Birding South of Denver

September 13, 2018

Richard Stevens:

Rebecca Kosten and I drove south to Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas County) about an hour before sunrise.

Temperatures reached 93 degrees today.  Winds of 15-16 mph with gusts of 26 mph blew hot winds across Douglas County.

While driving south down Parker Road we noticed three birds flying along the Cherry Creek riparian area.  Their large size and rounded wings caught our attention.  

I quickly pulled over and we watched three Short-eared Owls working the field just north of the Hidden Mesa Open Space (Douglas)!

Continuing to Castlewood Canyon State Park (Douglas), we made a rest stop at the first restrooms south of the western entrance.  Ten Wild Turkeys walked around the two picnic tables.

We put binoculars on the sixteen Vultures circling overhead.  All were Turkey Vultures.  The last Black Vulture reported in the Park was 7/3-7/9/2009.

A walk along the Creekside Trail from the old homestead to the junction with the Rock Rim Trail found many Spotted Towhees, White-breasted Nuthatches, one Plumbeous Vireo, two male Wilson's Warblers and one Orange-crowned Warbler.  The previously reported White-eyed Vireo was not relocated.

A Least Flycatcher was observed hawking insects along the Creekside Trail much farther south (closer to the old dam).

Nothing uncommon was found at the Winkler Ranch.  We hoped for a Lewis's Woodpecker.  The nesting Bobolinks have long since moved south.

A stop at Hwy 86 and the Cherry Creek Bridge did not find any Eastern Phoebe.  Perhaps they have also moved on.  A Gray Catbird popped out of the willows just north of the bridge.

Then we walked nearby Tomichi Gulch but found no uncommon birds.  An Eastern Towhee was discovered here on 11/20/2010.  The area has potential for a big bird checklist; however, it is not birded often.

Now early afternoon it was getting quite warm; we headed for home.

A stop at Salisbury Equestrian Park did not find the Semipalmated Plover reported two days ago.