Big Day Competition

May 20, 2018

Richard Stevens:

Terry Michaels, Dave King and I had a competition "Big Day" search.  Temperature only reached 58 degrees today under cloudy and rainy skies.  Winds were 14 mph with gusts to 18 mph.

I started out by driving the DIA Owl Loop (Adams/Denver Counties) an hour before sunrise.  A Short-eared Owl flew along Third Creek, east of West Cargo Road.

Next, I hiked the First Creek Trail from 56th Avenue to the Adams County trailhead.  The Vermilion Flycatcher was hawking bugs in the field north of the Adams County Pond.  A Northern Mockingbird flew around the same field west of the Buckley Road & 64th Avenue trailhead.  Both we observed quite a distance away, saving my feet from hiking to the Pond.

Misses: the Harris's Sparrow appears to no longer to be around.  Western Kingbirds were the only Kingbirds.  No Red-eyed Vireo here today.  Both the Red-tailed Hawk and Swainson's Hawk were on their nests.

I returned to Barr Lake (Adams) by way of the DIA Owl Loop and saw two Burrowing Owls.

A walk from the Barr Lake boat ramp (mile 7.5) to mile 8.0 relocated yesterday's Gray-cheeked Thrush (about 10 yards off the trail).  A Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl and Great-tailed Grackle were eventually relocated.

My next stop was having a staked out Mountain Plover on a friend's ranch (Weld).  Several Long-eared Owls, a Cassin's Vireo, Bullock's Orioles, White-crowned Sparrows, a Dark-eyed Junco were also found. Spotted Towhee and Green-tailed Towhee searched for food in his surrounding windbreak.

Then I hiked the southern ponds at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).  Another Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, and Barn Owl were along the eastern side of the ponds.

The western side was more interesting.  A Nashville Warbler and Tennessee Warbler fluttered about that windbreak.

Ireland Reservoir #5 added several Wilson's Phalaropes and a Red-necked Phalarope to my day list.  Other birds included Canada Geese, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Mallards, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, a Cinnamon Teal pair, American Pipit and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

At Ireland Reservoir #1, American Robins, an American White Pelican and a MacGillivray's Warbler were found.

I did not return until late and will find out our totals tomorrow.  My total was 103 species.

List: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Pheasant, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Virginia Rail, American Coot, Killdeer, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, Long-eared Owl, Common Nighthawk, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Western Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, American Pipit, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, McCown's Longspur, Blue Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Common Grackle, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.