After a wait I heard the Grace's Warbler sing repeatedly from around 2:30 to 3:00 this afternoon. I did not see the bird.
- Chuck Lowrie, Denver On Monday, June 2, 2014 11:35:22 AM UTC-6, Christian Nunes wrote: > > Good morning, > > While doing point counts at the Eldorado Mountain Open Space (OSMP) this > morning, I found a territorial male GRACE'S WARBLER. For years I've been > looking at this particular grove of old-growth Ponderosa Pines and thinking > about how great it would be to have a GRWA there. His territory is centered > around where the dirt road crosses Spring Brook, close to the intersection > of the Spring Book Loop and Goshawk Ridge Trails. > > For people who are unfamiliar with the area, here are some more specific > directions. From Eldorado Springs Drive, turn south (left) onto CR 67. Park > at the Open Space gate. Hike up the road, turning south (left) at the fork. > As you walk along the base of the hogback ridge, look and listen for the > nesting LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS up on the ridge. Off-trail access west of the > trail requires a permit, and since the woodpeckers are breeding, keeping a > respectful distance is a must. If good will and respect aren't impetus > enough to keep you on the trail, then I can vouch for the fact that the > place is crawling with Prairie Rattlesnakes. > > Continue on south past the ripple rocks. The road soon enters pine forest. > You will soon see a dilapidated old coral on the left and an ugly concrete > flume that shunts water from a Denver Water Board canal over the Spring > Brook gully. This is the spot. Stand on the road and listen for the > distinct two-part song. The distinct part is the last bit, a rapid, rising > trill. There are lots of VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS and an AUDUBON'S WARBLER right > here to confuse matters, but only a little bit. Tapes are not appropriate > nor are they necessary. Patience, knowledge of what birds sound like, and > the ability to spot movement in the canopy are the only tools necessary to > enjoy this rarity. > > One way hike is 1.2 miles. > https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zG5lCtrQ39_0.klJBjQZ7vdQk > > Since it's City property, the rules and regs are, naturally, overly > complicated yet decidedly PC. Off-trail access east of the road is OK. West > of the road requires a free permit that is available online (Eldorado > Mountain HCA permit via osmp.org). The Denver Water Board owns the land > directly adjacent to their canal, thus the "No Tresspassing" signs. Best > bet is to stick to the road since the bird is right there anyway. > > Lots of great birds in the area, including standards like HAMMOND'S and > CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, etc. I had one other "rare" bird > during my point counts today, which was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. > > A pit-stop at the South Mesa Trail parking lot off Eldorado Springs Drive > produced a singing RED-EYED VIREO. > > Cheers, > > Christian Nunes > Boulder, CO > [email protected] <javascript:> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/ > > -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/27c92cc1-dc80-49ec-b532-f93a54ba87f0%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
