Eastern Plains

January 31, 2007

We birded Flagler Reservoir at first light. No Short-eared Owls were found. The place was pretty quiet. One Red-bellied Woodpecker was in the trees south of the dam.

Back in Denver, we rushed over to the South Platte River at 88th avenue. A hike from 88th avenue to I270 and back was quite successful. We found 2 male Barrow's Goldeneyes and a female Barrow's Goldeneye about 1.0 miles south of 88th avenue. A pair of Greater Scaups was here also. Continuing South, we found another pair of Greater Scaup on the Platte (halfway between the railroad tracks, around 78th avenue and 74th avenue).

The Long-tailed Duck was missed on our trek south. However, on the trip back, the male duck was about 100 yards south of the 74th avenue (Hwy 224) overpass.

Along the hike there were several parts of the river that could not be seen. Also if the ducks are against the western shore, they will be missed. It is worth several looks if the birds are missed a first time.

We also counted: Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Pintail Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, one male Ruddy Duck!, and American Coot.

Raptors included an adult Bald Eagle, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and a Prairie Falcon!

The only gulls identified were Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.

January 30, 2007

Bryan Ehlmann, Sue Ehlmann, Rebecca Kosten, and I birded Riverside Park and Fort Morgan Ponds (Morgan County). Nine Eastern Bluebirds were near the east end of Fort Morgan Ponds. The only sparrows found were White-crowned Sparrows and 1 Song Sparrow.

Two Common Redpolls were found at feeders in Fort Morgan. The owner asked us not to reveal her address.

We found Long-eared Owls at two locations in Morgan County. They nested at one of the locations last summer. We won’t put the locations on the internet, but would be happy to help birders to see a Long-eared Owl if asked.

We arrived at the Sterling Water Treatment Plant just before they closed. They allowed us to get a quick look. As we arrived, an immature Golden Eagle flew over and scared the ducks away. One Long-tailed Duck was observed flying away!

Quick Trip to Gateway Park

Did not have much time to bird today. Winds were 15mph; temperature reached 26 degrees.

We did stop by Gateway Park and the west side of LakeCrest (Denver County). Three dozen Common Mergansers and a couple of American Coots were in the small open water area. Four dozen gulls included 9 Herring Gulls and the rest Ring-billed Gulls. An adult Bald Eagle flew overhead and scattered the gulls. The gulls circled low over the water for about 5 minutes; then the Bald Eagle flew on. There was a dead Canada Goose on the ice; perhaps a previous kill of the Bald Eagle.

Female Greater Scaup in Denver County

January 28, 2007

Stan Roth asked me to checkout Greater Scaup sightings along the South Platte River at West Evans Avenue. I eventually hiked a 1/2 mile in either direction of the W. Evans Bridge (Denver County).

At 400 yards north of the bridge, I found a flock of 10 male and 7 female Ring-necked Ducks. An adult female Greater Scaup was among them. When a jogger came down the bike path, the Ring-necked Ducks swam north, while the Greater Scaup went south (upstream).

Her rounded head stood out among the pointed heads of the Ring-necked Ducks.

Later, I relocated the female Greater Scaup among 5 male and 3 female Lesser Scaups. They were about 50 yards north of the Evans Bridge. Her yellow eyes stood out among the brown eyed female Lesser Scaups. Her rounded head and longer, wider bill clinched the sighting. I was not able to find any male Greater Scaups.

Note added 1/29:
I took photos of the 9 scaups on the Platte. As I was leaving, another 5 male scaups flew in from upstream. Looking at the photos this morning, I noticed that one of them was a male Greater Scaup.

Thanks much for David Symonds for finding and reporting the scaup!

A couple of male Common Goldeneyes were also in the area.

Both Veterans and Memorial Lakes at Fort Logan National Cemetery were completely frozen and snow covered. A few Canada Geese walked around the snow covered fields.

Later, I met Rebecca Kosten, Bryan & Sue Ehlmann at the Denver West Office Complex (Jefferson). We hiked around for about an hour. During our stay we counted 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 White-breasted Nuthatches, a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos, and 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet!

We missed the Eastern Screech-Owl at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt.

Quick Drive Through Cherry Creek Reservoir

January 27, 2007

I took a friend shopping today and did drive through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) along the trek. Cherry Creek Reservoir was quite slow. The only gulls observed were Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. Two Great Blue Herons stood in the snow down by the southwest marina. On the open water were many Common Mergansers, a few American Coots, and Mallards.

We did see a gull that had no black on it? Wing tips appeared completely white; however it just flew over us and continued to the north side of the lake. We were not able to locate it once we reached that side.

Four Bald Eagles were perched in the trees at the campgrounds. Two were full adults and two with white heads with much brown on them.

Twenty six Horned Larks were feeding in the field below the Ranger’s Office. Unfortunately, no Snow Buntings were in the mix.

We could not find the Northern Shrike today (searched main road, campgrounds, and firing range).

We also drove over to Mt Simeon Cemetery (East 6th Avenue & Picadilly Road). We watched 54+ Pronghorn walk around the cemetery. Views were from 10 yards!!!

Another Trip into the Mountains

January 26, 2007

KC Martin and I only had half a day, but we headed into the mountains anyway. While searching for mountain birds in Summit County we stopped by the Blue River Water Treatment Plant. Four Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the small pond.

We searched for White-tailed Ptarmigan on Loveland Pass (Clear Creek County); without success. It was again quite windy up there. Two Mountain Bluebirds were there however.

After Kelvin left for DIA, I drove over to Barr Lake (Adams). The 1st year Harris's Sparrow was again feeding below the feeders behind the Visitor Center. Many Ring-necked Pheasants were feeding along the road to the boat ramp. Several Red-tailed Hawks were around also.

I could not find any Horned Larks or Snow Buntings or Short-eared Owls while driving the DIA Owl Loop. My day ended under another fantastic sunset over the silhouettes of Mt Evans, Long’s Peak and Pikes Peak.

Another highlight was watching 3 dozen+ Pronghorn wander around the Mt Simeon Cemetery near Picadilly Road and East 6th Avenue.

Arapahoe County Reservoirs

January 24, 2007

Did not get much birding in today. Temperatures were around 34 degrees; winds were mild.

We drove through Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County) while doing chores. Most of the loops are still snow covered and not passable even in 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Not many birds were moving about. Two adult Bald Eagles stood on the snow covered ice (in the middle of the lake). We did not count more than 8 gulls (all Ring-billed) along our drive. Most of the ducks in the small open water area around the southwest marina were Common Mergansers. Two American Coots and a few Mallards were joined by 2 Great Blue Herons.

Few birds were seen at the campgrounds. Mostly European Starlings and House Sparrows were all that were observed.

We could not find the Northern Shrike. The shrike when found is usually west of the riparian area where Cherry Creek runs under the main road and as far west as the Cottonwood Wetlands Pond. Checking the road to the firing range is also useful for success. However, we did not have any today.

We drove by Quincy Reservoir (which is closed for the winter). Saturday’s trip was cancelled as the water is covered with snow and ice and the hiking paths are covered with several feet of snow.

Aurora Reservoir (also Arapahoe) was in a similar condition. Few birds (even gulls) are around.

Return to Boulder

January 23, 2007

Yesterday, we knew that we were observing something special. The Boulder Varied Thrush stayed out in the open for an hour on a tree branch about 12 feet over our head (though we stayed 30 yards away from the tree). Normally a shy bird which offers brief looks, the bird was perched in the sun and did not move.

Today we returned to Boulder for another look and a possible photograph. The Varied Thrush was seen in the morning rummaging around the garden area at the southeast corner of the house. It disappeared about 10:00am, approximately 10 minutes before we arrived.

I spent a couple of hours during two stops hiking around the area. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was perched in a tree along the canal and about 40 yards from Simmons Drive. An adult Red-tailed Hawk was perched overlooking the yard along Piedmont Avenue when we arrived. It came and went several times during the day.

While I missed the thrush, I was able to watch over a dozen American Robins feeding on various grassy spots devoid of snow around the neighborhood. Two Cassin's Finches visited a feeder along Simmons Drive (near the canal mentioned above). Two Mountain Chickadees and half a dozen Black-capped Chickadees were also observed.

It was a pleasurable time hiking in the 35 degree temperatures after the last few weeks of below freezing weather.

Back in Aurora, we stopped at the Mt Nebo Cemetery off Peoria and 13th avenue. We searched about 1.5 hours for the sapsucker that Jerry Petrosky reported last week. No geese were across the street at Nome Park.

A few small flocks of Canada Geese were found as we drove by several parks. No Brant or Greater White-fronted Geese were found. We stopped by: Expo Park, Delmar Park, BiCentennial Park, Library Park, Mira Vista Golf Course, Aurora Hills Golf Course, and Utah Park.

A check of Gateway Park (west end of LakeCrest) did not find any uncommon gulls or geese. The open water area is quite small. Perhaps it will open in the next few days with the warm winds and temperatures.