Friday, January 10, 2020

Looking for Owls and Woodpeckers in the Foothills

January 8, 2020

Richard Stevens:

Temperatures reached 62 degrees.  Winds were 12-13 mph with gusts to 22 mph.

Rebecca and I drove to Hwy 67 and Rampart Range Road before sunrise hoping for a Northern Pygmy-Owl photo.  Previously reported Northern Pygmy-Owls did not cooperate today.  We missed the Sugar Creek, Rampart Range Road and Platte River Road birds.

One American Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming 40 yards north of Hwy 67 and Rampart Road!

We continued south as far at Douglas CR 126 and the Cheesman Reservoir trails.  Short hikes up the Cheesman Trail and Wigwam Creek did not find any additional woodpeckers.

Our return was by way of CR 126 (Pine Valley Road) with a brief stop at Pine Valley Ranch Park.  We searched the hill south of Pine Lake and the Narrow Gauge Trail without finding any American Three-toed Woodpeckers or Northern Pygmy-Owls.

We continued our non owl day by missing the Northern Saw-whet Owls at Castlewood Canyon State Park.

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