Interesting Birds

[donkol]

Great post and information, Steve!

[burtonwc1]

Laurel and I confirmed an adult male Rufous Hummingbird at our feeder today along with one or more females and/or juveniles. Broad-tailed of course have dominated the feeder.

In non-hummer news, two MacGillvary’s Warblers this morning in Gillespie Gulch but no owls. I flushed a large bird, possibly a Great-horned Owl, at the top of the unnamed gulch above 59 Ward, but did not get a good look at it.

Bill Burton

[tulkula]

Hi Bill,
I too have been on the lookout for the yearly GHO family flight school hoping they will return again to Gillespie Gulch but have not seen or heard signs of their presence as of yet.
I did spot one in late winter not far from Blue Jay mine and have been wondering if they’ve relocated to that area instead. Still hoping for a sighting before the seasons through.

[John Hardman]

Hey Guys ~

I ran into Erin, who lives on Mesa St. and runs up in the Owens Flats area.  We were in the the North gulch which ends up down by you Bill, or behind Christie's house off West Mesa.  I call it Sky Gulch after Aaron and Christies's daughter Skylar.  

Erin told me she had seen OWLS in that area recently.  I presume GHO.  I told her about the many OWL families that we have watched
raise their Owlets up Gillespies Gulch. I noticed that Sky Gulch had some running water this year too, for a change.  

ALSO, i few weeks ago while driving down Jim Canyon, just before the Octagon House.  A huge water bird flew up out of the creek and literally
sailed down the road right in front and just a few feet above me all the way to Left Hand where it landed across Left Hand down by the bridge.

When I got home and looked at my bird book, it appeared that the bird I saw was a Brown Pelican.  I ran it by Michelle, because the book don't 
show Pelicans hanging out in Colorado.  It had an obvious "pouch" and was huge.  M suggested that it dropped in on it's migration.  I could not get a photo 
of it as I was driving,  But I got a close up view of it right above my windshield for a few minutes.  It was not a Stork, it definitely had a "pouch" under it's beak. 

I am not an expert "birder".  Any thoughts?

[burtonwc1]

John, there are white pelicans down on the plains in places like Barr Lake. My app shows that there could be some brown shading on them, especially juveniles.

Thanks John and Karla for the updates on owls—I will keep an eye out.

Bill B.

[John Hardman]

Bill ~

Thanks for your input.  It was not white at all and still looked much more like the Brown Pelican when side by side.
Huge wing span.  Darkish Brown/Grey.  Dark Bill & Pouch.

[tulkula]

John, I heard I think it was from Steve from PV that there was a brown pelican sighting on the river coming up James Canyon. Sounds like you are one of the lucky ones who got to see him.

[John Hardman]

I saw Steve at the park on the 4th of July and shared the story with him.  

It was really pretty cool.  The big bird just sailed along right above my windshield from the 
Octagon House to the intersection of Left Had Canyon.

---

[MichalJD]

I flushed an owl I believe was a GHO in the Gillespie gulch area last week!

[Steven B in PV]

Yes, John described to me what he saw as he drove down James Canyon as a very large brown bird with a long bill and pouch, just like a Brown Pelican fly up from the stream and cross in front of his windshield.  Even at 35 mph, first impressions can be pretty reliable even if the observer is unfamiliar with the species.  Pelicans are distinct enough that most folks who have never seen one could tell what it is.

I've watched Brown Pelicans in many places but not in CO.  Brown Pelican is a rare bird in Colorado.  There are 25 accepted records by the Colorado Birds Records Committee of the Colorado Field Ornithologists.  Those records have long been archived at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  https://cobirds.org/cbrc/  They Brown Pelican records include those at Union Reservoir in Longmont, McIntosh Lake between Lyons and Longmont, and at Walden and Sawhill Ponds in Boulder.

John's brief sighting won't become a record failing a carefully described observation and a photo, but it alerts to the possibility.

The one other possibility could be Great Blue Heron for it's large size, and because they frequent our mountain lakes and streams. But it's blue gray color and a bill that is much shorter than than a pelican's doesn't fit John's impression.  BTW, Deb has been seeing a Great Blue Heron for more than three weeks, feeding at a pool on Lefthand Creek where it intersects the road below the fire station.

On July 7, I accompanied friends on the Indian Peaks Breeding Bird Count and found a pair of Double-crested Cormorants diving for fish at Tumbleson Lake, the former Boy Scout Camp Tahosa, now a YMCA camp.

So as for other improbable birds nearby, how does one explain Colorado's first record of Brown Booby found and photographed in Rowena in 2016?  Or the highest elevation record of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher which I photographed near the Bar-K along Overland Road on Jim and Audrey Benedict's property?  The photos of this showy Texas-Oklahoma bird with a snowy Mt. Audubon in the background are stunning.  Birds have wings and rare accidental appearances can happen in your backyard.  All it takes is to watch, and see.

Thanks to all for your contributions, for sharing with your neighbors.

[Laurel Wanrow]

I'm very excited to hear what I figured must be a great horned owl on the ridge behind our cabin --the south side of Ward St, leading up to the FS property and Owens Flats. I got confirmation from Merlin, then sorted them to be begging calls, most likely a juvenile, correct?

[burtonwc1]

Dusky Grouse today on Slaughterhouse Gulch trail, female and two young.

I hiked from Owen’s Flats up to the divide behind Walker Mountain and over to Slaughterhouse. Moose pellets everywhere, including on the top of Walker Mtn. Saw a cow moose and calf run across the trail in front of me, and steered clear.

Bill B.

[burtonwc1]

Dusky Grouse today on Slaughterhouse Gulch trail, female and two young.

I hiked from Owen’s Flats up to the divide behind Walker Mountain and over to Slaughterhouse. Moose pellets everywhere, including on the top of Walker Mtn. Saw a cow moose and calf run across the trail in front of me, and steered clear.

Bill B.

[Steven B in PV]

This is an open invitation to all who read the Interesting Birds thread, those who have contributed and those who will, to join us in watching birds feeding in the little hummingbird meadow by our cabin in Peaceful Valley.  The air is dancing with hummers at flowers and feeders.  There are lots of our local Broad-tailed, along with migrant Rufous, and maybe a Calliope or two.

When:  Saturday August 3, anytime from 7:30 am through the day.

Where:  The address is 50154 State Highway 72 in Peaceful Valley about 8 miles west of Jamestown and about 3.5 miles from the Bar-K entrance. 
Go right or north at the Peak-to-Peak where Overland Road ends.  As you descend into the valley go slowly through the end curve.  Do not turn on the old Peaceful Valley road, but cross the highway bridge over the river to find 3 mailboxes on the right.  Be very careful of traffic here.  Please park well off the highway and walk down the driveway to the end cabin.  Seniors with mobility issues may park in the driveway without blocking it.


What to bring:  Suggestions include water, any snacks you want to eat, binoculars, camera, hat, rain jacket, good footwear, insect repellent, questions and a penchant for patient quiet.  There should be plenty of seating but bring a favorite camp chair if you like.

What not to bring:  Dogs or other domestic animals of any kind including rowdy children.  Good kids are always welcome.  

We look forward to meeting and sharing with our good mountain neighbors!


Steve & Deb
970-250-6161