After I stayed in Brown’s Park for two days I headed towards home but
stopped at Pear Lake State Park, about 25 miles of north of Steamboat
Springs and the smaller sister park to Steamboat lake. Personally I found
Pear Lake to be better and less of a resort lake. I found many Dark-eyed
Juncos (all gray heads) and Whit-crown sparrows. There was also many, many
Tree Swallows. Did I say many, many tree swallows, more like dozens and
dozens. There was also Northern Rough Wing Swallows and some Violet Green
Swallows. There was an Olive Sided Flycatcher calling along the lake not
fare of the trail, the only trail in the park, but it connects to National
Forest so it goes no forever. The flycatcher was present in some of the
dead trees past the aspen groves with in about .3 miles of the trail head.
It was present every day call there. There was also an Osprey and I got to
go to wake up listing to the cranes calling somewhere. From my camp,
Number 12, I could hear a Virginia’s Rail down below, which might have nor
might not have been on Stat Park property. My attempts at owling was not
successful however. One the last day, 6-10, I saw a small bird fliting
around in the willows right at the trail head near the aspens. I thought at
first it was a white-crowned sparrow again but I saw a red crown and though
maybe chipping sparrow. Instead to my surprise it was a *Red-napped
Sapsucker. *Maybe it was getting insects from the willows but I found it
strange to find a sapsucker going through the willows and not present in
the aspens which I had been searching for the last two days. If this is not
unusual let me know, it seemed odd to me.
From Pear Lake I also drove towards Hayden and spent a
morning walking along the Nature Preserves Yampa River Preserve. I found a
lot of the usual birds but did hear at least three *Veery* but I did not
find any. At the end of the trail was on Spotted Sandpiper I watched for a
time. I also visited Fish Creek Falls, which was spectacular but there were
not many birds present, the berry bushes are only starting to flower so
that might be the reason. Steamboat Lake had some birds but most were just
expected for that time, cranes, pelicans, red-wing blackbirds. There was
some Savanah Sparrows also. Hahn’s Peak Lake was still closed for the
season when I was there, most things were opening that weekend and the
campground was booked so I think I picked the right time to be present.
This is it, the last of my trip reports, now I just need to finish my ebird
submissions, ebird mobile does not work on these trips. In all this was a
very successful trip.
Brian Johnson
Englewood CO
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