[bcbirdclub] Re: War Fork Birding - Elk Country
- From: "Jerry Thornhill" <mjt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'BCBC Listserve'" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 May 2013 07:20:09 -0400
The outing was great with the wind being the only negative. On the way
home, Jane & I stopped at Stuart's Pond to see what might be there. After
spotting a Great Blue Heron on the pond and failing to find any snipe in the
upper end, we turned around to leave. After a short distance, Jane was
exclaiming, "Look! Look!" Ever the obedient husband, I looked and saw a
very large, dark raptor flying just below treetop level on her side of the
truck. It quickly disappeared behind a tree. We agreed that it was quite
likely an eagle, but the glimpse was too short for us to be sure whether it
was a bald or golden. Just then it reappeared coming back toward us and
giving us a longer look. It was an adult Golden Eagle. What a way to wrap
up the day!
Jerry
-----Original Message-----
From: bcbirdclub-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bcbirdclub-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roger Mayhorn
Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2013 11:01 PM
To: BCBC Listserve
Subject: [bcbirdclub] War Fork Birding - Elk Country
Nine Buchanan County Bird Club members and youngsters today enjoyed the
hospitality of the Buchanan County chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation. The group was invited to visit the elk habitat on War Fork in
Buchanan County. We were met at the gate by Leon Boyd, president of the
Buchanan County chapter. After leading us to the top of the mountain where
we could see a large area of primarily flat grassland Leon answered
questions concerning the herd of elk at the site, and of the additional elk
that are to be brought into the area this month. The elk were down in one of
the valleys and were not visible, but we were able to bird the area and we
weren't disappointed in spite of some breezy conditions. Grasshopper
Sparrows seemed to be singing from nearly every tiny shrub or tall blade of
grass. Horned Larks were singing and putting on courting displays.
Yellow-breasted Chats, Indigo Buntings and White-eyed Vireos could be heard
at the edges of the fields. One of the highlights was the sighting of a
Solitary Sandpiper standing in a large mudpuddle that gave us a great
opportunity for photos. At lunch time we found a quiet spot near a small
pond and had sandwiches for lunch with Lynda Mayhorn's homemade chocolate
and carrot cake cake balls, which everyone seemed to enjoy.
We totaled 34 species for the day. We would like to thank Leon Boyd and the
Buchanan County Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for allowing us
access to the area.
The complete list follows.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
34 species
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Falcon sp?
Killdeer 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Mourning Dove 3
Northern Flicker 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Barn Swallow 3
Tree Swallow 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Horned Lark 8
Blue Jay 27
American Crow 5
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 4
Brown Thrasher 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Hooded Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 3m
Grasshopper Sparrow 40
Field Sparrow 7
Eastern Towhee 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Indigo Bunting 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
Eastern Meadowlark 2
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