Mountain Birding

February 1-3, 2020

Richard Stevens:

February 1

High temperature today was 34 degrees in Gould.  Winds were 7-8 mph with gusts to 14 mph.

Rebecca and I headed up to Gould to enjoy Colorado's fantastic winter.  On the trip up we made a detour to Warren Lake (Larimer).  It appeared to be the "Gull hotspot" this month.

Without giving our final decision, we did see the reported Slaty-backed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull and two Iceland Gulls among a horde of more common gulls.

We stopped at Joe Wright Reservoir, the Summit of Cameron Pass and then walked highway 14 for about a half mile west of the Pass.  Only one Boreal Owl was heard this night; it was 0.2 miles west of the Summit.

February 2

The high of 32 degrees was similar to yesterday.  Winds grew at 9-10 mph with gusts to 21 mph.

On the way to breakfast in Walden, we drove around the small town.  A flock of 40 Rosy Finches was over the School!  We picked out two Brown-capped Rosy Finches among the Gray-crowned Rosy Finches.  No Black Rosy Finches were observed.

Another 400 Rosy Finches (3 species) were observed at a friend's ranch.  Most of the day was spent playing bridge.  After dark, we listened for owls along highway 14 toward Gould.  None was heard this night.

February 3

Another day of high 30 temperatures, winds were 13-14 mph with gusts to 23 mph.

Before sunrise, we drove Jackson CR 26 in search of Greater Sage-Grouse.  None was encountered this morning.  A few hardy Horned Larks were just about all found. 

No Rosy Finches were around Walden this morning.  Nothing uncommon was found from Walden Reservoir to Rand to Gould.

We enjoyed cross-country skiing into the Colorado State Forest.  No uncommon birds to report; however, the American Three-toed Woodpecker was again drumming north of the Visitor's Center.

We were met by Terry Michaels and Sue Ehlmann and drove highway 14 after dark unsuccessfully searching for owls.

February 4-5, 2020

Richard Stevens:

High temperatures reached 13 degrees in Steamboat Springs.  Lows at Summit Lake (Buffalo Pass Road) dipped into -20s.

Terry Michaels and I enjoyed quite an adventure.  We took snowmobiles up Buffalo Pass and camped overnight.  Low temperature at Summit Lake February 4 into 5 was close to -20 degrees.  It tested our sleeping bags, which are rated to -40 degrees.  We stayed comfortable; however getting up in the morning was brutal. 

During the trip, we found three American Three-toed Woodpeckers and a Northern Pygmy-Owl.

On the afternoon of the 5th, we moved to Forest Road 550 near the town of Columbine.  No additional American Three-toed Woodpeckers or owls were encountered; however, we did pick up a Dusky Grouse sighting for the trip!

We would have enjoyed staying in the mountains; however, forecast calls for 2-3 feet of additional snow in the area.