Return to Weld & Adams Counties

October 11, 2013

Richard Stevens:

Jerry Petrosky and I tried to relocate the warblers found yesterday at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Adams County).  While the Black-throated Blue Warbler was not relocated in an hour search, the Nashville Warbler was in the windbreak along ponds 6 to 7.

The afternoon was spent visiting two private ranches in Weld County (updating bird counts now late into the fall season).  No warblers were found?  We did relocate two Long-eared Owls where they nested this summer.

In the evening, Jerry and I drove the DIA Owl Loop (Adams).  No Burrowing Owls were found and maybe gone for the year (will check one additional time before giving up the search).  Raptor count was 14+ Red-tailed Hawks, 2 American Kestrels, 1 Prairie Falcon and 1 Ferruginous Hawk.

The highlight was a small pond at the corner of Tower Road & 96th avenue.  Quite a few shorebirds took advantage at the temporary pond to search for food.  The count included 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Stilt Sandpipers, 31 Long-billed Dowitchers (4 of which were adults in non-breeding plumage), 2 Baird's Sandpipers, 2 Killdeer and a Sanderling.

The fields either side of Tower Road about a 1/4 mile farther north of 96th avenue.  Winds picked up and traffic along Tower Road was quite busy.  We could not safely stop along Tower Road to get an accurate count.  At least two Ruddy Ducks surprised us by being in these rather shallow ponds.

Trip Around Weld and Adams Counties

October 10, 2013

Richard Stevens:

Headed back toward the plains today and made a stop at Chambers Lake (Larimer County).  Two American Three-toed Woodpeckers flew about the eastern side about 1/2 down the lake.

Once down on the plains, I detoured to Douglas Reservoir.  A dark juvenile Jaeger flew along the western side of the lake.  It flew down to the private end and a species ID was not possible.

My next stop was Grandview Cemetery (Larimer).  Luck is sometimes quite nice.  Two birders were looking at the Cape May Warbler when I arrived.  Others spent hours searching for the bird.

Crow Valley Campgrounds (Weld) had a few interesting birds.  The highlight was a red form Fox Sparrow first reported a few days ago.  A White-throated Sparrow was in the bushes at the northwest corner.  Unfortunately, the Chestnut-sided Warbler was not relocated.

My birding day ended at Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Adams County).  First, I checked the cottonwoods along the southern ponds, which are usually the most productive for migrants.  In one loose flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers (about 22), I found a female Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Not much else was around so I checked out the southern sections.  A Nashville Warbler was in the windbreak along pond # 6.  A Long-eared Owl was also encountered along the southern windbreak (location to remain vague as photographers bothered the owls earlier this year).

A Few Days of Owling In Jackson County

October 5-9, 2013

Richard Stevens:

October 5

It was a typical Colorado fall day.  Winds were 6-8 mph, sometime gusts to 19 mph. 

I rode my bike around Aurora Reservoir (about 8.7 miles along the bike path).  Most of the 200+ gulls were Ring-billed Gulls; only a Lesser Black-backed Gull was uncommon.  California Gull count was around two dozen.

The highlight was a Red Phalarope in the cove at mile 4.0!  Whether this was the Cherry Creek Reservoir or Chatfield Reservoir bird, there is no way to determine.

A flock of Sandhill Cranes (about 10-14) called overhead as they continued south.  No scoters or loons or uncommon birds were on the lake.  A few Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks and a Blue-winged Teal were mixed in with common ducks (Mallards, Gadwall, etc).

October 6

I headed up to Gould for a couple of days of owling and solitude.  At dusk I hiked about two miles up the road south of the Crags Campgrounds (Jackson County).  On the trip back, my torch lit up the eyes of a Boreal Owl about 20 yards south of the Campgrounds.

October 7

I rose early enough to drive Jackson County Road 26 about 30 minutes before sunrise.  No Greater Sage-Grouse were encountered.

Continuing west, I scoped Walden Reservoir from the south, east and north sides.  A lone Surf Scoter was the most interesting bird on the partially ice covered lake.

After lunch in Steamboat Springs, I checked several of the locations where Bohemian Waxwings have been found in past falls.  Unfortunately, none was found.

Steamboat Lake State Park was quite, bird wise.  Forest Road 550 was devoid of birds.  In past years, White-winged Crossbills are sometimes found in the Mountain Park.

Rabbit Ears Pass did not offer any White-winged Crossbills either.  The resident American Three-toed Woodpeckers were not found along the Pass' County Maintenance Road.

A dusk I drove to Michigan Road and Ruby Jewell Road and hiked about 3 miles east.  Regrettably no Boreal or Flammulated Owls called tonight. 

(For those reading past posts, I set up my three "owl listening stations" on the walk into the Colorado State Forest and picked them up four hours later.  The stations picked up no owl sounds).

October 8

For a change of pace, I drove down to the Teller City Ghost Town south of Gould.  Beware; that this road requires a 4-wheel drive to get to the ghost town (even then, much care is required not to damage your vehicle).

Before heading down there, a quick drive to the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center to look for Rosy Finches (none found) did find a White-throated Sparrow beneath the feeders behind the building.

The ghost town has well established paths between the broken down buildings of this old historical silver mining town (and a self-guided tour).  Now and then, we have found American Three-toed Woodpeckers or Northern Pygmy-Owls in the area.  Today, only a male American Three-toed Woodpecker was encountered.

The trip was quite birdy; the list included three species of nuthatches, Red Crossbills, Hairy & Downy Woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, Clark's Nutcrackers, Gray Jays and a few more I am probably forgetting.  The self-guided tour is a pleasant walk for those able to get to the area.

After enjoying a leisure morning at the ghost town, I continued south toward Baker Pass.  Along the way I set up the three "owl listening stations" and proceeded to Jack Creek trailhead (CR 21 EE).  Nothing uncommon was found in a short walk around Jack Creek and I continued to Forest Road 758.

While the owl listening stations failed to pick up an owl, I did get a Northern Pygmy-Owl to respond to my recordings (about 1/2 mile south of Teller City).

October 9

A final day to enjoy the sights and birds below Mt Richtohfen near Cameron Pass (Jackson County).  I arrived back at the cabin about an hour after sunrise and got a late start to my day. 

The White-throated Sparrow did not appear at the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center.  Only a few of the usual suspects came to the feeders (and no Rosy Finches).

Today I hiked down the Michigan Ditch trail (below Mt. Richtohfen) for about six miles.  The unusual birds passed the trail, nothing uncommon.

The Boreal Owls that had used one of my nesting boxes were long gone.  A Dusky Grouse ran across the trail at about 4.2 miles from highway 14.

While the 12 mile trip was quite enjoyable, winds less than 4 mph, temperatures in the 50s, few birds were encountered.

On the trip back, I did hear Boreal Owls at two locations; neither birds were picked up in my spotlight.

Crow Valley Campground to Jackson Reservoir

October 4, 2013

Richard Stevens:

Colorado woke up to snow covering the ground this morning.  I have been leading many bird trips recently and had to get out on my own today (sometimes miss the solitude and quiet).  I headed up to Crow Valley Campground (Weld) to see what birds were "grounded" by the storm.  Unfortunately, the place was not as exciting as was hoped. 

A Townsend's Warbler fluttered about in the northwest corner.  A few Wilson's Warblers and a Hammond's Flycatcher were in the southwest corner. The highlight was a Long-eared Owl in the evergreens at the southwest corner.  In my experience, the first birder(s) visiting that corner in the morning are the ones to see the Long-eared Owl.  It moves unto private property after seeing any birders.

I was not able to relocate the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker reported last Monday. 

My intention was to head west and look for the Northern Parula that has been at Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins (9/26 to 10/3).  However, since no one had reported it by noon, I decided to head back to Denver by way of Jackson Reservoir instead.

The Campgrounds at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan) had a few interesting birds.  A Cassin's Vireo, Townsend's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hammond's Flycatcher were eventually found. 

The Long-eared Owls are back for the winter.  One or two never left; unfortunately, we were not able to confirm breeding this year (we do have records of a successful attempt a few years ago).

I scoped the lake from the northwest corner.  There were plenty of shorebirds but nothing outstanding.  One Pectoral Sandpiper was probably the most interesting.  Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers and a Snowy Plover were others.

One or two Common Terns flew around.  A Sabine's Gull flew by once and disappeared to the southwest corner.  An adult Bald Eagle also came by.

My final stop of the day was Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).  Few passerines other than American Robins and a half dozen Dark-eyed Juncos flew around the western windbreak.  Another possible Hammond's Flycatcher was west of pond 7.  At least one Long-eared Owl can be found here also.

A Quick Trip Over to Barr Lake State Park (Adams County)

October 3, 2013

Richard Stevens:

I did not have much time to bird today but had to get out for a little while in the nice weather since a snowstorm is coming tomorrow. 

A walk along the southeast side of Barr Lake (Adams County) found only a few birds.   A Hermit Thrush and Long-eared Owl were in the area where the resident Barn Owl(s) are usually found (mile 7.2).

Along the DIA Owl Loop, at least one Burrowing Owl was still at the prairie dog town at 3.4 miles east of Tower Road & 96th avenue.

Raptors were well represented with two Ferruginous Hawks, a Swainson's Hawk, two Red-tailed Hawks, a male American Kestrel and a Prairie Falcon.

A Successful Day In the Mountains, Three Owl Day

October 2, 2013

Richard Stevens:

Yet another gorgeous fall day in Colorado impressed my out of state birders.  Sean Cooper and Kevin Willis joined Jerry Petrosky and me for an early morning search for Northern Pygmy-Owls.

We stopped and played a tape (still dark out) at highway 67 and Rampart Range Road.  A Northern Saw-whet Owl called back for a great start to our day!  In the dark, we were not able to see if any of the resident American Three-toed Woodpeckers were around.

I looked respectable (as if I knew what I was doing) when a Northern Pygmy-Owl was found along Sugar Creek Road, south of Sedalia.  It was less than a mile from previously sightings (GPS waypoints).

With most of the day ahead of us, we decided to continue toward Cheesman Reservoir and search at the infamous "woodpecker" spot.  Recent sightings have included Acorn Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker and Williamson's Sapsuckers. 

Unfortunately, only a lone Lewis's Woodpecker was found today.  We did see a Great Horned Owl and Wilson's Warbler not far from the Cheesman Canyon trailhead.

A quest for a Flammulated Owl was a baffling problem.  Normally I would head up to Pennock Pass (Larimer) where they are reasonably easy to find into the middle of October (or later).  The recent floods in Colorado have closed down many roads in Boulder & Larimer County (including Buckhorn Road, aka Pennock Pass).

I have found Flammulated Owls near Kenosha Pass.  A beautiful warm day, mild winds lured us into a hike up the Twin Cones trail.  We never encountered a Flammulated Owl but observed some interesting birds.

A Dusky Grouse walked across the trail just west of the first gate.  Red-naped Sapsuckers fluttered about the Aspens (where the trail turns from south to east).  A lone hummingbird, most likely a young Broad-tailed zipped passes us. 

A Hermit Thrush perhaps late in migrating south, surprised us just east of the cabins and official trailhead (a good 2.5 mile walk from the parking lot at hwy 285 and Kenosha Pass).

A flock of ten Red Crossbills stopped us on our return hike.  Unfortunately, none was a White-winged Crossbill.  Another Great Horned Owl was heard at the Kenosha Campgrounds; regrettably, no Flammulated Owls called.

Guanella Pass and White-tailed Ptarmigan

October 1, 2013

Richard Stevens:

What a fantastic fall day in Colorado.  A snowstorm is predicted for Friday; however, today we enjoyed the calm before the storm.

Jerry Petrosky, visiting birders Sean Cooper and Kevin Willis and I enjoyed a hike at Guanella Pass.  Our target bird was the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan.  Our choice of location was determined by whether Mt. Evans Road is closed for the season?

Guanella Pass provides a spectacular view of the western side of Bierstadt and Mt. Evans.  It is one of my favorite places in Colorado.  A slight dusting of snow made the view even more striking.  Conditions were spectacular with temperatures in the 50s and mild winds (unusual for this elevation, 11,669 feet).

We stayed just a short hour.  Jerry found a Ptarmigan shortly after our trek up the southeast hill.  The male bird jumped up on a boulder, just southwest of the junction of the Rosalie & 603 trails.

A couple of White-crowned Sparrows were still around (they nest up here).  We searched for a Brewer's Sparrow, which also nests here; without success.  There are rumors of the split of Brewer's Sparrows into Plains Brewer's and Timberline Brewer's.

About a dozen years ago, I heard a Brewer's Sparrow in the willows at Guanella Pass.  It sounded quite different from the "normal" song heard on Pawnee National Grasslands.  At the time, I did not know about a split.  When Jim Rising (Sparrows of North America) asked for a photo, I learned about the possibility of two species.

On the way back to Denver, we passed Pine Valley Ranch Park (Jefferson) and decided to try for an American Three-toed Woodpecker and a possible Northern Pygmy-Owl.

The Three-toed Woodpecker was an "easy" find for a change.  A male wandered around below the switchbacks along the Strawberry Jack Trail (just east of the Buck Gulch Trail).  This intersection is sometimes good for a Northern Pygmy-Owl, but not today. 

Other birds observed included three species of nuthatches (Red-breasted, White-breasted & Pygmy), Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, and a small flock of Pine Siskins.

We hiked along the Narrow Gauge Trail to the closed gate (another good spot of Northern Pygmy-Owl), again without success.  A lone American Dipper was under the farthest western bridge. 

We returned to Denver under another of Colorado's colorful fall sunsets.