Impromptu run

I had some time Friday afternoon and decided to head out on my “loop”, only a little backwards since I was starting in Boulder.  I headed out Broadway and caught my first official Turkey Vulture of the year (the only other one had been a “probably” in the late day sun) soaring north of town.  I went by the St. Vrain Osprey nest, and one of the pair was sitting on the platform nest.  I cut over on 59^th past the RT nest out in the field near that first curve, to the Hygiene site.  The eagles were not on the nest, but again far out on their perch in the distance.  As I was leaving, a man with binocs and two bikers stopped by and I had to tell them about the failed nest. 

I headed east to 75^th and the office site near Nelson Rd; the GHO was on its nest, but the RT nest was empty.  However, across Nelson, on the SE corner above the farmhouse is an occupied RT nest-could that be where they ended up, possibly if owls chased them off, or another pair entirely that close?  Next, I headed up to Airport Road and north to Westview Middle school, into their parking lot back south onto a bus service road, to where you can get a great view of an Osprey platform out in the middle of the field (basically at Mountain View Dr), and both adults were on the nest.  I cruised by the Fairgrounds where one Osprey was perched upon the camera.  

Next, it was east to the Bald Eagle nest off County Line and Quicksilver, near the St Vrain washout, and saw the mama on nest.  I headed back south on County Line past a couple of RT nests to Kenosha and up to the GHO nest across from the heron rookery, where mama was snoozing.  I went up to 287 and stopped near Dawson to look at huge nest just south of the creek, but it is so deep and surrounded by branches that I could not discern a head or “horns”, but the RT nest just up and across the highway at Jasper had a head poking out of it.  It was about then that I saw another TV soar overhead.  Lastly, I went up to 95^th, past the RT head in a nest at Baseline, and onto the GHOs behind the Jiffy Lube, where I once again had an incredible view of mama and her three babies (I have yet to spy the daddy hanging out in any nearby trees).  Later that afternoon, I saw a mini-flock of six TVs pass over Lafayette looking for a place to roost for the night.  Coming home that night I caught sight of another GHO on a light pole on Highway 7. Overall count for the day: 8 TVs, 3 Baldies, 4 Osprey, 4 adult & 3 baby GHOs, a few Kestrels and in the high teens for RTs.

I had to go into Boulder on Saturday morning so I stopped by Legion Park and looked down for the Ospreys and, sure enough, the pair was on the nest platform that is almost straight across the water at the base of the hill.  There also appears to be a Red-tail nest in the stand of trees just to the west, although it is not visible from the lookout.  I think the best viewing spot would be from Westview, just on the west side of the hill on Arapahoe, where you would be able to look back across the road and see it-I have only gotten quick glimpses from the moving car.  When I came home, one of the Osprey flew in low over the school buildings on the south side of the road and right over my car.  Lastly, just north of Lucerne on 111th, a Cooper’s Hawk whizzed out of the neighborhood on the west, right in front of me and disappeared into a yard on the other side of the street.

I have yet to see my first Swainson’s Hawk of the year, or at least identify one (there have been two maybes) but sightings are starting to pop up around the state.

Happy Raptoring!