Golden Again

This afternoon my lunchtime walk was at the South Boulder Creek Trail. 50 degree temps made the dirt trail through the trees a bit boggy, so I stuck to the concrete trail. As I headed out two women greeted me with a "We saw a bird for you! We weren't sure what it was, but it was on the right and you can't miss it." I passed an American Kestrel, but it was high in a tree, and unlikely to have gotten that reaction. Then, as I reached my turning back point near the East Boulder Rec Center I saw it...this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, sitting just above the trail.


Apparently it had grown used to all the walkers, joggers and bikers out enjoying the warm weather, and didn't mind as I approached to take a few pictures. It remained after I had headed on my way, one of three Red-tails seen on my walk.


Walking back I had my eyes on the skies, hoping to add to my growing hawk total, then a large dark bird flew by. Too dark for a Red-tail, it was a Golden Eagle. This sighting was 3 3/4 miles from the bird I saw on the power pole the other day, so it could well have been the same bird, or maybe one of a pair. Mild weather and Golden Eagles, a good way to wrap up the work week.

Howl at the.....Sun?

Despite more mild temps this morning I had to dedicate a bit of my lunch to getting errands done. After refilling the gas tank I did take a few minutes to head out and back on Coal Creek Drive. The way out and much of the return were fairly similar to yesterday's walk - very quiet.


As I drove I had my driver side window open. The remaining snow on the road was squeaking a lot as I drove over it, but then I though I hear a howl. A howl? I stopped and listened again, and sure enough I was hearing a coyote howl.


There on the ridge line, she was talking, and others were talking back. I am not sure if the construction crew at the beginning of the road had disturbed her, or if she was just touching base with others before settling down for a snooze in the sun.


Whatever her reasons she seemed content. I have seen coyotes during daytime hours before, but I haven't heard them, or seen them relaxing out in the open like that before. I guess humans aren't the only creatures who appreciate a few extra degrees Fahrenheit to go along with their bright sunny days. Perhaps the reason why the coyotes were talking wasn't so unfathomable after all.


Then, as I pulled away I spotted a Golden Eagle on a high tension power tower. Not an incredibly rare site in the area, but a first for the year for me.

That's not a Gull

It's a Golden Eagle!

Late yesterday afternoon I headed out in the snowstorm that was supposed to have cleared off at 10:00am. I wanted to locate and check out Erie Reservoir, one of a handful of small lakes a short drive from my work which have been noted for good gull flocks that rotate between them. The small lake I visited on Saturday in extreme northern Broomfield is not too distant from this area either, and probably shares a few common visitors amongst the groups of gulls. As I arrived late yesterday I found that in addition to it being very darkly overcast, snowy, and breezy that I was also without a working camera battery. I ventured out with just bins, and worked my way to the far side of the lake where there was some open water. I found that there were a good group of gulls, but without the leisure to study them in a still frame I focused on the waterfowl and tried to ignore the lack of insulation my thin work pants provided. While I didn't find the Barrow's Goldeneye that had been reported in the past I did find a Red-breasted Merganser. I finished my loop, keeping moving to remain warm, and headed home to do a bit of shoveling.

Today dawned clear and cold, as noted in my previous post, but was calm and really pleasant by lunch time. I parked and walked down to the lake, right at the open water and with the sun to my back. Just as I was dialing in the camera and getting ready to get my gull on they all flighted at once. Excited, I turned my eyes skyward to find what had spooked them. I'll take a raptor over gulls any day! As I watched I saw it approaching from the distance...

I was 99% sure that it was a Golden from that view, but I see them so rarely out here that I was hesitant at first. As it approached though any trace of a doubt vanished.

Getting a Golden Eagle on a low approaching pass with good lighting was a first for me. I know I will be back at Erie Res. while the ice lasts to get some gull IDs, but this return trip exceeded my expectations by far.

It is always nice to be rewarded for trying out a new site!

"Thanks Eagle, now go get your fill of gulls so the next time I am around I can try to learn which ones they are! Except of course for the rarities, leave them alone all together!"

Rocky Mountain Arsenal Raptors

Every DFO birding trip I have attended has been taught me something, and yesterday's trip to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was no exception.

The highlight of this trip came early, in the form of Ferruginous Hawks. The more common 'light' form is pictured above. That individual had apparently had a messy breakfast before we arrived. As is often the case though, a well fed hawk is a content hawk, and this one remained perched as our 10 person group got good looks from fairly close range. Just down the road we had another Ferruginous, this one was the first of the dark variety that I had seen.

That one did fly more quickly, giving me a great view through my bins, showing its white tail and wrists on the upper wing, and the light crescent underneath that forms between the Ferruginous' telltale wrist comma, and the dark leading edge of the under-wing present in this variety. Good looks on both, and chances to become familiar with identification points that I knew would come in handy in the future. Little did I know that I would get the chance later on that same trip.

This bird is a juvenile, light, Ferruginous Hawk. One other birder spotted it on distant branch, but its perch was obscured by branches, and we ended up walking a good distance around the tree to get an unobstructed view. We had eliminated immature Bald Eagle and Red-tail Hawk fairly quickly, but were trying to determine if this could maybe be a Rough-legged Hawk - (which would have completed our area buteo trifecta for the day). The light coloring of the head was what was throwing us off, and we couldn't get a look at the feet, or discern the line of the gape as we approached to make an ID. In the picture the gape is visible, but in the field it was not. The bird decided it had had enough of the people walking a semicircle around it, and flew showing us its wrist commas and confirming its identity for us. It was a great chance to practice checking the field marks we had studied only a few hours before.

In addition to the Ferruginous Hawks there were a number of other raptors on display, including Red-tails, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Bald and the Golden Eagle above. The pictures of both the Golden and juvenile Ferruginous had to be brightened a bit after the fact, but show id points well. For the Golden, note that the bill progresses from black at the tip, to grey, and then a yellow base. This individual was close to a pair of Bald Eagles and allowed a chance to compare the two species. The Balds perch at an angle, where the Goldens tend to be more vertical and have a shape like that of a perched hawk.

Birding at the Arsenal is always productive, 27 square miles of refuge in an urban area guarantees that. An added bonus of a group trip like the one I joined yesterday was the potential to get outside the small area of public trails and see the Bison herd on the premises. Each time I visit I think too much time has passed since the last, and can't wait for the next. It is one of my favorite spots, and has a story that shows that even the most devastated environments can not only be repaired, but can become treasures for wildlife.

Marshall Mesa

There is a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off that runs as follows:
"How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this? This is my ninth sick day this semester. It's pretty tough coming up with new illnesses. If I go for ten, I'm probably going to have to barf up a lung, so I better make this one count."

Believe it or not I did not play hookey today. I posted the quote because I think everyone in Colorado has the same feeling today, that we had better make this one count. It is once again pushing 70 degrees along the Front Range, and we all realize we are living on borrowed time. So, knowing that there are still two of our snowiest months ahead I made sure to get out today to enjoy a bit of spring in advance.

I headed to Marshall Mesa, another trailhead area of the Boulder County Open Space land. It ended up being overly ambitious for good birding. I made a 2.6 mile loop in just over 45 minutes. It was enough to be a good well paced hike, but didn't allow time for stops to wait for birds to emerge. The warming Chinook winds, (blowing close to 20 mph), didn't help me hearing anything singing from cover either.
My three species total would have been very disappointing, except that it was a beautiful day, I got to be outside, and one of the species was a Golden Eagle - which I needed for my year list.





Unfortunately he was soaring towards the sun with respect to me, and despite standing for a few seconds with a balled fist blocking out the sun hoping he would angle back towards me, he continued to drift away.
I'm sure the biker who was stopped right there thought I was completely sane!




In addition there is a great PDF available on the site above that describes the history of the mining town of Marshall whose traces can still be seen in the landscape. Marshall was mined for coal from 1859-1946. It adds a nice backdrop for anyone enjoying the area, and even more so for someone who earned a history degree a few miles up the road! The same time constraints prevented me from taking pictures of any artifacts, but I am sure I will get them some day. I did get a shot of the Flatirons from the top of the trail though.




On a side note, to any of my friends or relatives in Minnesota who are reading this...Yes, I know I am spoiled, and yes I have been seeing just how cold it has been there. Stay warm!

2009 Count: 52

Lifetime: 85