Search for Target Birds in the Mountains

August 30, 2009

Richard Stevens:

This morning, I only had about an hour before having to meet 4 birders for a trip into the mountains. I scoped the new wetlands at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was lying in the sand on the east side of the pond area. It stood up once and then lay back down.

Also in the area were 4 Wilson's Snipe, a Virginia Rail, 3 Baird's Sandpipers, 2 White-faced Ibis, and a few ducks and other unidentified sandpipers.

At the northeast corner of the lake I thought I saw a Sabine's Gull on the sand spit. Unfortunately, I had stopped at the lower parking area for the boat launch area. A ranger came down and asked me to move (no parking down there on weekends, though I was not parked only stopped for 3 minutes). By the time I found another place to park, the mystery Gull had flown away.

Five of us drove up to Guanella pass by way of Grant (highway 285). I decided on this location (instead of Mt Evans) because their second target bird was an American Three-toed Woodpecker and thought we had better chance at success at Pine Valley Ranch Park.

Luck was with us today on both target birds. We were not out of the car 20 minutes before finding an adult and 3 obviously younger White-tailed Ptarmigan on the south side of the south south-east of the upper Guanella Pass parking area. I have spent 4+ hours to find one; 20 minutes is nothing.

At Pine Valley Ranch Park, I was prepared to hike the several miles from the parking area to the intersection of the Parkview and Strawberry Jack trails to find a Three-toed Woodpecker. Again it took less than 20 minutes to find a male Three-toed Woodpecker at 40 yards east of the Buck Gulch trail and 150 yards south of Pine Lake!

Back in Denver, I returned to Cherry Creek Reservoir to see if I could get a photo of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. What I found was 30+ birders (one with a dog); figuring the sandpiper was not going to approach closer, I left.

Trip to Northern and Eastern Colorado

August 28 and 29, 2009

To be filled in later today!

Escaping the Heat in Jackson County

August 21 to 25, 2009

Sue Ehlmann: Dianne Weston, Rebecca Kosten, and I decided to get away from the heat in Denver and spent a few days at a cabin in Jackson County. We birded parts of the days, but not as much as our male counterparts would have. We did have some fun!

Highs only reached the low 80s; lows at night dropped into the high 40s! It was very enjoyable in spite of several thunderstorms. We skipped looking for owls on several nights as we figured the thunder and lightning would greatly diminish our chances of success.

August 21

On the trip up we made the detour over to the South Boulder Creek Trail along Highway 93, south of Boulder. The previously reported Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was hawking insects when we arrived.

August 22

Early in the morning we listened for Boreal Owls at the Crags Campgrounds. One owl called from 80-100 yards south of the Campgrounds! On the walk back to our car, a Dusky Grouse crossed the road which runs south from the west side of the Campgrounds.

We stopped at the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center and watched hummingbirds. In the two hours of our visit over 60 hummingbirds could be seen at one time. Most of them were females, though a couple of male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds also flew in for a drink.

August 23

We birded about a mile hike up Ruby Jewel Road searching for Boreal Owls. None made a sound this morning. A Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming away at approximately 100 yards east of Michigan Creek Road.

We watched hummingbirds at the KOA Campgrounds and the Gould Store. Again most of the 80+ birds were females. No Calliope Hummingbirds flew in that we could identify.

August 24
We wandered out in the middle afternoon and drove several of the gravel roads north of Delaney Butte Lakes and Lake John Wildlife Area. The rolling hills were very impressive in the late afternoon light. Winds were calm and the scenery very sedate!

There were no surprises at either of the wildlife areas. No Greater Sage-Grouse were found; we even checked the lek north of Delaney Buttes. It was a very pleasant drive however.

August 25

Up an hour before sunrise, we listened for Boreal Owls at Ranger Lake. A pair nested in the vicinity this spring; but no owls called this morning.

After sunrise we found a Townsend's Warbler flying about the Campgrounds.

We drove over to the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge where we had better luck. A pair of Greater Sage-Grouse was seen crossing the road that runs south from the west side of the ranger's office/Visitor's Center.

A few Sage Thrashers and Brewer's Sparrows were perched on the many sage bushes.

Exploring Southeastern Colorado

August 17 to 27, 2009

Bryan Ehlmann:

Exploring southeast Colorado including Comanche National Grasslands, the Cimarron River, Cottonwood Canyon, Mt Carrizo and Lake Dorothey Wildlife Area. Read about the adventure in October's "Colorado Field Notes".

Preview of birds found in order seen:
Northern Waterthrush, Flammulated Owls, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Vermilion Flycatchers, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, Baird's Sparrow and more!

Barr Lake State Park

August 15, 2009

Bryan Ehlmann:

Richard Stevens and I went over to Barr Lake (Adams County) to search for yesterday's Northern Parula and Townsend's Warbler reported by Jacob Washburn. We could not find the Northern Parula but did get glimpses of the Townsend's Warbler high in the cottonwoods (near mile marker 8.2).

A medium size owl flew around east of the Pioneer Trail (mile marker 8.1). Neither of us got a good enough look to tell if it was the Barn Owl or a Great Horned Owl.

Douglas County Wanderings

August 14, 2009

Richard Stevens:

After doing some owling 3 hours before sunrise in Douglas County (heard one Northern Saw-whet Owl) Bryan Ehlmann and I hung around Castlewood Canyon State Park to see if the Black Vulture was still around. We also searched several locations where Common Poorwills had been found in the past; without success this morning.

Shortly after sunrise, we stood along Castlewood Canyon Road about 0.2 miles south of the entrance to the Winkler Ranch and listen to the early morning chorus of birds. It was an enjoyable way to start the morning. Some of the birds heard from the one spot were Spotted Towhee, Gray Catbird, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Vesper Sparrow, and a male Blue Grosbeak!

We did not see the Black Vulture between 9:30am and 11:00am. The usual Turkey Vultures took off over the northwest entrance about 10:17am. No Black Vulture was among them.

Then we wandered west to Louviers to see if any Lewis's Woodpeckers were still around; without success (kind of the story of our day). A walk around the town of Louviers did not find the previously reported Northern Cardinal.

Many Eurasian Collared-Doves still plague the town. They are about the only bird one hears when walking around this small town. Several Lesser Goldfinches and American Goldfinches were at the southeast corner and not much else.

We did not get to Barr Lake until late afternoon. Winds were 8+ mph with gusts to 14 mph. The Northern Parula found this morning was not relocated by me. We did finally manage to relocate the Townsend's Warbler in the Cottonwoods around mile marker 8.2. There are plenty of mosquitoes out there also!

DIA Owl Loop and Cherry Creek Reservoir

August 13, 2009

Richard Stevens:

It was a resting day after weeks of hiking and birding!

I enjoyed a casual drive around the DIA Owl Loop, hoping to find one of the McCown's Longspurs reported recently. Unfortunately, our total bird count (not including the 14 Burrowing Owls) was just 3 Horned Larks. Winds were steady at 14 mph with gusts to 23 mph; not helpful in a hunt for birds that prefer to stay on the ground.

Afterwards, we drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). No birds were around the southwest marina (poles circling the area). One Herring Gull was on the southeast sand spit. While watching the Gull, I noticed a small tern circling overhead. It turned out to be a Common Tern!

After dark I tried to get a response to a Great Horned Owl recording at the Campgrounds and the woods west of the Shop Creek Trail. No luck, I have not heard an owl at the State Park in months.