to 17 mph.

I started out at Barr Lake (Adams) searching for the Broad-winged Hawk reported yesterday.  Because of the long distance hiked on my broken ankle and toes yesterday, I could only scope the trees from the paved road.  The Broad-winged Hawk was not found.

Went to see the Red-necked Grebe at Coors Pond (Jefferson) early in the afternoon and then I stopped at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams).

At 3:30 pm, winds were dead calm and the temperature was 55 degrees.  What a beautiful spring day it was.  My target birds were the Eastern Phoebes that have nested the past four years at the arsenal.

I did not see any Eastern Phoebes along the canal at 64th Avenue and Potomac Street.  A Gray Catbird came out of the willows near the cement ledge (below 64th) for a drink of water.

Continuing to the beginning of the one-way section of the Wildlife drive no Red-headed Woodpeckers, Kingbirds or uncommon birds were encountered.  So, I returned to the canal.

An unknown woodpecker was drumming; I walked along 64th trying to see the bird.  Not sure, I could tell the difference between a Northern Flicker and Red-headed Woodpecker drumming, therefore needed to see the bird.  It turned out to be a Flicker.

It was such a superb day; I sat for an hour at the canal listening to the drumming of the woodpecker and chatter of tens of dozens of American Robins.

After 35 minutes, an Eastern Phoebe was spotted in the two small cottonwoods along the road going south along the canal.  It only moved twice in the next 30 minutes.  Once to the logs lying on the ground and then it moved behind the willows south of the logs.

While I was waiting, a House Wren popped out of the woodpile north of 64th and east of the canal.

The Eastern Phoebe was not moving closer and I departed.  A drive up to the Rattlesnake Hill parking area found a Great-tailed Grackle on the telephone poles near the buildings to the south.

The western side of the Wildlife Area was closed today.  It required backtracking to leave the Park.

One Burrowing Owl was relocated at West Cargo Road and Third Creek.  No Short-eared Owls appeared this evening.