Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Reynolds Park & the First Creek Trail

June 19, 2018

Richard Stevens:

James, Mark and I walked Foxton Road along the north side of Reynolds Park (Jefferson County) about an hour before sunrise.  Regrettably, no Northern Pygmy-Owls were encountered this morning.  We did hear a Common Poorwill west of the larger parking area.

It was a superb morning and we hiked the loop Elkhorn Trail to Raven's Roost (to upper clearing) to Eagle's View to Oxen Draw.  

A Dusky Grouse was observed east of Raven's Roost Trail about a 1000 yards south of the Elkhorn Trail.

Continuing to the upper clearing, we heard the booming of another Dusky Grouse.  Unfortunately it was somewhere in the forest and never seen.

Dropping down the Eagle View to Oxen Draw, a male American Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming about 30 yards north (downhill) of the intersection of the three trails.

No additional uncommon birds were found.  We did record three species of nuthatches, Pine Siskins and Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers.

After dropping my companions off, I decided to hike the First Creek Trail around 4:00 pm.  A Western Wood-pewee hawked bugs along the Denver County section.  The Red-tailed Hawk was still on her nest.  A Barn Owl is using the nesting box that we erected last fall.

The highlight of the Adams County Section was seeing a Northern Mockingbird collecting food and flying toward a nest.

Shortly after returning to my car, a downpour with hail hit the area.

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