Barr Lake State Park

September 28, 2019

Richard Stevens:

It was a warm fall day with a high of 81 degrees.  Winds were strong at 20-21 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

To stretch my legs and too many miles in a car this week I walked from the Visitor's Center Bridge to the banding station at Barr Lake (Adams).  Nothing uncommon stood out.  A Cassin's Vireo made an appearance.  The majority species was Chipping Sparrows.

Another Trip for Fall Migration

September 23-27, 2019

Richard Stevens:

September 23

It was a hot 88 degrees on the Plains today.  Winds were 6-7 mph with gusts to 18 mph.

Terry Michaels and I drove east for another fall migration search.  Eastern migrants were rare.

Back at the South Republican Wildlife Area (Yuma), we again stuck out on Sprague's Pipits at Pipit Hill.  It really is a bit early to find them here.

A Blue-headed Vireo and Nashville Warbler were along the Republican River northeast of the 90 degree bend in Yuma County Road 2.  In recent years, this area has been one of the more interesting spots at the Wildlife Area.

We relocated the male Red-bellied Woodpecker along the South Gated Road.  Two Spotted Towhees and a Brown Thrasher were just about it for sightings.

Hale Ponds added a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a pair of Eastern Bluebirds and another Brown Thrasher to our bird list.  A mystery wren at the northeastern Hale Pond was more likely a Marsh Wren and not a Winter Wren.  It quickly dove into the cattails, appeared too big for a Winter Wren.

After sunset, an Eastern Screech-Owl called north of the ponds.  We searched Hale Ponds and then into Kansas looking for Common Poorwills or any goatsuckers, without success.

September 24

Another change in our fluctuating temperatures with a high of 66 degrees.  Winds were calm today.

The day was spent round Wray.  No Greater Prairie-Chickens appeared as we sat near the Yuma CR 45 lek at sunrise.  Neither was any found on the drive to the Kitzmueller Ranch.

A Broad-winged Hawk perched in a cottonwood at the northwest corner of Stalker Lake.  A late migrating Baltimore Oriole was discovered below the dam.

The male Northern Cardinal flew around the evergreen windbreak at the Wray Fishing Unit.

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker continued at the southeast corner of Wray City Park.

We stopped at four yards of my friends.  Birds observed included three male and one female Northern Cardinal, one Harris's Sparrow and one Common Poorwill sunning on a window ledge!

September 25

High was 78 degrees.  Winds were 3-4 mph.

We continued north into Phillips County today.

Holyoke City Park added a Tennessee Warbler and Red-bellied Woodpecker to our trip list.

A Blue-headed Vireo moved around the cottonwoods at the eastern end of the Holyoke Fishing Pond.  A pair of Eastern Kingbirds hawked insects along the south side of the Pond.

A visit to Frenchman Creek Wildlife Area was disappointing.  It has supplied many uncommon sparrows over the years.  Today only one Field Sparrow was found.  A Towhee gave us fits.  It took over an hour to identify it as a Spotted Towhee.  Highlight was yet another migrating Broad-winged Hawk!

A drive west to Haxtun Sewage Ponds found no birds (no shorebirds).

September 26, 2019

High temperature was 77 degrees. Winds were 12-13 mph with gusts to 27 mph on this windy day.

Our trek continued north this morning.  A stop at Sand Draw Wildlife Area (Sedgwick) found similar birds to Frenchman Creek Wildlife Area yesterday.  A Broad-winged Hawk and Barn Owl were in the western windbreak.  A Field Sparrow and Loggerhead Shrike were along the eastern boundary.

Sedgwick Bar Wildlife Area (Sedgwick) added a male Red-bellied Woodpecker and a pair of Eastern Bluebirds to our day.  We missed Northern Cardinals at Julesburg Wildlife Area but found yet another Broad-winged Hawk.

Julesburg Wayside Rest Stop was interesting.  Besides a Red-bellied Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird, we heard an Eastern Towhee calling.  When finally narrowing down the location of the bird in willows along the South Platte River, it turned out to look like a Spotted Towhee.  Could it have been a hybrid?

In the afternoon, we stopped at Jumbo Reservoir (Logan/Sedgwick Counties).  Highlights included a Black-bellied Plover, a Semipalmated Plover (found yesterday by Dan Stringer) and a Common Tern.

At sunset, we watched Sedgwick Draw; no Short-eared Owls appeared this evening. 

September 27, 2019

More seasonal temperatures, the high was 66 degrees.  Winds were 8-9 mph with gusts to 17 mph.

We stopped at Prewitt Reservoir on our way back to Denver.  An Eastern Screech-Owl called from the northern camping area just before sunrise.

The shorebird hotspot, the inlet canal was not so much today.  A Black-bellied Plover was the highlight for uncommon shorebirds.  We did not find the reported "possible" American Golden-Plover reported on 9/25.

The riparian area below the dam (north of the ranger's home) was more exciting.  Best sighting was a Black-throated Green Warbler.  A Cassin's Vireo and many Yellow-rumped Warblers also fluttered about the area.  A Red-bellied Woodpecker drummed along the canal.

From the northwest end of the dam, we could see half a dozen Common Terns, several Forster's Terns and one Black Tern flying around.

Brief Trip to Barr Lake

September 22, 2019

Richard Stevens:

Another drop in temperature, high of a pleasant 74 degrees.  Winds were 6-7 mph with a few gusts measured at 14 mph.

Spent most of the day during chores but I did make it over to Barr Lake (Adams) for an hour.  Again, the search for the Black-throated Blue Warbler was unsuccessful.  No Short-eared Owls appeared along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams/Denver) this evening.  

A Turkey Vulture circled overhead and a Ferruginous Hawk stood in the middle of the Prairie Dog Village at Third Creek and West Cargo Road.  Burrowing Owls have been absent this year along the Owl Loop.

Missed the Black-throated Blue Warbler at Barr Lake

September 21, 2019

Richard Stevens:

It warmed up to 88 degrees.  Winds were 20-21 mph, gusts to 27 mph.

Megan Miller had found a Black-throated Blue Warbler at Barr Lake (Adams) this morning.  I spent several hours trying unsuccessfully to find the bird in the afternoon.  Consolation birds included a Cassin's Vireo and the lingering Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Few shorebirds walked the shore line.

Missed a Prothonotary Warbler By One Day

September 20, 2019

Richard Stevens:

Beautiful 74 degrees today with winds 8-9 mph, gusts to 14 mph.

I went looking for the Prothonotary Warbler at Belmar Historic Park (Jefferson) this morning.  Guess I was one day late, no one found the bird today.  A Plumbeous Vireo fluttering about the evergreen trees at the southeast corner of Kountze Lake.  Not much else was found.

On the drive home, I detoured through Cherry Creek State Park (Arapahoe).  Meg Reck had found a Gray Flycatcher along the railroad bike trail east of the shooting range.  I did not relocate the flycatcher but did see a Cordilleran Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo.

Pelican Point had many American White Pelicans and gulls including the Lesser Black-backed Gull.  No shorebirds walked around the limited shore.

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.

Barr Lake & Cherry Creek Reservoir

September 16, 2019

Richard Stevens:

Temperature was 65 degrees at 7:00 am; it soared to 77 degrees by 10:00 am.  Winds were7-8 mph with gusts to 13 mph by the time I left at 10:00 am.

I returned to Barr Lake (Adams) because of the report of White-rumped Sandpipers on 9/15 & 9/16.  I had been at the same location on 9/15 and captured photos.  On my photos, the dark centers of the Baird's Sandpipers clearly show dark centers.

Today I encountered no sandpipers on the trek between mile 6 (north side of the dam) to mile 5.  Saturday's Lesser Black-backed Gull was not around either.  It may have been on the southern side of the Lake, which I did not visit.

Late in the afternoon, I visited Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).  One of the juvenile Sabine's Gulls flew around the eastern end.  It started to rain before the second one was located.

Additional interesting birds included 60+ swallows at the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands Pond.  They included two Cliff Swallows, two Violet-green Swallows and many Barn Swallows.

One additional observation: There were half a dozen California Gulls with various degrees of mantle color.  One was rather dark; even so, yet another was as dark as a Lesser Black-backed Gull.  The Gull had dense streaking on nape (not around eye as would be expected on a Lesser Black-backed Gull).  It had yellow legs and black and red on its bill.  This appears to be a bird that has returned for the last six years.  Either a dark mantled California Gull or some type of hybrid, would be my assessment.