Oh, the Places I’ve Been!

 View from the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary in Estes Park, CO

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I recently had the opportunity to fly to Colorado and go birding with my best birding buddy, Chris Rohrer. I had not seen him since last summer when he came to visit me and I was so happy to see him again!

But before I joined him in Estes park, I stopped in Longmont to bird at the Jim Hamm Nature Preserve on the east side of town.

When I got to Estes Park my other birding buddy, Kathryn Kelley was there and she joined us at the cabin where Chris met her for the first time! TWO birding buddies! I couldn’t be happier!

The next day Chris and I went to downtown Estes Park and the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary where we saw plenty of elk as well as birds!

 

All of these huge boulders were deposited here after the most recent flood of 2013 at the alluvial fan in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Long’s Peak as seen from Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mountain NP 10-20-15

 

 Every morning we had a Murder of over 40 crows around our cabin.

No, we did not kill them. A “murder’ is the collective noun for crows!

 We also had Black-billed Magpies and Stellar’s Jays!

We looked and looked for Gray Jays but never found them.

However, Mule Deer were easily seen within Rocky Mountain National Park!

 

And snow covered elk were seen in the field right next to our cabin!

 

 Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

We tried to find Gray Jays here, but all we found were a couple of ducks and a chickadee!

 Chris says he loves this weather and he is not cold.

I’m not sure I believe him!

Chris in full birding mode at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont, CO 

On our last morning in Colorado we managed to find an hour to bird at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont. We were on our way to the airport with Chris’ family and after filling my rental car with gas we grabbed some sandwiches at Subway and while the rest of the family had a picnic, Chris and I bolted for the shore and started birding. I wanted tog et my Western Grebes and this is where they had been spotted. We saw small dots at the western end of the lake and of course we were at the Eastern end. We walked about halfway down until we could clearly see them. I could not get photos because my camera was broken but Chris got some for me. I could have stayed there all day, or all week or for the rest of my life, but we had to get back. I had a plan to catch and so did the rest of his family. So, we made ourselves turn around and return.

And then I flew away…

Once back in Maine I went birding at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Evergreen was very orange on this particular day! 10-26-15

 

I was looking for an American Widgeon that had been seen in the ponds, but I never found it, though I saw that others did and reported it on eBird.

A couple days later I went birding at the Paper Mill Trail in Lisbon 10-31-15.

Gus came with me and we followed the trail as far as the school and back to the main parking lot, but it was the middle of the day and we did not see many birds. Still, the Autumn foliage was lovely. Maine is a very beautiful state.

The Little Sabattus River runs alongside the Paper Mill Trail.

On November 2nd i headed to Connecticut but stopped in Massachusetts to get new tires on my car. While waiting for them to be changed, Of course I went birding! I walked to a nearby park in Wilmington, Massachusetts where I have counted birds at least one other time when I lived nearby. It is called Rotary Park and it has a small pond with a nature trail around it.

 The pond at Rotary Park in Wilmington, MA

 

 The “open-hearted” Willow Tree!

 The flaming tree along the trail.

 The little creek in the woods.

Once in Connecticut I birded all around Colchester. I was able to bird at Cohen Meadows on two separate days, thus adding to the eBird data for this location. It is such a pretty spot and I saw a wide variety of birds here. I do not know why more people do not come and bird here!

 This is the larger of two ponds on the property.

The first day I stopped here there was a large flock of geese on the pond and more flew in as I watched until there were around 200 Canada Geese! I also saw and heard a Red-shouldered Hawk giving its eerie cry as it flew above the tree line. There was no shortage of woodpeckers here, and I counted Northern Flickers, Downy, Pileated, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers here, as well as a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

 The early morning light was glorious!

 

 In this pine tree cathedral I searched for but did not find Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Before Mom’s cataract surgery on November 5th I had time to go birding in the morning, so I took a drive around Lake Hayward. It was a mild, November day and so soft and beautiful under the steel wool skies.

 Lake Hayward as seen from East Shore Drive 11-5-15

 The woods around Lake Hayward.

Then, while Mom was in her surgery I went birding at nearby Harkness Memorial State Park. It was much better than sitting in a waiting room watching boring TV! I did not think I would get the chance to bird near the ocean in Connecticut, but I did! And I was almost back to the surgery center when I got the call that she was done.

 Along the roadside.

 The beach at Harkness 11-5-15

 Picnic Area at Harkness Memorial SP

 Golden Gingko Trees at Harkness Memorial SP

 I ended the day counting birds at Fitchville Pond in Bozrah, CT.

The next day I headed back to Maine after doing a few more errands with my mom. It did not leave me much time, but I managed to stop by Plum Island a hour and a half before the sunset where I finally got my American Widgeons! No photos for now, but I hope to post some later.

Sunset at Sandy Point State Reservation 11-5-15

It was uncommonly warm on Friday with a southerly breeze and temps in the low 70’s! it was so warm that I took off my shoes and walked on the beach in my flip flops!  What a fun time I had, even though it was short and it was dark by the time I left. I had a long two hour drive home in the car, but I was glad I took the chance and went to Plum Island. It only made me want to go back again, for I know that there are place there that I have yet to explore!

Here are my eBird Checklists for all these places I birded:

• Jim Hamm Pond 10-19-15
• Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary 10-20-15
• Evergreen Cemetery 10-26-15
• Paper Mill Trail 10-31-15
• Rotary Pond 11-2-15
• Cohen Meadows 11-3-15
• Cohen Meadows 11-5-15
• Lake Hayward 11-5-15
• Harkness Memorial State Park 11-5-15
• Fitchville Pond 11-5-15
• Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island 11-6-15
• Sandy Point State Reservation 11-6-15

You can read Chris Rohrer’s Posts by clicking on the links below:

• All With The Family
• Winter Wonderland

Wyoming’s Bear River State Park

 Bear River State Park, Wyoming 9-13-13

On a rainy day in September my friend, Kathryn and I headed east out of Utah on I-80 to Bear River State park in Evanston, Wyoming. It is only about an hour’s drive east of Layton and was one of my favorite places to go when I lived in that area years ago. The park is located just off the highway at exit 6. With restrooms, picnic tables, a visitor’s center and trails, it is the perfect place to go birding and have a picnic. Since it is right at the edge of town, you can stop there to pick up any necessary supplies as well. Or, if you are just passing through, it makes a great place to pull off and take a break and see some birds.

With the Bear River flowing right through the middle of the park there are lush riparian areas with willows and cottonwoods. I have seen everything from flycatchers to warblers to gulls and shorebirds here. Often there are hawks and vultures circling overhead. In the summer swallows swoop over the river and parts of the river are even deep enough to swim in! I brought my own kids here to swim back in the early 2000’s when some of them were still living at home.

As soon as you enter the park there are a couple of ponds and a fenced off area where they keep a few bison or elks on display. If you look closely at this picture you can see a magpie using the bison’s tail as a perch! But Kathryn and I were not here to see bison, though we did spot a few bird species in these pens!

  A cold wind was gusting when we first arrived and the clouds that had started to break up were thickening into a gray menace once again. For a few minutes the temperature dropped even lower and I was glad of my knit gloves in my coat pockets. I wanted to leave the coat in the car so I could travel lighter, but it was too chilly. So, we set off down the trail and started counting birds. We were soon to discover that Wilson’s Warblers were everywhere. We counted them on both sides of the river and all along the trail. wherever we went.

Hammond’s Flycatcher 

Various kinds of flycatchers were flitting about in the trees and willows and I found myself challenged to identify them all.

 *11-14-13 Update: This bird is a Hammond’s Flycatcher!

 

I had no trouble identifying this Warbling Vireo however!

 

And I believe this is a Willow Flycatcher due to it’s broad-based bill with the orange lower mandible.

Kathryn and I crossed a rickety old bridge to the opposite side of the river where the trail meandered through a forested area and back along the banks of the river. We only encountered a few other people and were mostly left to ourselves. The sun broke through the clouds once again raising the temperature enough so that I removed my gloves and tied my coat around my waist. With coat, camera, binoculars, fanny pack and water I was lugging enough stuff that I should have lost 5 pounds that day!

We looked for more warblers in this willow and cattail patch.

 

Beyond us the sagebrush-covered red foothills rose in contrast to the lush river greenery. And while the air was warming, the wind kept on blowing and gusting.

The Bear River starts in the high Uinta’s of Utah then wanders its way 491 miles through Wyoming and Idaho, then back into Utah and where its delta forms the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham, UT before flowing into the rest of the Great Salt Lake!

Western Wood Pewee

 

Juvenile Cedar Waxwing

 

Black-billed Magpie

 

Kathryn and I spent over 3 hours hiking along the trails at Bear River State Park before hunger drove us back to our car where we had food for a picnic. We found a picnic table we liked and sat there talking and eating with our eyes and ears open, always on the lookout for more birds.

While I knew that we had only seen a small park of the park the time was getting late and we had to be back to Utah in time for Gus and I to visit our former neighbors in Clearfield one last time. So, though I would have loved to explore Bear River State Park longer, it was time to go. As an eBirder, I love birding places that few other people bird because I know how important getting data from those locations is. As a person I just love to explore new areas, but for me, this was a return to a place I loved and it was so much fun to see it again and show it to my friend, Kathryn. If I am ever out this way again, I will certainly stop to visit this spot, which feels like an old friend! Besides, who doesn’t like having magpies for company while you eat lunch!

Links:

• Bear River State Park Wyoming
• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Utah
• Trip to Yellowstone and Utah 2013 
• My Mountain Green (Kathryn's blog)
• eBird 
• The Bear River Utah Wiki Article

Birds Seen at Bear River State Park on 9-13-2013

1. Eared Grebe-1
2. Turkey Vulture-1
3. Killdeer-1
4. Eurasian collared-dove-2
5. Northern Flicker-4
6. Western Wood Pewee-4
7. Willow Flycatcher-2
8. Hammond’s Flycatcher-1
9. Warbling Vireo-1
10. Black-billed Magpie-24
11. Barn Swallow-12
12. Black-capped Chickadee-6
13. Ruby-crowned Kinglet-4
14. Hermit Thrush-1
15. American Robin-18
16. European starling-4
17. Cedar Waxwing-24
18. Wilson’s Warbler-24
19. Western Tanager-4
20. Brewer’s Blackbird-2
21. American Goldfinch-6

Notes: Before this trip to Yellowstone and Evanston I only had 21 species of birds on my Wyoming Life List. With the birds seen on this trip from both locations I now have 58 species of birds in Wyoming! Hopefully one day I can go back and make it to the 100 species mark for this state! I currently have over 100 species in only 6 states: AZ, MA, UT, CT, ME, WV! Arizona is the only state that I have over 200 species in and at 299 I am just one species away from having 300 species on my AZ Life List! (This information was edited on 11-15-13 to include the Hammond’s Flycatcher which was unidentified when this post was first written.)