Date: 24 June 2014 Time: 05:00 am - 08:30 am Location: Echo Lake, Colorado
Main Notes: I took a quick trip up to Echo Lake today. The birds there were what you'd expect to find at this time of the year. Notable birds: Barrow's Goldeneye, Lincoln's Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Pine Siskin, Pine Grosbeak, Wilson's Warbler, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, Clark's Nutcracker. About a mile south of the lake, at Juniper Pass Picnic Area, I parked and found a Band-tailed Pigeon along with 9 or so more nutcrackers. Notes not worth reading: There were quite a few Cordilleran Flycatchers at the picnic area on the north side of the lake by the road. One was building a nest on the side of one of the shelters. I didn't want to get too close and I was using a tree as a blind when one of the Red Squirrels (Pine Squirrel) decided I might have food. He or she came over, climbed the tree I was leaning on, and stared at me from a matter of inches. I told it that unless it wanted to bite my nose, I had no food and it should just move on, which it did. Good choice for me. Over the lake, I saw a slow falling, spiralling something....which upon closer inspection turned out to be mating Tree Swallows. Very interesting to watch, but since I was trying to figure out what I was seeing, I was looking with my binoculars and not my camera, so no photos of that. The Wilson's Warblers, Lincoln Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and kinglets were in abundance, as were the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. The Pine Grosbeaks up there are fairly tame, so if you can spot them, you can usually approach fairly close. That is it. I didn't bother to go up Mt Evans road. I was on the DFO trip to RMNP on Sunday where I got my tundra birds, including a ptarmigan which Lynn spotted (Lynn, email me if you want your list. I can't find your address). I dipped on the Gray Jay, so it looks as if I'll be taking a trip to Park county in the near future. John Breitsch Denver, Colorado https://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/93b01b9e-67dd-4901-a4a5-615ca50199dd%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
