Wait, WHAT, a SHORT-EARED OWL?!

13 April 2021

One the hardest things about doing a Green Big Year is not just riding everywhere birding, and managing work and family, but finding time to write blog posts to tell the stories! Frustratingly, I get some of my greatest ideas while riding and then I forget them by the time I get home. Of course, they don’t come back to me when I sit down at the computer.

I have been drafting a post about the challenges of a green year which doesn’t have any bird stories, but it is not writing itself. However, this adventure/misadventure is one for the story books!

About noon, I see a report of a Burrowing Owl at Bear Creek Lake Park, which is about 7-8 miles away as the cyclist rides. Burrowing Owl is a tough bird for me to get. They drop in now and again, but this is one I should chase. I really didn’t have the time to go, but I could get there and back before a critical meeting. I decide to go. I told a couple friends about it, hoping to spread word fast. I’m about to leave and see a message that it’s actually a SHORT-EARED OWL! WHAT!?!?!?! This isn’t a nemesis bird for me in Colorado because I've never chased one, but I have not seen one in the state. This is also a VERY good bird for the metro area.

I’m riding over, trying to manage my heart rate (which is way too high), and get a couple miles in and my shifter starts sticking and it quits working. I’m left with essentially a single speed bike. Well, I have my big and small front chain rings, but one gear in the back, and, I guess fortunately, it’s the easiest one. I guess this is better than the big gear! I push onward, questioning whether I should be going. The gearing situation is ok on the hills, but I can’t go fast enough on descents or flats because I don’t have any bigger gears! 

To add to the situation, I grab a water bottle for a drink and it’s FROZEN! The old fridge in our garage doesn't manage the temperature very well apparently, and I was in too much of a hurry to notice it was frozen solid! Thank goodness my other bottle wasn’t frozen. I push on and am descending a hill in Bear Creek Lake Park and flush TWO SAGE THRASHERS!  My first of the year and I hoped they were a harbinger of good things to come. I start rolling slowly up the dam on the north side of the reservoir and stop to try to find out where the owl is. I see birders scattered around, but no one is looking at anything. My heart sinks. I don’t have a lot of time to be messing around. 

I then get a call from Rob Raker and he’s on the bird! I see him too, but it’s way out into the big burned area to the west of the dam. I have no idea how to get there. Rob gave me intel, I thanked him, maybe hung up while he was still talking to me (sorry Rob), and started up the dam the rest of the way with Myron G following me in his car (which is still a much easier method of transport by the way). I ride down this gravel road towards Rob, ride through the burned field, which is just greening up after the fire, and eventually ditch the bike (dropping my chain) and I sprinted across the field to him. That must have been a sight! I’m glad there’s no photos or video of that!

The owl is WAY out there, I promise.

Rob got me on the bird, which is SO FAR AWAY, but no question on the identification. I tried to get horrible digibin photos, but I completely blew that. I didn’t even get the blob in my binocs to circle for fun. My photos were all just a shade too far to the right. Rob has nice photos of the bird though. Myron G caught up to us and we all enjoyed the distant bird. We did fist bumps and some group selfies (how nerdy!? I’m not a selfie kind of person). Other than the awkward selfies, it was amazing. Then I had to slog home on a broken bike. Luckily I got online for my work Teams meeting ONE minute before it started. Win!  What a trip. That was a rewarding ride and a GREAT green big year bird. 

Turns out my bike needs a little work, so I’m now riding my back up bike for hopefully only a week. 

Thanks to Rob Raker for this shot of me fixing my bike.

I NEVER expected a short-eared owl on this green year. What an incredible bonus bird. I guess that's what this is all about. A lot of unexpected. It was my first short-eared in Colorado and a huge bird for my home county list, but neither list is really important to me, nor do I chase birds for them. However, what a green big year bird!! 

I had planned to rest this day because I was still tired from 3 rides in the previous 2 days, and I don’t recover like I did when I was racing at 28 years old! But a little adrenaline and the thrill of a potentially rewarding green chase will get you there. That one was heck of a ride!

I have some other good stories I hope to share with you all soon. You thought this was wild and fun (and maybe a little crazy).

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Green Big Year species list: 136
Miles ridden: 705 miles (as of Apr 13)
# of rides with a frozen water bottle and broken shifter: 1 
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

I don't know what I'm doing here other than a selfie with a Short-eared Owl a half mile away behind me.

One happy gang of birders. Myron looks like he's out for a summer hike!