My wife and I spent an extended weekend along the Colorado Front Range. Although the focus of the trip was not birding, I managed to find two birds that had been eluding me. On the way down, we were looking for McCown's Longspurs, and got to the Pawnee National Grassland, in Weld County, CO around 8 pm. Ran out of light before finding anything along the Western edge of the grasslands, other than an approaching storm. The next morning we returned to the Briggsdale area, and got fantastic looks at a handful of McCown's Longspurs, along County Road (I think) 96, on the way to Murphy's Pasture.
Then on Saturday morning, after using eBird to try to identify locations that might yield Green-tailed Towhee, I hiked into Skunk Canyon, right out of a Boulder sub-division. A really nice place, incredible scenery, and lots of nice birds. Having gone about a mile and a half into the Canyon, I turned around to retrace my steps. Spotted Towhees everywhere, and then almost to the bottom of the canyon, proper, I finally found a GTTO, which perched up and sang for me for a couple of minutes. Also had Chats, Virginia's Warblers, Western Tanagers, Wood-Pewees, Gnat-catchers, and other goodies.
Two birds that I have just not had any luck with. This time everything clicked, and my past failures in trying to find them, made it that much sweeter.
June 29 - Weld County, CO
293.
McCown's Longspur B
June 30 - Boulder County, CO
294. Steller's Jay
295. Black-chinned Hummingbird
296. Virginia's Warbler
297.
Green-tailed Towhee :t: