June Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2009 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Sunday, June 28, 2009

Monday, June 1, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 1 ~ AZ - NM - TX - OK - KS ~ Trip List 31
It's that time of year again. Today was the start of what has become my annual June escape from southeast Arizona. However, this year is a little different. After many years of covering the northern tier states in June on my own, this year I'll be working with personal clients for the first time (I have done some group tours). Most of the first three weeks will be spoken for with traveling, scouting and working directly with clients in Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming. After that, I'll have some time to myself but I haven't yet decided where I will go.

No birding for the next couple of days, just traveling. Today I drove from home to Liberal, Kansas. I took I-10, I-25 and I-40 to Tucumcari in northwest New Mexico; then Hwy 54 through the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles to Liberal in the southwest corner of Kansas (814 miles, 12.5 hours travel time from Sierra Vista). Field birds and raptors were the most conspicuous species. After a sunny morning, I encountered increasing clouds and stormy conditions with ominous skies and finally some thunderstorms and heavy rain in OK and KS. Storm chasing would probably have been more productive than birding.

Avian highlights were WHITE-TAILED KITE on Hwy 26 in NM and 2 MISSISSIPPI KITES on Hwy 54 in the TX panhandle. Other high-speed species included multiple SWAINSON'S HAWKS (NM & TX); suicidal RING-NECKED PHEASANTS crossing the highway in OK & TX; a couple of SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS (TX) and PINYON JAYS along I-40 east of Albuquerque.

The last bird of the day (and the only bird that I recorded in Kansas because of the weather) was CHIMNEY SWIFT in Liberal.

31 species recorded:
Turkey Vulture, White-tailed & Mississippi Kites; Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Greater Roadrunner, Chimney Swift, Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cliff & Barn Swallows; N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pinyon Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; European Starling, House Sparrow, House Finch, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Common & Great-tailed Grackles and Bullock's Oriole.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 2 ~ KS - NE - SD - ND ~ Trip List 46 (+15)
Today I moved on from Liberal, KS to Fargo, ND. I traveled generally northeast through Kansas from Liberal to Salina; then due north through Nebraska on Hwy 81 to Yankton in South Dakota; then I-29 from Sioux Falls to Fargo (864 miles, 13.5 hours travel time; quite a slog). Morning conditions were cloudy with on and off rain through KS and NE; clear and dry in the afternoon through much of SD and ND. It was pretty chilly when I reached Fargo around 9:30pm.

As yesterday, grass and blacktop were the main habitat types and I didn't stop at any of the more interesting areas. If only I were on vacation. A couple of MISSISSIPPI KITES in Kansas were the only birds of note.

A couple of eastern species appeared on the radar in northwestern Nebraska -- EASTERN KINGBIRD and BLUE JAY.

Roadside waterfowl and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD appeared in South Dakota

34 species recorded:
Am. White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Canada Goose, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Turkey Vulture, Mississippi Kite, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Western & Eastern Kingbirds; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Am. Robin, Blue Jay, European Starling, House Sparrow, Chipping & Savannah Sparrows; Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark and Common Grackle.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 3 ~ Minnesota ~ Trip List 72 (+26)
When the target birding part of this trip was first planned, Minnesota wasn't on the itinerary. I recently had a change of heart and considered including some time in the state to increase the chances for Great Gray Owl and Greater Prairie-Chicken. Both these species are more difficult in Wyoming and North Dakota respectively, especially in June. Northeast Minnesota is best for the owl, of course, but that's a little too far when starting in Fargo (which is where the target birding part of the trip begins next week). Consequently, I decided to give Roseau a chance to fail me again. Roseau has the only coniferous forest in the northwest part of the state and according to Kim Eckert's "A Birder's Guide to Minnesota", this area is one of the most reliable places in the state for the owl. Sadly, not for me though. I've tried in three different years without success, including last June (when I did see a bird elsewhere).

Today I checked on a potential Prairie-Chicken location east of Fargo (Bluestem Prairie in Minnesota) then headed north to Roseau, which is about 10 miles south of the Canadian border. I didn't specifically look for chickens today (nor did I find any!). However, I was able to find a couple of other target species -- LE CONTE'S SPARROW and GRAY PARTRIDGE on adjacent land (the partridge by chance and the sparrow by listening). Actually, the sparrow is not that difficult to detect if your ears work. Seeing one can be another matter entirely!  

Other species in and around the Bluestem Prairie included WILSON'S SNIPE, UPLAND SANDPIPER, WESTERN & EASTERN KINGBIRDS within a few yards of each other; 4 BROWN THRASHERS, CLAY-COLORED, VESPER & SAVANNAH SPARROWS and the always delightful BOBOLINK (fairly common).

Q: When is the back of a bird better than the front? A: When it's a Bobolink. The bird took flight just as I pressed the shutter so I fluked the shot.

After reaching Roseau in the early afternoon, I checked the flooded fields and bogs north of town. The area seemed much wetter than at this time last year. Birds noted included many BLUE and GREEN-WINGED TEAL; numerous calling SORAS, at least 100 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, LEAST FLYCATCHER, SEDGE WRENS, singing BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, a few BLUE JAYS and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, singing RED-EYED VIREOS and the same sparrows as Bluestem including LE CONTE'S and BOBOLINKS.

My evening sortie for Great Gray was unsuccessful. Nary a one. Mosquitoes on the other hand ......

Thursday, June 4, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 4 ~ Minnesota ~ Trip List 106 (+34)
I spent the day visiting several locations in Roseau County starting with the Thompson and Wobble Grade Roads in Beltrami State Forest. I've birded these roads before and both have lots of mosquitoes. Thompson Road is also very dusty and has a fair amount of traffic. After leaving the forest, I drove north to the Warroad area and worked a few spots around Lake of the Woods before returning west to Roseau via a few dusty county roads. After checking the lone visible Roseau sewage pond, I finished up on the lower section of SR 310.

A cloudy, cool and breezy morning then mid 60s in the afternoon with a sprinkle or two. The wind and rain increased by early evening so I'll wait until tomorrow morning for another try at Great Gray. Oh good, an early start just like SE AZ. But wait, it's 96 degrees in Sierra Vista as I write these notes! Not the same at all.

While driving south of Roseau down to the forest, I saw a couple of SANDHILL CRANES and heard several MOURNING WARBLERS.

Noteworthy birds for me in the state forest were those eastern species that I usually get to see or hear only once or twice a year. Species such as EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, ALDER FLYCATCHER, VEERY, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, CHESTNUT-SIDED & MOURNING WARBLERS and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

Black-backed Woodpecker is "occasional" in this area. Today wasn't one of those occasions.

Among the species on/around Lake of the Woods were moderate numbers of CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, LESSER SCAUP & COMMON GOLDENEYE; a lone SPOTTED SANDPIPER, noisy PURPLE MARTINS in multiple locations; CHESTNUT-SIDED & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS; SWAMP SPARROW and lots of BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

I saw a total of perhaps 400 FRANKLIN'S GULLS (in the fields south of Warroad; at Roseau sewage pond; and in the flooded fields on SR 310 north of Roseau) and three species of Terns -- a lone CASPIAN and multiple COMMON TERNS by the lake in Warroad; and several BLACK TERNS at the sewage pond. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were common around the periphery of the pond. While at the pond, a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD came in to the red plastic on the light of my vehicle. Another bird that I don't get to see very often.

I encountered BOBOLINKS in a few places and I never tire of hearing their delightful song. For me, any day with a Bobolink is a good day.

77 species recorded:
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal; Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Sora, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed & Franklin's Gulls; Caspian, Common & Black Terns; Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, N. Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Alder & Least Flycatchers; Eastern Kingbird, Purple Martin, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Sedge Wren, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated & Red-eyed Vireos; Am. Goldfinch, Nashville, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-white & Mourning Warblers; Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Swamp & White-throated Sparrows; Dark-eyed Junco, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Friday, June 5, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 5 ~ Minnesota & North Dakota ~ Trip List 112 (+6)
Today I traveled southwest from Roseau to Lisbon near the Sheyenne National Grasslands where I'll be birding for the next couple of days. Early morning conditions in Roseau were cold, cloudy and windy with some light rain thrown in for good measure. The temperature was probably 35 degrees but it felt much colder with the wind.

I left town at 4:30am for what turned out to be another unsuccessful attempt to locate a Great Gray Owl. Being stopped by the local Sheriff and Border Patrol delayed me somewhat but I don't think it had the slightest impact on the end result. Hwy 310 runs north from Roseau to Canada and the last few miles have Great Gray habitat. Since the border crossing doesn't open until 8:00am, the road is quiet and offers an ideal location to look for the owl. Unfortunately, any traffic in the area automatically raises a red flag to the authorities.

I patrolled slowly up and down the road until the gloom turned to daylight without so much as a false alarm. I didn't even get a consolation Spruce Grouse as was the case last June when I tried. I could blame the conditions for the failure but there simply may not be an owl in the area at the moment. My research has not turned up a single report in Roseau County for quite some time. About 25 species were active in the spruce bogs with YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER being the best bird.

After breakfast back at the motel (North Country Inn in Roseau -- recommended) and before leaving town, I cruised around some of the county roads with wet areas. Most of the same species that I saw yesterday were present and only ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK in a wooded yard was new. For the second time in a matter of hours, I was stopped by a border patrol agent. Must be the CA plates on my rental!

The 5 hour drive south to Lisbon (with a supply stop in Fargo) was uneventful bird-wise and I didn't get stopped again!

After getting checked in, I took a run out to the Sheyenne National Grasslands mainly to check that my vehicle could make it out to the Prairie-Chicken area. The grass in the center of the 2 track is high but the "road" isn't very muddy so no problems there. Chickens are difficult when not dancing but I'll take a shot tomorrow. Birds near the lek and near McLeod included REDHEAD, several MARBLED GODWITS (dive bombing my vehicle), a few WILSON'S PHALAROPES, lots of roadside BLACK-TERNS and the usual grass birds -- BOBOLINK, RED-WINGED (abundant) & YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

54 species recorded:
Am. White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal; Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied & Least Flycatchers; Eastern Kingbird, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows; House Wren, Am. Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Black-billed Magpie, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling & Red-eyed Vireos; Nashville, Chestnut-sided & Mourning Warblers; Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Savannah, Song & White-throated Sparrows; Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 6 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 122 (+10)
Apart from a couple of early morning hours, today was cold and wet; really quite a miserable day to be out birding in the grassland. Nevertheless, that's just what I did and I toughed it out for about 9 hours, much of that looking for Greater Prairie-Chicken in Sheyenne National Grassland in Ransom County; and Gray Partridge in adjacent farmland.

I started not long after dawn and looked for Prairie-Chickens for a couple of hours seeing only RING-NECKED PHEASANT and perhaps as many as 10 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE (although by days end I had seen domestic chickens!). Among the species in the chicken area were a glugging AMERICAN BITTERN, numerous MARBLED GODWITS and UPLAND SANDPIPERS; winnowing WILSON'S SNIPES; singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, boboling BOBOLINKS and familiar WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

It's interesting how the Godwits will sit on a fencepost and allow fairly close approach and yet if you get near them in the grass they behave like a Prairie Goshawk. I saw one bird get a taste of its own medicine when a meadowlark deliberately flew into a dozing godwit (on a fencepost with its head down and bill tucked in). The godwit flushed like its life was about to end. Why the meadowlark did this I don't know, just for devilment perhaps? Fun for me and the meadowlark, not so much for the godwit.

After abandoning the chicken search, I worked the roads in the National Grassland south and west of McLeod where I saw a nice variety of species despite the cold rain. Widespread species throughout were BLUE-WINGED TEAL (abundant), SORA and BLACK TERN (both very common); WILSON'S SNIPE (fearless, perched on poles); MARBLED GODWIT (common); EASTERN KINGBIRD, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and RED-WINGED & YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

REDHEADS, CANVASBACKS and WILSON'S PHALAROPES were numerous in a few locations. Apart from Sora, the only rail that I heard was one VIRGINIA RAIL. I saw Yellow Rail on a previous trip.

Sparrows were somewhat inconspicuous. In decreasing order of abundance I saw SONG, SAVANNAH, VESPER, CHIPPING, GRASSHOPPER & CLAY-COLORED.

Fairly decent sized, isolated stands of trees occur with regularity. These locations typically held LEAST FLYCATCHER, WARBLING and RED-EYED VIREOS and occasionally BROWN THRASHER, BLUE JAY and YELLOW WARBLER.

Of note for me (being species that I don't see much) were 6+ WOOD DUCKS and 60+ WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Interestingly, a group of ~12 White-rumped Sandpipers caused a stir in SE AZ this past week (location, location, location). This is a very rare species in SE AZ and I think such a high number is unprecedented.

After leaving the grassland, I took a drive east into Richland County as far as Wyndmere for lunch and then drove west to Storm Lake NWR at Milnor in Sargent County. I saw more of the same typical roadside birds and added WHITE PELICANS at the lake.

Before returning to the grasslands, I worked the farmland along 75th St (southern edge of the grasslands) where I eventually found a lone (and wet) GRAY PARTRIDGE near 143rd Avenue. Back in 2005 I saw my first U.S. Gray Partridge a little further along the road at 145th Ave.

At least 50 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were on 146th Ave (earlier I saw a dozen). WILSON'S PHALAROPES were numerous here and VESPER SPARROWS were singing in the rain. I'd had enough of it and called it a day at 3:00pm. Did I mention it was cold and wet? Sierra Vista it isn't.

Sunday, June 7, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 7 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 125 (+3)
First of three (non consecutive) days with Steve and Jessica Sherwood from MI and NY respectively. We've birded together on 3 previous occasions in SE AZ and the White Mountains. A short report today since we essentially duplicated much of the route that I did yesterday and had similar results. The weather was significantly better only because it didn't rain during our birding hours. However, it was still cold (not quite as cold as yesterday); completely cloudy all day and at times it was breezy. After we parted company in mid afternoon in Lisbon, I drove north to Devil's Lake and encountered a fair amount of rain on the journey.

As I did alone yesterday, we started in Sheyenne National Grassland looking for Prairie-Chicken without success despite spending an hour longer. Most of the species that I saw yesterday were present but we only came across 3 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in flight (10 yesterday with 4 seen on the ground in the scope).

Among the species seen in the grasslands and farmlands today and not yesterday were 3 CATTLE EGRETS, several GREEN-WINGED  TEAL, RED-TAILED HAWK, AM. KESTREL and LE CONTE'S SPARROW. We heard the sparrow singing but couldn't entice it into view and only managed a brief flight view. We doubled yesterday's WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER count with about 120 present on 146th Avenue.

As I approached Devil's Lake, I added just three new species for the day -- NORTHERN HARRIER, RING-BILLED GULL and CALIFORNIA GULL. It would have been four had I been able to stop to identify 4 terns that were either Common or Forster's.

Monday, June 8, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 8 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 134 (+9)
It's a good thing that I'd didn't have any special birding plans today. All I had to do was to make the relatively short drive from Devils Lake to Bottineau and enjoy some casual birding in the Turtle Mountains. The weather had other ideas. Heavy, low overcast persisted all day; it was raining when I left Devil's Lake at 6:00am and the rain stayed with me until I threw in the towel at 2:00pm. Looking on the bright side, as I start my second week on the road, I needed the time to do some trip planning for next week and to catch up on routine stuff. Despite the dreary and unpleasant conditions, I managed a respectable day list and added a few new trip birds.

I started by heading out to Lake Alice NWR northwest of Devil's Lake. I've tried to visit here on two previous occasions and never managed to reach the refuge because of flooded roads. Today was the same story. I'm O for 3 on this NWR. However, the few miles of CR2 in Ramsey County that I was able to travel had plenty of ducks in the roadside lakes, ponds and flooded fields. Also present were 5 AMERICAN AVOCETS, lots of calling SORAS and only the second VIRGINIA RAIL of the trip. RUDDY DUCKS were common. FRANKLIN'S & RING-BILLED GULLS and BLACK TERNS worked over the fields. 

I returned to Hwy 2 via 70th Ave and stopped at an isolated stand of trees in the otherwise open farm fields. Here I found typical fare of LEAST FLYCATCHER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, WARBLING VIREO, YELLOW WARBLER and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW.

The heaviest rain that I encountered was in the Turtle Mountains (Murphy strikes again). Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time here. I feel like I know the place quite well now after a handful of visits over several years. In particular, I enjoyed seeing lots of RED-NECKED GREBES present on many of the roadside lakes in the mountains. I noted BUFFLEHEADS on a couple of lakes and CANVASBACKS were present on five different lakes. Carpenter Lake had RED-NECKED and WESTERN GREBES.

I spent a couple of hours at Pelican Lake hoping for the rain to stop. No such luck. More grebes on the lake plus the namesake WHITE PELICAN and a few FORSTER'S TERNS. Landbirds were hard to come by but, among others, I eventually rustled up GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, VEERY, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACK-AND-WHITE & MOURNING WARBLERS and AMERICAN REDSTART.

I headed out of the mountains on 24th Ave and picked up BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE in the lower fields; a second was on 24th Ave on the south side of Highway 5 along with BOBOLINK to brighten this dreary day.

I continued south on 24th to Lords Lake NWR where I witnessed quite a spectacle. I saw a handful of EASTERN & WESTERN KINGBIRDS in the same binocular view as I was scanning a lush, grassy field. I then looked at the field with the naked eye and began to realize that there were many, many more. By the time I was done driving and looking on 94th St. that runs along the south side of Lords Lake, I conservatively estimated over 100 each of both kingbird species. Wow! The birds were sitting in the grass like blackbirds, sitting on the dirt road and perched in roadside bushes. Add 1000s of swallows, mostly TREE and some CLIFF & BARN; and it seemed like birds were all around me.

Had it not been raining I would probably have managed some good images. Then again, had it not been raining, the birds probably wouldn't have been there. As it was I managed only one rather poor image of "east meets west". With apologies to the lyricist of an old song, I'll call this "twitched, bedraggled and bewildered". The birds appear to be indifferent towards each other in the image but, just after I took this shot, the Eastern attacked the Western and sent it packing.

I understand the behavior because of the cold rain and lack of flying insects. What I don't understand is why so many birds. Surely, all these birds can't be nesting nearby. On the other hand, it's a bit late for migrating birds. Fact is stranger than fiction.

I noted 35 species at the NWR including the first EARED GREBES of the trip; several BUFFLEHEADS, RING-NECKED PHEASANT, a lone AVOCET, a small group of WILSON'S PHALAROPES and GRAY CATBIRD.

In the evening I checked the roadside ditches south of town (Bottineau) listening for Le Conte's Sparrows without success (in places where I have found them before). SWAINSON'S HAWK was the only new species for the day.

Helluva day at sea, Captain

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 9 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 147 (+13)
Day 2 with Steve and Jessica. We spent much of the day at J Clark Salyer NWR that straddles Bottineau & McHenry Counties then finished up with short visit to the Turtle Mountains. Thankfully, the rain of yesterday was gone and we only had to deal with continuing cloudy and chilly conditions.

Lots of FRANKLIN'S GULLS were in the fields on CR20 on the drive from Bottineau to the refuge.

We began on the Salyer grassland trail where plenty of time and walking were required to locate just one BAIRD'S SPARROW among multitudes of SAVANNAH SPARROWS. We only managed a brief perched view before the bird vanished. Other species in the grassland were 13+ SHARP-TAILED GROUSE seen on the ground and in flight, a couple each WILLETS and MARBLED GODWITS; numerous CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, a couple of heard only GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and many BOBOLINKS.

We then spent almost 6 hours on the main scenic trail (auto tour route). Among the highlights were an adult BALD EAGLE near a nest containing at least one youngster; small numbers (10+) of STILT and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS; and side by side EASTERN & MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. Lowlight was not hearing a single Le Conte's Sparrow despite driving and listening in some good habitat. Species along the tour route included 20+ BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, a female HOODED MERGANSER, a few WILSON'S PHALAROPES; FORSTER'S & BLACK TERNS; EASTERN PHOEBE, more SEDGE than MARSH  WRENS; GRAY CATBIRD and YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. According to the refuge checklist, WHITE-FACED IBIS was the best bird. About 70 species in all at the refuge.

It was quite chilly in the Turtle Mountains in late afternoon and land bird activity was low. Even so, we managed to eke out a few more birds. The highlights for me (and my Turtle Mountains list) were a calling COMMON LOON seen in flight at Pelican Lake; a BALD EAGLE in flight over Willow Lake NWR and a female WOOD DUCK flying parallel to the vehicle as we drove on 103rd Ave.

At Pelican Lake we found YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN PHOEBE, CEDAR WAXWING, VEERY, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH and AMERICAN REDSTART (quite a few birds singing, just one seen). Species out on the lake included RED-NECKED GREBE, FORSTER'S TERN and some juvenile homo sapiens swimming in what had to be very cold water.

An enjoyable and productive day.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 10 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 150 (+3)
Sunshine was a pleasant surprise this morning and it lasted all day. Still quite cool though. After the short journey over from Bottineau to Kenmare, I started birding along the back roads near Kenmare (no success with Le Conte's Sparrow) then spent a couple of hours at Des Lacs NWR. I finished up with a short visit to Lostwood NWR in mid afternoon. Just a short report today.

A cruise along 450th Ave that parallels CR2 west of Kenmare was interesting and productive. This short stretch of road with wet ditches and flooded fields produced 30 species with the highlight being this male RED-NECKED PHALAROPE very close to a WILSON'S PHALAROPE in a small ditch. I was fairly close to the birds and the size difference was very noticeable. The Red-necked was a state bird for me and seems a little on the late side. Other shorebirds/waders foraging here included AMERICAN AVOCET, UPLAND, SPOTTED & WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and WILLET.

A few ducks were present along with FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Other species included SWAINSON'S HAWK, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, BOBOLINK, ORCHARD ORIOLE and the usual blackbirds and meadowlarks; plus BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS (not as common as the other field birds in my travels so far).

The auto tour route at Des Lacs had more landbirds than waterfowl. I noted LEAST FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD, GRAY CATBIRD, VEERY and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Common for easterners but good birds for me. Also present were BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

It was a little windy at Lostwood and I was very pleased to be able to find a couple of BAIRD'S SPARROWS (one singing) and a displaying SPRAGUE'S PIPIT. Finding these and Le Conte's Sparrow were my main objectives for the day.

69 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes; Canada Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal; Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Sora, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Upland, Spotted & White-rumped Sandpipers; Willet, Wilson's & Red-necked Phalaropes; Franklin's Gull, Forster's & Black Terns; Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Horned Lark, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Sprague's Pipit, House & Marsh Wrens; Gray Catbird, Veery, Am. Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Black-billed Magpie, Am. Crow, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling & Red-eyed Vireos; Am. Goldfinch, Yellow & Black-and-white Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah, Baird's & Song Sparrows; Bobolink, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird and Orchard Oriole.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 11 ~ North Dakota ~ Trip List 151 (+1)
Day 3 and final day with Steve and Jessica. We spent most of our time (6+ hours) at Lostwood NWR then finished up on 450th Ave near Kenmare. After we parted company for the last time I drove southeast to Jamestown. Wet weather returned today and we had to contend with rain for over 50% of the time at Lostwood which certainly impacted out efforts. The refuge tour route road became very muddy. Mosquitoes were a problem for me (they seem to find me and leave others alone). Nevertheless, we had great fun and success seeing all of our targets -- Sprague's Pipit and Nelson's, Le Conte's & Baird's Sparrows. I managed images of all the sparrows but none were particularly good due to one or more of distance to bird, poor light and obstructions. Nelson's was a photo first for me.

We entered the refuge at 6:30am from the back entrance in order to get to BAIRD'S SPARROW habitat as soon as possible. It didn't take long to find our first bird and we eventually recorded at least 10 singing individuals. While working on the sparrow, we heard our first SPRAGUE'S PIPIT of the day. Later we found two more and watched them doing their display flights. We saw one drop to the ground but couldn't locate the bird so we settled for flight views and their fantastic song.

Refuge staff were a big help in getting us to the correct locations for the other two sparrows. We detected a singing LE CONTE'S SPARROW that was initially reticent to come into view but eventually provided us with excellent views for 10 minutes. NELSON'S SPARROW was tough to detect and remained very elusive for 30 minutes. Eventually, we had excellent views at reasonably close range. Unfortunately, I could not get an unobstructed image.

Although Lostwood is essentially a grassland refuge, there are a few small ponds and several large lakes; plus areas of vegetation including stands of aspens. Consequently, species diversity can be quite good with waterfowl, woodland birds and, of course, the grassland stuff. Although our focus today was narrow, I recorded 50 species on the refuge as we sought the grassland birds. Among them were SWAINSON'S HAWK, 2 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, LEAST FLYCATCHER, a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS, 2-3 BROWN THRASHERS, WARBLING VIREO, BOBOLINK and 9 species of sparrows including 5+ GRASSHOPPER and scads of CLAY-COLORED. This is the fourth year that I've visited the refuge (previously 2002, 2005 & 2008) and probably my most productive visit.

Back in Ward County near Kenmare, a cruise along 450th Avenue was not as productive as yesterday but we did pick up 2 AVOCETS, UPLAND & WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and a lone RED-NECKED PHALAROPE with several WILSON'S.

My 3.5 hour drive south was through rain as far as Minot. Conditions improved steadily after that and it was brighter and warmer by the time I reached Jamestown.

A very good day.

Friday, June 12, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 12 ~ North Dakota  ~ Trip List 151 (+0)
Today I traveled to Fargo in preparation for a trip that starts tomorrow. I took a circuitous route through Stutsman, LaMoure and Ransom Counties in order to do some logistics checking. The weather showed significant improvement and it was a dry, mostly sunny and pleasant day in the 70s. Just a brief report today.

I only did roadside birding so the birds were the typical species seen in agricultural fields (many flooded), roadside ditches and stands of trees in small towns and along the Sheyenne River. I didn't see anything unusual and I didn't add to my trip list for the first time since I left home. Almost all of the birds seen were breeding species and the only migrants noted were a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Reports show that they are still passing through the state in multiple locations which seems a tad on the late side to me as an outsider.

61 species recorded:
Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal; Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Ring-necked Pheasant, Sora, Am. Coot, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Upland & White-rumped Sandpipers; Wilson's Phalarope, Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, N. Flicker, Least Flycatcher, Western & Eastern Kingbirds; Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows; House & Marsh Wrens; Brown Thrasher, Am. Robin, Am. Crow, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling & Red-eyed Vireos; Am. Goldfinch, Yellow & Black-and-white Warblers; Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah & Song Sparrows; Bobolink, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, June 13, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 13 ~ North Dakota & Minnesota ~ Trip List 153 (+2)
Day 1 of 11 with David Patick from Huntington, WV. Targets seen today: 1.

I've birded with David on four previous occasions in Arizona, California and most recently Texas (earlier this year in April). This time we'll be on the road longer and travel many more miles in search of only 19 hard target species with very few easy birds. In fact, a fair number of our targets are gallinaceous birds that are usually difficult at this time of year. Our itinerary will take us from North Dakota to Wyoming and finally to Colorado. Wish us luck!

This morning I checked for GRAY PARTRIDGE in Fargo and was very pleased to find a pair of birds after only 30 minutes of searching. Ample reward for getting up at 4:30am! I then headed over to Bluestem Prairie in Minnesota where I birded on June 3. I was able to locate three singing LE CONTE'S SPARROWS with very little effort. All well and good but could I repeat this in the afternoon.

I picked up David at Fargo airport around noon and we headed back into Fargo to try for the partridge. I didn't expect to be successful and thought we may have to try again in the evening. After checking the spot where I found a pair this morning and several other spots without success, I noticed a field that had long grass this morning was now freshly cut and thus potentially a good feeding area. Sure enough, we found a pair of GRAY PARTRIDGES (possible the same birds I saw this morning) and enjoyed excellent views. My thanks go to Fargo birder Keith Corliss for his help and local knowledge about the partridges.

We then headed over to Bluestem Prairie where LE CONTE'S SPARROWS were much harder to find on a warm and muggy afternoon. We saw a few sprinkles but missed the thunderstorm that was off in the distance. Over a period of three hours we located three singing sparrows but never managed to see one well. A bird for another day.

We ended up with a token try for Greater Prairie-Chicken at the Lek on TNC property. Just a Hail Mary, really, and our prayers went unanswered. We'll be making a more concerted effort tomorrow in Sheyenne National Grasslands. Nevertheless, a good first day because of the partridge success.

Sunday, June 14, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 14 ~ North Dakota & Montana ~ Trip List 154 (+1)
Day 2 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 4, total: 5.

An early start from Fargo (3:30am) put us in place at a chicken Lek in the Sheyenne National Grasslands in time to hear quite a few calling GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS. Unfortunately, despite considerable physical effort and getting wet crossing a marsh, we were unable to reach a position where we could see any of the birds. AMERICAN and LEAST BITTERN'S were calling from the extensive marshes.

Reluctantly, we decided to move on to another location that would involve lots of walking and, hopefully, more birds. As things turned out, we didn't need to do that. As we drove along SR 27, David alerted me to a lump in the road that I just managed to avoid hitting. We pulled over and to our delight determined that the bird was a GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN. We were also dismayed because we thought the bird was injured (it was crouched down, viewing us intently). However, shortly after we exited the vehicle, the bird perked up and took flight, apparently none the worse for wear. Talk about a Murphy gets screwed moment! This was a bird that I didn't think we had much chance for in June. My thanks go to Bryan Stotts in the U.S.F.S. office in Lisbon for some good chicken info.

After our chicken encounter of the third kind came a long drive to Lostwood NWR. Our planned itinerary had called for birding there tomorrow morning but now we could see the opportunity to pick up a day. Although we didn't arrive until noon (hardly the best time) and it was a sunny and warmish day, three hours of effort produced good views of a displaying SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (fairly low and in good light); 2 singing BAIRD'S SPARROWS and a LE CONTE'S SPARROW. Both sparrows were seen perched at close range.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK was among the birds seen on the refuge.

We took advantage of our cumulative time saving by making the long drive to Billings, MT so we could try for Black Rosy-Finch early tomorrow morning, a day ahead of schedule. A long but very successful day (a mere 19+ hours). Since David arrived at noon yesterday, we've tried for and seen five target species (partridge, chicken, pipit and two sparrows) -- and there's not much sleep in the forecast.

60 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Western Grebes; Am. White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least & Am. Bitterns; Canada Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Ferruginous Hawk, Greater Prairie-Chicken, Ring-necked Pheasant, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Upland Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Black Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Horned Lark, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Sprague's Pipit, Sedge & Marsh Wrens; Am. Robin, European Starling, House Sparrow, Chipping, Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah, Le Conte's, Baird's & Grasshopper Sparrows; Bobolink, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Monday, June 15, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 15 ~ Montana & Wyoming ~ Trip List 174 (+20)
Day 3 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 3, total: 8.

Today we birded on the Beartooth Highway and in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (all in Wyoming) looking for four target species -- Barrow's Goldeneye, Dusky Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker and Black Rosy-Finch. Yesterday's long drive meant that we could travel the Beartooth relatively early before the bulk of the tourist traffic (although there was still a bit more than I had expected). However, it certainly didn't impact our finch result. We had a pretty good day and for the most part made good use of the time that we picked up yesterday.

The temperature at the west summit of Beartooth Highway (~11000 feet) was below freezing at 8:30am and visibility was quite poor due to swirling clouds that completely enveloped the area. This is a little earlier in the month than my past visits and snow cover was significantly more than I normally see. The snow was frozen all the way to the highway and very little vegetation was visible. This worked in our favor and we quickly found two BLACK ROSY-FINCHES feeding on the small red heads of vegetation that you can see in the image. An excellent start to the day's proceedings. This location is one of my favorite places so I had mixed feelings about moving on so quickly. I was also a little disappointed that the normally spectacular scenery was obscured by clouds.

Not much else at the summit save for AMERICAN PIPIT. A few birds were seen as we dropped in elevation, notably FOX SPARROW and a fly-by male PINE GROSBEAK near Island Lake (campground still closed). Other species included MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and DARK-EYED (PINK-SIDED) JUNCO. We added BREWER'S SPARROW in sagebrush habitat near the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway turnoff.

We continued west on the Beartooth Highway (US 212), briefly back into Montana and then into Wyoming again as we entered Yellowstone National Park. Although construction is nowhere near as bad as my last visit, there's still some work going on and we encountered delays. Traffic was heavy throughout the park and poor parking to view wildlife certainly compounded the problems. Fortunately, we only had one target in the park and we were both happy to get the hell out. BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was fairly easy to find along the river and we didn't need to stop at Yellowstone Lake where there are usually plenty of males. [Although Barrow's can be found further south near Jackson Hole, Yellowstone has more of them.] We first found a female with four small youngsters and then a male. Unfortunately, the male was always in motion (swimming away from me) and it was difficult to get a crisp shot with only dull light from a heavy gray sky to work with. Nevertheless, a decent "photo first quality" image.

We stopped to scope a small raptor sitting close to the ground which turned out to be an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. We inadvertently flushed a GRAY JAY off the road but couldn't relocate the bird. A good excuse for a pit stop though. Among the other roadside species seen while driving through Yellowstone were WESTERN GREBE, WHITE PELICAN, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, SAVANNAH SPARROW, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

We kept on truckin' south to Signal Mountain in Grand Teton National Park. I should have known better than to visit here in mid afternoon - the place was crawling with grockles so we soon bailed out after deciding to return tomorrow for Dusky Grouse. This is probably the easiest place to find one in the Tetons. Birds noted included lots of singing RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, PINE SISKIN and WESTERN TANAGER.

Just north of Jackson Hole we spotted two TRUMPETER SWANS on Flat Creek, a regular spot for them on the National Elk Refuge. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were in the marshes.

After checking into our high priced, mediocre quality motel in Jackson, we headed out to Jenny Lake where I've had good success with BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. For a while it looked like my success rate would suffer a damaging dent. Conditions were very much against us -- quite windy with fading light that was already poor. However, the last minute came through in fine style and we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat just as we were about to quit for the day. We saw a bird fly in then watched it call as it landed on a tree before disappearing without a trace, presumably into a cavity.

Other species seen as we trudged the trail at the north end of the lake included COMMON MERGANSER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, copulating TREE SWALLOWS and a skulking MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (is there any other kind?).

All in all, a very good day despite poor weather and plenty of traffic and people to contend with. Dinner at Bubba's in Jackson was good (Barbecue). Recommended.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 16: Wyoming ~ Trip List 184 (+10)
Day 4 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 3, total: 11.

Today was a mixed bag. We looked for two grouse species: -- Dusky Grouse (seen) and Greater Sage-Grouse (not seen, our first failure of the trip so far). We also picked up a couple of non location specific targets (Prairie Falcon and Sage Thrasher). We started in Jackson Hole and ended up in Laramie. A mostly sunny and warm day.

The day began extremely well on Signal Mountain with the most accommodating DUSKY GROUSE that you could ever wish to see (image #2). On past trips I've had great success at this location and, unlike yesterday afternoon, an early start meant that we didn't have to deal with tons of tourists. We saw the bird immediately as we reached the top of the mountain, first seen about midway along the final stretch of road. Over a period of 10 minutes the grouse walked (ambled) perhaps only 150 yards, mostly sticking to the side of the road. 

We witnessed a very amusing moment (perhaps not for the grouse though). Another person showed up shortly after us and was also photographing the bird. We were on opposite sides of the bird and it perhaps felt a little threatened and decided to fly up into a small tree. It was a very ungainly attempt and it failed miserably with lots of wing flapping; so the bird dropped back to the ground and started meandering around again. If a bird can act nonchalantly, then that is what it was doing (appearing to act like nothing had happened).

David and I missed the grouse in the White Mountains of AZ last July so this was a satisfying moment.

Other species noted during a very brief (30 minutes) stay on the mountain included HERMIT THRUSH, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, WESTERN TANAGER and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

After leaving the Tetons we headed south on highway 191 to Farson passing through Bondurant and Pinedale. Among the species seen along the highway were several OSPREYS, a couple of SANDHILL CRANES and a perched PRAIRIE FALCON about 3 miles north of Farson. We stopped and enjoyed good scope views.

The sagebrush areas north of Farson (near Big Sandy Reservoir and Old Eden Reservoir) are good for Greater Sage-Grouse; I've seen them there on 3 out of 4 tries in June. Unfortunately, I couldn't improve on that today. In fact, in addition to not finding a bird, our experience was frustrating, exasperating and certainly not enjoyable. The roads here are confusing at best. Currently, two bridges are out of service which makes getting around to check the various areas difficult and time consuming. We put in about 5 hours in the midday and afternoon heat before throwing in the towel. 

Our efforts didn't go entirely unrewarded though. We saw SAGE THRASHERS in a couple of locations and added a second PRAIRIE FALCON on Farson Second East. Among the species seen in the mixed habitat of reservoirs, farm fields, irrigation ditches and sage were WHITE PELICAN, CINNAMON TEAL, OSPREY, several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS (including one dark phase); AVOCET, WILLET, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, SAY'S PHOEBE and ROCK WREN.

Our original plan was to stay in Rock Springs so we could try for the grouse again at a more favorable time in the morning. However, we put plan B into effect and decided to postpone looking for grouse until we reach Colorado. Instead, we drove 250 miles to Laramie arriving there at 9:00pm after a stop in Rawlins for dinner (Cappy's; fair, barely recommended).

Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 17 ~ Wyoming & Colorado  ~ Trip List 188 (+4)
Day 5 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 2, total: 13.

Today we started north of Laramie in Wyoming then moved on to Mt. Evans in Colorado; ending the day in nearby Georgetown, Our targets for the day were Mountain Plover, McCown's Longspur and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. It was a sunny morning on the Laramie Plains; cloudy and stormy up on Mt. Evans in late afternoon.

We began the day early on the Old Laramie River Road (CR 51, also known as Howell Road) less than 10 miles from Laramie. Apart from one hot afternoon miss, I've never failed to see MOUNTAIN PLOVER at this location and that was the case today. However, even though we found one bird quite early, we only managed a brief view and 5 further hours of searching didn't produce another bird. If there was any consolation, it was that the normally plentiful and voracious mosquitoes were only moderately a pain in the ass. Head nets really helped (hence the diverted pain in the ass).

McCOWN'S LONGSPUR is a hard-to-miss species along this road and we saw quite a few displaying birds and some on the ground, albeit not at close range.

Other species noted as we methodically scanned for plovers included a calling AMERICAN BITTERN (there's more wet marshy habitat present this year); BALD EAGLE, SWAINSON'S & FERRUGINOUS HAWKS; a few AVOCETS and WILLETS; lots of CALIFORNIA GULLS, a couple of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS abroad in daylight; and just one LARK BUNTING.

BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS were common on the lower section of the road up Mt. Evans (at least 12 counted). We decided to focus on Brown-capped Rosy-Finch in the hope that success would allow us to concentrate on finding White-tailed Ptarmigan tomorrow. The plan failed miserably. Wind chill at the top of the mountain was 15 degrees and it wasn't much warmer near Summit Lake. The wind was really howling which obviously made it difficult to look for birds. I couldn't keep my binocular image stable even when facing away from the wind and using the scope was almost a waste of time.

We gave it a valiant try but came up empty in the locations where I've seen the finches before. The only birds noted were a few MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and many AMERICAN PIPITS walking on the frozen snow and displaying with their very unmusical song (Sprague's Pipit needn't be concerned).

As always, tomorrow is another day.

44 species recorded:
Am. White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Am. Bittern, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Swainson's, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks; Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Mountain Plover, Willet, Ring-billed & California Gulls; Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Horned Lark, Cliff Swallow, Am. Pipit, Mountain Bluebird, Am. Robin, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah & White-crowned Sparrows; Lark Bunting, McCown's Longspur, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.  

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 18 ~ Colorado ~ Trip List 192 (+4)
Day 6 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 1, total 14.

Today we started on Mt. Evans then moved on to Craig in the northwestern part of the state. We began early at the top of the mountain (14,000+ feet) where the conditions were much worse than yesterday afternoon. The wind was absolutely ferocious and the wind chill in single digits. We needed all our winter clothing. Later in the morning the wind abated and it was mild and sunny.

STELLER'S JAY was the first bird of the day in Georgetown. As we started up the mountain, there was no indication of what lay ahead. BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS buzzed around, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS and the omnipresent WARBLING VIREOS were both vocal, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES drifted across the road in several places. After the fee station, closer to timberline, birds thinned out. Here we noted RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, PINE SISKIN and DARK-EYED JUNCO.

Once we reached the tundra the magnitude of the task ahead became increasingly obvious. Despite the conditions we worked for several hours looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan seeing only COMMON RAVEN and HORNED LARK. At times, it was hard to stand up and my fingertips were numb. We eventually decided to abandon the search and look for finches (there are a few more places where we can look for Ptarmigan).

At Summit Lake, where conditions had moderated considerably, we quickly saw MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN PIPIT and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW around the still mostly frozen lake. Around 11:30am we found male and female BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCHES on the rocks at the northeast corner (a regular spot). We first heard the birds calling then saw them foraging in the rocks and finally in the clear on the boggy grass. I hoofed it back to the vehicle for my camera (not easy to do at almost 13,000 feet on an icy trail). Unfortunately, by the time I'd huffed and puffed my way back the birds were gone. Nevertheless, one for two and we left well satisfied. Ptarmigan lives to fight another day.

On the journey to Craig (~200 miles from Summit Lake), we encountered a tremendous rain/sleet thunderstorm traversing Rabbit Ears pass in Routt National Forest, not far from Steamboat Springs. Fresh white stuff lined the road in places. We arrived with enough time to make an evening attempt at Greater Sage-Grouse. We spent time north of town scouting an area where the birds are known to breed (near lek sites).

The drive north on SR 13 yielded a perched GOLDEN EAGLE. In Sage habitat on CR 3 we found FERRUGINOUS HAWK, HORNED LARK, SAGE THRASHER and BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS. Although we came up empty on Sage-Grouse, looking on the bright side we have an idea of the best areas for tomorrow.

Friday, June 19, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 19 ~ Colorado ~ Trip List 199 (+7)
Day 7 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 0, total: 14.

Today was a day with lots of driving -- we started north of Craig looking for Sage-Grouse then drove to Cameo to look for Chukar. We finished up in Gunnison ready for an attempt at Gunnison Sage-Grouse tomorrow. We failed to find both the Greater Sage-Grouse and Chukar -- our first "ofer" day.

North of Craig, we worked the sage areas on county roads 3 and 4. Over the years, I've noticed that Sage-Grouse like to feed in open meadow areas adjacent to extensive sage (often near water). In addition to scanning many likely spots from the vehicle, we spent lots of energy-sapping time walking through the knee to waist high sage (CR 3 has plenty of public land for such endeavors). We put in 5+ hours before conceding defeat. Farson, Wyoming why did we abandon thee? You're looking pretty good right now.

We came up with FERRUGINOUS HAWK and PRAIRIE FALCON on CR 3; three GOLDEN EAGLES (one at a nest on CR 4 and two on SR 13); and a few sage denizens including HORNED LARK, multiple singing SAGE THRASHERS (easy to see); and BREWER'S, VESPER & SAGE SPARROWS (the latter more common on CR 4).

The drive to Cameo (~15 miles east of downtown Grand Junction) took about 2.5 hours and we began birding in Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area (a.k.a. Coal Canyon) in mid afternoon, hardly the best time of day. This is a very rugged and rocky area ideal for Chukars. Although the west canyon (Coal Canyon) is a traditional location for Chukar, we chose to work the "main canyon" acting on recent information from Leo Miller. It was very warm here (warmest location so far on the trip) and swarms of gnats were a real deterrent to staying diligent. They seem to find a way in no matter what you do.

We toughed it out for about three hours until the heat and gnats got the better of us. During this time we heard CHUKARS calling from two locations across the canyon but persistent scoping didn't reveal a bird. We also walked to the bottom of the canyon and crossed the shallow, muddy creek to check the other side of the canyon and still couldn't locate the little stinkers. I surmised that perhaps the birds are nesting and not inclined to be aggressive.

Species noted in sparse pinyon-juniper and scrubby habitat included WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, ROCK & CANYON WRENS, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (what a contrast in habitat from Summit Lake); BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (obviously not eating enough gnats!); SPOTTED TOWHEE and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (fairly common). KESTREL, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and WESTERN KINGBIRDS were along the entrance road.

We also saw this colorful "gecko dude". [Added 07/24/09: Peter Dedicoat sent me this link http://webspinners.com/coloherp/geo/species/specrco.php from which I learned that it is a Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris). Thanks Peter. There are several subspecies and C. c. auriceps in western Colorado has a yellow head. I've since found other sites that refer to this form as Yellow-headed Collared Lizard.]

We rolled into Gunnison at 10:00pm after a dinner stop in Montrose.

Saturday, June 20, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 20 ~ Colorado ~ Trip List 209 (+10)
Day 8 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 2, total: 16.

Today was another day with plenty of driving and considerably more satisfaction than yesterday. After a successful search for grouse near Gunnison we headed south to Ouray for more success with Black Swift then drove back north to Cameo for another Chukar attempt (heard but not seen). After a cloudy and cool start to the day, the weather took a turn for the worse and we encountered heavy rain and wind in Ouray. The same weather front had reached Cameo by early evening.

A couple of day's ago we gathered some intel about Gunnison Sage-Grouse (non-lek) locations. My thanks go to Nathan Seward at the Colorado Department of Wildlife in Gunnison for the invaluable information. This morning we worked south along CR 42 (5 miles east of Gunnison) and ended up at Dutch Gulch State Wildlife Area. This area of sage and willow at approximately 8000 feet was acquired to benefit the grouse. We only needed about 2 hours and minimal walking to find a female GUNNISON SAGE-GROUSE and we managed two good close range flight views. This was a bird that I had rated "4" in my trip plan (see Trip Summary) and wasn't a high probability bird. Failing to see the "2-3" Greater Sage-Grouse was now much more galling than ironic.

We noted a dozen or so species during the search including ROCK WREN, several SAGE THRASHERS, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, multiple singing GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES and the seemingly-ever-present-in-sagebrush BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS.

The weather gradually worsened during the 100 mile drive from Gunnison to Ouray and it was raining hard when we reached Box Canyon Falls. This is a no-brainer nesting location for Black Swift as long as your visit is timed correctly. In fact, the dates for this trip were predicated on a guaranteed swift sighting. Too early in June and you can miss the bird. Coming late enough to absolutely, positively guarantee a bird on the nest would potentially make some of the grassland birds harder to detect at the start of the trip. Selecting the earliest "definitely will see" date was therefore a must. Although I've seen swifts on the nest on 3 prior visits (June 27, 2001; June 25, 2003 and July 4, 2008), I lacked sufficient data to choose the right date with certainty. Consequently, I purchased a paper that presented results from a study of Black Swifts at Box Canyon Falls in Ouray. Briefly summarized, relevant data for the 11 year study (1996-2006) is as follows:

Average arrival date: June 13 (extremes May 31 - June 19)
Average interval between arrival and egg laying: 9 days (extremes 1-22 days)

Obviously, using the worst case arrival date, if you come after June 19 you have a good chance to see a bird in the air (but it may take a while). Using average data, there's a good chance to see a bird on a nest by June 22. In the original plan, June 23 was the date I had scheduled for the Ouray visit. Time gained and itinerary changes had now put us here 3 days ahead of that. As things turned out, we found only one active nest with a sitting BLACK SWIFT. Furthermore, the bird was difficult to see well even with a scope in the extremely gloomy conditions. A wet hike above the falls and some scanning yielded perhaps a dozen birds in the air. All in all a satisfactory result. As you can see, there's more to this bird guiding lark than meets the eye. Incidentally, the swift was the 500th species that I've seen this year.

The feeders near the entrance station were well utilized by bedraggled PINE SISKINS and CASSIN'S FINCHES. Noisy EVENING GROSBEAKS were easy to locate along the trail. What a great bird that I don't see anywhere near often enough. Also seen on the trail were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

After checking into a Grand Junction motel (100 miles from Ouray), we headed out to Cameo for an evening attempt for Chukar. Initially, the main canyon was cloudy, wet, windy and gnat free. Unfortunately, warmer and calmer conditions soon prevailed and the gnats once again became bothersome.

As yesterday, we heard at least 2 CHUKARS calling but were unable to see them. We soon resigned ourselves to another visit tomorrow morning. Our only consolation was that we felt sure we had determined their general location.

In addition to the species seen in the canyon yesterday, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, GRAY VIREO and BLUE GROSBEAK were all singing in the early evening.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Overnight rain severely hampered our efforts to see Chukar. In fact, the swollen creek in the main canyon was a double whammy. Firstly, the water noise made it impossible to hear and, not surprisingly, for the first time in three visits we didn't even hear the birds. Secondly, we were unable to cross the creek to reach the area where we believed the birds were located. A washout -- literally and figuratively. What a bummer.

We moved on to the dry west canyon where we spent a couple of fruitless hours trolling for the birds. There's significantly more Pinyon-Juniper habitat in this location and a singing GRAY VIREO was perhaps more expected than in the main canyon. A singing LAZULI BUNTING was present in addition to the "regulars" that we've seen on each trip.

It took us 4 hours to reach the western entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park at Grand Lake and a further hour to Medicine Bow trailhead. We started birding at 2:30pm and spent over two hours searching the tundra and snowbanks for Ptarmigan in cold and windy conditions. We moved on to an even more windy Rock Cut and spent another hour without success before calling it a day. Birds have been reported from both locations in recent days so we still have high hopes for tomorrow.

Birds seen were the typical high country birds -- AMERICAN PIPIT, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, COMMON RAVEN and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.  

Practical notes: Most of the "name" lodging places just outside the park in Grand Lake and Granby are expensive. I can certainly recommend the more modest and moderately priced yet well equipped Black Bear Lodge in Grand Lake. It's more than adequate for a single or multiple night stay. Dinner at Maverik's Grille in Granby was very good, albeit a little on the expensive side (tourist prices, of course). Whenever you see an "e" on the end of Grill you know you're going to pay for it. Ergo, stay away from places like "Ye olde something shoppe".

Monday, June 22, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 22 ~ Colorado ~ Trip List 211 (+1)
Day 10 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 1, total: 17.

The penultimate day saw us down to one definite target (White-tailed Ptarmigan) and an outside chance of another shot at Greater Sage-Grouse. We started on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and decided to focus our attention at the end of the Rock Cut trail. At 7:00am it was pretty cold with a howling wind at 12,000+ feet and we once again needed all our winter gear.

After some cursory scanning of the tundra and snowbanks from the overlook at the end of the trail, I decided to walk down to the talus to get some shelter from the wind and set up the scope at minimum height. It was an uncomfortable position but after 10 minutes of scanning I found a motionless WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN partially hidden behind a rock. I called out to David who wasn't far away but because of the wind he couldn't hear me. Unfortunately, by the time that I got his attention the bird was nowhere to be found. At this point, I began to think the gods (and odds) were firmly against us on this bird.

We decided to walk out on the tundra to try and relocate the bird. Although the straight line distance to the sighting location wasn't far, we had to circumnavigate a rocky area and several snowbanks to get there and the wind was still howling away. We quickly stumbled into a pair of BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCHES and enjoyed even better views than on Mt. Evans. The birds were foraging at the boggy edge of a melting snowbank. Once again, I wasn't carrying my camera. Gee, I wonder why?

We worked the area thoroughly for quite some time without any success, seeing only the finches again plus HORNED LARK, AMERICAN PIPIT and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD.

By noon we were exhausted and headed to the nearby Alpine Visitor Center for lunch. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision because we learned from a ranger that someone had reported a Ptarmigan on the Ute trail less than an hour ago. After a much needed break, we headed down the Ute trail (which starts opposite the visitor center) and heard a WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN calling after we had walked perhaps 0.75 miles. At this point we were both elated but it was just the beginning of this particular episode in our Ptarmigan adventures. For a while I thought we had another Chukar in the making as the bird called sporadically without revealing itself. We tried to see the bird for almost 45 minutes before David spotted it walking towards us in the snow and we enjoyed excellent views. Just like the bird I had seen earlier in the day, this individual was in transition plumage and still showed plenty of white. After several years of trying, this is the first time that I have seen Ptarmigan in RMNP. Mt. Evans has been the site of my only previous success.

Before the day began, we had already decided to drive to Hayden to try for Greater Sage-Grouse tomorrow. With the time still only at 2:00pm, we now had the opportunity to try this evening as well. Hayden is mostly known as a Sharp-tailed Grouse area but I had a info about a site where Leo Miller saw Greater Sage-Grouse last month.

A brief stop at Windy Gap just west of Granby produced WHITE PELICANS, RING-NECKED DUCK and a few other common species. Near Kremmling we added WESTERN GREBE and RING-BILLED GULL and SWAINSON'S HAWK near Steamboat Springs to give an air of respectability to the scant day list.

We spent some time in late afternoon and early evening northeast of Hayden on Routt County Road 80 near the Jimmy Dunn State Trust Land. Although I thought that the general habitat was marginal (not enough contiguous sage), there were a few areas that looked promising. Sadly, the curse of the grousino was with us again and we failed to find a bird. The lack of most of the usual sage suspects was perhaps confirmation of my assessment of the habitat.

39 species recorded:
Western Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, N. Flicker, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Am. Pipit, House Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Am. Robin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Am. Goldfinch, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers; Spotted Towhee, Vesper, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Dark-eyed Junco, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird and Bullock's Oriole.  

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 23 ~ Colorado ~ Trip List 213 (+2)
Day 11 with David Patick. Targets seen today: 0, total 17.

Our objectives for the last day were to take a final shot at Greater Sage-Grouse and to improve on the view of Mountain Plover. The day began mostly cool and cloudy and culminated in heavy rain near Denver airport after a warm afternoon.

We started by returning to CR 80 near Hayden for another dose of humble pie. Greater Sage-Grouse 5, Birders 0. That's right, five tries and nothing to show for it. Species noted in riparian, open field and sage habitat with a few ponds included GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED & CINNAMON TEAL; NORTHERN HARRIER, bugling SANDHILL CRANES, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, LAZULI BUNTING and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

After driving to Walden, we took the scenic, longer and slower route to Pawnee National Grasslands via SR 14 (Poudre Canyon Highway) through the Roosevelt National Forest to Fort Collins. No birds of note seen along the way, just lots of rafters. We stopped for lunch in Fort Collins at the "Ever Open Cafe". I was amused to see specific hours posted on the sign. It turns out that "ever open" refers to the last 50 years. Perhaps a notch above a "greasy spoon" but the food was ordinary.

It was warm and buggy in the grasslands and we failed to find a Mountain Plover. Some other expected species were seen at close range including HORNED LARK, LARK BUNTING and McCOWN'S LONGSPUR. We also heard singing CASSIN'S & GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS.

It's about an hour from the grasslands to Denver Airport where I dropped David for an overnight stay. It was lashing down with rain as we approached the airport -- shades of Houston at the end of the Texas trip in April. Thus the trip concluded with 17 targets seen and 1 (Chukar) heard. Of the birds that we specifically sought, only Greater Sage-Grouse was missed completely. For a more in depth analysis, see the Trip Summary.

Since my plan was to visit the grasslands again tomorrow morning, after parting company with David I headed north to Fort Collins. Panic set in when I reached the La Quinta and was unable to find my wallet. My thanks go to the La Quinta manager who allowed me to check in without a credit card or any form of identification; just the fact that I was a La Quinta Rewards member. After checking in, I ransacked the vehicle then called all the places that I may have left the wallet -- all to no avail. I checked the vehicle again and found it on the floor buried beneath a pile of stuff. What a relief. Not the kind of relaxing evening I had envisaged at the end of a long period in the field!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 24 ~ Colorado & Wyoming ~ Trip List 216 (+3)

While looking for Mountain Plover yesterday, I noticed an open sandy area with a hatch of insects that was attracting plenty of birds. I decided to proceed directly to that spot and it was indeed loaded with birds. Of course, as soon as I showed up and setup the camera the birds disappeared. I backed up to a distance that I thought the birds would tolerate (which was really too far away) and waited. A female LARK BUNTING was the first bird to return. She walked around rather deliberately, apparently looking for just the right food item, paused for a moment to look around then flew back to a nest. I watched her make several such sorties, including the pause on the clod of dried mud in the image.

HORNED LARK and McCOWN'S LONGSPUR (image#2) were the only other species to put in an appearance. Notice the difference in plumage between the two male longspurs (easy to compare if you use ). One bird has a very strong black malar stripe, plenty of black on the belly and flanks in addition to the upper breast crescent, and minimal streaking on the back; the other bird has a weak malar stripe, just the typical upper breast black and well defined back streaking. Not having much experience with this species in breeding plumage, I'm unsure if this is due to age difference or some other factor.

[Photo notes: I normally set ISO to 400. For these images, I inadvertently set ISO to 800 and could definitely notice the increased noise. High ISO performance with the 40D doesn't appear to be as good as its cracked up to be -- and lighting conditions were excellent.]

Elsewhere I saw GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, skylarking CASSIN'S SPARROWS and lots of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

In the mountains I spent most of my time enjoying the scenery and didn't do much birding. Along with my time on the Beartooth Highway, the drive from Laramie on SR 130 to the small community of Centennial and then through the Medicine Bow National Forest up to the high country plateau is always the highlight of my June trips. Do a little googling if you want to find out more about this area.

Today I found that Bellamy Lake below Medicine Bow Peak is still mostly frozen and there's very little willow habitat (I detected just one WILSON'S WARBLER). It's interesting to note the year to year differences in thaw at this location. I've seen this small lake completely open as early as June 18 and completely frozen close to the end of the month. If you are interested, you can dig through my June journals and see photos for other years (2003-6 & 2008). Of course, small images don't do justice to the scenery. I also wish I had a good landscape lens (those that I have are cheap and nasty).

Shortly after taking the photo from the overlook I dropped down to the lake. At the small parking area I saw and/or heard a displaying AMERICAN PIPIT, a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS; numerous PINE SISKINS, a very crisply plumaged male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and several very vocal LINCOLN'S & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

While tracking a singing WILSON'S WARBLER, I noticed a woodpecker fly past me and land on one of the stout wooden posts in the parking area. I quickly got my glasses on it and determined that it was a male AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. I'd only strayed 100 feet from the vehicle and my camera but that was too much. I hurried for the camera and was about to take a shot when a large truck blasted by and sent the woodpecker scurrying away. Drat!

Heading back down the mountain I added MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, WARBLING VIREO and FOX SPARROW. Vee Bar Ranch Pond, not far from Centennial, held GADWALL, CINNAMON TEAL and a few other common species.

A very enjoyable day without any rare or even slightly unusual birds. However, for me, the environment makes all the birds special.

40 species recorded:
Canada Goose, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Am. Three-toed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Tree & Cliff Swallows; Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Mountain Chickadee, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers; Cassin's, Grasshopper, Fox, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Lark Bunting, McCown's Longspur, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark and Common Grackle.

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 25 ~ Wyoming ~ Trip List 217 (+1)

From Laramie I took SR 230 to CR 424 and CR 422. I checked various roadside ponds plus Twin Buttes WA and Lake Hattie. I then took Big Hollow Road which provides a short cut across to SR 130 and the mountains.

NORTHERN PINTAIL, LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, MARSH WREN, SAVANNAH SPARROW and RED-WINGED & YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were present in roadside ponds, marshes and wet fields. Common species at most locations were EARED GREBE, WHITE PELICAN, REDHEAD, CANVASBACK and CALIFORNIA GULL.

Twin Buttes had 2 male BUFFLEHEADS, lots of FRANKLIN'S GULLS, FORSTER'S TERN, AVOCET, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WILLET and WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

Lots of CALIFORNIA, lesser numbers of FRANKLIN'S and a few RING-BILLED GULLS were at Lake Hattie. I also found WESTERN GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BLACK TERN, WESTERN KINGBIRD, BANK SWALLOW and ROCK WREN among the more common species.

Big Hollow Road provided FERRUGINOUS HAWK, HORNED LARK and VESPER SPARROW. Surprisingly, I didn't see nor hear a single McCown's Longspur at any location.

As yesterday, I spent most of my time in the mountains enjoying the scenery.

For the first time in 10 years, I was able to drive all the way to Brooklyn Lake on FR 317. The road has never been fully open during my previous visits and I've had to walk the last 0.75m or so. Although high snowbanks lined the road in places, this year there seems to be less snow at this location (which doesn't correlate very well with Bellamy Lake still being frozen).  Before the rain and hail set in to spoil the fun (not long after the above image was taken), I found 2 male AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS singing their staccato song (like they can't really decide whether to get going or not); MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES, several feuding WILSON'S WARBLERS, a singing PINE GROSBEAK and the usual LINCOLN'S & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

Back on the main highway near Libby Flats I saw AMERICAN PIPIT (pretty much guaranteed here, walking on the snow or displaying in flight); MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and FOX SPARROW.

A short drive down the lower elevation Sand Lake Road (not open all the way through yet) produced WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, WARBLING VIREO and WESTERN TANAGER.

Late evening birds in Centennial included many BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS at the feeders plus COMMON NIGHTHAWK, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, TREE SWALLOW and PINE SISKIN.

Friday, June 26, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 26 ~ Wyoming & Colorado ~ Trip List 218 (+1)
Homeward Bound Day 1

Today I began my southerly swing towards home that will take me three days to complete. I traveled from Centennial, WY to Steamboat Springs, CO. In Wyoming I traveled through two separate sections of Medicine Bow National Forest with limited birding and then checked some sagebrush areas near Craig and Hayden in Colorado. I was looking forward to this day but the weather had other plans. Apart from the early morning hours that were dry, it was a very gray, dismal and wet day. 

After leaving Centennial I drove directly to Brooklyn Lake where it was quite chilly a little before 6:00am. However, the temperature was certainly above freezing because the snow was melting. Bird activity was minimal so I soon moved on. Continuing up the mountain I saw a couple of GREEN-WINGED TEAL on a pond at 10,500 feet, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, AMERICAN PIPIT, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, a singing CASSIN'S FINCH atop a spruce, a few WILSON'S WARBLERS and the usual kinglets, chickadees and sparrows.

As I said goodbye to Bellamy Lake for another year, a PORCUPINE ambled into view. From here it's all downhill. The scenery is not as spectacular on the Carbon County side of SR 130 but the habitat is more diverse; ditto the birds. Initially, I saw the same species then added AMERICAN DIPPER at the bridge near the Ralph Hesson plaque. As I dropped in elevation I picked up GRAY-HEADED JUNCO, WESTERN TANAGER and WARBLING VIREO.

Sage habitat takes over beyond the forest boundary and here I added GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS. As open fields and riparian habitat started to dominate, BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, HOUSE WREN, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, YELLOW WARBLER, SAVANNAH & SONG SPARROWS and WESTERN MEADOWLARK became noticeable. Are you following along?

I stopped in Saratoga and was disappointed to find that Warm Springs Cafe has changed hands. After a mediocre breakfast elsewhere in town, I visited Storer-Saratoga wetland just north of town. Here I saw 16 WESTERN GREBES, a few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, a female COMMON MERGANSER, a small group of REDHEADS and good numbers of loafing WHITE-PELICANS and RING-BILLED GULLS. In the marshes were many chattering MARSH WRENS and groaning YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

From Saratoga I headed south on SR 230 towards Riverside. Among the roadside birds were a large kettle of TURKEY VULTURES, 4 BALD EAGLES (two in the image) and several SWAINSON'S HAWKS. Although I used my larger lens for the eagle shot, I had to settle for a hand-held shot resting the lens on the car window (from inside to avoid the rain).

I picked up SR 70 in Encampment. From here the road climbs again into Medicine Bow National Forest, topping out at almost 10,000 feet at Battle Pass (this is a continental divide location). By now it was pissing down with rain so birding wasn't much of an option. The rain stayed with me all the way to Baggs near the state line and into Colorado.

In Colorado I checked Moffat County Road 4 for GOLDEN EAGLE. Although two birds were in plain view at the nest site, it was way too wet to take pictures. This would have been a new photo species for me but into every life a little rain must fall. The birds were seen here while looking for Greater Sage-Grouse last week.  CR 9 (that runs south from 4) looked good for grouse but the surface was extremely slick in the rain and I chickened out after a couple of miles. I also checked CR 3 hoping to stumble into a grouse. HORNED LARK, SAGE THRASHER and SAGE SPARROW were among the bedraggled sage denizens.

I also checked Routt County Road 80 near Hayden. I saw more of the same sage birds plus BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, GREEN-TAILED & SPOTTED TOWHEES, BREWER'S SPARROW and LAZULI BUNTING. Over 20 species in the rain.

I pulled into Steamboat Springs at 3:15pm and called it a (wet) day. La Quinta was more than adequate (if somewhat overpriced). However, don't eat at the Village Inn.

I enjoyed the day despite the fact that the rain curtailed my birding activities. A day with both eagle species, dipper and some high mountain scenery can't be written off as bad.

70 species recorded:
Western Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Common Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Bald & Golden Eagles; N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, N. Flicker, Dusky Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Am. Dipper, House & Marsh Wrens; Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Mountain Chickadee, Black-billed Magpie, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Cassin's & House Finches; Pine Siskin, Am. Goldfinch, Yellow, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Western Tanager, Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees; Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Sage, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Dark-eyed Junco, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, June 27, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 27 ~ Colorado & New Mexico~ Trip List 218 (+0)
Homeward Bound Day 2

Today I drove from Steamboat Springs, CO to Farmington, NM. Before leaving Colorado, I made a spur of the moment decision to visit Mt. Evans again to try for a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch photo. What a mistake that was -- I had forgotten that it was Saturday. By the time I got there the traffic was horrendous. I should have turned around at the fee station when I saw the line. To make matters worse, hundreds of bicycle riders were on the road which made for a very dangerous drive.

Summit Lake was packed with people and I had to wait for some time just to get a parking place. The location where I saw Rosy-Finches last week was a mass of humanity so I forgot about the birds and just took a photo of the lake before getting the hell off the mountain. As you can see from the photo, it was a bright sunny day and the lake is now about 50% clear of ice.

I hate driving to Farmington but it's the optimal route back to AZ. The stretch from Aztec to Farmington is equivalent to (actually much worse than) 20 miles of drag-ass driving on Fry Blvd. in Sierra Vista.

Not a good day -- 540 miles of driving and no birds of note.

32 species recorded:
Ruddy Duck, Swainson's Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, N. Flicker, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Cliff Swallow, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Am. Robin, Black-billed Magpie, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Pine Siskin, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers; Western Tanager, Chipping, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds.

Sunday, June 28, 2009
Multi state road trip, Day 28 ~ New Mexico & Arizona ~ Trip List 227 (+9)
Homeward Bound Day 3

The final stretch from Farmington, NM to Sierra Vista was about 600 miles by the circuitous route that I took through Northern Arizona and the White Mountains. I chose to drive due west from Farmington into Arizona so I could check a few locations in the northern part of the state. I looked first at Teec Nos Pos but couldn't find a Black-billed Magpie. Quite ironic really since I've seen hundreds during the past month (seen in 5 states and on 15 of 28 days). Next I looked at Many Farms Lake from the overlook near the dam. No birds there but I could see waterfowl and shorebirds well to the east. No chance to identify them from where I was and I didn't attempt to drive closer. LARK SPARROWS and COMMON RAVENS were the only species that I positively identified.

Now I just wanted to get home and I blew right by Ganado Lake; Becker Lake and Luna Lake in the White Mountains; and even Willcox where a potential state bird (Pacific Golden-Plover) had been seen for a couple of days.

The best birding came in Apache National Forest when I re-entered AZ on Hwy 78. A pair of MONTEZUMA QUAIL were just past stateline. Other roadside birds in the first mile of Greenlee County included WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO and SPOTTED TOWHEE. Additional species after I passed Blackjack Campground and dropped down into the drier, rocky area were ROCK WREN and RUFOUS-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS.

While I certainly enjoyed the trip, I'm very happy to be home, especially since the monsoon season has started early.

See the trip summary for an analysis of the target birding, a full trip list and links to the photos.

45 species recorded:
Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Montezuma Quail, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Acorn & Gila Woodpeckers; Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds; Horned Lark, Cliff & Barn Swallows; Rock & Bewick's Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Am. Robin, Bridled Titmouse, Am. Crow, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; House Sparrow, Plumbeous Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Black-chinned, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows; Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Sunday, June 28, 2009

June Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2009 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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