Looking For Fall Migration On the Eastern Plains

September 17-19, 2019

Richard Stevens:

September 17

High temperature today was 87 degrees.  Winds were 8-9 mph with gusts late in the afternoon of 26 mph.

Terry Michaels, Jacob Washburn and I headed to northeastern Colorado in search of fall migration.  Fall migration appears slow or late or over; we are not sure which.

Tamarack Ranch Wildlife Area (Logan County) was our center of attention today.  No Chicken-like Birds were found around the windmill area along CR 55, south of I76 this morning.

We did hear an Eastern Screech-Owl calling before sunrise (between sections 6 & 7 east.  Later we hiked the western sections 1 & 2 west before continuing east to Tamarack Pond.  Best birds were a Bell's Vireo between 1 & 2 West and a Black-throated Green Warbler between 1 & 2 East.

Additional birds encountered included five Red-bellied Woodpeckers, one Brown Thrasher, two Spotted Towhees (no Eastern Towhees), one Red-eyed Vireo, one Cassin's Vireo, a Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, half a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers, one Field Sparrow and a male Northern Cardinal.

September 18

It was cooler today with a high of 78 degrees.  Winds were down to 4-5 mph with afternoon gusts of 14 mph.

Today we circled Little Jumbo Reservoir (Logan) and in the afternoon Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick).

A Nashville Warbler was in the riparian area north and east of the Little Jumbo Reservoir dam.  The many sparrows included Vesper, Song, White-crowned, one White-throated, a Lincoln's, and a few Lark.  No uncommon "ammodramus" sparrows appeared.  A Long-eared Owl was in the line of Russian Olive Trees south of the reservoir.

Shorebirds at Jumbo Reservoir were disappointing in the lack of uncommon species.  Killdeer dominated with a couple of Western Sandpipers and Baird's Sandpipers.  One Bank Swallow, two Violet-green Swallows were among hundreds of Barn Swallows.  

A Nashville Warbler fluttered around the eastern Campgrounds.  The resident Eastern Screech-Owls did not respond to our recordings today.  No Short-eared Owls appeared as we watched sunset from the southeast corner of the Wildlife Area.

September 19

It was another warm day with a high of 90 degrees.  The day was windy at 10-11 mph gusts to 16 mph.

We headed to the South Republican Wildlife Area (formerly Bonny Reservoir) after dark.  No Common Poorwills were enticed to responding to our recordings played at Hale Ponds.  We woke to an Eastern Screech-Owl calling from the northeast corner of the Hale Ponds area.

Our main target bird had not yet arrived at Pipit Hill; no Sprague's Pipits were found.  The Hale Ponds area added a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, one Spotted Towhee, and two Eastern Bluebirds to our trip list.  In past fall visits I had found a late Yellow-billed Cuckoo along the Republican River; none was found this morning.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Spotted Towhee were just about all found as we hiked the southern gated road along the Republican River at Bonny Reservoir.  A lone female Oriole turned out to be a Bullock's Oriole.

Highlight of the day was a Philadelphia Vireo 60 yards northeast of the 90 degree turn in Yuma County Road 2 (usually a hotspot).  No uncommon sparrows were found at Hopper Ponds (a good location to look for migrating "ammodramus" sparrows).

Two Field Sparrows were along the south side CR 2 windbreak.  Red-headed Woodpeckers were found at CR 3 & Highway 385 and the telephone poles at the first farm west of Highway 385.