Because there were no rare birds in the area, and we had a free afternoon Dad and I decided to head to Cherry Creek State Park. We birded the West Shades, Lake Loop, Pelican Point, and the Swim Beach. The lake was only frozen around the edges so there were still good numbers of waterfowl on the water. Although we didn’t see any rare birds on this trip, we saw several fun birds and their interesting behavior! Its’s nice having such a wonderful birding location just ten minutes from my house.
Kingfisher
As soon as we arrived at the lake Dad saw something drop out of a tree towards the water. He thought it must have been a Magpie. When I looked over, I saw a Belted Kingfisher with a fish almost as big as him fly into a tree near us. He repeatedly smacked it into a branch. He eventually ate the fish whole!
Kingfisher with the fish.Look how big that fish is!Whack!!!
Kingfisher with his fish.Just got to move it around a little.Post meal smile.
Diving Ducks
On the lake we had good views of several common winter ducks. They were all diving ducks and continuously dived in search of prey.
Male Hooded Merganser.Large group of Common Mergansers.A pair of Common Goldeneye.
Raptors
We spotted a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk perched on the ground in an open field. After sitting in the field for several minutes he took flight into the distance. There was also a Red-tailed Hawk perched nearby.
Ferruginous Hawk in prairie dog town.Red-tailed Hawk.
Great Horned Owl
While walking through the woods we spotted an owl fly into a tree just above us. We slowly backed away so we didn’t spook him. He eventually fell asleep as we watched him.
What are you people doing down there?Time for a nap.Look at those talons!
What an awesome afternoon of watching the local bird life at Cherry Creek State park!
Camera: Nikon COOLPIX P1000, SONY Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
While driving from Denver to Story, Wyoming, which takes about 6.5 hours, we spotted many raptors. The highlights were 14 Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle, all between Casper and Story! Story is just outside of Sheridan, which is in North Central Wyoming. This area is bordered on the west by the Bighorn Mountains with rolling plains to the east.
I was excited about the possibility of 3 lifers on this trip: Bohemian Waxwing, Gray Partridge and Snow Bunting. These birds had all been reported on eBird within the last month so there was a good possibility of seeing all of them.
November 28th, Lake De Smet, WY. Target bird: Gray Partridge
Thanksgiving Day. Partly sunny, 10°-25°. We headed out early and arrived just after sunrise. Lake De Smet is one of the largest bodies of water in Northern Wyoming surrounded by rolling hills and agricultural fields. Our first stop was the campground. The willow bushes around the camp sites draw in many wintering game birds including Sharp-tailed Grouse and Gray Partridge. We easily found flocks of both birds and enjoyed close views from the warmth of the car!
Gray Partridge. First Lifer of the trip!Partridges looking right at us!Great color on these guys.Always fun to see Sharp-tailed Grouse.Another Grouse.Yum!
On our drive out we passed through excellent raptor habitat.
A Pair of Bald Eagles in the distance.Rough-legged Hawk, dark morph.Hovering, searching for breakfast.Rough-legged Hawk, light morph.Not a raptor, but always cool to see a Common Raven.Waves on the shore of Lake De Smet.Hi there!
November 29th, Story, WY.
Feeder watching at my grandparents’ property. I enjoyed many common feeder birds in the pristine Ponderosa Pine forest in Story.
Very active bird feeders.Downy Woodpecker.Another Downy.Black-capped Chickadee.Mountain Chickadee, very similar to Black-capped Chickadee.Pygmy NuthatchRed-breasted Nuthatch.Fog moving down the valley into Story.
November 30th, Bighorn, WY. Target bird: Bohemian Waxwing.
We only had 45 minutes to search for the flock of Waxwings which had been reported to eBird the day before. Birding on a tight schedule is always challenging and today was no exception! We birded along the Brinton Museum entrance road looking for Waxwings in the tall Cottonwood trees. None were present. However, there was a nice flock of Pine Grosbeak foraging near the road. As our time ran out we headed towards Sheridan along Little Goose Creek. As I leaned out of the car to look at a hawk I saw and heard a large flock of Waxwings flying overhead. I was fairly confident they were Bohemians, but not 100% sure. We’d have to continue our search another day…
Not a Waxwing, but a female Pine Grosbeak.Male Pine Grosbeak refusing to be photogenic.White-breasted Nuthatch.
December 1st, Bighorn, WY. Target bird: Bohemian Waxwing.
On our drive to the Brinton Museum we spotted a flock of Sharp-tailed Grouse. They were completely unconcerned with us and continued feeding as we watched from just feet away.
After viewing the Sharp-tails we headed towards the Brinton Museum. Driving along Little Goose Creek we finally found the Waxwings. There was a flock of Bohemian Waxwings numbering over 100 birds. Mixed in were a few Cedar Waxwings and Robins. The birds were feasting on berries. While watching the Waxwings my dad spotted a Harris’s Sparrow, which is a rare bird in Wyoming. Nice job, dad!
Sharp-tailed Grouse.Sharpie eating breakfast.How many Grouse can you spot in this picture?Bohemian Waxwing, second lifer of the trip!Another Bohemian.Part of the Waxwing flock.Good comparison of Bohemian Waxwing on left and Cedar Waxwing on right.Cedar Waxwings.American Robin.Harris’s Sparrow.
On the way home we saw many great raptors.
Golden Eagle hiding in the top of a pine tree.Bald Eagle.Rolling hills just outside Bighorn.
Great trip to Wyoming, great birding with two new lifers!
