We left Denver and headed up Route 85 to the Foster Reservoir. It was here that a Trumpeter Swan had been staying for about two weeks. We stopped at the reservoir with lightning flying around from the numerous thunderstorms that were in the area. Here, we saw many Western Grebes (one with young on its back) along with some Clark's Grebes mixed in. The Westerns outnumbered the Clark's at least five to one. There were also a few White Pelicans but no swan. We worked our way around to the other end of the reservoir, spotting my first Franklin's Gulls feeding in the adjacent farm fields along with Ring-billed Gulls, Brewer's, Red-winged, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and an American Kestrel. We searched the water from this end of the reservoir and found Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Ruddy Duck, American Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, and finally, the Trumpeter Swan.
We left there and headed back towards Route 85. On the way down Route 66, we all did a 'double-take' on a bird sitting on a wire. After one of my many-to-come 'U-turns', we crept up on the bird. It had an all-white body, all-white wings except for some pink, and a gray-into-black head. We all agreed that it had to be a partial-albino Red-winged Blackbird. Soon after that, it flew down into a marshy area with some other Red-winged Blackbirds and sang the same song. Continuing north on Route 85, we saw Swainson's Hawk, Common Nighthawk, Eastern and Western Kingbird, Black-billed Magpie, Belted Kingfisher, Cliff and Barn Swallow, and Western Meadowlark.
Leaving Route 85, we turned onto Road 114 into the western edge of the Pawnee National Grasslands.
Within the first mile of Road 114, we found Lark Bunting, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Golden Eagle, Horned Lark, Brewer's Sparrow, and McCown's Longspur.
The longspurs were all in excellent breeding plumage. We also saw Pronghorn along the road. We turned north of Road 37 and stopped at the Central Plains Experimental Range. While looking unsuccessfully for a Sage Thrasher, we did find Brown Thrasher and a nearby Loggerhead Shrike. We turned off Road 37, headed east on Road 122, and then turned south on Road 45 where George spotted our only Mountain Plover.
McCown's Longspurs were fairly common. Farther along Road 45, in the only tree for miles, we saw a Ferruginous Hawk on a nest with three down-covered young. We turned west onto Road 114 and returned to Route 85. Near dusk, we saw a hunting Burrowing Owl.
We stayed at the Motel 6 in Greeley after filling up at the Western Sizzlin where George had the biggest potato he'd ever seen.
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