Great Birding and Friends in Weld County Today!

April 28, 2018

Richard Stevens:

Skies looked like threatening rain today; however, it never happened. 

Temperatures reached a hot 80 degrees around Peaceful Valley.  Winds were 10-11 mph with gusts to 31 (one gust measured 41 mph).

I had planned to visit a friend's ranch near Peaceful Valley and check fields where Mountain Plover had nested the last two years.  Jim and I searched for several hours however found no Mountain Plovers (just a few Killdeer).

We did find five Burrowing Owls on private property northeast of Peaceful Valley.  Two Long-eared Owls were in Jim's windbreak.

Nothing uncommon was found at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).  I dropped off Jim and picked up my email.  One email was listed Long-billed Curlew, Whimbrel and Willet along Weld CR 49.

I drove CR 49 north from Hwy 52 and past the Power Plant.  An irrigated field just northwest of the Power Plant was quite interesting.

A Long-billed Curlew hunted for bugs just south of the Center Pivot Irrigation Machine.  

Other birds under the irrigation machine included Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Common Grackles and a few Great-tailed Grackles.

Farther south, a group of shorebirds near the southern end of the irrigated field included two Whimbrel and seven Willets.

Thanks to Michelle Robbins for reporting their whereabouts!

I stopped at Ireland Reservoir #5 just south of the above field.  When I walked into the property, a Red-necked Phalarope was swimming just off shore with two Eared Grebes and five American Coots.

Dozens of Great-tailed Grackles stood on the cattails along the southern side of the Reservoir.

Then I continued south to Ireland Reservoir #1 (about a mile south of Hwy 52.  It looked to have potential when I visited it on January 1st.  

Best bird was a Swamp Sparrow in the cattails below the dam.  It was loosely associated with three or four Song Sparrows.

Two Western Grebes, one American White Pelican and a few Eared Grebes were on the lake.

My birding day ended back at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area.  I walked along Hwy 52 (from the southern parking area).  A Great Horned Owl called north of Hwy 52.  No Short-eared Owls appeared this evening.