Skip to main content

I'm back (mostly)!

January 17, 2021
I had a couple good days post the misery of shingles and decided I needed to try for the continuing rarities at Chatfield State Park: Golden-crowned Sparrow and Common Redpoll. I needed to take it easy on the bike and not push myself too hard, and I was largely able to do that. This was another typical January ride in Colorado as it was under 32 degrees F when I departed. I got to the horse stables area at Chatfield and found the Golden-crowned Sparrow in about 8 min with a group of others, whom I'm fairly certain didn't see the bird when it popped up and posed for about 10 sec, in spite of my calling it out immediately and giving very specific location information. The sparrow wasn't cooperative and I never got a photo, but I had a nice look. I stuck around for a few minutes hoping to get the other birders on the bird, but I saw it fly to the west with some juncos. I wished them luck and left.

I quickly got back on the bike and went to S. Platte River delta where the Common Redpoll had been. It was quite unbirdy, but I got my green year Western Meadowlark (ha!)!  The redpoll had often been reported with American Goldfinches, and I found a few on the east side of the river, but I didn't have time to go around and search for the bird. I was apparently so bored that I took a very rare selfie. Ha! However, I forgot to take a photo of my bike locked up to a tree with my new compact, yet very strong, bike lock. Next time! 

I was pleased with how my body felt when I rode home. It'd been 2 weeks since I had ridden or really done anything. I consider this first easy ride (19 miles!) a solid first step back to the game! It felt so good to get out on the bike!  Hopefully I can get out later this week after a couple days of rest and making sure my body is ready for some more cycling efforts!


Thank you for all the pledges and donations! Click the link (scroll to the bottom) to pledge or donate!
https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

Green Big Year species list: 74
Miles ridden: 76 miles
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big ride for big time green year birds.

First and foremost, thank you for all the pledges and donations! The total pledges so far have been astonishing! Between donations and pledges per species (assuming I hit 250 species), we are about 70% of the way to our $20,000 target! I think Joe would probably roll his eyes and tell a joke about the time we chased what would be his first Arapahoe county Brown Thrasher at Cherry Creek State Park. We saw the thrasher fly away and vanish and then Joe gave me slack for not getting him better looks!   Please consider a tax-deductible donation or pledge per species (pledges do not need to be paid until the 2021 green year ends). The pledges and donations are motivating me to get out and get birds. I'm truly humbled. Thank you. This is going to be such a fun year! Click the link (scroll to the bottom) to pledge or donate!  https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/ January 2021 overview (and then the birds!). I thought I'd start off with a little overview of my general strategy for this green
2 comments
Read more

Introducing the 2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

Welcome to the 2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Blog! The Colorado birding community lost one of its pillars when Joe Roller passed away in November 2020. Joe was a fountain of birding lore and loved people as much as birds. Many considered him a beloved friend.  To honor Joe's legacy, I've partnered with Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) and created the Joe Roller Memorial Grant to support bird research in Colorado.  The grant will be initially funded by pledges raised through my 2021 Green Big Year, a green (carbon-free) birding initiative. I will be walking or riding my bike from my house in Littleton, Colorado to see as many species as possible in 2021. My 2020 green list is currently 244 species, but I am aiming for at least 250 bird species in 2021!  I'll update this blog with adventures, birds, and photos throughout the year. We are taking per-species pledges and flat tax-deductible donations towards the Grant online at  https://Cobirds.org/CFO/Grants . (Scr
Post a Comment
Read more

A sparrow, a sapsucker, and a shrike, oh my!

I've been able to take advantage of dry roads and nice weather lately. I had a couple very successful adventures in the last week and picked up some green avian targets for the year. January 20, 2021 A Harris's Sparrow was frequenting a private residence in Littleton (JeffCo) and despite arriving in the early afternoon, to find no birds anywhere, a flock of White-crowned Sparrows showed up a few minutes later and the Harris's popped up! Talk about luck! I also had taken my camera (a first for a bike ride) and lucked out with a couple decent photos for the blog! A sharp looking Harris's Sparrow! Harris's Sparrow (Green year bird #75) With the grand luck on the Harris's Sparrow, I decided to swing by the ball fields at Kipling and 285 (still in Litteton) to see if there were any Snow Geese around. Not a goose to be found, so I kept going north to Bear Creek Greenbelt to look for either of Winter Wrens that had recently been found between S Estes St and S. Kipling
2 comments
Read more