Reynolds and Pine Valley Ranch Parks

August 18, 2018

Richard Stevens:

High temperature was a nice 77 degrees today.  Winds 5-6 mph with gusts to 22 mph.

New York birders Charles & Matthew Bissell and I searched for their target birds at Reynolds Park (Jefferson County).  While we did not find all the target birds, the most difficult find a Dusky Grouse was observed.  The bird was 400 yards up the Raven's Roost trail from the Elkhorn trail.

We eventually abandoned the American Three-toed Woodpecker search and drove to nearby Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson).  The long hike up the switchbacks on the Park View Trail eventually found a male American Three-toed Woodpecker along the Strawberry Jack Trail!

The forest was quiet today.  A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers and a flock of Chipping Sparrows were just about all seen.

After dropping my birding companions off, I passed through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) on the way home.

The Mew Gull was again on the sandy shore near the Cherry Creek dam trailhead.  Unfortunately, a kayak stroked by and chased the gulls and Snowy Egrets away.

The Snowy Egret count was 14 at the trailhead, 46 at the Prairie Loop, 6 at Cottonwood Creek pond, 19 at Pelican Point, seven at the Bellevue Pond and another 17 along the shore.

Much of the shoreline around the Park was scoped; the reported Tricolored Heron was not found.  My Great Blue Heron count was eleven adults and four juveniles.