Owls Part 2: The Search For Short-eared Owls

Northeastern Colorado, February 29

Our goal for the second day of searching for owls was to find the ever elusive Short-eared Owl. Several Short-eared Owls had been seen at Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area near dusk.

Cottonwood State Wildlife Area

Before we headed to Tamarack we decided to bird Cottonwood State Wildlife Area in search of a Common Redpoll. This state wildlife area is an interesting mix of open agricultural fields, hedgerows, and large cottonwood trees along the South Platte River.

We birded here for almost three hours primarily focusing on the large flock of Goldfinches continually flying back and forth between some thistles in the fields and the tall cottonwoods along the river. Among the flock of Goldfinches were several Pine Siskin and one Common Redpoll. Unfortunately we were unable to photograph the Redpoll.

Pine Siskin
Although this is not the Redpoll, it is the similar Pine Siskin.

The real question is, how does this relate to owls? Well, after almost two hours of attempting to find and then refind the Redpoll we spotted a Barn Owl flying along a hedge row. It glided into the junipers before we could photograph it. By the time we got closer we could not locate the Barn Owl but we accidentally flushed three Long-eared Owls! In order not to disturb the owls we left the hedgerow even though we had not photographed any of them.

Townsend's Solitaire
The owls did not pose for pictures, but this Townsend’s Solitaire did!
Townsend's Solitaire
Another shot of the Solitaire.
Brown Creeper
A very secretive Brown Creeper.
Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area

We arrived at Tamarack Ranch a little before the time that the Short-eared Owls would start hunting over the open fields. We birded in the rich riparian habitat along the South Platte River.

Red-tailed Hawk
A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched in a tree.
Snow Goose
Snow Geese flying over.
spring
The first sign of spring!
Great Horned Owl
As the sun set this Great Horned Owl began calling.
Great Horned Owl
He was one of several Great Horns that were calling continuously.
Great Horned Owl
In this picture you can see he is bent over and hooting

Shortly after seeing the Great Horned Owl, we arrived back in the open fields to try and spot a Short-eared Owl. These owls had been seen flying low over the fields right around sunset. The CU Birding Club and several other birders joined us to search for the owls. About ten minutes after sunset someone spotted an owl on the other side of a hedgerow. Everyone sprinted down the road and saw the bird just before it ducked into the bushes. Several minutes later another Short-eared flew by but this bird did not land in the hedgerow. It flew through to the other side giving us distant but identifiable views. The owl cruised back and forth over the fields for several minutes but because of the distance and lack of light photographing it was impossible. A rather unsatisfying way to get a lifer! Nonetheless, we were exhilarated by our 4 owl day as we started the three hour drive back to Denver.

Warren Lake, March 1

Warren Lake is a very productive lake for rare winter gulls in Colorado. Large numbers of birds loaf around the lake eating the abundant fish that are frozen in the ice. When a Glaucous-winged Gull, a bird normally seen along the Pacific Coast, was reported at a small pond nearby and later at Warren Lake we could not resist chasing it. This bird was an adult, unlike most other Glacous-winged Gulls that are seen in Colorado.

When we arrived some other birders were already on the bird. It was perched out in the middle of the lake. To the delight of every birder watching, it swooped over the water and landed extremely close to us providing great views!

Glaucous-Winged Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull standing just feet away from us.
Glaucous-Winged Gull
The star of the show!
Glaucous-Winged Gull
Why is everyone taking pictures of me?
Glaucous-Winged Gull
The reason so many gulls congregate around the lake is the large number of fish frozen in the ice. The Glaucous-winged is enjoying one of them.
Glaucous-Winged Gull and Herring Gull
Adult Glaucous-winged Gull on the left and an adult Herring Gull on the right. As you can see, one of the main differences is the color of the wingtips which are black on the Herring and gray on the Glaucous-winged.
Red-tailed Hawk
A Red-tailed Hawk carrying a branch for his nest.

Camera: Nikon COOLPIX P1000

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

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