 |
 |
 |
 |
 
Saturday 8th of April 2023 and we had no success in finding the White-tailed Ptarmigan at Loveland Pass yesterday. So, we will go there to have another look before we continue to the North Park. And we will leave early and we will meet in the reception at 6 thirty. I had tea and cheese for breakfast in my room at 4 o'clock and I was in the reception quarter past six. Still dark and the sun was behind the mountains.  I'm on the parking enjoying the views
 I'm on the parking enjoying the views
 We leave 15 minutes later and the sun is on the way
 Cold but gorgeous morning
We drive up to the Loveland Pass summit and there is no sign of any birds at all, well, we gave it a try. It was very cold, of course, I wanted to see the bird, but right there and then I preferred the heat in the car. We had expected the parking to be empty at 6 thirty. But we got the last space. Looked like they had slept overnight in the car next to us. The road from Denver was full of cars with skiers coming to spend the weekend in the skiing slops. It was very beautiful on the mountain early morning but too cold to stay and enjoy it.  Early morning at the Loveland Pass
We dove back down to the hotel to pick up the bags and we continued toward the North Park where we will do some birding and we will stay overnight at Walden. We will of course keep our eyes out for birds on the way. First stop was the eBird hotspot: Silverthorne Water Treatment Plant. Water fowls in the ponds, otherwise nothing, and for sure nothing exciting. But this is how it is, sometimes you just don't have any luck.
 Driving towards the North Park
 Driving towards the North Park
 Driving towards the North Park
We continued toward the North Park and I enjoyed the views. It will be snow and ice here for at least another month. But it was a beautiful road through the grassland surrounded by high mountains. But we did not expect to see many birds along the road. But suddenly, my Guide pointed to the left. - Bald Eagle! We made a U-turn and we were lucky, the bird stayed and I got a few pictures even though it was a little too far away.  Bald Eagle
 Bald Eagle
 Cliffs at Kremmling
We left the eagle and we continued and I was soon seeing some cliffs ahead of us. We were approaching Kremmling, a small town and when we came in to the town, we discovered Turkey Vultures sitting on the poles. One landed on the road chasing away two American Crows. We parked to get a good view of the vultures. We discovered that there was a road kill and this is why it had landed on the road chasing away the crows.  Turkey Vulture
 Turkey Vulture
 Turkey Vulture
 Turkey Vulture
 Turkey Vulture
 Turkey Vulture
I was going to stop m eBird app, but my Guide suggested that we kept it on and we would explore the rest of the town. We are soon running in to one RARE BIRD alert, two Spotted Towhee The are at a house so I did not want to sit in a car outside the house and point a camera. I got a couple of pictures, poor quality, but good enough to attach to the RARE BIRD alert.  Spotted Towhee
Poor picture, for ID purpose only
 Spotted Towhee
Poor picture, for ID purpose only
 Red-tailed Hawk
 Red-tailed Hawk
 American Tree Sparrow
 American Tree Sparrow
 Yellow-headed Blackbird
Poor picture, for ID purpose only
We had seen many Red- tailed hawks since I arrived to Colorado. But today was the first time I managed to get any pictures that I could use. We spotted a second RARE BIRD alert and both me and my Guide were surprised, the American Tree Sparrow. Rare bird alert, maybe because of the time of the year, they should have moved north for breeding already. And the birds were singing so for sure, they are ready to breed. Red-winged Blackbirds, a very beautiful bird and there were many of them. But no pictures, and we spotted a Yellow-headed Blackbird, a gorgeous bird. But I had no luck trying to sneak up on the bird so no pictures. We have tried to get pictures of the Black-billed Magpie since day one. But without success. We had a couple of them today and the last bird landed on a fence next to the car. BY the time I had my camera ready it took off. But we found the bird on a roof around the corner and I tried my best to get a picture.  Black-billed Magpie
 Black-billed Magpie
  Golden Eagle nest
 Driving through a beautiful canyon
 Driving through a beautiful canyon
 Driving through a beautiful canyon
 Red-tailed Hawk
I had seen many new birds when we left Kremmling to continue towards the North Park. We passed through a beautiful Canyon, road on one side and a river in the middle. And on the other side of the river there is one single track railway. We don't see any birds driving through the Canyon but when we come out there is a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a telephone pole and we make a U-turn to try to get a picture. The bird is covered by trees and we give up the idea. We stop at the eBird hotspot: Windy Gap Reservoir. Covered by ice and no birds to be seen. I am in the car when suddenly a Blue Mountain bird lands 15 meters from the car. I take a picture, too far away. But the bird took off and landed closer to the car.  Mountain Bluebird
 Mountain Bluebird
 Mountain Bluebird
 Towards the North Park
 Cayote
 Moose
We reach the grassland in the North Park and we spot three Cayotes on the snow-covered grassland. We were soon passing a moose standing next to the road and I could get a picture. There were quite a few birds, but no pictures. But we discovered a Cassin's Finch in a tree and I got both a sound recording and pictures. Listen to the Cassin's Finch
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
  Cassin's Finch
 Cassin's Finch
 Today's track along Country Road #27
 Bound for State Forest SP - Moose Visitor Center
We reach the State Forest SP - Moose Visitor Center and we are going to check out their bird feeders. We might find exciting birds. There were plenty birds and I finally managed to get a picture of the Red-winged Blackbird. There were also two new birds I never seen before: • Black-capped Chickadee • Canada Jay There were two other bird watchers to watch and take pictures of the birds. It was cold so I went in to the visitor center every now and then to get some heat.  Steller's Jay
 Black-capped Chickadee
 Black-capped Chickadee
 Canada Jay
 Steller's Jay
 Red-winged Blackbird
 Red-winged Blackbird
 Red-winged Blackbird
 Chipmunk
 Female Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
 Female Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
 Female Dark-eyed Junco (Grey Headed)
 Female Dark-eyed Junco (Grey Headed)
 Female Dark-eyed Junco (Grey Headed)
 Canada Jay
And I see a squirrel, but it is a very small squirrel. I never seen such a small squirrel before. I tell my Guide that there is a “MINI” squirrel. He goes to have a look, but we cannot find the “MINI” squirrel. But I see one more a little later and my Guide say that it is a chipmunk. So, I have also seen a chipmunk for the first time in my life.
We drive to Walden to check-in to the hotel. We cross the road to some BBQ place for lunch. Typical American with paper plates and plastic utensils. And USA have become very expensive, 57 US Dollars for the food and I am in no hurry to get back. We drive out of town to look for birds and we end up at the Walden Reservoir. We see the Night Heron and this is the third RARE BIRD alert for today, at least according to my eBird app. The lake is covered with ice, but the “NEST” island are full of birds and we count to at least 13 pelicans. Many gulls and cormorants.  Night Heron
Poor picture, for ID purpose only
 Ring-billed Gull
 Driving around the lake
 Today's track at Walden Reservoir
 Turned out that the American Tree Sparrow was not any RARE BIRD alert, so it was only two RARE BIRD alerts today We leave the lake and we drive to check out a Nature observation area. But the gate is closed and we suspect that it is only open during the summer. Now everything is covered with snow and ice. We spot our third Bald Eagle for today; we make a U-turn and we are half way through the U-turn when I see the Bald Eagle taking off.  Road to the Nature place
Back at the hotel and I spend the rest of the day looking at today's pictures. Of course, the internet is not working in my room. I can connect in the reception and even though I have network in my room I cannot get out on the internet. Off to bed early and we will leave 5 o'clock tomorrow morning to go watch the Greater Sage Grouse lek. So, you just have to click HERE to find out how that turns out.
    
  You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
|
Species lifer: First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer: First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer: First time that someone audio records a species in their life
Naturalized: Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional: Either: 1) member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2) rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.
Escapee: Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||