The Leaflet, May - June 2003

Off the Beaten Path by Bob Kissel

In a recent family spring trip to North Florida, there were a couple of events that struck me later as similes for the state of environmental advocacy and the people involved in such conservation. On our drive to Florida, we made a detour and spent the morning at a woman's home in Tallahassee. She had not one but two Calliope Hummingbirds at her feeders in early spring. Fran couldn't have been more accomodating in allowing us to watch for the vagrant Hummers from inside her home.

Later that week, I found my 600th North American bird species, Sandwich Tern. At a State Park beach at the end of Cape San Blas, I was able to spot four Sandwich Terns from a flock of over 400 Royal, Common and Forster's Terns. Birding by myself, my celebratory dance was watched warily by the terns and by a few beachcombers.

It is certainly clear that the threat to important natural resources and systems perhaps has never been more flagrant. A mere week after the U.S. Senate voted out the Budget Resolution rider to allow oil drilling in the Artic Refuge (ANWR), the Bush administration restarted their "full court press" in the House's FY 2004 budget bill as a "reconciliation request." In addition, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has advanced a proposal to allow military branches to ignore environmental laws and regulations, in the name of national security.

The Artic Refuge speakers (Jeff Barrie, Elsie Hume & Udi Lazimy) at SAS' March library program were most gracious in their thanks for Sassafras sponsoring this presentation. Yet they also were aware that the recent Senate victory was not the end but merely the latest chapter in the ANWR oil drilling controversy. While it was encouraging that over 100 people attended, your SAS board put in heavy efforts to "get the word out."

The people I have encountered in my almost two years as President of Sassafras have been to a person thoroughly dedicated, sincere and hard working in addressing environmental issues. Yet there aren't too many of us! Your SAS board of late has felt the weight of organizing the range of our involvement in field outings, educational programs, fund raising, community outreach and conservation advocacy. Yet at present Sassafras doesn't have a concrete framework for identifying whether a current or proposed activity is something we SHOULD or SHOULD NOT DO, especiallly given our all-volunteer structure. According to several ex-board members, this central issue has vexed the board for the past five to ten years.

It is apparent that SAS will continue to trudge along unless we are able to agree upon what exactly it is that SAS is able to do well and what we just are not able to manage. In the coming summer months your SAS board will address this difficult set of issues so we might put the bulk of our efforts into a select set of activities. I will call upon current and former board members as well as general members to help with this critical task.

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The Arrival of Spring...and the SAS Silent Auction

Spring is here and that means it's time for SAS' SILENT AUCTION! Again this year we'll have fabulous items available for bidding, including a week's stay in October at a Ft. Meyers, FL condo (see the accompanying article from last year’s winner!), a superb wine basket from Oliver Winery (must be 21 to bid), a local honey/jelly/syrup breakfast ensemble, and a spectacular Eastern Screech Owl print.

Bidding will start Friday, May 9 at Bloomingfoods East with our display of Auction items and continue there through 11am on Saturday May 17. Bidding will continue that Saturday from Noon until 3pm at Karst Farm Park at SAS' booth as part of Monroe County's Earthfest. Bidding will close at 3pm and winners will be notified by phone to pick up and pay for items (cash or check) from 3-5pm at Karst Park. Certificates can be mailed. All proceeds from SAS' Silent Auction will grow our endowment fund which supports our conservation and education initiatives.

Sponsors of this year's Sassafras Silent Auction include Jess Gwinn, Cathy Meyer, Weber Sugar farm, WTIU and WFIU, PJ Pulliam, the Chili Woman, Oliver Winery, Worldwide Automotive, and so many more! Check out our Silent Auction display at Bloomingfoods East starting May 9...and let the bidding begin!

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Birding Ft. Myers in October by Cathy and Dick Hiatt

From October 6-13, 2002 Dick and I stayed on Ft. Myers Beach at the condo on which we had the high bid during last year's Silent Auction. The condo has a king size bed and a nice bath. I think the sofa opens into a bed, although that would take most of the living room area. There is a fully-equipped kitchen with an eat-at counter, TV and a balcony that seats four. The laundry is downstairs and there is a nice pool/deck area and tennis courts. The great feature of this condo is the location; there are two habitats on this section of the island. From our balcony on the tenth floor facing west, we had the lagoon right below us, then a band of scrub, then the beach and gulf and beautiful sunsets.

When we turned from the main road on Estero Island to the complex driveway, an Osprey greeted us from a little pond. "Where are the Osprey now and who is having breakfast in the lagoon?" became the game when we first awoke. Osprey on the antenna, which neighboring balcony, which tree top? The last morning an Osprey perched on our balcony railing, watching Dick take its picture.

Before breakfast the first morning, we watched ten White Ibis, two Tricolored Heron and one Yellow-Crowned Night Heron as well as Great and Snowy Egrets in the basin below. On our beach walk then we found Common, Sandwich and Royal terns and Black Skimmer and swimming dolphin as highlights as well as seeing Roseate Spoonbill and American Oystercatcher in the lagoon. Of course, Brown Pelican patrols and gulls were standard.

Outings to several nearby birding/nature spots filled our days. We walked the 2 1/2 mile boardwalk at National Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. (Reduced admission if you are a National Audubon member.) We both drove and walked trails at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge as well as walking trails at the Bailey Tract of Darling. We were excited to see a large alligator in the water below the trail where we walked. We explored for shells elsewhere on Sanibel and Captiva Islands where we saw Ruddy Turnstone and Black-Necked Stilt. We wanted to experience the Everglades so we drove to Everglade City and took a boat trip where we saw manatee and Bald Eagle. This is an area we want to explore more extensively. We stopped at Collier-Seminole State Park for a hike on a self-guided boardwalk trail in a cypress swamp. We saw and learned so much in these environments.

While playing in the surf, Magnificent Frigatebirds flew over. On our last morning Wood Storks waded in the lagoon. We spotted Black Vultures on our way to the airport.

We found October to be a great time to visit this area - warm weather, surprisingly few bugs (though we were prepared with repellent at all times), slow tourist/snowbird time so traffic was smooth and no waiting at restaurants (we found several delightful places). Migrating birds hadn't arrived yet but I still added 11 new birds to my life list as well as the Zebra butterfly. (An earlier trip to Cape Cod added many life birds that we saw on this trip also.) We would highly recommend bidding on this condo to support SAS and to have a great week in a grand location.

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SAS Calendar March / April 2003

All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.

Saturday, May 3, 2003: Monroe County Parks and Recreation Birdathon

Who will challenge the Prothonotary Wanderers for first place in Birdathon XIII? Last year, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, SAS President Bob Kissel, and Lee Sterrenburg found 134 species within Monroe County on one day in May. The combined total for all 6 teams participating was 162, lower than the best year when 179 species were counted.

This year the Monroe County Birdathon will take place May 3 and birders of all abilities are invited to form teams of 3-6 people and test their skills in the field in a 24 hour marathon of birding endurance. The entry fee is $15 per person and includes a t-shirt, maps, checklists, and final tally. Can't find a team? Call Cathy Meyer and she will try to match you up. Teams may solicit pledges for the environmental cause they choose. We suggest making SAS the beneficiary of your efforts and the team raising the most money for SAS will be recognized. There are prizes from Wild Birds Unlimited for the highest tally and for the best rookie effort, so don't worry if you haven't done this before. Teams must register by April 20 at Monroe County Parks and Recreation, 119 W. 7th St. Call Cathy with questions at 349-2805 or e-mail cmeyer@co.monroe.in.us.

Everyone is invited to the tally pitch-in dinner Sunday, May 4 at Woodcrest Apartments, 2600 East Second Street at 5:00 p.m.

May 9 - 17, 2003 Third Annual Silent Auction and Raffle

Spring is just around the corner and that means it's time for SAS' Third Annual Silent Auction and Raffle. We'll start our auction display at Bloomingfoods East on May 9 for a week of bidding. At Noon on May 17 we'll join the Earthfest festivities at Karst Park where we'll conclude Auction bidding and draw Raffle winners at 3:00 p.m. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at several places around Bloomington and from SAS board members. As always, we'll have a great variety of donations from local restaurants, wildlife products, personal services, artwork and scrumptious food items. All benefits from this year's Silent Auction & Raffle will grow SAS' endowment fund, the source of our support for local conservation and education projects.

Sunday, May 11, Listening to Indiana's Frogs

We'll join Environmental Science Professor Vicky Meretsky on an evening outing to listen for frogs in the Beanblossom Bottoms area of Monroe County. We all know what Spring Peepers sound like, but Vicky will help us identify some of our other local frogs that like to call on warm spring nights. We'll meet at 7:45 p.m. in the Griffy Lake parking lot (near the boathouse) and from there we will caravan to Beanblossom Bottoms. We will return to Griffy around 10:00. For more information, e-mail Vicky at meretsky@indiana.edu or call Mike Clarke 332-8886.

Sunday, May 18, Birding Trip to Universal Mines in Vermillion County

Our attempt to bird this reclaimed mine area of western Indiana in February was cancelled due to poor weather. Now we'll get another opportunity to visit this area with Lee Sterrenburg at the height of spring bird migration. Our target species will include American Bittern, Least Bittern, Upland Sandpiper, Bell's Vireo, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Willow Flycatcher and Blue Grosbeak. During spring migration, however, anything can turn up. We also should hear and hope to see some of the resident Ring-necked Pheasant that roam the property. Because many of our target birds are early risers, and because the drive to Universal from Bloomington takes a little over an hour, we'll get an early start. Meet us at 6:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the Sam's Club parking lot near the intersection of State Road 45 and Highway 37 on Bloomington's west side. We should return by early afternoon. For more information, e-mail Lee at sterren@indiana.edu or call Mike Clarke at 332-8886.

Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 p.m., May Program: Forest Management Practices and Neotropical Migrants

Broad-scale fragmentation of Midwestern forests has increased avian nest predation and parasitism of nests by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Cowbird parasitism and nest predation levels have been observed to be elevated near external and internal edges, although not consistently. Donald Winslow will explain the results of an experiment he conducted to study the effects of logging on survival and parasitism of Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) nests in Yellowwood State Forest. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, to be held in Room 1C of the Monroe County Public Library. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday May 31, Local Butterflies and Birds

On this outing, we'll take a morning hike in the Allen's Creek area of Lake Monroe with butterfly and bird enthusiast Ross Brittain. Ross knows his birds and butterflies equally well and a hike with him is always informative and fun. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on east Third Street in Bloomington. For more information, e-mail R oss at wbubton@cs.com or call Mike Clarke at 332-8886.

Saturday June 14, Gibson Lake Least Terns

Sassafras Audubon Society is very fortunate to have this opportunity to look for the very rare nesting Least Terns on the restricted property of the Cinergy power plant in southwestern Indiana. Chuck Mills, who monitors these terns, will be our guide at Gibson Lake where many Indiana rarities have turned up over the years, such as Brown Pelican, Purple Gallinule and Black-necked Stilt. We'll bird with Chuck at the power plant and surrounding areas in the morning and then we'll spend the afternoon birding some of the interesting natural areas of southwestern Indiana. We'll meet at 6:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the Sam's Club parking lot near the intersection of State Road 45 and Highway 37 on Bloomington's west side. Bring your lunch and dress for the weather and a full day of bird watching. We will return to Bloomington some time in the early evening. For more information, e-mail or call Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us or 332-8886.

Sunday June 22, Monroe County Butterflies

Sandy Belth will lead a half-day walk at one of her favorite butterfly haunts. Learn how to identify the common butterflies of midsummer. Destination to be determined by nectar sources. Meet at 9:00 am in the Northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington. For further information, call Sandy at 825-8353.

Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 p.m., June Program: Indiana Butterflies

Sandy Belth will present a slide show to introduce you to our state's butterflies. Come and learn how to identify our local butterflies and hear about their habits and habitat needs. Meet in Room 1C of the Monroe County Public Library. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday, June 28, Seventh Annual Monroe/Brown County Butterfly Count

An all-day event to catalog the number of individuals and species seen within a 15-mile diameter circle. Join us for all or part of the day as we try to improve on last year's tally of 53 species. Experience is not necessary; the more spotters the better! A great opportunity to get to know the best butterfly spots in the area. We usually have one of the highest species tallies in the Midwest. For further information about the count see the accompanying article. To be placed on a team, contact Jeff and Sandy Belth at 825-8353 or jeffreybelth@aol.com.

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The Seventh Annual Monroe/Brown County Butterfly Count

The seventh annual Monroe/Brown County Butterfly Count will be held on Saturday, June 28. The "4th of July Butterfly Counts" were started over 25 years ago by members of the Xerces Society, an organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of invertebrates. The counts were modeled after the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Counts, except they are held from 2-3 weeks before or after the 4th of July, instead of at Christmas time. The late-June early-July time period was chosen because it is the peak period for summer butterfly diversity in many areas of the country. As with the Christmas Bird Counts, the butterfly counts are conducted within a 15 mile diameter circle. The circle is split between several groups, or field parties. These groups census as many different habitats as possible and count all individual butterflies they see during the day. At the end of the day the groups meet and tally their results. Not only are the counts a lot of fun, but they also help to track the health and size of butterfly populations across North America.

After the creation of the North American Butterfly Association, (NABA) in 1992, administration of the counts was transferred from the Xerces Society to NABA. NABA was formed to educate the public about the joys of non-consumptive, recreational butterflying including observation, gardening, photography, rearing, and conservation. There are about 10 counts conducted in Indiana, and about 500 in North America. Our count has had the highest total in the state every year it has been conducted and last year's tally of 53 species was one of the highest in the Midwest! Please join us. If you are interested in butterflies and want to learn more about them by participating in the count, please call Jeff and Sandy Belth at 825-8353, or e-mail at jeffreybelth@aol.com.

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How to Plan a Successful Birding Vacation by Ron McCullick

I am a birder. My wife is not. This eliminates dedicated birding trips and birding festivals. So, I have learned to plan “non-birding” birding trips, and my wife has just happened to see over 450 ABA species of birds in the past 5 years. Here are 6 tips geared toward birding but could apply to any trip.

  1. Research the area. When I first started birding I would bring a field guide with me and just look up birds I happened to bump into on the trip. Now, months before visiting an area I:
    1. Join the Internet list server (like Bloomington Birds) for the area. This lets you get a feeling for the area and establish local email contacts.
    2. Find the local rare bird hotline. Monitor it before you go and while you are in the area. There is nothing more frustrating than to return home to find out you were 20 miles from a rare bird.
    3. Look up trip notes on-line from birders who have visited the area. This will give you an idea of what has worked and not worked in the past. See where they visit and how much time they spend in each area.
    4. Buy, beg or borrow a Lane Guide or another birding guidebook to the area. These have maps, advice, species listings, seasonal occurrence charts and loads of other valuable information.
    5. Talk to Bloomington birders who have been there before for their advice.
  2. Research your target birds. Bring a good field guide with you, but before you leave home learn the field marks. Study visual, audio, and on-line information.You will not have time on the trip to study and birds will be missed. Bring a tape or CD of birds from that area and perhaps make a tape of your target bird songs and calls. You will hear most birds long before you see them. This audio information can be used to confirm your visual ID or to attract that species to your tape. For example, I studied the Groove-billed Ani tape and while hiking trails in Texas, I heard the bird for 15 minutes before its appearance.
  3. Continuously look for birding opportunities. Bird the grounds at your hotel, parks, zoos, and gardens as you drive down the road. Better yet, let someone else drive so you can look at the birds and scenery. You do not want to miss the Allen’s Hummingbird in the hotel sprinkler, Mottled Duck on the golf course, or a Painted Bunting in a friend’s backyard.
  4. Talk to the locals. Once on vacation, look for other birders and talk to them. They can lead you to nest sites, local hot spots, and give you all kinds of good advice. They may even offer to show you around. For example, I just returned from a trip to Texas where local birders showed me several nest sites that I would not have found without their help: Gray Hawk, N. Beardless Tyrannulant, Elf Owl, and Aplomado Falcon.
  5. Plan an itinerary: Have a detailed plan ahead of time. Make reservations. Prioritize. You seldom have time to do everything you would like and there will be days that do not go as planned. Before you leave home, know what you what to see, where it is, have driving directions and maps packed, and when you need to be there. For example, the best ABA site to see Red-billed Pigeons is on an island upriver from a boat launch in Salineno, TX. The pigeons are absent most of the day, so viewing at dusk and dawn is optimal. Since they are west of the landing, if you arrive at dusk you will be looking into the setting sun with a spotting scope at disappointing dark silhouettes. But if you arrive at dawn the rising sun will beautifully backlight this Texas rarity.
  6. If you vacation with non-birders, select vacation spots that will please everyone, but are also great birding destinations, like the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Alaska, or Florida. Select other outdoor activities where you can also bird such as picnics, hikes, boat trips, or garden tours that just happen to take place in “birding hot spots.” Talk everyone else into sleeping in and enjoying a lazy day by the pool, while you leave before dawn for several hours of birding before rejoining them for lunch. And remember to plan events your traveling companions enjoy too. The more fun they have, the more trips they will want you to plan, and the more birds you will see. If someone likes to shop or visit museums, get up early and bird, then hit the museum after lunch or the malls after dark.

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In Search of the Great Gray Owl (and other winter birds) by Bob Kissel

An excellent way to improve one's confidence in birding identification skills (as well as to increase one's life list) is to visit and then revisit the same habitat types where a unique suite of birds might be expected. In late February, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, Mike Clarke, Lee Sterrenburg, and I returned to the boreal forests and fields of Duluth and NE Minnesota in Aitkin, St Louis, and Lake counties. On our drive north, we made a quick yet productive visit to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. Surrounding the Fox River near LaSalle, Starved Rock afforded an inspiring opportunity to study Herring, Thayer's, Glaucous, Ring-billed, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls in 1 scope field in the thin stretches of open water below the dam. Looking east from the gulls, Mike spotted 14 Bald Eagles on the ice or on stumps, again in a single scope field. A brief stop down the road from the park yielded a small group of White-throated Sparrows but only Susan saw the staked out Harris's Sparrow.

As any birder should recognize, "the early birder gets the lifer"—at least in theory. Two of our primary target birds, Great Gray Owl and Spruce Grouse, are best seen by being in position in winter at daybreak or sunset. And in the winter of the far North in Minnesota, that usually means bitter cold: -28 F (air temperature) on Sunday morning on Spruce Road, 2+ hours NE of Duluth. Our extensive 2-day efforts to find either species at both dawn and dusk yielded only an all too fleeting overflight of a probable Great Gray Owl. Certainly not a life look for Mike and me. In contrast, we found 400-500 Bohemian Waxwings in the town of Aitkin and learned "up close and personal" how quickly this species processes berries, their main food source. We were showered by a delightful frozen "berry rain" standing underneath their roost tree! Our Saturday wanderings around Aitkin County also produced Black-billed Magpie, numerous Common Ravens and White-winged Crossbills, and a Northern Shrike. In the waning hours of the afternoon, Lee spotted a single Sharp-tailed Grouse eating grit beside the highway. We stopped and found 6 more Sharptails roosting in a tree 50m off the road.

At daybreak on Sunday, we "cruised" THE prime location for Spruce Grouse, a 3 mile section of Rt 2 well north of Two Harbors, several times but were unable to find our quarry. Mike was able to tick off several life birds (Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll, and Evening Grosbeak) once the sun cleared the horizon. Later that morning on nearby Spruce Road, Lee and I hand-fed a group of Gray Jays, citing presidential prerogative. We were not able to find the Boreal Chickadee that was briefly heard. With most of Lake Superior frozen at the port of Two Harbors, the flock of Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and Herring Gulls eyed each other carefully in a small patch of barely open water.

In our final drive Sunday through the harbors of Duluth and Superior (WI), Lee spotted a large falcon perched on a grain silo next to I-35 in Duluth. By the time we negotiated the maze of highway exits to double back, the falcon had vanished. We did find a solitary Red-tailed Hawk perched on the top ledge of a downtown Duluth skyscraper. On our drive home Monday we revisited Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo, WI but cold and gusty weather limited our search for the reported Townsend's Solitaires, the same as in 2002.

Based upon similar results of our trip this year and last for the more elusive boreal species, our intrepid group decided to postpone our next trip to frozen northern Minnesota until there is an "invasion" year by Great Gray Owls. Such an "invasion" season often coincides with a southward movement of other boreal owl species.

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Birding in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado by Cathy Meyer

My spring break ski trip at Crested Butte came to a screeching halt when I was told I had torn my ACL and was ordered to stop skiing for the week. Fortunately, I had packed my scope, binos and ABA Guide to Colorado and had planned to take a day off for birding anyway. That turned into 3 days. There was no pain, but I was being cautious about walking. I spent one day walking around the town of Crested Butte looking at bird feeders and then rented a car to drive to surrounding areas. The little town of Crested Butte is full of funky little houses and trails that follow streams through backyards. There were several feeders, each with a different clientele. One was dominated by Red-Winged Blackbirds, singing their spring songs. There were a few Evening Grosbeaks there, too. Another catered to chickadees, both Black-Capped and Mountain. Another had juncos, including the striking pink-sided form, Stellar's Jays, and two pair of Cassin's Finch. These were singing, much like a Purple Finch, but the face patterns of the females was different. There were a few starlings and House Sparrows around town as well. I had already seen Gray Jays, Black-Billed Magpies, Common Ravens, and American Crows, as well as Robins and Downy Woodpecker.

After covering these nearby areas, I took the shuttle bus to Gunnison and rented a car for two days. Good thing it was a four wheel drive Montero, as some of the roads were melting into mud and we had a little snow, but not nearly as much as Denver, on the other side of the Continental Divide. The guide book had suggested some sloughs and gravel pits near the airport, but these were gated off. I did see Gadwall, Mallards, and Canada Geese in the area. A trip down a county road lead to a delightful trail up a draw on BLM land. The dry creek bed provided a good walking surface as I hiked up past weathered granite formations, aspen groves, and juniper. Townsend's Solitaires were singing their robin-like songs in the warm spring sunshine under a deep blue sky. I stopped at the top of a ridge covered in sagebrush. I had hoped to find Sage Thrasher and Green-Tailed Towhee, but it seemed a little too early for them. Small flocks of Mountain Bluebirds were found here and elsewhere. I continued driving down this road until it seemed nearly impassable, but saw little else besides Juncos. Roadside raptors included Red-Tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Kestrel, and Ferruginous Hawk. Despite checking several small prairie dog towns, I couldn't find Burrowing Owls.

Back to highway 50, I drove west through the Curicante National Recreation Area. The effects of Colorado's drought could be easily seen by the water level that was at least 30 feet below the shoreline markings. Most of this water was still frozen, but there were a few Bald Eagles and geese. I had heard that the Black Canyon of the Gunnison was spectacular, but couldn't imagine how striking it was until I saw it. The road to the Visitor Center wound upward through pinyon and juniper woods, where Western Scrub Jays, Mountain Bluebirds, and chickadees were spotted. I had hope to find Pinyon Jays, but could not find any. More raptors were seen, including Ferruginous Hawk.

The next day, I drove around looking for Rosy Finches at feeders near the ski resort. I found some quickly, but they were all the brown-capped species. Gunnison is supposed to be the center of the range for all three species, which breed near the timberline, but frequent lower elevations in winter. After several more feeder stops, I finally saw some gray-capped, but no blacks. There were several roads crossing passes that were closed for the winter, but offered nice scenery. No White-Tailed Ptarmigan could be found. I stopped at the National Forest Headquarters to see if they could recommend any burned areas that might have Three-Toed Woodpeckers. They called someone who had been studying the species and he directed my to a road that led to such an area. I started driving on it through several inches of snow, but decided it was too risky and turned back. A stop at the Waunita Springs Gunnison Sage Grouse viewing site turned up lots of singing Horned Larks, but no grouse. I returned to the lek the following morning, early, but still did not see any. The numbers there have been declining for several years and there had been discussion on co-birds about the drought and whether all the leks should be closed to public viewing.

The road to Pitkin was clear and dry, but not heavily traveled. As in many rural areas, passing motorists will nod or raise a finger in greeting. (Not that finger!) I stopped along the road to look at something and the next car stopped to see if I was okay. They're friendly in Colorado. Pitkin didn't look like much, but I found a flock of over 200 Rosy Finches swirling around a yard and landing on the wires overhead. Again, most were brown, a few gray, but finally, a couple of blacks in the mix. A neighboring yard was filled with ravens and crows. I wondered what they put in their feeders.
I spent the rest of the day driving up a creek to Taylor Park. A park in Colorado is a large open area between the mountains. This one contained a reservoir and great view of the surrounding peaks, but few birds. Mammals seen in the county included mule deer, coyotes, prairie dog (possibly the Gunnison species), and a gray-colored red fox that slipped across the road at one stop. No butterflies. This part of Colorado is very scenic and contains a variety of interesting habitats. I recommend it to anyone with some time to spend. The Colorado e-mail list is helpful, but no one seemed to know much about that area in the winter, and they asked for my report. The ABA guide has good maps and directions and tells which roads are closed in winter.

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last updated 30-Oct-2004