Thursday 16 June 2016

[cobirds] NW Colorado, Part 3, Routt County

After I stayed in Brown's Park for two days I headed towards home but stopped at Pear Lake State Park, about 25 miles of north of Steamboat Springs and the smaller sister park to Steamboat lake. Personally I found Pear Lake to be better and less of a resort lake. I found many Dark-eyed Juncos (all gray heads) and Whit-crown sparrows. There was also many, many Tree Swallows. Did I say many, many tree swallows, more like dozens and dozens. There was also Northern Rough Wing Swallows and some Violet Green Swallows. There was an Olive Sided Flycatcher calling along the lake not fare of the trail, the only trail in the park, but it connects to National Forest so it goes no forever. The flycatcher was present in some of the dead trees past the aspen groves with in about .3 miles of the trail head. It was present every day call there. There was also an Osprey and I got to go to wake up listing to the cranes calling somewhere.  From my camp, Number 12, I could hear a Virginia's Rail down below, which might have nor might not have been on Stat Park property.  My attempts at owling was not successful however. One the last day, 6-10, I saw a small bird fliting around in the willows right at the trail head near the aspens. I thought at first it was a white-crowned sparrow again but I saw a red crown and though maybe chipping sparrow. Instead to my surprise it was a Red-napped Sapsucker. Maybe it was getting insects from the willows but I found it strange to find a sapsucker going through the willows and not present in the aspens which I had been searching for the last two days. If this is not unusual let me know, it seemed odd to me.

                From Pear Lake I also drove towards Hayden and spent a morning walking along the Nature Preserves Yampa River Preserve. I found a lot of the usual birds but did hear at least three Veery but I did not find any. At the end of the trail was on Spotted Sandpiper I watched for a time. I also visited Fish Creek Falls, which was spectacular but there were not many birds present, the berry bushes are only starting to flower so that might be the reason. Steamboat Lake had some birds but most were just expected for that time, cranes, pelicans, red-wing blackbirds. There was some Savanah Sparrows also. Hahn's Peak Lake was still closed for the season when I was there, most things were opening that weekend and the campground was booked so I think I picked the right time to be present. This is it, the last of my trip reports, now I just need to finish my ebird submissions, ebird mobile does not work on these trips. In all this was a very successful trip.

Brian Johnson

Englewood CO

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