Gone West

The first day of the CFO convention was great, if a bit more wet than anyone would have hoped. Our day started with a good sized group, getting good looks at the Black-throated Sparrow (above) and Lark Sparrow (below).


By then the rain started to get serious, and our group thinned due to muddy roads. A somewhat smaller group pressed on, and got good looks at the Burrowing Owl, and Sandhill Crane below.


Unfortunately the rain that kept us company all morning also caused a fogging issue with my camera, and I missed getting shots of my lifer Long-eared Owls on their nest.


The group contracted again, but six of us pressed on through the heaviest rain, getting to unsuccessfully scan a flock of close to 200 White-faced Ibis for any stray Glossies, (still a great sight). Eventually the weather began to break, just as we were guided to a nice hotspot for Sage Sparrows, (below) and Sage Thrashers (picture not posted - see fogging issue above). Both were great looks at life birds for me.


Life birds aren't the only highlights though, many birds were willing to give us close looks, like this Brewer's Sparrow.


Many thanks to my carpoolers, Nick and Matt, and our awesome west slope guide Kim who braved the weather with us and showed us some great sites.

Hopefully the weather is a bit more cooperative and the birding continues at the same great pace.

2011 Count: 184
Lifetime: 273

Early Returns

Just like on an election night the early returns from my trip may not in any way reflect what the outcome will be when the results have been fully examined. Regardless, I can say with confidence that I added three new species to my life list. Above is the Chukar, a gamebird species gone wild. Below, a Juniper Titmouse, a species that I missed when it unexpectedly hung around the Morrison Hawkwatch this spring. Both species made their appearances on Sunday morning as I drove through Colorado National Monument. The Juniper Titmouse suffered a bit from overcast skies just after dawn - the low light made its picture a bit grainy. The Chukars were just off the road, and fortunately the nearly non-existent traffic allowed me to back to a parking area and return on foot to get a bunch of fun shots.

I also added a Common Poorwill on Friday evening, on a county road leading up to Black Mountain. Unfortunately, it exploded out of the brush as I was driving and I had no chance for a photograph. My best guess was confirmed when I checked the CFO birding by county information later and saw that exact species described along that same stretch of road. While it wasn't dark yet, thunderstorms rolling past made for what I considered an early dusk. One more species that I will have to keep watching for to add to the blog.

The trip was a great driving weekend, and one that I will plan to add more entries about in the days and weeks to follow. As I get a chance to look at my many pictures more closely I may even be able to add some additional species highlights, but I know that there will be a few more pictures posted at some point.