Field Notes 12.2.12

 A trip down South River Road in Alamosa County started with a sighting of two foxes lounging in the morning sun on top of a haystack. They leaped off the haystack and ran away before we could take what would have been a fantastic photo.

Further on two great horned owls roosted in a bare deciduous tree while a northern harrier cruised low over the fields searching for rodents. We saw our first bald eagle of the winter season at the top of a tree near Conejos CR 26. Other sightings included a loggerhead shrike on a wire and a ground squirrel scurrying through the chico.

 

We stopped at LaSauses to count birds at our Earth Team wetland. We saw another loggerhead shrike and the usual assortment of winter birds including juncos, northern flickers, ravens and sparrows. We spent a little time observing a large flock of rock doves roosting on a nearby metal barn.

Driving east on Conejos CR Z we saw a porcupine in a tree and an American kestrel.

At the northeast end of Smith Reservoir, our final stop of the day, we saw a large number of ducks take flight in perfect synchronization as we approached in the truck. On the open water we saw mallards, common goldeneyes, and a common merganser. Horned larks lifted from the ground cover and then disappeared into the brush ahead of us. Several mule deer loped along the north shore.

 

Fields Notes 9.29.12

A lovely day in Costilla County. Our first sighting of the day was along County Road Z where a Swainson’s hawk perched on a fence post. That in itself wasn’t remarkable but as we drove closer to the raptor it was fascinating to watch it gulping down a snake for breakfast.

We stopped at our Earth Team wetland property in LaSauses. The pen and pasture were full of cows and calves so we counted birds from the road. We saw eight sandhill cranes poking around the wet meadow about 200 yards east of the road. We also saw Canada geese in flight and a yellow-rumped warbler in one of the trees. Far to the east we saw one of the wild horses that roam the BLM lands in the rugged San Luis Hills.

We drove south from LaSauses and stopped to check out a large wetland east of the LaSauses cemetery. About 10 white pelicans cruised overhead and came in for a landing. We also saw some ducks in the distance as well as two duck hunters, this being the first weekend of waterfowl hunting season.

We drove west on Costilla County Roads U and V through the San Luis Hills to the little town of Sanford. We found a tidy little park in town where we ate our lunch. From Sanford we drove east on County Road Y. In a field northwest of the entrance to Pike’s Stockade we saw a large congregation of about 200 sandhill cranes. We stopped for a while to observe the family units of parents and juvenile cranes.

We were surprised the gate to Pike’s Stockade was open (it’s usually locked after Labor Day) so we drove in and walked the lovely trails. The huge trees didn’t hold many birds but the fall colors were absolutely gorgeous. The Conejos River has plenty of water at Pikes Stockade but is nearly dry near LaSauses. Along the trail we saw dark-eyed juncos and white-crowned sparrows. We heard ravens and chickadees.

Field Notes 9.4.12

Sometimes birdwatching is a very busy affair with birds everywhere. Other times it seems towards the end of summer things slow down and there are fewer birds to see. But that’s not to say there aren’t unexpected and delightful sightings such as the group of cedar waxwings we saw in a Russian olive tree just west of the Adams State University campus near the Rio Grande River.

We’ve also been busy with family events and end-of-summer activities so here is a list of sightings that have brightened the doldrums of late summer birding:

American goldfinches and plumbeous vireo at Pike’s Stockade

A Wilson’s snipe and great blue herons near Lasauses

American avocets, white-faced ibises, black-crowned night herons, Wilson’s phalaropes and gulls at Blanca Wetlands

Common nighthawks and killdeer at Riverwood Pond in Alamosa

Around town we’ve noticed that the numerous swallows that have delighted us with their aerial acrobatics all summer have left the area. The rufous hummingbirds that so jealously guarded the feeders are gone but we still have broad-tailed hummingbirds enjoying the sweet nectar. Canada geese are getting restless and practicing their v-shaped flying formations.

We will soon look forward to hearing the haunting calls of the sandhill cranes that signal the beginning of the fall migration.

Field Notes 7.7.12

Earth Team Deployed.

After starting our SLV Birdwatching Odyssey we have come in contact with others with this shared interest.  One acquaintance asked us to become members of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Earth Team. The Earth Team is a project that recruits volunteer birdwatchers to do regular bird counts on agricultural land managed under the NRCS wetland reserve program. We have been assigned 140 acres of pasture  and wetlands near the village of Lasauses.

Under clouds and rain we headed down to the area with our niece Christa. We had a little trouble finding  the pasture but some locals recognized  three lost souls, seeing us in a field with a map and  pointing in three different directions. They directed us to some stock pens back up the road.

The field is filled with grass and cattail sloughs. Trees line the road and fences. The  San Luis Hills rise to the west above oxbows of the Rio Grande.

The field  and open water had a nice compliment of red-winged blackbirds. Tree swallows flew overhead or sat in trees with their fledglings.  We also saw violet-green swallows.  An  American goldfinch flew up into the trees and a Wilson’s snipe winnowed above us. Eurasian collared doves crossed the rainy  sky.

It is such a beautiful place and we are thrilled to be part of  this environmental study.

On the way back home we stopped at Pike’s Stockade hoping to see the yellow-billed cuckoo but it remained elusive.  We were elated, however, to see a blue grosbeak and a Lazuli bunting.

Also, you may remember that the last time we were birdwatching near Pike’s Stockade  we found a lost calf and returned it to some nearby cattle.  We were pleased as we drove by the same pasture when one little calf broke from its mother, ran to the fence and looked at our truck.  We know that this is the calf we saved or at least we want to think it so.