[cobirds] Re: Park County Apr 3

My mention of FOS Red-breasted Sapsuckers was intended to be of Red-naped Sapsuckers...

David Suddjian

Ken Caryl Valley

Littleton 

On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:56 AM, David Suddjian <dsuddjian@gmail.com> wrote:

The scenery in Park County is spectacular. There are places in the northern part of South Park where the array of peaks around two thirds of the compass is simply sublime: Twin Cones, Rosalie, Evans, Bierstadt, Squaretop, Landslide, Red Cone, Whale, Glacier, Guyot, Boreas, Bald, Silverheels, Democrat, Sheridan, Peerless, Horseshoe, Weston, Buffalo, Yale, Princeton, and so on. After a while, with the sun shifting through clouds to highlight snow-blanketed peaks in a blaze of glory, it almost becomes too much to take in any more. Enough. I'm full up.

And the birds were good, too.

Starting down at the southeast corner of the county along CRs 102, 100, 71 and Doe Valley Road (a really fun birding road) there were chugging Wilson's Snipes (my imitation still works to draw them into view), Pinyon Jays, Northern Goshawk, a few Evening Grosbeaks, my 2 first of season Red-breasted Sapsuckers, 6 flying Sandhill Cranes, Loggerhead Shrike, a migrating Osprey, an early Vesper Sparrow, and a tide of drumming and squawking Williamson's Sapsucker-- eBird still has these as filtered for the date, but I had over 36 Williamson's this day. Of interest were Spotted Towhees and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays on a slope along a road off Doe Valley Road with Gambel oak. Both species are pretty local in Park, and this is a "new" area, which will likely yield another county spot for Virginia's Warbler if I go back in the late spring.

Lake George had an early Lincoln's Sparrow along the South Platte near Hwy 24, and a pair of Am. Dippers there was adding to a nest under the highway bridge. The lake itself had a nice pile of several hundred ducks of 13 species, but Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles were missing, perhaps not yet arriven. 

Eleven Mile Reservoir was great, if windy and cold. Among the rarer highlights were 1 Snow Goose, 1 male Red-breasted Merganser, 1 female Hooded Merganser, 1 alternate Common Loon, 1 alternate Red-necked Grebe, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Osprey, 2 Bald Eagles, and 2 early Sage Thrashers. The rookery island in the southeast part of the lake had lots of activity. Estimates and counts of three breeding species were: 1400 California Gulls (100% adults, lots pairs hanging out, and a few carrying nest material), 180 Double-crested Cormorants (quite a few on nests), and 23 Great Blue Herons (some loafing on nests). American White Pelican, which nested there last year (first time?) was not at the island, but 7 pelicans were elsewhere at the reservoir. Among returning grebes were 3 Westerns Grebes and 1 Pied-billed Grebe. 

Other waterbird counts from Eleven Mile: Canada Goose (88), Gadwall (3985), Am. Wigeon (44), Mallard (48), Cinnamon Teal (6), Nor. Shoveler (153), Green-winged Teal (8), Nor. Pintail (11), Canvasback (16), Redhead (775), Ring-necked Duck (330), Greater Scaup (22), Lesser Scaup (1665), Scaup sp. (420), Bufflehead (790), Common Goldeneye (900), Common Merganser (57), Ruddy Duck (750), Am. Coot (3300), 1 American Avocet, Franklin's Gull (2), and Ring-billed Gull (4).

The two Bald Eagles were both molting, motley-looking young birds working more or less together to harry flocks of coots that pulled into tight knots on the water to avoid the eagles. Eventually, one eagle caught one coot and took it over to the shore to dine, while a hopeful Turkey Vulture swung in to see if it could share.

Spinney Mountain Reservoir had fewer waterbirds (still several 1000s) and harder viewing, with a similar species mix to Eleven Mile, but nothing unusual that I saw. 

The saline pond along CR 59 near Mineral Road (north of Spinney) had 2 Tundra Swans (adult and imm.). The pond along the Middle Fork of the South Platte near CR 59 had 14 Am. White Pelicans, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, and a lot of ducks. An early (for Park) Say's Phoebe had returned to a nest site in an abandoned house along CR 59. Other ponds I looked at between Hartsel and Jefferson all had good numbers of ducks, with 2 Sandhill Cranes at CR 34 Pond giving a highlight.

American Dippers were working on a nest at he Highway 9 bridge over the Middle Fork of the South Platte, southeast of Fairplay, and way out in the middle of South Park, away from the mountains.

Misc notes: lingering Rough-legged Hawk near Jefferson; Am. Three-toed Woodpecker near Kenosha Pass Pond; eager Wilson's Snipe at the 10,000 foot elevation Kenosha Pass Pond even though it was 95% ice still; early Savannah Sparrow near Eleven Mile Res.; just three Western Meadowlarks for the day... still mostly yet to come.

David Suddjian

Ken Caryl Valley

Littleton, CO

Tundra Swans along CR 59

Greater Yellowlegs along CR 59

Snow Goose at Eleven Mile

Poor image, but two Bald Eagles harassing a tight flock of coots

Sandgill Cranes at CR 34
​

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