Tundra Swans at Standley Lake (#278)

26 November 2021

Two days earlier a pair of Tundra Swans were found at Standley Lake, in the north end of Jefferson Co. Any swan would be a great pick up for the big year. Of course I can't go the day they were found or on Thanksgiving, assuming they stuck around and swans often don't stick around long. I'd note to everyone that Thanksgiving (Nov 25) marked one year since we lost Joe Roller.

Early Friday morning a friend went to check on the swans for me (Thank you!) and he said they had been joined by SEVEN more! I thought he was pulling my leg, but alas he wasn't. I hit the road on the bike about 7:40 am and told my family I'd be home ASAP (meaning probably 4 hours, ha!).

I'd never even been to Standley Lake, let alone ridden my bike there. There were lots of new roads, paths, a delay at a railroad crossing (which is a first), and a couple wrong turns. It took just a little over an hour and half of riding to get there and upon coming over a rise where I could see the reservoir, I could see the group of swans out in the middle! Victory! Well, I needed to get closer and get better looks than swans at a mile, but mission accomplished! I'm glad I had some Joe luck and they stuck around for and a lot of happy birders this day.

Tundra Swans were Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year bird #278 and my 299th green bird all time from my house in Littleton!

Pledge or donate here to the new Joe Roller Memorial Grant. Thank you.

https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

Some great views!

A little wait at the light rail crossing.

Poor digiscope

Yes, I dragged all my gear up to Standley.

While I was at Standley Lake, I got word from Chris Wood that he had a White-winged Scoter at Chatfield. Of course I'm nowhere close to Chatfield for once. That bird would have to wait a day, but alas that bird didn't stick around. However, the next morning Joey Kellner found 2 White-winged Scoters at Chatfield. Fueled by only 3 chocolate chip pancakes, I took off and after a bit of searching the South Platte Delta area, I relocated them with my buddy Steve S. We got some better views from the Fox Run area. Good thing I went early and got them since the birds we bumped out of the area in the early afternoon and not seen again.

White-winged Scoters, Chatfield State Park.

Totals:
Green Big Year species list: 279 (as of Nov 30)
Miles ridden: 2815 (as of Nov 30)
Elevation gain in 2021: 115,000 ft
# of trips to Chatfield State Park: 45
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

Pledge or donate here to the new Joe Roller Memorial Grant. Thank you.

https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

Thanks for reading!
Scott

Comments

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 ...

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...

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 ...

Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

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