In less than 24 hours, my dad and I will be embarking on our second Big Birding Weekend. What is the Big Birding Weekend? Our Big Birding Weekend is when we put two days aside and bird hardcore from sunup to sundown. Our goal is to first off, enjoy all the birds we see and have a great weekend and two, find as many birds as we can. We also shoot for Big Days on both days. Last year we saw a total of 114 species over two days of birding in north eastern Colorado. We saw 78 species the first day and 98 the second day. This year, our target locations are more widespread. Our first day locations are Crow Valley Campground and Pawnee National Grasslands. Day two we are headed south to Chatfield State Park and Waterton Canyon Recreation Area. We have had a lot of luck any some great days of birding at Chatfield and Waterton before, including a 97 bird Big Day.
I now look at the time...3:30 pm...in 12 hours I will be off and running for another weekend of intense, but very much fun, birding.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Two Ponds Bird Walk
Had another excellent bird walk today at Two Ponds NWR! Only two other birders showed up but we had a great time. We had a total of 32 species on the walk and added four more afterwards.
Upon arrival, we checked out where a pair of Cooper's Hawks had been seen making a nest earlier in the week, and they were still there today. A flock of Blue Jays came around to harass the hawks which made for an enjoyable sight. When the other two birders showed up, we headed down to the north eastern pond to find the Black-crowned Night-herons that hang around in the trees there. After tracking down the herons, we headed out along the first loop trail. Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds abounded, and pretty soon we tracked down our first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the day as well as our first pair of Bushtits. The Bushtits nested in the Refuge last year and from what we saw today it looks like they may be nesting there again this year. That is very exciting for me as they are my favorite bird. We hiked up to the canal and found Spotted Towhee and Song Sparrow. A Green-tailed Towhee made a brief appearance as well. Walking over to the bridge, we headed into the western complex. We thought we heard an oriole, but were unable to track it down. Another pair of Bushtits made an appearance, as did an Orange-crowned Warbler and another Spotted Towhee. A pair of Wood Ducks made a fly by and landed in the canal, but we were unable to find them on our return walk. Although the ducks eluded us, a pair of Eastern Phoebes made a surprise appearance just a few feet from us. These were new birds for the Refuge and a good bird to see in Colorado. A flock of sparrows got our attention and we put our sparrow identification knowledge to the test and were pleasantly surprised to find them to be Clay-colored Sparrows. We worked our way back to the entrance with no new birds to add to the list.
Our fellow birders headed out, and we set out to check on and refill the hummingbird feeders we had around the entry area. While we were doing this, we were treated to some great views of the Cooper's Hawks as they flew close by to us while making sure we weren't bothering their nest. A Red-tailed Hawk made a flyover and was immediately mobbed by two crows. I snapped off a quick picture of the action which is now one of my all time favorite photos. A Swainson's Hawk made a brief appearance as well. We finished up with the feeders and then looked around a little more. We heard a Broad-tailed Hummingbird fly through the park but did not see it. After a great three hours of birding, we called it a day and headed home. We compiled a list of 36 birds and had a great time. As always I can't wait for the next one.
Upon arrival, we checked out where a pair of Cooper's Hawks had been seen making a nest earlier in the week, and they were still there today. A flock of Blue Jays came around to harass the hawks which made for an enjoyable sight. When the other two birders showed up, we headed down to the north eastern pond to find the Black-crowned Night-herons that hang around in the trees there. After tracking down the herons, we headed out along the first loop trail. Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds abounded, and pretty soon we tracked down our first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the day as well as our first pair of Bushtits. The Bushtits nested in the Refuge last year and from what we saw today it looks like they may be nesting there again this year. That is very exciting for me as they are my favorite bird. We hiked up to the canal and found Spotted Towhee and Song Sparrow. A Green-tailed Towhee made a brief appearance as well. Walking over to the bridge, we headed into the western complex. We thought we heard an oriole, but were unable to track it down. Another pair of Bushtits made an appearance, as did an Orange-crowned Warbler and another Spotted Towhee. A pair of Wood Ducks made a fly by and landed in the canal, but we were unable to find them on our return walk. Although the ducks eluded us, a pair of Eastern Phoebes made a surprise appearance just a few feet from us. These were new birds for the Refuge and a good bird to see in Colorado. A flock of sparrows got our attention and we put our sparrow identification knowledge to the test and were pleasantly surprised to find them to be Clay-colored Sparrows. We worked our way back to the entrance with no new birds to add to the list.
Our fellow birders headed out, and we set out to check on and refill the hummingbird feeders we had around the entry area. While we were doing this, we were treated to some great views of the Cooper's Hawks as they flew close by to us while making sure we weren't bothering their nest. A Red-tailed Hawk made a flyover and was immediately mobbed by two crows. I snapped off a quick picture of the action which is now one of my all time favorite photos. A Swainson's Hawk made a brief appearance as well. We finished up with the feeders and then looked around a little more. We heard a Broad-tailed Hummingbird fly through the park but did not see it. After a great three hours of birding, we called it a day and headed home. We compiled a list of 36 birds and had a great time. As always I can't wait for the next one.
Starting the morning off right.
Robins to welcome us.
The Cooper's Hawk building her nest.
More robins.
One of the Black-crowned Night-herons.
Our little group. Thank you for coming!
A Common Grackle "hiding" in the reeds.
Apple blossoms!
Song Sparrow along the canal.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird making a statement.
Singing his heart out, a Spotted Towhee.
Magpie flyby.
The Mallards.
Clay-colored Sparrow.
More of the many and beautiful apple blossoms throughout the Refuge.
Taking care of the feeders.
Canada Goose
Cooper's Hawk flyover.
The picture. A pair of American Crows harassing a Red-tailed Hawk.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Walden Ponds in...Spring?
With all this crazy Colorado spring snow, I figured this would be a good time to look back on the nice day that two Sundays ago was and the great birding my dad and I had that day.
Getting out to bird for the first time in about a month was amazing. Spring migration is off to a slow start and the snowstorms are not helping it pick up any. I decided to call my dad up and see if he wanted to go out birding. No surprise when he replied with a yes, and off we were to Walden Ponds.
Turning on to the road to the parking lot, an Osprey was spotted off in the distance. It never flew over the ponds though but was still a good bird to start off with. Pied-billed Grebe and Western Grebe were spotted right off the bat. Numerous other waterfowl dotted the surface of Cottonwood Marsh, as well as a large flock of 39 American White Pelicans. We chatted with some other birders and heard about a Clark's Grebe on Cottonwood Marsh as well as a Solitary Sandpiper and American Avocets on another lake in the park. Scanning the lake, we tracked down a Lesser Yellowlegs, my first shorebird of the season outside of the common Killdeer, which we saw many of. The teal trifecta soon appeared, which is something I always enjoy. Watching the pelicans, I soon discovered a Black-necked Stilt foraging around them. A wonderful bird that I haven't really seen many of. As we took another look over Cottonwood Marsh before heading deeper into the park, I was overjoyed to find a pair of Bufflehead still sticking around.
Heading into the park, we went to find the avocet and sandpiper. Pretty quickly we tracked down the Solitary Sandpiper, but we did not see any avocet. Scanning the water, we discovered a pair of gorgeous, spring plumage White-faced Ibis foraging toward the back, as well as a Greater Yellowlegs. Trecking further back into the park, only a Great Blue Heron was new for the day. We enjoyed watching the herons in their rookery at the northwest end of the park and having a laugh watching them fly in to land in the tops of trees. It still blows me away when I see them in trees as that is not a place you would ever logically think a heron could perch.
Pushing on back toward the entrance of the park, we scanned the waters on both sides of the trail and teased out a Wood Duck. One of the most beautiful birds in the state, we enjoyed watching it for a few minutes before continuing on. My dad thought he saw a Wood Duck flying through the trees shortly before, but we weren't able to get a positive I.D. on it. Arriving back at the parking lot at Cottonwood Marsh, we chatted with a couple other birders and scanned the the horde of swallows to see which species we could fine. After about five minutes of scanning, we had tallied Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Bank Swallow. Another birder came along and told us that the Clark's Grebe was hanging around the east end of the lake so off we went. It didn't take too long to track it down. It wasn't a picture perfect Clark's but it was noticeably different than the Western Grebes hanging around there too.
After leaving Walden, we headed up the road to the South Boulder Creek trail head to walk the trail for a few minutes. A Blue Jay showed up immediately, and a Song Sparrow made an appearance just down the trail too. Not seeing much else, we started to walk back to the car and discovered another lbj(little brown job) skulking along the riverbank. I thought it was another Song Sparrow but the markings didn't add up and my dad didn't think it was one either. Unfortunately, it disappeared into the bushes before we could get a better look at it. We spotted a Say's Phoebe, our first flycather of the year, further down the trail and a White-breasted Nuthatch made a fun appearance as well. Just before we were about to leave, a Swainson's Hawk made a low fly over for us. A first for the year for my dad and only the third I've seen so far.
Hopefully you all are having a great year of birding so far. I know I have been with the few times I have gotten out.
Next on the calendar: International Migratory Bird Day Bird Walk at Two Ponds! My dad and I are leading this walk at 7pm at Two Ponds NWR again. Hope to see you all there!
Then it's another Big Birding Weekend with my dad in a couple weekends. Pawnee National Grasslands is our top choice right now, but we are also thinking about going up to chase down Ptarmigan as well. Will keep you all up to date!
Happy birding!
Getting out to bird for the first time in about a month was amazing. Spring migration is off to a slow start and the snowstorms are not helping it pick up any. I decided to call my dad up and see if he wanted to go out birding. No surprise when he replied with a yes, and off we were to Walden Ponds.
Turning on to the road to the parking lot, an Osprey was spotted off in the distance. It never flew over the ponds though but was still a good bird to start off with. Pied-billed Grebe and Western Grebe were spotted right off the bat. Numerous other waterfowl dotted the surface of Cottonwood Marsh, as well as a large flock of 39 American White Pelicans. We chatted with some other birders and heard about a Clark's Grebe on Cottonwood Marsh as well as a Solitary Sandpiper and American Avocets on another lake in the park. Scanning the lake, we tracked down a Lesser Yellowlegs, my first shorebird of the season outside of the common Killdeer, which we saw many of. The teal trifecta soon appeared, which is something I always enjoy. Watching the pelicans, I soon discovered a Black-necked Stilt foraging around them. A wonderful bird that I haven't really seen many of. As we took another look over Cottonwood Marsh before heading deeper into the park, I was overjoyed to find a pair of Bufflehead still sticking around.
Heading into the park, we went to find the avocet and sandpiper. Pretty quickly we tracked down the Solitary Sandpiper, but we did not see any avocet. Scanning the water, we discovered a pair of gorgeous, spring plumage White-faced Ibis foraging toward the back, as well as a Greater Yellowlegs. Trecking further back into the park, only a Great Blue Heron was new for the day. We enjoyed watching the herons in their rookery at the northwest end of the park and having a laugh watching them fly in to land in the tops of trees. It still blows me away when I see them in trees as that is not a place you would ever logically think a heron could perch.
Pushing on back toward the entrance of the park, we scanned the waters on both sides of the trail and teased out a Wood Duck. One of the most beautiful birds in the state, we enjoyed watching it for a few minutes before continuing on. My dad thought he saw a Wood Duck flying through the trees shortly before, but we weren't able to get a positive I.D. on it. Arriving back at the parking lot at Cottonwood Marsh, we chatted with a couple other birders and scanned the the horde of swallows to see which species we could fine. After about five minutes of scanning, we had tallied Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Bank Swallow. Another birder came along and told us that the Clark's Grebe was hanging around the east end of the lake so off we went. It didn't take too long to track it down. It wasn't a picture perfect Clark's but it was noticeably different than the Western Grebes hanging around there too.
After leaving Walden, we headed up the road to the South Boulder Creek trail head to walk the trail for a few minutes. A Blue Jay showed up immediately, and a Song Sparrow made an appearance just down the trail too. Not seeing much else, we started to walk back to the car and discovered another lbj(little brown job) skulking along the riverbank. I thought it was another Song Sparrow but the markings didn't add up and my dad didn't think it was one either. Unfortunately, it disappeared into the bushes before we could get a better look at it. We spotted a Say's Phoebe, our first flycather of the year, further down the trail and a White-breasted Nuthatch made a fun appearance as well. Just before we were about to leave, a Swainson's Hawk made a low fly over for us. A first for the year for my dad and only the third I've seen so far.
Hopefully you all are having a great year of birding so far. I know I have been with the few times I have gotten out.
Next on the calendar: International Migratory Bird Day Bird Walk at Two Ponds! My dad and I are leading this walk at 7pm at Two Ponds NWR again. Hope to see you all there!
Then it's another Big Birding Weekend with my dad in a couple weekends. Pawnee National Grasslands is our top choice right now, but we are also thinking about going up to chase down Ptarmigan as well. Will keep you all up to date!
Happy birding!
Western Grebe
My first warblers of the year!
Pelicans.
Red-winged Blackbird fly in.
Lesser Yellowlegs
Blue-winged Teal
Monster flyover
Find the Killdeer?
The rookery.
Great Blue Heron
Swallow shots.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Nesting Cooper's Hawks at my Parents
A couple years ago, a pair of Cooper's Hawks nested in my parents town home complex. Well, they are back this year.
Some American Goldfinches making use of the thistle seed socks. Hopefully they don't become lunch themselves.
It is not that easy taking pictures of these magnificent hawks, but thanks to the location they've decided to nest at, maybe I will be able to get some good pictures of these birds. Will keep you all up to date on how the nesting goes!
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