Month: March 2020

Owls Part 1

Searching For Owls In Northeastern Colorado, February 15

We drove to Northeastern Colorado (Logan and Jackson Counties) in search of owls and other rare birds. Our goal was to find a Short-eared Owl which would be a lifer. They are most often seen hunting at dawn and dusk so we birded at Sterling Lake in the early morning and at Jackson Lake in the evening. Both are favorite owl hangouts but we were unable to find a Short-eared on this trip. We did find other birds (and owls) of interest.

Snow Geese
Hundreds of Snow Geese flying overhead.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle perched in the distance.
Ferruginous Hawk
A Ferruginous Hawk sitting on top of a power pole.
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier cruising over the fields.
Coyote
A Coyote loping across a grassy field.

Our next birding location was Jackson Lake State Park. In winter this reservoir attracts many hard to find species.

Long-eared Owl
A Long-eared Owl perched in a dense clump of willow bushes.
Long-eared Owl
Can you spot the Long-eared Owl sitting in the bushes?
Long-eared Owl
What cute and long ear tufts!
Bald Eagle and Brewer's Blackbird
A Bald Eagle chillin’ in the top of a tree with a flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Brewer's Blackbird
And here’s a closer look at two male Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Gulls and Eagles
Several eagles perched on the ice with some gulls.
Jackson Lake
Although it doesn’t look like it in this picture, the whole of Jackson Lake is frozen. A cool optical illusion.
Great Horned Owl
After sunset we spotted our second owl of the day, a Great Horned Owl. Although the light was disappearing quickly we were able to photograph the bird, one of several Great Horned Owls that were calling.

Arapahoe County, February 16

There was a report of an Eastern Screech-Owl close to our house. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see this bird in his daytime roost.

Eastern Screech-owl
Eastern Screech-Owl sleeping in a cavity. Once we found the right tree it was easy to spot the owl.
Eastern Screech-owl
Squinty eyed little fellow.
Eastern Screech-Owl
Look at those little claws!
Eastern Screech-Owl
What’s that below me?
Eastern Screech-Owl
A little stretch.

Front Range, February 22

We took a break from owling during the early part of the day to chase some other rare birds. Our first stop was a small lake near Brighton which is a town just northeast of Denver. A Mew Gull had been reported at this lake. Mew Gulls are very difficult to identify because of how similar they are to Ring-billed Gulls. The biggest differences are its bill and head shape.

Mew Gull
After scoping the 250 Ring-billed Gulls for almost an hour we finally spotted one bird that looked slightly different from the rest.
Mew Gull
The bird in the center facing right is a Mew Gull!
Mew Gull
In this picture you can clearly see one of the key field marks to differentiate Mew and Ring-billed Gulls. The bill of the Mew is skinny and pointed and is all yellow. All the surrounding gulls (Ring-billed Gulls) have a broader bill with a black ring around it. The Mew Gull’s head is also more rounded than the Ring-billed Gulls.
Bald Eagle
An immature Bald Eagle sitting in a tree on the edge of the lake.
Western Meadowlark
A Western Meadowlark intermittently singing from the top of this fence post.

After spotting the Mew Gull we drove to Fort Collins to look for a Gyrfalcon that has been hanging around Larimer County landfill. Over the past two winters we have made more than 15 trips in search of the falcon without success. The Gyrfalcon did not make an appearance during our stay but we were able to see the gulls that congregate around the landfill. All the gulls were very distant but identifiable.

Gulls
Many gulls roosting at the Larimer County landfill.
Glaucous Gull
A more cropped image of the last picture. The large all white gull standing on top of the rock is a Glaucous Gull. Although all the gulls are far away it is a fun challenge to identify them at this distance.

After dark we birded the foothills of Jefferson County trying to hear a Northern Saw-whet Owl. This small owl is extremely hard to find either by ear or by sight. This bird would be a lifer for me so the opportunity to finally hear one was thrilling! After only a short time we heard the distinct tooting call of the Saw-whet Owl!

What a great two weekends of birding, ending with our fourth species of owl which was also a lifer!

Camera: Nikon COOLPIX P1000, SONY Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Optics: Celestron TrailSeeker Scope and Nikon Monarch 7 ATB 8×42 Binoculars