Success!

Grand Junction, CO - It was not looking good. It was 7:30 pm and the sun was disappearing over the juniper hills across from the Ute Canyon View and I had still not observed a Juniper Titmouse.
Earlier that evening I convinced five other workshop participants that we needed to go for a drive in the Colorado National Monument. They were all for it after spending the day in a hotel conference room and we headed out at the conclusion of our days work. The evening was gorgeous and we made numerous stops along Rimrock Drive to look over the wonderful canyon views (and look for birds for me). I really enjoyed watching the White-throated Swifts (one of my favorites) zooming over the red canyon rocks and the Ravens working their way along the rims. I even managed to pish in a dapper Black-throated Gray Warbler and got good looks at a pair of crayon blue Pinyon Jays. Of course I had put my small lens on the camera at that stop to take some scenic photos when they appeared so I missed what could have been a good warbler shot with my longer lens.
Still no Juniper Titmouse when we made our last stop of the evening at the Ute Canyon View. I wandered to the edge of the canyon, pished a few times, and I had a Chipping Sparrow respond and then I noticed the whirlwinds of White-throated Swifts above the canyon, swirling down to race along the red canyon wall. I tried to get some photos of the birds against that canyon and was concentrating on following the little speedsters with the camera when I heard a different "chip" from the small bush behind me. I turned around and there it was right behind me. A plain grayish brown bird with a nice little crest - a Juniper Titmouse. I really thought it was going to elude me again but there it was at the last stop in the fading light. Just one bird, but I got good looks and poor photos. I also had a pair of Ravens fly right over me and "cronk" at me then whirl up into the air over the canyon.
It was a great evening.

Search for the Juniper Titmouse

Grand Junction, CO - I am in Grand Junction for a planning workshop. Sounds pretty boring I know, but I find these workshops quite exciting. I get to work some wonderful talented and dedicated people who are working on the future of our public lands management.
As part of this workshop we had a field trip this morning to Glade Park just south and west of Grand Junction to look at a few habitat treatments that the BLM and partners have implemented for Gunnison Sage-grouse. I found the discussion and ability to view these areas very interesting but I have to confess I was also trying to get a fair amount of birding in since I was going to be spending much of the next 3 days in a conference room. In particular I was looking for the Juniper Titmouse – a species that was recently spit from the Plain Titmouse along with the Oak Titmouse. As you might imagine the Oak Titmouse is very similar but occupies oak habitats rather than juniper habitats. I have observed the Oak Titmouse (back when it was still the Plain Titmouse) in California but I had no notes that I had ever observed a Plain Titmouse in the portion of it’s range where it is now called the Juniper Titmouse. It should be a fairly easy bird to pick up but I just managed to always not be in the right habitat or have enough time to look in the right habitat when I traveled to places within it’s range. Grand Junction is in the heart of Pinyon/Juniper country and I figured this would be my opportunity to find one and this field trip would be my best chance this week.

No such luck. We wound up going to places where they had gotten rid of the Pinyon/Juniper to enhance the distribution and extent of sage habitats so we weren’t in the right habitat again. We did drive through some very nice Juniper habitats and I had tantalizing glimpses of birds that looked like they might be a Juniper Titmouse but when you are traveling with a bunch of non-birders on a schedule it is difficult to hold up the whole group of to tromp through the bushes to find a bird. I did see some wonderful birds this morning though – White-throated Swifts, a Golden Eagle, lots of Vesper Sparrows, Ravens, Mountain Bluebirds, Gamble’s Quail, Western Meadowlarks, and American Kestrels. Plus all the usual city associated birds – House Sparrows, Rock Pigeon, Starling etc.
I do have one last chance to get out and find a Juniper Titmouse. Tomorrow we get done about 4:00 and I have already convinced one of the participants with a vehicle to take me back out into some Juniper areas. Hopefully…