A Penultimate Grouse Trip

April 29 to May 4, 2018

Richard Stevens:

April 29

James & David Lewis and I headed out on another grouse trip.  Bird migration started and we observed a few bonus birds.  Weather cooperated nicely.  We experienced splendid weather relative to the elevation.

Our first stop was Loveland Pass. Two White-tailed Ptarmigan were eventually found about 0.4 miles up the western side of the Summit.  A flat area south of the "trail" appears to be a favorite morning resting spot (Summit County)!

Approximately forty Rosy Finches (no Black) were found at a friend's yard in Silverthorne.  Other birds observed included a male Evening Grosbeak, a pair of Pine Grosbeaks, White-breasted Nuthatches, Pygmy Nuthatches, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, fos Band-tailed Pigeon, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and Pine Siskin.

No Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the Blue River Water Treatment Plant (Summit).  

We chose the eastern route into Jackson County and found twenty+ Barrow's Goldeneyes along with Common Goldeneyes at Windy Gap Reservoir (Grand).

A Rough-legged Hawk was perched on a telephone pole in the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (Jackson).  We had time to spare and detoured east to Walden Reservoir (Jackson).  Several Willets walked the northeast shore.  A Bonaparte's Gull flew over the lake.  Winds were a good 23-24 mph with gusts to 31 mph.

Shortly after sunset, thirty one Greater Sage-Grouse (7 females, 25 males) walked onto the Jackson CR 26b lek.

Several stops were made on Rabbit Ears Pass (Grand/Routt).  No owls called this night.

April 30

We enjoyed a successful and magnificent day of birding North Park and the Western Slope.

The 80 Route was open to our SUV and we eventually would find in order of appearance: one Dusky Grouse and the second cattle guard, seven Greater Sage-Grouse dancing on their lek and nine Sharp-tailed Grouse running around at their lek (see Colorado Birding Society's website for locations)

http://coloradobirdingsociety.net 

Afterwards we rushed over to the Twenty Road Leks and found another five Sharp-tailed Grouse running around.  The Yampa River had no ducks on it as we drove south out of Craig (Moffat).  Two Western Grebes were on Perch Pond (Moffat).  One Great-tailed Grackle squawked at the Rifle Rest Stop (Garfield).

Coal Canyon (Mesa) was our best spot during the daylight.  A Chukar called from the hill southwest of the second pipe gate parking area.  Other birds observed included two singing Black-throated Sparrows, a Gray Flycatcher, two Pinyon Jays and a Sagebrush Sparrow (observed briefly running around the thick brush below the Chukar.

We continued to the Grand Mesa (Mesa) and walked around the Powderhorn Ski Area.  A quick stop found the Northern Saw-whet Owl at a location we had discovered on a previous trip.  An American Three-toed Woodpecker drummed in the woods south of the maintenance shed.

Then we continued driving south and stopped at pullovers along Hwy 65.  A Boreal Owl was heard, however never seen, at the second pullover south of the Spruce Grove Campgrounds.  A stop back at Powderhorn Ski area on the return trip found a Northern Pygmy-Owl along the loop just inside the entrance.

May 1

We drove the length of the Colorado National Monument (Mesa) from the eastern (southern) to western (northern) end.  Gambel's Quail were numerous in the subdivision just outside the entrance.

A walk into Devil's Kitchen found another Gray Flycatcher, a Gray Vireo two Pinyon Jays and a Black-throated Gray Warbler.  No Black-chinned Sparrows have been reported in the past two years.  The Picnic area across the road added an Ash-throated Flycatcher, Canyon Wren, Rock Wren and Black-chinned Hummingbird to our trip list.

My birding companions were not satisfied with their look at a Sagebrush Sparrow yesterday, so we drove up Brewster's Ridge.  Two Sagebrush Sparrows responded to recordings at approximately 4 miles north of S Road (Garfield).  I counted Sagebrush Sparrows for both Mesa & Garfield Counties this trip.

No Scott's Orioles were encountered (or expected this early) at their traditional locations.

We detoured to James Robb Colorado River State Park (Mesa) and found one of the two Caspian Terns reported early by a birder who had stopped and suggested several locations to bird.  A sighting of the previous reported Little Blue Heron was a much better bird! The Red-necked Phalarope was still at Highline Lake State Park (Mesa).

A detour up Escalante Canyon to Pinnacle Rock (Delta) found a Black Phoebe catching insects above Escalante Creek (about 50 yards east of the Rock).

A check of Fruitgrower's Reservoir (Delta) did not find any uncommon shorebirds.  A Lewis's Woodpecker at the Eckert Post Office was the reward for making the detour.

Our birding day ended at the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park (Montrose).  A male Dusky Grouse was observed displaying long the South Rim Drive long before we reached the Visitor's Center.  Resident Northern Pygmy-Owls were silent tonight.

May 2

We only saw two Gunnison Sage-Grouse at the Waunita Hot Springs area this morning.  Better than none, they were quite far from CR 887.  A Sage Thrasher was seen on the drive back to Highway 50.

American Three-toed Woodpeckers (two males) were easy to locate at the Monarch Pass summit pullover (Chaffee).

One Rufous-crowned Sparrow jumped out of the cubbyholes along Tunnel Drive, Canon City (Fremont).

A detour along Swallows Road (Pueblo) just west of Pueblo added two Scaled Quail and a Curve-billed Thrasher to our trip list.

We hurried east to get to the John Martin Reservoir area (Bent) with several hours of daylight remaining.  No Black Rails could be found.  A Piping Plover at the northeast corner of John Martin Reservoir was a considered consolation.

May 3

Temperature reached 71 degrees in Springfield.  Winds were 15-16 mph with gusts to 36 mph (Two Buttes Reservoir) in the afternoon.  Fortunately, Cottonwood Canyon was cooler and less windy. Our hike there was quite pleasant.

A Western Screech-Owl was relocated at Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) shortly after midnight.  Then we parking with permission on private land and waited for sunrise.  Just before sunrise, two Lesser Prairie-Chickens walked the lek located on private property.

Later we returned to Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) and found two Eastern Phoebes, a Gray Flycatcher, Black-and-white Warbler, Nashville Warbler, three Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhees, Bewick's Wrens, Wild Turkey, Chihuahuan Ravens, Cooper's Hawk and best bird of Cottonwood Canyon, a Gray Flycatcher!  However, the Gray Flycatcher was not to be the "best bird of the day" (see later).

We stopped at a friend's ranch (Las Animas) for a quick "Hi".  He told us about an owl that was calling all night and kept his wife awake.  It turned out to be a Northern Saw-whet Owl (second of trip and second county).  Better yet, James saw the flash of a reddish bird.  We followed the bird through Ponderosa Pine grove and finally put our binoculars on it.  A male Hepatic Tanager was our first of 2018!

On the drive to Lamar (Prowers) a mile detour along Baca CR M, west of Hwy 287/385 found a Long-billed Curlew and two Burrowing Owls.  We checked Pasture G (across from the old Washington Work Center) for Mountain Plover.  Once a traditional nesting location, none has been found for a couple of years now.

Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca) added a Palm Warbler, Ladder-backed Woodpecker and additional Wild Turkey to our trip list.

Then the bird of the day was run across.  A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hawked insects along Hwy 287/385.  It was 11.2 miles south of Savage Road, Lamar.  

Motel reservations in Wray had to wait for a detour at Bonny Reservoir (Yuma).  An Eastern Screech-Owl was relocated at Hale Ponds.

May 4

Temperatures reached 72 degrees on the Grasslands today.  Winds were only 2-3 mph with a few gusts to only 8 mph.

My birding friends arranged to be shown Greater Prairie-Chickens on a private ranch.  In the meantime, I drove up to the Yuma CR 45 lek where five Greater Prairie-Chickens were dancing and hopping around.  This lek is reliable for Greater Prairie-Chickens, however, quite far from the road.

After reuniting, we stopped at the Wray Fishing Unit (Yuma) and relocated an Eastern Phoebe and Northern Cardinal.  The resident Barn Owls and perhaps returning Bullock's or Baltimore Orioles were not found.

Continuing west, a quick stop at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) and we had our Long-eared Owl for the trip.  Yellow-throated Warblers were the only representatives of their family to appear.  A Prairie Falcon soared by along the western lake edge.

Our trip continued north to the Pawnee National Grasslands area (Weld).  One Mountain Plover was observed along CR 100, west of CR 390.  Chestnut-collared Longspurs were seen a little west of there.  McCown's Longspurs were observed along Weld CR 96, east of CR 69.

Our tired group then returned to Denver.