Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

73
birds than we thought we might
rock dove 3
flicker 5
horned lark 74
northern shrike 1
great horned owl 3
tree sparrows 110
dipper 1
mallard 2
goldeneye 1
song sparrow 1
meadowlark 1
pheasant 1
blue jay 5
junco 6
brown thrasher 1
rough-legged hawk 1
raven 1
kestrel 1
starling 220
house sparrow 5
The brown thrasher was the best bird of the day. We had driven in to a house site with a
considerable shelterbelt of trees and found it in there, along with the blue jays.
Kevin only saw the first two owls. Later he went under the bridge where 15 crosses Boxelder Creek
and one flew out, which I saw well. He says they have lived here a number of years. We got
permission to walk around several homestead areas; and sneaked onto a few other places.
Returned to the Rawhide Visitor area. On the lake thousands of geese and mallards. Thousands
of scaup. Some mergansers and buffleheads. Two good adult bald eagles on an opposite shore,
but nice in the scope. Ron Ryder had found a pair of immature Thayer's gulls, sometimes
considered only a subspecies of Herring Gull. The two were feeding on a big dead fish at the edge
of the dam, and we could get a good look at them, but, even after being told, I couldn't have
identified them from an immature herring gull. This is a west coast gull, usually in coastal Canada.
The guide says "casual winter visitor in the interior but identification is extremely difficult"!
Home about 2.00, with a snow flurry on the way back.
end 1995