Definitely not a downer, Josh! Having birded Soapstone enough times to "learn the hard way" in the summer, everything you mentioned here is very appropriate for this discussion. It's a fairly appropriate disclaimer for a birding culture that is unfortunately shifting towards a "tick and run" rat race. Nobody wants anybody getting heat stroke while searching for these birds. It's also a timely reminder that birding is far more about appreciating the beautiful ecosystems that we still have in their raw and natural forms; when we go birding, we are nature's guests :).
Happy birding to all who go after em! ;) Caleb Alons On Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 6:31:19 PM UTC-6 James Bruening wrote: > All, > > I wanted to add a few safety notes if there are people that are going to > try and re-find the sparrows we found today. Soapstone is a pretty epic > place and I don't think I've ever gone there and not seen something > amazing. Beyond the fact that we found the sparrows, we had a moment at > Jack Springs where a Prairie Falcon was after some Lark Buntings for > breakfast. After flying near Nick, a male bunting bee-lined for me turning > left just before he hit me. The Prairie Falcon was forced to bank right to > avoid me at the last second and missed me by an inch at best. Missed his > breakfast, too. EPIC!!! I was a pawn in today's survival game. I got to > run interference! Was I the Bunting's wing-man? Awful, I know. I > couldn't resist it. We couldn't believe it. I have also never gone to > Soapstone and not felt pretty beat up when I was done. > > A couple of notes about this place if you have not been: There is NO > SHADE anywhere except at the bathrooms and a few picnic spots in the > parking areas. The heat can get brutal. The temps are projected to rise > in the coming days. Start early. The gate opens at sunrise. Please be > prepared. Ample water/food/sunscreen. The Deer flies were ubiquitous and > intolerable today. We had bug spray but it was only good enough to keep > the mosquitos at bay. And there were not many of those. Find one that > works on flies. Wearing pants is not a bad idea as the Cheat Grass has > gone to seed and will get into your socks and drive you mad. I was happy I > wore pants. The quickest way to get to these birds was from the north > parking lot. They were 6.5 miles from there. Take the Sand Wash Trail to > the Plover Trail. The birds were near the ranch buildings. The whole > natural area is a stay on trail area. Please respect that. The birds were > more than photogenic (I added photos to the checklist and I'm sure Nick > will as well) but might require some patience. The ranch folks will be > more than happy to remind you of this even though they shouldn't have to. > These birds were never more that 20 yards off of the ranch road. Beware of > slithering things as well. I am not trying to be a downer here and > convince people not to go. I'm just trying to convey that this isn't your > normal leisurely stroll in the woods. It was well worth the effort today > but no bird is worth putting yourself in danger because you are > unprepared. I hope I haven't dashed anyone's hopes and dreams and helped > with some preparation. But this isn't an easy tick and go situation where > they are. > > Bird is the word! > > Josh Bruening > Fort Collins > > On Sat, Jul 15, 2023 at 1:43 PM Nicholas Komar <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> >> Baird’s Sparrow territorial pair observed and documented just now at >> Soapstone Prairie Natural Area along dirt road by managers house. This is >> along the Plover Trail which is now open for the season. Josh Bruening and >> I are riding the loop by bike and found the pair after riding the loop >> counterclockwise about 9 miles from south parking lot to this spot. >> >> Nick Komar >> Fort Collins CO >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >> --- >> 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/E0B95126-2B89-4745-A703-33F28A6BD3A5%40comcast.net >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/E0B95126-2B89-4745-A703-33F28A6BD3A5%40comcast.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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/5db088f3-c3c3-4da5-84c4-f41469acaad3n%40googlegroups.com.
