Nests, nests, nests!

The leaves are coming in so if you want to check out nests, this might be the last week to do so.  Here is a list and basic directions for a bunch of nests around Boulder County:

1)     I stumbled upon a brand new Red-tailed hawk nest (for me anyway) right in the middle of Old Town Lafayette.  It sits atop a tree at the NE corner of Simpson and Michigan above the pale yellow business house.  I was in the area and spotted it when I noticed a large hawk gliding in and land in the top of the tree as I was walking by, which I thought strange in itself as we were a few blocks from any type of open space.  It was them that I realized there was a nest just behind it with another hawk in it?!  I believe the first hawk was actually dropping some food for its mate sitting on the nest.  I am wondering if this is the pair that was chased off by “my” GHO (less than a mile almost directly north), and if their haste caused them to pick such an unusual spot, although I think this might also be a previously used GHO nest.

2)     GHO- Lafayette-Off of South Boulder Road, 1^st light east of 95^th, turn North on Plaza Dr, then right on Hecla Way, and go behind Jiffy Lube/Car Wash; a large nest is easily visible at the top of a tree, but active nest is actually much lower, more on east side of the tree, closer to noisy construction (?)-you can go into development and get almost under nest, without disturbing it, since they have not been bothered by any of the commotion; April 11 it had three large white owlets.

3)     Red-tail- Lafayette-95^th St. just south of Baseline Rd., easily viewed from road- in stand of trees between 95^th and new houses, but might be even better from in new development; this nest has been used for years by Red-tails and maybe why they are not bothered by all the commotion?

4)     “My” GHO- Lafayette-Just west of 119^th in between Baseline and Arapahoe, north of the dog park, there is a service road that is usually locked, but you can pull off there and get a good view.

5)     RT-north of Lafayette on US287 at Jasper Rd., nest on SE corner, best to pull off on Jasper.

*There has been a huge GHO nest just across 287 from Jasper, but I can’t confirm if anything is in it now.

6)     GHO-west of Erie on Kenosha Rd. just before road turns hard right at bridge (not the greatest pull off after the flood), there is a Great Blue Heron rookery on the south side of the road, and a GHO nest on the north, not immediately obvious, back a little from the road in the stand of trees.

7)     RT-Erie-County Line Rd at Evans, pull off on Evans and turn around and look west and nest is easily visible on other side of County Line.

8)    RT-north of Erie on County Line, just before Highway 52, large nest above farmhouse on west side of road.

9)     Bald Eagle-Longmont-going north on County Line until it is closed from flood damage and turn left at Quicksilver Road (St Vrain Greenway area), a large cone-shaped nest is across field.

10)  GHO: Longmont-off 75^th, one street north of Nelson Road, turn east on Kennedy Dr., pull in behind small office complex; 150 or so yards east of 75th there is a GHO nest-you can park almost underneath it less than 50 yards to get a great look with scope.

*Closer to 75^th there is another nest that has been RT last couple of years, and has had activity around it, but not sure if inhabited or not…

11)   However, across Nelson Rd, SE corner with 75^th is an RT nest above the farmhouse that might be that pair.

12)  Osprey-Longmont-Airport Road, just south of Mountain View (and Westview Middle School) is a large platform in the middle of the field with a pair (April 11)

13)  Osprey-just west of 59^th on St. Vrain Road (basically directly south of Hygiene Eagle nesting site), there is a platform built on a farm (there is a small unused one just before larger active one) only maybe 30 yards from the road on south side-shoulder is narrow and I suggest parking a little farther west on south side of road so as not to disturb the birds or human residents.

14)  RT- Just north of St Vrain on 59^th, at first 90 degree turn, nest in large tree in field (for a few years now)

15)   Osprey-Walden Ponds, Boulder-you have to hike back to it (I have not observed but two good sources confirm)

16)  There are also two Osprey platforms (one or the other has been used for a few years at least) on the Valmont Energy land south of Walden Ponds and visible from Legion Park overlook off Arapahoe Road, ~1/2 mile west of 75^{th t} there is a turn off as you go up the hill on north side, from the top they can be seen with binoculars, looking almost straight north (little east), across water but on level area.

17)  Just west and north, visible from Arapahoe at Westview Dr. is a RT nest in the trees-it is almost exactly even with Westview, but is not the most viewable site.

Bird of note: A Broad-Winged Hawk was reported in Boulder last week at 28^th and Iris (by a reputable CoBirders poster) who said his wife noticed something that was just not a RT or Swainson’s.  So jealous!  None have been reported at Dinosaur Ridge yet either, although Northern Goshawks have been observed at least three times, with one considered a “local”.

I still have not seen my first Swainson’s Hawk of the season yet, but I intend to when my dad and I head to Dinosaur Ridge Hawkwatch again today (Monday, so report coming soon).