Fort Collins Audubon Society

2014 Field Trip Reports

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: December 14, 2014

Leader: Georgia Doyle
Other attendees: 8
Highlights: a great turnout on a cold morning. The birds on offer were common species for this time of year in this kind of habitat, but a good time was had by all. This was the final FCAS field trip of 2014 (not counting Christmas Bird Counts). Total attendance for all our outings was just barely shy of 300 people this year!

Loveland Area Lakes

Date: November 15, 2014

Leader: Nick Komar
Other attendees: 8
Highlights: It snowed most of the day, and temperatures were frigid, so viewing conditions were suboptimal. Nonetheless, almost 60 species were seen including a Prairie Falcon at Ryan's Gulch reservoir; Wood Duck, Red-breasted Mergansers and Greater Scaup at Silver Lake; Common Loon, Bonaparte's Gulls and a flyby bluebird species (probably Eastern) at Boedecker Lake; Lesser Black-backed Gull among hundreds of gulls (Ring-billed, California and Herring) at Horseshoe Reservoir; and two mostly pure male Mexican Mallards (among hundreds of Mallards) at Horseshoe Lake-North.

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: November 9, 2014

Leader: Denise Bretting
Other attendees: 12
Highlights: Attendees enjoyed the last warm day before cold weather came to Northern Colorado. Temps reached a high of 60F. The proof that summer was indeed over came in the relatively low species count: 25. Large numbers of sparrows were one highlight: 20 American Tree Sparrows, 20 White-crowned Sparrows, and almost 50 Dark-eyed Juncos.

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: October 12, 2014

Leader: Denise Bretting
Other attendees: 14
Highlights: 34 bird species, including 17 Western Bluebirds and 44 Mountain Bluebirds

Larimer County Hotspots Tour

Date: October 11, 2014

Leader: Nick Komar
Other attendees: 10
Highlights: Over 40 species, including good views of a juvenile Bald Eagle at Douglas Reservoir, American Pipit at Wellington No. 4, and Wilson's Snipes at Cobb Lake SWA. The group also enjoyed seeing many Northern Harriers and a lot of interesting flight behavior and hunting, which was fun coming just two days after watching a film about harriers at the chapter meeting.

Grandview Cemetery

Date: September 20, 2014

Leader: Dave Leatherman
Other attendees: 23
Highlights: Dave Leatherman educated the group about hummingbird nests, hackberry psyllids, and the drinking problems of Crossbills. Bird observations included a group of very active Red Crossbills and several Brown Creepers. About 30 bird species seen in total.

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: September 14, 2014

Leader: Denise Bretting
Other attendees: 21
Highlights: A lucky few of the participants saw a Bobcat... on a Ridge... as they arrived. The group saw 55 bird species. This month's rare bird was a Magnolia Warbler. Other unexpected results included Red-naped Sapsuckers (3) and Lewis' Woodpeckers (4) outnumbering the usually more common Downy Woodpeckers (0). Two Peregrine Falcons were seen heading south at a simply amazing speed!!!

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: August 10, 2014

Leader: Denise Bretting
Other attendees: 14
Highlights: Yellow-bellied Racer (snake); Wolf Spider; 72 bird species including Black-chinned Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, MacGillivray’s Warbler

Bobcat Ridge Monthly Survey

Date: July 13, 2014

Leader: David Wade
Other attendees: 7
Highlights: 53 species including Rufous Hummingbird, Lewis’ Woodpecker, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak

Pawnee National Grassland

Date: June 21, 2014

Leader: Bill Miller
Other attendees: 7
Highlights: huge numbers of sphinx moth caterpillars; Burrowing Owls, Loggerhead Shrikes feeding young on a nest, Orchard Oriole, Brown Thrasher

Soapstone Prairie Natural Area

Date: June 18, 2014

Leader: Aran Meyer and Sue Kenney
Other attendees: 9
Highlights: Prairie Falcons feeding four chicks on a nest, Rock Wrens, Sage Thrasher; abundant wildflowers

Sunrise Ranch (private)

Date: June 14, 2014

Leader: Michael Costello
Other attendees: 7
Highlights: 53 species in four hours; great views of Yellow-breasted Chats, Hermit Thrush, Lincoln’s Sparrow; lunch from the Ranch’s culinary academy

See Ptarmigan for more information.