Eastern Adams and Arapahoe Counties

April 16, 2019

Richard Stevens:

High temperature in Deer Trail was 69 degrees.  Winds were 12-13 mph with gusts to 25 mph.

Today I drove the roads in Eastern Adams County and down to Eastern Arapahoe County.  Temperatures reached 70 degrees.  Winds were 14-15 mph with gusts to 22 mph.

I checked many of the Adams County Roads where Mountain Plover have been found in recent years.  Missed both Mountain Plovers and Burrowing Owls but did find several dozen Horned Larks, two McCown's Longspurs and a Chestnut-collared Longspur.

A walk around Richmil Ranch Open Space for a couple of hours also found few birds.  A Northern Mockingbird was in the southeast corner.  One Killdeer and two Northern Flickers wandered around the small northern pond.

Eastern Arapahoe County Roads were also slow, bird wise.  The Northern Mockingbird I found along CR 42, east of CR 161 was not around this afternoon.

The Burrowing Owls that nested along CR 30, east of CR 149 have not returned yet?

No Red-headed Woodpeckers were encountered at their summer haunts East Bijou Creek at Deer Trail and West Bijou Creek at County Line Road (Arapahoe/Elbert Line).

My birding day ended at Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe).  Nothing uncommon could be found.