Thanks for these updates Carl - very helpful. Joe Kipper, Fort Collins On Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 9:32:43 AM UTC-6 [email protected] wrote:
> Three days of birding in RMNP since September 5 is not a big sample but I > noticed an apparent lack of birds both quantity and variety. Everywhere we > went, we commented how quiet it seemed. I can only speculate that both the > extreme cold front and persistent smoke is to blame. (And see other > postings, for example, of the NY Times article on the bird die-off in New > Mexico and Colorado.) > > Thought I would also update a few things for those considering a visit to > RMNP: > > The advance reservation system currently in place is ending on October 12; > after that, entry goes back to "normal." The park has been noticeably > less crowded with the reservation system in place. And, you can still > bypass the need for a permit if you enter before 6 a.m. > > Speaking of early entry, construction on HWY 36 within the park continues > and a section is closed every night between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday > through Friday. IF you enter at Beaver Meadows before 7 a.m. during the > closure period, you can only go in as far as the Bear Lake road. So if you > are coming in early to visit other parts of the park such as going up Trail > Ridge Road, you need to use the Fall River entrance. Note this also means > you may have trouble exiting in the evening (after viewing the elk rut, for > example) unless you exit at Fall River. > > Due to smoke and the encroachment of the Cameron Peak fire, much of the > northwest corner of the park is closed including the Old Fall River Road. > > Finally, trail construction is continuing at the Alluvial Fan area in > Endovalley and BOTH the east and west alluvial fan parking areas were > completely closed yesterday. > > IF you are planning a visit, be sure to check the Park website > <https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm> for the latest updates. > > Despite all this, we did manage to find three White-tailed Ptarmigan along > Trail Ridge Rd, an American Three-toed Woodpecker in Hidden Valley, and a > Northern Pygmy Owl at Upper Beaver Meadows. Unless the several Wilson's > Warblers we saw were non-locals, we found no migrant species. > > Carl Bendorf > Longmont, CO > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/1c1a6534-726f-4296-b08c-e90129aa0680n%40googlegroups.com.
