A bit over a Week in Weld County,CO (1 Viewer)

Just got back from a fast trip to the USA ,after a few years without visiting..I lived in USA for a number of years,from 97 to 2010,,I started birding in america,in NEw MExico ,with my good friend and world birder Bob Weber.
This was a work trip,but I was anxious to get in the field and see if I could even remember any of the species after such long while..I left my Kaufmann Bird guide in my fahter-in-law house,when i moved,and i was happy to find the guide in a bookshelf in his new place!..I tried a number of guides in the field ,but the Kaufmann is my favorite ,for size ,and easy use,with a good designed index and color coded sections..
So I arrived in Colorado,and after a short rest ,i was really looking forward to my first bird ..and of course it was a Blue Jay in the drive way!..Blue Jays were not birs i saw in New Mexico ,where we had the Stellar´s Jay version,with the dark head,so theyr were always a treat ,and these one ,after such long time ,was really cool to see...Crows and Ravens I dont see that many in Spain,so a number of these flying around and hoping on the roofs,also were cool to watch..finally ,a raptor made a fast entrance in the scene,to be quickily chased away by a couple of three of the corvids,,It was a Swainson´s ,I am sure..I identified the Hawk fast and had no doubt,even after all these years!..very cool..That day and the day after i was busy,but had a few hours the third day,and decided to take a bike ride to a favorite place of mine,The Cache-La-Poudre river trail..The Cache la Poudre river is one of the three rivers,with the North and South Platte that cross northern Colorado plains .The Poudre river trail.......
to be continued ad edited!

Ok...Back in the trail,for that first day of birding in Colorado..mmmm...So..yes,,,the river trail..It is a nice little walk,..along the ,very high this time of the year,waters of the Poudre river...A number of large ponds are found in this part of the trail,..they are big holes that they excavated to get gravel and sand(probably to use in fracking operations) and that filled with water,creating these large ponds..I remember seeing Northern Harrier ,pretty much every time i went there,few years ago,but I wasnt lucky this time. ..The most abundant birds were Western, AND Easter Kingbirds...along with Cowbirds, Red winged Blackbirds,and Grackles....Meadowlarks and Bullocks Orioles were not uncommon,and I saw a number of them..Of course all kind of swallows..Rough winged, Cliff, barn,..even Tree i think i saw...An Osprey (and later a Bald Eagle)were among the raptors,but i also saw American Kestrel,Red tail hawk,and TWO dark morph buteos that cought me by surprise,and wasnt able to ID past what I said..Dark phase buteo Sp,....then a couple of Western Wood Peewes and some Empidonax species ,probably Western Flycatcher..mm..what else...Wester Grebe,of course..and Terns..yup...White faced or White winged...forgot to look that up..Gulls...young,probably ringed bill...Cormorants..not much more that first day,except for a couple of gorgeous Wood ducks..I didnt see any sparrows except for a number of house sparrows..

then back to work for a couple of days,and we planned a fast visit to the Pawnee national Grasslands ..along the Crow Creek.We have been there many times,it is a beautiful ,peaceful spot,with great birding opportunities,since these plains are the edge of the Summer range of many eastern birds that expand from the eastern and shouther states in breeding season..We were very lucky and one of our first birds was a Red Headed Woodpecker,precisely in the very edge of its range and a First time bird for me--( i saw another lifer in this trip,,but i cant remember...!!!!)..what else did we see there..this time yes,Sparrows,..White Crowned and Lark sparrow..Brown Thraser, Black headed Grosbeak...House Wren, ..a bunch of cool ducks,including Blue winged and Cinammon teals..Northerns Shoveler and Sora we didnt see,but another birder just spotted them a bit ahead of us,..Nighthawks were flying over and Swainson´s Thrushes hopped all over...Bullocks Oreoles ..
a little bit quiet,but nice anyways....
i will finish this entry with a last visit to the trail,with a couple of exciting species in a bit
goodnight!

last visits to the trail got us many of the ducks again..Cinnamon, Blue winged and Green winged Teals , Mallard, Wood duck and also Canada Goose...Downy and Hairy Woodies were fighting ,I think the Downies were protecting a nest,but what was cool is BOTH couples were together flying back and forth in a sort of combat for a good while..Anyway..my last species,last day,in a very short outing was Blue Grosbeak,..a male..
love that bird..
and Love American species!!!!

See You around

Trying to remember if left anything...i did...Belted Kingfisher..male it was...cruising the Poudre