We absolutely had THE BEST DAY for birding and the adventure was so much fun! Our all women team has completed the COBC in Jackson County each of the last 3 years, progressively getting better each year. We've honed our route, improved our timing for specific stops and have found new hidden gems. This year we went all out in our bid to be the top team (2nd place the last two years) by renting a VRBO, scouting all day Friday and coming up with the best plan for Saturday. The execution was as flawless as the weather and the beauty that is our Colorado Rocky Mountains.
We started at the Walden Reservoir at 6am sharp and ticked almost all our expected duck species along with the other familiar residents like Sandhill Cranes, White-faced Ibis and American White Pelicans. As we were leaving we noticed a tree just between the water and the edge of the road that was full of warblers, among them was 1 of the three Townsand's Warblers we would see on the day. As we left, the raptors were starting to make their appearance, including a hunting Prairie Falcon who made a very close flyby! Those birds are so fast!
By 9:00am we were riding high as we hit 77 species, breaking par for the county! As we made our way down the Ditch Road on the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, we encountered not one, but two, covies of Greater Sage Grouse! This species has eluded us the previous two years as well as on the prior day's scouting trip. We stayed and savored the time we had with these beautiful birds, taking video and photos and allowing them to enjoy the road for as long as they wished. Our next stop brought us to Moose-Goose Nature Trail which was exceptionally dry save for the main channel which had some water. We tallied a Sora who was gracious enough to show himself, much to our delight.
Next we "bombed" it down to Rand where we stopped in the store and stocked up on sweet treats to keep us going. County Rd 27 never misses as the climb to the junction with HWY 14 brings habitat change and new species for the day. Mountain Bluebirds on every wire, flocks of sparrows and surprise Great Blue Heron in a cattle pond. In order to add to our already impressive total, we needed to get to the mountain birds, so we headed for the State Forest State Park Moose Visitor Center. They had their feeders out and we quickly added Cassin's Finch, Steller's Jay, Green Tailed Towhee and a Fox Sparrow to the list. We enjoyed a break and some lunch at Ranger Lakes adding a few more birds. Several Canada Jays were spotted with Cheetos, allegedly stolen from nearby guests enjoying the holiday weekend.
By noon we were at 93 species and speculating on which species would have the honor of being 100. Our next stop is the pinnacle of our route each year, Lake Agnes. We found many warblers fueling up for their journey, including the other two Townsand's of the day. We also found our 100th species, appropriately, the Golden Crowned Kinglet! We also heard and spotted the elusive American Three-Toed Woodpecker. I think we can all appreciate that birding is as much, if not more, about appreciating the behavior of birds. Irene and I had the most amazing experience while photographing two very hungry hatch year Juncos. Just above our head and below the tree line came a rush of air and the sound of strong wing beats. Irene looked up just in time to see the silhouette of the wing and tail of a predator which was quickly confirmed by the alarm calls from Clark's Nutcrackers in every part of the forest. We watched as at least twenty CLNUs flew to the scree field above the American Lakes Trail, calling and gathering in the trees for safety. As more arrived, they flocked up and took to the sky, clearing the ridge line and flying out of sight. After much conversation and review of the events and eyewitness statements, an American Goshawk was added to the list! Could this day get any better?
Our stop at North Michigan Creek Reservoir found us battling the noise of four-wheelers and side-by-sides, but we were able to tally some new birds for the day, including a scolding McGillivary's Warbler and a Cassin's Vireo, a lifer for both Adriana and myself! As we realized that time was ticking and we had hopes of getting to the Loop at Arapaho NWR, we opted to beat feet to our next stop. A quick look at Meadow Creek Reservoir did not yield the Willson's Phalarope that had been there the day before, but instead held a different surprise. We knew that CONI was on our list for later in the evening, but had we not stopped here, we may have missed them entirely! There was a kettle of at least 40 Common Nighthawks coursing through the sky, rounding up their kin and presumably preparing for a trip south that evening! It was magical and we did take time to wonder at their aerial choreography, but not too long as the sun would soon be setting!
We found the Wildlife Loop Road to be in better shape than last year, although the drought has certainly left its mark here, as it has with our whole State. Our next big find was on one of the two bodies of water that held a massive number of waterfowl. The sharp eye, and keen avian knowledge that is Carly Crow, picked a hybrid American Wigeon X Eurasian Wigeon out of all those birds! She carefully documented with digiscope photos and quickly reached out for others to weigh in on the find. By the next morning, she felt we had the supporting evidence we needed to add this to our list! Just after she photographed the bird and we all had our looks at the rare duck, the first BAEA of the day swooped in looking for a quick meal and flushed all those birds! Nature in action once again. As a side note, we determined by this point that North Park in general must have had a mass exodus of shorebirds just days before our event as we found a pitiful few shorebird species.
Our final planned stop was back to where it all started, Walden Reservoir, where we finally found our Wilson's Phalarope. With just a bit of light left, we found ourselves unable to "stop" birding (if there is such a thing) and we searched the town of Walden for anything new we could find. We spent a good 10 minutes tracking a warbler that was a great candidate for Nashville, but we couldn't get a good enough look to confirm, so he will migrate without having been added to our list. Safe travels little one!
The last bird of the day was the unassuming and oddly rare Rock Pigeon. We truly did look for this bird all day and couldn't believe we hadn't seen one till the very end. Thanks for keeping us humble.
Our team was beaming as we sat down to a chili dinner and celebratory beverages and recounted the day. We had so much fun and so many amazing moments that will stay with us always. Birding competition and fundraising aside, being able to spend the day with smart and amazing humans and appreciate the beauty in our natural world made this an extraordinary and memorable day.
Happy Birding, Irene, Kristin, Carly and Adriana...... aka The Flock Finders
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