Sheryll
09-16-2007, 11:55 PM
Hi,
I just got back from Rocky Mountain National Park. I haven't hiked that hard since I left New Mexico, as I did hikes of 3, 4.5, and 6 miles. Next time, I want to go even further! You really have to work for the mountain birds, they aren't all sitting there waiting to be seen like they are on the coast during migration. But, if you like to hike, the trails are to-die-for and the scenery almost makes you forget about the birds.
I included my trip list below. Highlights were my new lifers - Townsend's Warbler (an unexpected migrant, seen at three different locations), White-tailed Ptarmigan (finally!), Pygmy Nuthatch, and Williamson Sapsucker. Also, I hadn't seen a Townsend's Solitaire nor a Lazuli Bunting in several years...I was quite proud of myself for definatively ID'ing the female Lazuli that was feeding amongst a flock of chipping sparrows (no male anywhere to be found). Unbelievably, the Swainson's Thrush was right next to the main road.
I went on a ranger-led birdwalk to see if I could add a couple of additional target species (Virginia's Warbler and Three-Toed Woodpecker), but no luck. What we did find were juvenile Northern Harriers - a new park species for this ranger and a rarity at RMNP! After the walk, the weather was getting bad so we decided to take the Fall River Road, a dirt road to the Alpine Visitor's Center up in the tundra. We flushed a flock of about 150 Brown-capped Rosy Finches near the Visitor's Center and nowhere near any snowbanks. When we got to the top, the same ranger who had led the birdwalk was there. I told him about the Rosy Finches, walked out to show him where we had seen them, and darned if THREE MORE Northern Harriers weren't hunting the TUNDRA! What on earth are Marsh Hawks doing in the tundra?!? We also saw an immature golden eagle hunting on the tundra. Anyway, he did get to see about 50 of the rosy finches flush, so he handed me the park's "Unusual Sighting" form...he said any group of rosy finches greater than 20 this time of year was worthy of a report, especially since they were feeding en masse away from any snowbanks. We had also seen a flock of a dozen white-tailed ptarmigan a couple of evenings previous, so I also filled out a form on them...supposedly, the ptarmigan don't usually flock up this time of year and they were not in the location where they usually nest/feed.
Here's my list:
Rocky Mountain National Park 9/8/07 – 9/14/07
Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Northern Harrier (5! 3 hunting on the tundra!)
Red Tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle (Immature, hunting the tundra)
American Kestrel (2)
White-tailed Ptarmigan (12!) *
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
Rock Pidgeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech Owl (heard only)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird (female, attacked my mother’s red vest)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-naped Sapsucker (both male and female)
Williamson Sapsucker (both male and female) *
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (EVERYWHERE! Major irruption)
3 Empids (I refuse to learn Empids)
Tree Swallow
Violet-Green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Gray Jay
Steller’s Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch *
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend’s Solitaire
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin (another major irruption)
Gray Catbird (heard only)
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (both Myrtle’s and Audubon’s)
Townsend’s Warbler*
Wilson’s Warbler
Lazuli Bunting (female)
Green-tailed Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (at least four subspecies)
Brewer’s Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-Capped Rosy Finch (flock of about 150!)
House Finch
House Sparrow
I just got back from Rocky Mountain National Park. I haven't hiked that hard since I left New Mexico, as I did hikes of 3, 4.5, and 6 miles. Next time, I want to go even further! You really have to work for the mountain birds, they aren't all sitting there waiting to be seen like they are on the coast during migration. But, if you like to hike, the trails are to-die-for and the scenery almost makes you forget about the birds.
I included my trip list below. Highlights were my new lifers - Townsend's Warbler (an unexpected migrant, seen at three different locations), White-tailed Ptarmigan (finally!), Pygmy Nuthatch, and Williamson Sapsucker. Also, I hadn't seen a Townsend's Solitaire nor a Lazuli Bunting in several years...I was quite proud of myself for definatively ID'ing the female Lazuli that was feeding amongst a flock of chipping sparrows (no male anywhere to be found). Unbelievably, the Swainson's Thrush was right next to the main road.
I went on a ranger-led birdwalk to see if I could add a couple of additional target species (Virginia's Warbler and Three-Toed Woodpecker), but no luck. What we did find were juvenile Northern Harriers - a new park species for this ranger and a rarity at RMNP! After the walk, the weather was getting bad so we decided to take the Fall River Road, a dirt road to the Alpine Visitor's Center up in the tundra. We flushed a flock of about 150 Brown-capped Rosy Finches near the Visitor's Center and nowhere near any snowbanks. When we got to the top, the same ranger who had led the birdwalk was there. I told him about the Rosy Finches, walked out to show him where we had seen them, and darned if THREE MORE Northern Harriers weren't hunting the TUNDRA! What on earth are Marsh Hawks doing in the tundra?!? We also saw an immature golden eagle hunting on the tundra. Anyway, he did get to see about 50 of the rosy finches flush, so he handed me the park's "Unusual Sighting" form...he said any group of rosy finches greater than 20 this time of year was worthy of a report, especially since they were feeding en masse away from any snowbanks. We had also seen a flock of a dozen white-tailed ptarmigan a couple of evenings previous, so I also filled out a form on them...supposedly, the ptarmigan don't usually flock up this time of year and they were not in the location where they usually nest/feed.
Here's my list:
Rocky Mountain National Park 9/8/07 – 9/14/07
Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Northern Harrier (5! 3 hunting on the tundra!)
Red Tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle (Immature, hunting the tundra)
American Kestrel (2)
White-tailed Ptarmigan (12!) *
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
Rock Pidgeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech Owl (heard only)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird (female, attacked my mother’s red vest)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-naped Sapsucker (both male and female)
Williamson Sapsucker (both male and female) *
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (EVERYWHERE! Major irruption)
3 Empids (I refuse to learn Empids)
Tree Swallow
Violet-Green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Gray Jay
Steller’s Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch *
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend’s Solitaire
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin (another major irruption)
Gray Catbird (heard only)
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (both Myrtle’s and Audubon’s)
Townsend’s Warbler*
Wilson’s Warbler
Lazuli Bunting (female)
Green-tailed Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (at least four subspecies)
Brewer’s Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-Capped Rosy Finch (flock of about 150!)
House Finch
House Sparrow