Good day all! This post is a few days late but thought I'd post it nonetheless. My family and I camped at Stagecoach State Park south of Steamboat Springs this past weekend. On the way there we stopped at Moose Visitor Center for a quick picnic and was able to see the normal summer bird residents. I did pick up a Slate-colored Fox Sparrow. Also, there was a male Rufous Hummingbird and either a juvenile or female Calliope Hummingbird. The male Rufous was battling for position on one of the feeders staying very close by in a nearby bush. At one point he landed 4 feet from me. Pretty cool! On to Stagecoach...After dinner in Steamboat on Friday (7/31) we headed back to our camp. As we were a few hundred yards before the turn off for the park, my wife and I spotted two birds along side the road at the same time and I knew right away they were grouse. I turned the car around and stepped out to see if I could catch another glimpse. I ended up flushing 5 Sharp-tailed Grouse! The park description mentioned them as being present in the park but I sure didn't think I'd turn up a lifer right then and there. Very awesome. The park held Brewer's Sparrows, Vespers Sparrows, and Sagebrush Sparrows. There were many Lazuli Buntings and Brewer's Blackbirds as well. Also, a Long-tailed Weasel. Only the second one I've ever seen. He was giving the Wyoming Ground Squirrels a good scare. Most other sightings were of the usual suspect kind. We enjoyed ourselves immensely while we were there. Got some fishing in as well as my kiddo's first canoe ride. The ride home yesterday turned up two giant bull moose in direct sight of downtown Walden. And just as we passed The Mishawaka we spotted a Black Bear cruising the hillside a few hundred feet above the Poudre River. A much needed and blessed break!
Bird is the word y'all! Josh Bruening Fort Collins P.S. I get it. I understand the importance and potential impact of it. But please please please don't take this post as an opportunity to reply to me to plug Ebird. It's really making me not want to post anymore. I'll get to it, when I get to it, if I choose to get to it. Sometimes I just like to bird for me and share in this forum. I am certainly not trying to sound crass but it is exhausting getting 8-10 emails after every post I make about Ebird. Thanks! -- 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/61d34ab4-cee2-48ed-bc43-eeca95f8c87e%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
