An August 19 outing in Park County focused on the Badger Flat region flanking County Road (CR) 31 north of Highway 24, with visits to Lake George and Antero Reservoir and a few other upland spots.
Before sunrise a Common Poorwill was calling along Road 213 not far from CR 77.
Lake George had 6 Northern Shovelers (returning migrants; first for me in Park this season), an adult Bald Eagle, and great looks at Sora (8) and Virginia Rail (4).
I made numerous stops along many roads in the Badger Flat area. Most roads there are pretty rough and rocky. There were several interesting birds. Type 2 Red Crossbills were everywhere in the mostly pure Ponderosa pine forest of that region. They were at just about every stop, with an aggregate number for the morning of several hundred. I was interested to see at several stops that they were feeding intently on currants, which had abundant fruit in that area, otherwise attracting robins and bluebirds. Those crossbills are no dummies, I guess…why pass up an easy meal even if you can't eat soup with a fork. Some with Type 4 flight calls materialized where some Douglas-firs were mixed in on one slope along Road 213.
A large willow patch at Road 213 had a skulking Yellow-breasted Chat, appearing in view for several moments but remaining silent. The same patch had an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Lazuli Bunting. Three other Lazuli were noted along Road 213 among abundant Chipping Sparrows and numerous Vespers (with a few Brewer's). A male Nashville Warbler at Road 262 was another good warbler, with a male Black-throated Gray also along Road 262. Road 225 had two Townsend's Warblers. Other birds of note in this region were an Eastern Kingbird at CR 44, and a Western Kingbird at Road 213, and three Sage Thrashers were here and there. A Marsh Wren was at a tiny pond with tules.
Antero Reservoir has great-looking habitat along the margin, but I had to look hard to find any shorebirds. There were a few, though, besides the summer resident Am. Avocets and a small scream of Killdeer. Best was a lone Sanderling at the southeast corner. Also noted were 4 Western Sandpipers, 39 Wilson's Phalaropes, 2 Northern Phalaropes (plus 35 unidentified). Two Forster's Terns were foraging along the western shore, sometimes sharing space with some 35 Common Nighthawks. A female Northern Harrier was my first in Park since sometime in spring. Increasing waterbirds included a conservative 350 Green-winged Teal, 12 Nor. Shovelers, and 500 American Coots. A Sage Thrasher was sans sage.
Two Mountain Plovers were in the wide open of James Mark Jones SWA off CR 15.
Two ponds along CR 34 had 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 3 Nor. Shovelers, and 32 Green-winged Teal. The nesting efforts by Eared Grebes at one pond were winding down, with some 40 nests hatching there earlier this season.
Near Bailey there were 2 Band-tailed Pigeons and an Osprey.
David Suddjian
Littleton, CO
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