Banner Lakes Wildlife Area

February 22, 2019

Richard Stevens:

The day was a good deal colder than yesterday.  Highs only attained 21 degrees with winds 12-13 mph.

I spent the day for the most part in Weld County.  After driving the DIA Owl Loop (Adams), I headed to Banner Lakes Wildlife Area (Weld).  No Burrowing Owls have shown up along the Loop yet.

Trees were frost covered at Banner Lakes.  My wish list comprised of Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll or a stray Northern Saw-whet Owl.  The chances of finding any of them were improbable.

The majority birds were American Robins with a count of over 200.  European Starlings came in second at 87.

Sparrows encountered included one Lincoln's (Pond 12), four Song (Ponds 6-7) and one Swamp Sparrow (Pond 10 cattails).  

Pond 8 had the only sliver of open water.  Fourteen Gadwall and one male Northern Pintail Duck swam there.  A Northern Shrike hunted at the southwest corner of Pond 2.

Highlights were four Long-eared Owls.  One was in the Pond 3 western windbreak, one in Russian Olive trees west of Pond 7 and two in the Pond 8 western windbreak.

Nearby Ireland Reservoirs #5 & #1 did not add any birds to my day list.