Colorado Birding Archives - Page 3 of 12

Midway through September, I was sitting at 387 species for my Colorado Big Year. I had already seen every common bird in Colorado except one: Western Screech-Owl. Because of this, the only way to add new species to my year list was finding or chasing rarities not normally found in the state. Over the next two and a half months of fall migration an exceptional number of rare birds appeared in Colorado and I attempted to see them all!

On September 18th a young Reddish Egret was found along the shore of Jackson Lake. Within two hours we made it to Jackson and watched the Egret feeding near several Snowy Egrets.

While watching the Reddish Egret we spotted a Red Phalarope swimming in the water.

Nelson's Sparrow — A Nelson’s Sparrow was found at Pelican Point in Cherry Creek State Park on the 25th of September. In less than 25 minutes we arrived at the location and watched the Nelson’s Sparrow hopping on the ground several feet away from us. This bird represents only the 5th state record!

Sprague's Pipit — We made the trek to the eastern border of the state on October 11th in search of Sprague’s Pipit in the town of Hale. These birds migrate through the area in small numbers and can only be seen for about three weeks in the fall. We saw several while we were there but I only managed a flyover picture.

On October 15th a skulking Sedge Wren was seen in Broomfield. This species is very difficult to locate because they often creep along the ground under dense grass.

We drove six hours to the town of Norwood in western Colorado on October 20th to chase the first state record Ruddy Ground Dove. We saw it several times during our four hour stakeout but never had good views. Finally at the end of the four hours the bird landed on the ground very close to us.

I was able to relocate a female Black Scoter at Cherry Creek State Park on the 24th of October. These ocean ducks only show up in Colorado a few times a year.

Later in the afternoon we went to Pueblo Reservoir to chase a Parasitic Jaeger that was seen early in the morning. Windy conditions made it difficult to locate the bird on the choppy water of the reservoir but we eventually got it. Thanks Brandon for helping me get on this bird!

During a snow storm on October 26th a Purple Finch was reported at a private feeder in Broomfield. While observing the feeder we watched a flock of other finches before eventually spotting the Purple Finch. This bird can be distinguished from the similar Cassin’s Finch because of the short stubby bill and clean white under tail.

After almost two weeks without a new bird and many failed chases November 8th seemed like it was shaping up to be another fruitless search. We spent 3 hours looking for a Bohemian Waxwing at Hudson Gardens. No Waxwing. Then a message popped up on my phone: ***Magnificent Frigatebird At Cherry Creek.*** We made it across town in 18 minutes flat to look for this tropical ocean bird! It didn’t look good when after scouring the reservoir for 15 minutes we couldn’t locate the Frigatebird. We finally spotted it flying high over the reservoir! It continued circling for 30-ish minutes before disappearing to the west, never to be seen again. Many birders were able to see this incredible bird that was only the 3rd state record. Wow, what a bird!!!

After the thrill of seeing the Frigatebird we returned to Hudson Gardens and within 15 minutes we got the Bohemian Waxwing.

On our way home from Lamar in southeastern Colorado on November 11th (more on that later) we made a detour to Loveland to get a Black-legged Kittiwake. After a little over an hour just before dark we finally got good looks at the bird. These gulls are rare inland, only showing up a few times a year in the state.

So, the reason we were in Lamar on the 11th was this funny little bird called an American Woodcock that was in someone’s yard. It was first seen on the 10th so we made the drive to Lamar on the 11th. The bird was nowhere to be found and all hope seemed lost until one day later when the bird was relocated! We again made the three hour drive to Lamar on the 12th and once more the bird had disappeared! Luckily, within 15 minutes we found it and watched it forage in the lawn. Thanks Jill for letting us see this bird in your yard!

After more than 2 weeks without anything new I finally had an opportunity to chase another bird! On the 21st of November a Bay-breasted Warbler catching insects over a concrete sewage pond was seen in Fountain. This is the latest fall record (on eBird) of this species in Colorado.

On two separate days during the summer we made the trek to Colorado’s Western Slope in search of new birds for my Colorado Big Year. We saw a lot of amazing birds but my favorite was the Gunnison Sage-Grouse.