Tag: Front Range Birding Company

September 9, 2023 Bird Walk to Old St. Vrain Road With Jamie Simo

Posted on September 13, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

Old St. Vrain Road in Lyons is a beautiful, scenic place for a leisurely bird walk. Because it’s flat and all paved, it’s perfect for those with mobility challenges, and, as a migrant trap, it can offer up some unexpected avian delights. Our small group met at the Heil Valley Ranch Picture Rock Trail parking lot since parking is limited on Old St. Vrain Road and, as a residential area, we wanted to be respectful to the residents.

August and early September can be challenging for birders because the birds are largely quiet, more focused on bulking up for migration than establishing or maintaining territory and mates. Still, we had some great birds, including a lively little Canyon Wren that hopped up one of the canyon walls and let us admire for a few minutes. Canyon Wrens are one of the prettiest wrens with their cinnamon color and black and white speckling on head and back. Their falling song evokes the image of a stone tumbling down the canyon.

Canyon Wren. Photo by Jamie Simo

We were flummoxed by several quickly-darting yellow-colored birds before we finally were able to get good looks at a Wilson’s Warbler with his little black toupee like Moe from The Three Stooges. Wilson’s Warblers breed at higher altitude, typically in streamside willow carrs. Females and immatures lack this black cap, but share the overall green-yellow color.

Another mysterious yellow bird we saw was a female Western Tanager who was enjoying the array of berries growing along the creek. Unlike male Western Tanagers, which are unmistakable, females could be confused for a goldfinch. However, Western Tanager females are bigger and lankier than either our Lesser or American Goldfinches with a thicker, longer bill and two pale wing bars on a darker wing.

Western Tanager Female. Photo by Jamie Simo

Other species of note were Gray Catbirds, several Wild Turkeys (almost guaranteed here), White-throated Swifts, a singing (but unseen) Plumbeous Vireo, and a lone Osprey at the end of our walk. A quiet day, but always a good one on Old St. Vrain Road!

Old Saint Vrain Rd, Boulder, Colorado, US
31 species (+1 other taxa)

Wild Turkey  4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  9
Eurasian Collared-Dove  1
Mourning Dove  1
White-throated Swift  6
Broad-tailed Hummingbird  3
Osprey  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
American Kestrel  1
Plumbeous Vireo  1
Steller’s Jay (Interior)  1
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  1
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Barn Swallow  1
swallow sp.  5
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Canyon Wren  1
European Starling  1
Gray Catbird  3
American Robin  1
Cedar Waxwing  1
House Finch  8
Red Crossbill  1
Lesser Goldfinch  5
Song Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  2
Yellow Warbler  1
Wilson’s Warbler  1
Western Tanager  2

August 12, 2023 Bird Walk to Lagerman Reservoir Open Sky Loop with Jamie Simo

Posted on August 18, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

As it says on the tin, the Lagerman Reservoir Open Sky Loop is almost completely open and without shade so it was a blessing that the morning of our walk was cloudy and relatively cool for August. It’s still a long walk though, and my hat’s off to those doughty birders who stuck it out with me.

August is a challenging time to bird as birds are generally no longer singing and migration hasn’t really hit its peak yet. Still, we had some great birds, including a female Lark Bunting almost as soon as we started our walk. Colorado’s state bird, the Lark Bunting is a large, grassland sparrow. While the male in breeding plumage is unmistakable, being mostly black with a prominent white wing patch, the female and juvenile are more subtle with brown streaking. They do have a particularly chunky bill for a sparrow, almost more like a finch, but the creamy wing patch is a dead giveaway and was what clued us in to the bird’s identity.

Female Lark Bunting. Photo by Jamie Simo

Buoyed by our first big find, we continued on and had some fantastic views of Say’s Phoebes, which appeared to be everywhere. Say’s Phoebes are a kind of flycatcher and, as is typical of phoebes, are known for bobbing their tails. A trip highlight was watching an adult Say’s Phoebe feed a juvenile. One way to tell a juvenile from an adult bird is the very visible fleshy “gape” around the base of the bill. When altricial birds are nestlings, a prominent gape allows their parents to locate where to put the food. On Say’s Phoebes this gape is an orangey-yellow color, which stands out against the dark beak and grey head feathers.

Juvenile Say’s Phoebe. Photo by Jamie Simo

Another highlight of the trip was seeing a Loggerhead Shrike. Although the bird never came close to us, we were able to scope it with the Swarovski ATS 65mm spotting scope, which allowed us to get great looks at it. Although shrikes are considered songbirds, they hunt and kill not only insects, but also rodents, lizards, and even other songbirds. To kill vertebrate prey, they use their hooked beaks to deliver a paralyzing bite to the back of the neck then shake their victim with enough force to break its neck. Because they lack talons like a raptor, they impale their kill on thorns or even barbed wire to help hold it steady to eat or even to cache it for later.

Some other cool sights we had were two Great Horned Owls in a barn, a Bald Eagle with prey, and a Sage Thrasher. In all, we had 41 species, which is incredible for August in the grassland. Hopefully you can join us on our next walk!

Lagerman Agricultural Preserve–Open Sky Loop, Boulder, Colorado, US
Aug 12, 2023 7:43 AM – 12:03 PM
7.07 mile(s)
41 species

Canada Goose  65
Mallard  11
Lesser Scaup  2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Eurasian Collared-Dove  9
Mourning Dove  1
Broad-tailed Hummingbird  1
Killdeer  2
Ring-billed Gull  1
Double-crested Cormorant  5
Great Blue Heron  3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Bald Eagle  2
Red-tailed Hawk  3
Great Horned Owl  3
Downy Woodpecker  1
American Kestrel  1
Western Wood-Pewee  2
Say’s Phoebe  11
Western Kingbird  1
Eastern Kingbird  3
Loggerhead Shrike  1
Blue Jay  1
Black-billed Magpie  4
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  11
European Starling  38
Sage Thrasher  1
House Sparrow  3
House Finch  5
Lesser Goldfinch  3
American Goldfinch  3
Lark Bunting  1
Savannah Sparrow  2
Western Meadowlark  8
Red-winged Blackbird  32
Brewer’s Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  7
Blue Grosbeak  3

July 8, 2023 Bird Walk to Heil Valley Ranch’s Lichen Loop with Jamie Simo

Posted on July 11, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

Unfortunately our guest bird walk leader wasn’t able to lead this month’s bird walk, but that just meant I had the pleasure instead! Heil Valley Ranch is one of the jewels of Boulder County’s open space program with over 100 bird species recorded there.

Our group met at the main parking area at 8am to walk the Lichen Loop. It’s been interesting charting the changes to Heil since the Cal-wood Fire roared through in fall of 2020. The Lichen Loop in particular was heavily impacted by the fire, its forest canopy replaced by grasses, native wildflowers, and invasive weeds. What trees remain are mostly charred skeletons, a striking counterpoint to the lush understory and the perfect backdrop for our colorful migrants.

Along the stream running parallel to the parking lot we heard the newly renamed Western Flycatcher, formally classified as the Cordilleran Flycatcher. It’ll be hard to think of it as anything other than the Cordilleran though because its high-pitched call sounds very much like it’s saying its name: “cordi!” We also heard the melodious song of the Lazuli Bunting, though we wouldn’t get a good view of one until about halfway through our walk when a beautiful male perched long enough for us all to get a good look at his azure back, white belly, and orange breast.

Male Blue Grosbeak. Photo by Jamie Simo

We were also privileged to get great looks at several male Blue Grosbeaks, a grass and shrubland bird that didn’t frequent the Lichen Loop prior to the Cal-wood Fire. Like its relatives, the Blue Grosbeak is named for its large, seed-cracking bill, which is a silvery grey color. A deeper blue than the Lazuli Bunting with chestnut wings, the Blue Grosbeak sounds a little like a scratchy American Robin when he sings, only with fewer pauses.

Lark Sparrow. Photo by Jamie Simo

Another bird of note was the Lark Sparrow, a large sparrow with a beautiful red face pattern that makes me think of Southwestern Native American pottery. We also saw several Western Kingbirds with their contrasting grey backs and bright yellow bellies. Back in the parking lot we wrapped up our trip with a flock of 10 Wild Turkeys, a pair of Golden Eagles that perched in a tree on the hillside, and a gorgeous male Western Tanager. A perfect morning for birding!

Lichen Loop Trail, Boulder, Colorado, US
28 species

Wild Turkey  10
Mourning Dove  4
Broad-tailed Hummingbird  2
Turkey Vulture  2
Golden Eagle  2
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Western Wood-Pewee  5
Cordilleran Flycatcher  1
Western Kingbird  3
Eastern Kingbird  1
Steller’s Jay (Interior)  2
Black-billed Magpie  8
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West)  3
Rock Wren  1
House Wren  1
American Robin  1
Lesser Goldfinch  4
Chipping Sparrow  1
Lark Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  2
Western Meadowlark  4
Bullock’s Oriole  2
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Brewer’s Blackbird  8
Western Tanager  1
Blue Grosbeak  5
Lazuli Bunting  5

June 10, 2023 Bird Walk to Meyer’s Gulch with Jamie Simo

Posted on June 14, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

Well, we finally made it to Walker Ranch after last month’s aborted attempt! The Meyer’s Gulch trail is one of the best places for foothills birding in Boulder County. It’s also spectacular in the spring with its wildflowers and butterflies.

This past Saturday the weather was warm and sunny, but not too hot. We couldn’t have asked for a better morning. Before we even left the parking lot we had some great birds, including a singing Green-tailed Towhee and a Pine Siskin. As we started off down the trail the number of singing Vesper Sparrows was incredible. Vesper Sparrows are a grassland bird with a prominent white eye-ring, streaked breast, and white outer tail feathers. If you can get a good view of one (which is entirely possible because they like to sing from an elevated perch), you may see the little reddish patch on their shoulder. Their song starts off with a couple of whistles followed by a trilling song.

Vesper Sparrow. Photo by Jamie Simo

As we continued along the trail, we were stopped by the sight of a couple Western Bluebirds and got great looks at our most common and least shy flycatcher, the Western Wood-Pewee. Western Wood-Pewees almost always like to sit out in the open and they can be distinguished from other flycatchers by their relatively long wings, lack of eye-ring, and still tail (many flycatchers tail bob).

Western Wood-Pewee. Photo by Jamie Simo

As mentioned previously, Walker Ranch is a great place for wildflowers. Some of the most notable were western wallflower, blue-mist penstemon, and locoweed (mistakenly identified by me on Saturday as a type of vetch). Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were abundant as they took advantage of the nectar and one even helpfully posed for several minutes so we could get a look at him and his gorgeous gorget.

Other species we saw on our walk were Chipping Sparrows, a Dark-eyed Junco, a Western Tanager, a lone male Red Crossbill, and several Plumbeous Vireos. Though remaining unseen, we also heard the songs of Macgillivray’s Warbler as well as Warbling Vireo.

Unfortunately we didn’t make it too far along the trail before having to turn around, but only because there was just so much to look at and listen to!

Walker Ranch–Meyers Gulch, Boulder, Colorado, US
29 species (+1 other taxa)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Northern Flicker  2
Western Wood-Pewee  5
Cordilleran Flycatcher  3
Plumbeous Vireo  3
Warbling Vireo  3
Steller’s Jay  2
Black-billed Magpie  3
American Crow  4
Common Raven  2
Mountain Chickadee  3
Violet-green Swallow  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Pygmy Nuthatch  2
House Wren  7
Western Bluebird  2
American Robin  7
House Finch  1
Red Crossbill  1
Pine Siskin  1
Lesser Goldfinch  3
Chipping Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed)  1
Vesper Sparrow  6
Green-tailed Towhee  2
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
MacGillivray’s Warbler  1
Western Tanager  1

May 13, 2013 Bird Walk to Chatauqua Park and Gregory Canyon with Jack Strobel

Posted on May 18, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

Thank you to everyone who came to our trip on May 13th at Chautauqua Park! It was not the planned location, as we could not get to the Meyer’s Gulch Trail. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the mountain leading to the trail head and the rangers were asked to close the roads and even some of the hiking paths up the mountain. Thank you for everyone’s patience as we adjusted on the fly that morning. Luckily, the park was just down the road from where we were originally going to go.

Gray Catbird. Photo by Jamie Simo.

Overall, I think the trip ended up being great! We had a total of 34 species seen and heard. I loved seeing some of my favorites return like the swallows and warblers. It is a shame we didn’t see the MacGillivray’s warbler. It eluded our gaze in the trees! However, we did hear 4 separate individuals which is still a lovely day. The star of the show was the Grey Catbird. It was singing some strange songs and making a lot of weird noises. It even fooled me into thinking it was a Yellow-breasted Chat at first!

We walked just over 2 miles with a good hike there at the end for those who stayed. We certainly got our workout in for the day! The morning was lovely and sunny as well with clouds just starting to roll in as we took off.

Male Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Jamie Simo.

I hope to make it back out to Meyer’s Gulch trail at some point here soon. Our trip turned out well, but I am still itching to get to Meyer’s Gulch. Keep an eye out! Maybe sometime soon we will have a trip available once again at the Gulch.

For those who joined the trip, thank you once again. For those of you we missed, we hope to see you next time.

Thank you again!

Jack Strobel

Gregory Canyon, Boulder, Colorado, US

34 species

Mallard  1

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  2

Mourning Dove  3

Broad-tailed Hummingbird  16

Turkey Vulture  6

Downy Woodpecker  1

Hairy Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  10

Cordilleran Flycatcher  2

Say’s Phoebe  1

Steller’s Jay  2

Blue Jay  5

Black-billed Magpie  21

American Crow  5

Black-capped Chickadee  4

Tree Swallow  3

Violet-green Swallow  3

Cliff Swallow  1

Bushtit  4

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1

Red-breasted Nuthatch  1

White-breasted Nuthatch  1

House Wren  2

European Starling  4

Gray Catbird  1

American Robin  15

American Goldfinch  1

Dark-eyed Junco  1

Spotted Towhee  29

Common Grackle  7

MacGillivray’s Warbler  4

Yellow Warbler  6

Yellow-rumped Warbler  0

Wilson’s Warbler  1

Black-headed Grosbeak  1

April 8, 2023 Bird Walk to Sawhill Ponds with Patrick Morgan

Posted on April 10, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

The bird walk on Saturday, April 8, at Sawhill Ponds was a great one! The weather was a perfect 60 degrees with minimal wind, which was quite the change from the snowstorm earlier this week. With the ponds thawed out and migration beginning to get underway, 10 birders joined the walk and were excited to see what they could find. 

It didn’t take long for us to find some of our first target birds for the day. A pair of Ospreys that nest at the park were flying around the parking lot. One of them ended up catching a fish, which they proceeded to eat on top of one of the utility poles. As we watched, an adult Bald Eagle swooped in quickly to attempt to steal the fish! The Osprey was able to get away, while we marvelled at the aerial battle taking place.

Osprey with fish. Photo by Jamie Simo

All throughout the walk, we could hear Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows singing to establish their territories amongst the cattails. Only male Red-winged Blackbirds were spotted, so the females were either hidden amongst the cattails creating their nests or haven’t quite started migrating back yet. A pair of Killdeer were seen flying overhead, while the sounds of drumming woodpeckers, such as Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpecker, and Hairy Woodpecker, could be heard throughout our walk. 

Waterfowl were plentiful throughout the various ponds, with Green-winged Teals, Gadwalls, and Ring-necked Ducks being the most common. Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, and Mallards were also seen, while a pair of Blue-winged Teals were a joy to see. The ubiquitous Canada Goose was also seen throughout the park, with one particular bird having already established a nest on an island in one of the ponds. 

The smaller songbirds were also very active. We enjoyed seeing American Goldfinches in their bright yellow, breeding plumages, while the Black-capped Chickadees were very active throughout the area. One flock of chickadees seemed to be following us around, and their calls and active habits were a joy to watch. We were also able to spot an uncommon bird for the area. While we watched for birds along Boulder Creek, one of our birders spotted a small passerine hopping around on the bank. We determined it was a Lincoln’s Sparrow by their finely streaked buffy breasts feathers and slender bill. Lincoln’s Sparrow typically are only passing through the area on their way to higher elevations to breed. 

Lincoln’s Sparrow. Photo by Jamie Simo

As we finished our walk, we spied a Northern Flicker poking their head out of a cavity nest. Northern Flickers often have to contend with the invasive European Starling for nesting space and are usually bested by the latter, so it was nice to see that this one was claiming this cavity as their own. At the end, we finally spied a Belted Kingfisher perched high up on the power line, which was a nice end to the walk. All in all, a great day to kickoff the spring birding!

Taxa Reported: 35

32 Canada Goose

2 Blue-winged Teal

8 Northern Shoveler

20 Gadwall

2 American Wigeon

8 Mallard

16 Green-winged Teal

10 Ring-necked Duck

2 Hooded Merganser

9 Rock Pigeon

2 Mourning Dove

2 American Coot

2 Killdeer

2 Greater Yellowlegs

7 Double-crested Cormorant

3 Great Blue Heron

2 Osprey

1 Bald Eagle

1 Red-tailed Hawk

1 Belted Kingfisher

4 Downy Woodpecker

1 Hairy Woodpecker

4 Northern Flicker

2 Blue Jay

5 American Crow

10 Black-capped Chickadee

1 White-breasted Nuthatch

6 European Starling

18 American Robin

9 American Goldfinch

4 Song Sparrow

1 Lincoln’s Sparrow

1 Spotted Towhee

36 Red-winged Blackbird

2 Common Grackle

February 11, 2023 Bird Walk to Waneka Lake and Greenlee Preserve with Jamie Simo

Posted on February 13, 2023 by - Bird Walks, Blog

After a very cold and windy Thursday scouting out Waneka Lake and Greenlee Preserve for February’s bird walk, it was a relief for Saturday’s sun and calm winds. While the lake was mostly frozen, there were a couple circles of open water and we were able to get decent looks at Green-winged Teal and a lone, male Common Merganser. From a distance, the creamy patch near the Green-winged Teal’s tail is a great field mark to look for. Males in breeding plumage also have a white, vertical stripe on their “shoulder,” which is visible from the side.

Male Green-winged Teal. Note the vertical slash near the head and the creamy patch near the tail. Photo by Jamie Simo.

Although there wasn’t much open water for geese, we saw many Canada and Cackling Geese flying over. In one group there was even a Snow Goose. Snow Geese will often intermix with flocks of Canada Geese, so keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary!

We had better luck with songbirds than waterfowl. Before we had even left the parking lot, we were treated to a cacophony of European Starling chatter as they scouted out nesting cavities in the big trees between the parking lot and lake. Northern Flickers were also active pecking around on the ground possibly for their favorite food of ants. We even saw one female Northern Flicker with yellow wing and tail linings, a sign of a hybrid red-shafted x yellow-shafted flicker.

At the feeders near the shack we were treated to great views of Spotted Towhees and White-crowned Sparrows. Spotted Towhees are particularly striking with their black, orange, and white coloring. Towhees love tangles of brush and as ground feeders can be attracted to millet on a low platform or sprinkled on the ground.

Spotted Towhee. Photo by Jamie Simo.

Probably the highlight of the morning for me was the immature Red-tailed Hawk that posed in a tree not that far away from us then soared low directly over our heads. At the end of the walk she (female raptors are bigger than males and this was a fairly large bird) even landed on a power pole directly over our heads. Red-tailed Hawks are extremely variable, but even though immature Red-tails lack the red tail, you may still be able to distinguish them by their chocolate brown head, belly band (can be variable, but the belly band was thick and obvious on this bird), white scapular (shoulder) V, and, if soaring, their bulging secondary wing feathers and dark patagial marks.

All in all, it was a gorgeous day for birding and we saw 25 species. Not bad for mid-February! Happy birding!

Waneka Lake/Greenlee Preserve, Boulder, Colorado, US
25 species (+4 other taxa)

Snow Goose  1
Cackling Goose  4
Canada Goose  36
Cackling/Canada Goose  47
Mallard  5
Green-winged Teal  4
Common Merganser  1
Eurasian Collared-Dove  5
Ring-billed Gull  8
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Downy Woodpecker (Rocky Mts.)  2
Northern Flicker  4
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  5
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West)  2
European Starling  16
Townsend’s Solitaire  1
American Robin  1
House Sparrow  6
House Finch  6
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1
White-crowned Sparrow  8
Song Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  6
Red-winged Blackbird  14

November 12, 2022 Bird Walk to Lagerman Reservoir with Patrick Morgan

Posted on November 26, 2022 by - Bird Walks, Blog

The Boulder Front Range Birding Company November walk was held at Lagerman Reservoir on November 12 at 8:00 am. The morning was a little frigid, with the temperature in the 20s and a frozen reservoir shoreline. 5 intrepid birders showed up to brave the cold, though we weren’t the only ones. Two other birding groups were there, along with a running group. We joked that there might be more observers than birds at the park this morning. 

Looking south across the reservoir with the sun right in your face can make viewing the birds on the water somewhat difficult, so we aimed to make it to the south shore of the reservoir to get a better view. Viewing backlit birds can be a good test of identification skills, however, and we used some of these skills to identify some Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and the ubiquitous American Coots that frequent the reservoir in the winter months. 

Female Ruddy Duck. Photo by Jamie Simo

While we were on the western shore, we noticed multiple Killdeer flying around. These were the only shorebirds that we were seeing, but then we noticed one that was quite smaller in size. The sunlight was making a confirming id difficult, but we were able to narrow in on a Least Sandpiper. The small “peep” had a slightly down-turned bill and greenish yellow legs, good identifiers for this shorebird. They can be pretty rare this time of year, but this one seems to have been hanging out at the reservoir for a couple of weeks. 

Least Sandpiper. Photo by Jamie Simo

As we continued on to the south shore, we noticed multiple juvenile Bald Eagles flying around. There is a nest south of the reservoir, barely visible with the naked eye, so these ones could be offspring of that nested pair, but they could also be winter migrants that move into the area in the winter. We noticed them flying low to the ground west of the reservoir, along with multiple Black-billed Magpies and two Ferruginous Hawks. There must have been some type of carcass over there, as a couple of Bald Eagles stayed perched on the fence over there for the duration of our walk. 

Snow Goose. Photo by Jamie Simo

We finally made it to the south shore after walking less than a mile in about an hour and a half (you tend to not make it very far when the birds are flying around!) and decided that we would view the birds from here and then turn around. We could spot Northern Pintails, Redheads, and Lesser Scaups, but we were most amazed by the flocks of geese flying overhead. This time of year is great to view geese, as thousands of them come down from the north and congregate on the various reservoirs in the area. Most of what we saw were Canada and Cackling Geese, which when flying overhead can be pretty difficult to distinguish. What really excited us was a group of about 12 Snow Geese that flew over the reservoir. After watching the birds flying around and on the water we decided to head back to the trailhead. 

Hope to see you next month for our December Bird Walk!

Taxa Reported 

13 Snow Geese

500 (est) Cackling/Canada

8 Mallard

7 Northern Pintail

5 Green-winged Teal

7 Lesser Scaup

8 Bufflehead

3 Common Goldeneye

6 Ruddy Duck

30 American Coot

4 Killdeer

1 Least Sandpiper

3 Ring-billed Gull

1 Northern Harrier

4 Bald Eagle

1 Red-tailed Hawk

2 Ferruginous Hawk

1 American Kestrel

4 Black-billed Magpie

2 Common Raven

3 American Tree Sparrow

2 Western Meadowlark

September 10th Bird Walk at Sandstone Ranch with Aron Smolley

Posted on September 20, 2022 by - Bird Walks, Blog

                The weather was cold and wet this morning but the upbeat attitudes and great conversation made this walk very pleasant and fun. We started off the day with some American goldfinches feasting on wild sunflowers, and even though they were flitting about we still managed to get everyone some good views of the male with his bright yellow feathers starting to fade into his more drab winter plumage. In fact, we get asked all the time in the store if goldfinches migrate, but the truth is, goldfinches are found in Boulder County year round- only in winter they are in disguise!

American Goldfinch in drab winter plumage. Photo by Jamie Simo.

As we continued down the hill towards the bridge, lots of wet birds were seen through the scope- northern flickers, American kestrels, mourning doves, and even a pair of adult bald eagles with their highly vocal juvenile offspring. We were also treated to a flock of blue-winged teal, a belted kingfisher, and a solitary sandpiper, all viewed from the first bridge. Further along we had a great blue heron, cliff and barn swallows, and a double crested cormorant. We finished off the day with a Cooper’s hawk at a distance- this provided us with a great opportunity to practice raptor identification.

Solitary Sandpiper. Photo by Aron Smolley.

Although on this walk we didn’t see that many species, a good time was still had by all. At the very least it was a great demonstration of the high performance of the Zeiss Gavia spotting scope even on a rainy day, still providing us crisp detail and bright colors despite the low light due to the sky being overcast. Come visit our Boulder location to try out the Gavia for yourselves!

Bird list:

American goldfinch

Northern Flicker

Mourning dove

Belted Kingfisher

American Robin

Gray Catbird
Mallard

Canada Goose

Blue winged teal

Blue jay

Bald Eagle

Solitary Sandpiper

Great blue heron

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Double Crested Cormorant

Ring-billed Gull

Cooper’s hawk

Hudson Gardens and South Platte River, August 27, 2022– with Andrea Cahoon

Posted on August 30, 2022 by - Bird Walks, Blog

A group of 12 of us started our walk around 8:00 a.m. on a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70’s. Though August is a bit of a quiet time for birds, we ended up seeing 25 species, with a total of 210 individuals. We had some excellent spotters in our group, and we all saw much more because of their contributions. Right off the bat we saw a Cedar Waxwing on a dead branch at the top of a tree across the river. Though seen more often in the warmer months, these stunning birds winter here and wherever berries are plentiful. We saw a bit of their aerial acrobatics while hunting for insects, but mostly they were in resting mode, perhaps recovering from the breeding season – those youngin’s are a lot of work! Cedar Waxwings often flock together, and are sometimes mistaken for a flock of starlings since they are about the same size. They are often seen in berry bushes and along rivers and ponds. 

Cedar Waxwing. Photo by Jamie Simo.

As we approached the bridge over the South Platte River, we spotted a Black-Crowned Night-Heron flying overhead. This heron is rather oval-shaped, with its neck hunched down. It is striking with its red eyes and yellow legs and feet. It roosts in trees during the day, and becomes active late in the day, foraging for fish and small aquatic animals in shallow water on the edges of ponds. We also saw a Great Blue Heron, more commonly seen than the Black-crowned Night-Heron. Missing today was the Snowy Egret, which breeds in Colorado and migrates to Mexico and South America. Though seen more often in the warmer months, the two aforementioned herons are here year-round.

Black-crowned Night-Heron. Photo by Jamie Simo.

After crossing the bridge and getting off the main trail, we saw many of our species: a Red-tailed Hawk; a Western Kingbird; three swallow species – Northern Rough-winged, Cliff and Barn; House Finches, a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and male Red-winged Blackbirds among others. We heard but did not see an American Goldfinch, making its “Potato Chip” flight call, and the skulky Gray Catbird.

Flying overhead, brilliant white in the sun, we saw several large groups of Ring-billed Gulls; one group had over 50 individuals.

Coming back to Hudson Gardens, we saw a lone male Wood Duck, another stunning bird, swimming in the stagnant pond. Wood Ducks nest in trees and nest boxes. When the ducklings are ready to leave the nest, they jump, sometimes as far as 50 feet to the ground!

We had a nice surprise at the Hudson Garden bird feeders – as the leader was reviewing the birds we’d seen and imitating the Gray Catbird, a Spotted Towhee responded with its similar call. More and more, the Spotted Towhee is becoming a regular backyard bird, not only scratching in the underbrush for insects, but also snatching seed dropped by other birds at bird feeders.

Here is the list in taxonomic order:

36 Canada Goose

1 Wood Duck

20 Mallard

2 Broad-tailed Hummingbird

3 American Coot

92 Ring-billed Gull

5 Double-crested Cormorant

1 Great Blue Heron

1 Black-crowned Night-Heron

1 Red-tailed Hawk

4 Northern Flicker

1 Western Kingbird

1 Blue Jay

2 Black-billed Magpie

4 Black-capped Chickadee

3 Northern Rough-winged Swallow

6 Barn Swallow

3 Cliff Swallow

3 White-Breasted Nuthatch

1 Gray Catbird

8 Cedar Waxwing

8 House Finch

1 American Goldfinch

1 Spotted Towhee

2 Red-winged Blackbird