I was driving carefully along the tire tracks that were all there was to Road 47 when I saw what looked like a toad in one of the ruts. I pulled over to avoid running it over and looked down on it. The body was flat, and I wondered at first if it had been squished but then I saw that the head was moving. I pulled forward and parked, then walked back to it.
It put up with me crouching down and taking photos from inches away for a couple minutes, then scurried away along the rut. I decided I’d given it enough grief, and we went our separate ways.
Posted inReptiles, etc.|Comments Off on Reptile/Amphibian #31 — Greater Short-horned Lizard
Hoping to get some photos of prairie birds, I drove the two-and-a-half hours up to Pawnee Grasslands. I almost didn’t go — I hadn’t slept at all well for two nights. But the weather was supposed to be an almost perfect 70° and clear with calm winds.
The previous time I was here, back in May 2018, I had the entire grasslands to myself. Today there were a lot of people around, including a bunch of motorcyclists who weren’t there to see nature. There were Lark Buntings, Horned Larks, and Western Meadowlarks every few feet, but not much else.
Grasshopper Sparrow
I met a couple who were walking back from a small grove of cottonwoods. They said they’d seen a lot of birds in the grove, so I decided to park and walk the mile-and-a-half round trip. I found two Western Kingbirds, two Eastern Kingbirds, a Brown-headed Cowbird, a Chipping Sparrow, a Lark Sparrow, an Audubon’s Warbler, a Green-tailed Towhee, and a Hermit Thrush hanging out by the seven trees.
I did manage to find a lone Cassin’s Sparrow and three Grasshopper Sparrows along the drive, two of my target species, but I completed the entire auto tour route without seeing any of the others.
It was already past 2:00, and I was tired. I contemplated heading home, but decided to drive 20 miles west to another part of the park where Chestnut-collared Longspurs had been seen recently. I was looking for Road 47, but missed it the first time by. I turned around and looked more carefully. This time I found it.
I did see three Chestnut-collared Longspurs, but they were too far off in the grass for good photos. I had to drive carefully to avoid bottoming out my car, and for that reason, I spotted a horned lizard (next post). I drove back to the start of the auto tour route to take another stab at McCown’s Longspurs without success.
By this time it was 4:00. I still had a two-and-a-half hour drive home. But I’d made the effort to get all the way up there and I knew I wouldn’t return this year. I decided to drive to the eastern portion of the grasslands to look for Mountain Plover. When I got to the spot, my search seemed hopeless. There was a lot of flat land covered with cactus, which made it unlikely that a plover would be easy to spot.
I was about to give up when I saw a McCown’s Longspur on the roadside fence. Before I could get a photo, it flew 50 yards off into the field. I managed to track it and even take some lousy video. At one point, it was feeding two (that I could see) young on a nest. As I was watching it through my scope, I saw another bird nearby. I moved my scope to look at it — it was a Horned Lark — and right behind it was … a Mountain Plover!
So even though the day was long and the birds were few and scattered, I managed to see all that I was looking for except a Long-billed Curlew. I stopped at McDonald’s for my first meal of the day and got home around 8:00 pm.
This was a great day of birding. I began at Mueller State Park and hiked my usual four-mile trail loop. There was another car at the trail head when I finished hiking, and I saw a couple people out and about on my drive out of the park, but I didn’t see another soul the entire time I was hiking.
Pine Squirrel. The marking on its forehead looks like the Batman symbol. The squirrel’s not glued to the tree or hovering in mid-air. It’s standing on very thin branches sticking out of the evergreen.
I’d walked more than halfway around the loop and had only seen one of my target birds — a Williamson’s Sapsucker — and that only briefly. But the day was beautiful (if windy) and I was alone in the woods and enjoying myself. And then magic happened.
There’s a tiny man-made pond along a tiny creek, and as I approached I could hear the tapping of a woodpecker. I have always been able to find American Three-toed Woodpecker along this stretch of trail, so naturally, I followed the sound. A female was stripping bark on a dead pine. Off and on for the next hour, I tried to get a good photo of it, but this is the best I could manage.
While I was watching the woodpecker, a male Evening Grosbeak landed on the top of a nearby tree. I couldn’t get any decent photos at that angle, but I haven’t often seen them away from feeders, so it was fun to see it.
I wandered around to the other side of the pond, looking at Audubon’s Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Chipping Sparrows. I spotted two Canada Jays hanging around the area.
I’d come prepared. I had a pocket full of trail mix, and for the next 15 minutes, I did this.
At first, they were skittish and did fly-by snags. Even when they began landing, they wouldn’t stay long. So I began wedging the peanuts between my fingers to make them work a bit. By the end, they were landing and eating and paying me no mind whatsoever. At least one of them was. The one with the streakier breast remained more nervous and may have only landed on my hand once.
After I ran out of food, they continued following me through the woods for another 15 minutes or so.
I returned to trying to get a good photo of the Three-toed Woodpecker, still without much luck. As I was doing that, I saw two Clark’s Nutcrackers fly high overhead. I’m not sure why, but I haven’t had a lot of luck with nutcrackers in Colorado. I’ve seen them here and there since I moved to the state, but always flying and usually at a distance. After a few flyovers, one of these landed on the top of a dead pine and began calling. It’s the first really good looks I’ve had at one since my lifers back in 2002.
I went back to the Three-toed Woodpecker again. She was hanging right around the pond and was easy to find by her tapping. I was waiting for her to reach a spot on a dead pine where I could take a photo when I noticed a male on an aspen maybe 15 feet away from me.
He climbed into a hole and began removing wood chips.
After leaving Mueller, I drove 20 minutes to Vindicator Valley outside Victor and walked the trail there. My objectives, besides enjoying the scenery and the history, were Green-tailed Towhee, Dusky Flycatcher, and Cassin’s Finch. I had no problem with the first two but never saw the third.
Green-tailed Towhee
Dusky Flycatcher
At Vindicator Valley, I also saw this Gray-headed Junco that looks like it can’t quite figure me out.
The clouds were rolling in by the time I left, but I decided to hike at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument anyway. The visitor center and main parking lot were closed because of the virus silliness, but I was allowed to park by the Hornbeck Homestead and walk the trails. There were a few other cars in the lot, and I saw a few people on the nearby trails, but once I got away from the lot, I was again alone. The weather looked dicey for a bit, but then the clouds cleared away and the day was beautiful again.
Wyoming Ground Squirrels have a colony by the Hornbeck Homestead.
I was hoping for a good photo of a Williamson’s Sapsucker. There were several around, of both sexes, but they were easily spooked, and this is the best I could do. It’s a stunningly beautiful bird, and more so in flight.
I happened upon a small section of creek with running water and stood maybe 15 feet away for about half an hour, watching a steady parade of birds come to drink. I saw a pair of Robins, all three Colorado nuthatches, Mountain Chickadees, a pair of Red Crossbills, a pair of Evening Grosbeaks, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and even two Common Ravens (that didn’t come down to drink while I was there but came very close before they spotted me and landed in nearby trees). A Pine Squirrel also stopped by. It would have been a cool place to spend a day.
Evening Grosbeaks
Red Crossbill
I’ve now seen Red Crossbills 11 times in my life, 7 of which have been in the last six months. From being an unusual sighting, this bird has suddenly become so common that I only occasionally bother to take photos.
As I was hiking back to my car, I scared up a Northern Mockingbird, a rare bird for that location.
I got home around 5:30 after a long, beautiful, glorious, fun, exciting day. I only saw 39 species, but many of them were among my favorites. Feeding the Canada Jays was a highlight, but there was a lot of other stuff to see. It makes a big difference when other people aren’t around to scare things off. I finished with 9.9 miles walked, all above 8,000 feet.
Posted inBirds, Mammals|Comments Off on Bird Whisperer
After work on Monday, I wandered along Black Squirrel Creek for a couple hours. The highlight was a pair of Red Crossbills in the pines along one of the ponds. The male sat on an exposed branch for several minutes while I took photos from 40 feet away.
A Cinnamon Teal was preening by the steel bridge. As I was taking photos of it, a Muskrat swam by.
I also scared a couple Wood Ducks out of the trees.
On Wednesday, we took off on a road trip. We grabbed donuts in Canon City, then drove through Bighorn Sheep Canyon to Hayden Creek and back. We got a burger at Big Burger World and ate along the river walk. We took a short walk after eating and I managed to see a Blackpoll Warbler even though I didn’t have my binoculars or camera.
Saturday, March 14 was the last time I “went somewhere” to bird before the world shut down, and that somewhere was just down to Clear Spring Ranch on the south end of the county. The state officially went “stay-at-home” on March 26, but I’d already pretty much decided not to fight against the restrictions.
That meant that I could only bird nearby, which pretty much restricted me to the open space along Monument Branch (M) next to work, to Mary Kyer Park (K), the open space along Black Squirrel Creek (B), and whatever I happen to see while walking to those places (O). I decided to bird the snot out of the area and see what I could see. Here’s my list, beginning on Sunday, March 15 and continuing until I’m allowed to expand my horizons. After each bird, I’ll list the first date I saw it and the places I saw it. When I’ve see a bird at all four locations, it will be in bold.
Update: I’ve decided to stop tracking for this list as of 4/30. The state is beginning to open up, and I’ve already begun expanding my birding range.
American Avocet 4/14 B
American Coot 3/15 B
American Crow 3/15 M, B, O, K
American Goldfinch 4/8 O, K, M, B
American Robin 3/15 M, B, K, O
American Tree Sparrow 3/21 M
American Wigeon 3/24 B
Barn Swallow 3/24 B
Belted Kingfisher 3/16 B
Black-billed Magpie 3/15 M, B, O
Black-capped Chickadee 3/15 M, K, B
Black-crowned Night-Heron 4/17 B
Black Phoebe 4/27 K
Blue Jay 4/13 K, O
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher 4/29 M
Blue-winged Teal 4/17 B
Brewer’s Blackbird 4/27 K, M
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 4/23 O, M
Brown Creeper 3/15 M
Brown-headed Cowbird 4/28 B
Bufflehead 3/30 B
Bushtit 3/21 M, B
Canada Goose 3/15 B, K, M
Canvasback 3/21 B
Chipping Sparrow 4/28 B
Cinnamon Teal 3/30 B
Cliff Swallow 4/27 B
Common Grackle 3/31 B, O, K
Common Merganser 3/23 B
Common Raven 3/15 M, B
Common Yellowthroat 4/29 M
Cooper’s Hawk 4/7 B
Dark-eyed Junco 3/15 M, B
Double-crested Cormorant 3/30 B
Downy Woodpecker 3/15 M, K, B
Eastern Bluebird 4/17 M
European Starling 3/26 B, O
Eurasian Collared-Dove 3/16 B, M, O, K
Gadwall 3/16 B
Great Blue Heron 3/15 B, M
Great Horned Owl 3/29 M, B
Green-winged Teal 3/15 B
Horned Lark 4/5 B
Horned Grebe 4/14 B
House Finch 3/15 M, B, K, O
House Sparrow 4/7 B
Killdeer 3/27 B
Least Sandpiper 4/17 B
Lesser Scaup 3/15 B
Lincoln’s Sparrow 4/15 B
MacGillivray’s Warbler 4/29 M
Mallard 3/15 B, K, M
Merlin 4/14/ B
Mountain Chickadee 3/15 M, B, O
Mountain Bluebird 3/21 M, B, K
Mourning Dove 4/7 B, M
Northern Flicker 3/15 M, B, K
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3/15 B, M
Northern Shoveler 3/15 B
Orange-crowned Warbler 4/22 B, M
Pied-billed Grebe 4/13 B
Pine Siskin 3/15 M, K
Prairie Falcon 4/4 M, B
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3/15 M, B
Redhead 3/15 B
Red-naped Sapsucker 3/28 B
Red-tailed Hawk 3/15 M, B, K
Red-winged Blackbird 3/15 B, M, K, O
Ring-billed Gull 4/4 B
Ring-necked Duck 3/15 B
Rock Dove 4/3 B
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4/14 B
Savannah Sparrow 4/4 B
Say’s Phoebe 3/31 M, B, O, K
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4/15 B
Snowy Egret 4/11 B
Solitary Sandpiper 4/28 B
Song Sparrow 3/15 M, B, K
Spotted Towhee 3/15 M, K, B, O
Spotted Sandpiper 4/30 B
Tree Swallow 4/8 B, M
Turkey Vulture 3/28 B, M
Vesper Sparrow 4/28 B
Violet-green Swallow 4/30 B
Western Bluebird 3/15 M, B, K
Western Grebe 4/13 B
Western Meadowlark 4/5 B
White-breasted Nuthatch 3/15 M, B
White-crowned Sparrow 4/10 B, M
White-faced Ibis 4/30 B
Wilson’s Snipe 3/31 B, M
Wood Duck 4/5 B
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay 3/15 M, B, K
Yellow-headed Blackbird 4/5 B
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4/7 B, K, M
As long as I’m tracking birds, I figured I may as well track animals too.
Beaver 4/5 B
Coyote 4/3 B
Desert Cottontail 4/5 O, B
Eastern Fox Squirrel 4/8 O
Muskrat 3/28 B
Pronghorn 3/27 O
Rock Squirrel 3/25 B
Here’s a compilation video of some of the animals and birds I saw during March and April (not all in my neighborhood, although many of them were).
Posted inBirds|Comments Off on Quarantine Bird List
