GYR

[Carol Ortenzio]

We are going to be in the Fort Collins area this weekend. Is the Gyrfalcon still being seen. Any suggestions for where to park?
Carol Ortenzio
GJ

[Carl Bendorf]

Carol,

Many of the Gyrfalcon sightings over the past month have been of the bird perching on one of the very tall brown metal powerline poles along Trilby Rd on the west side of Taft Hill Rd.  Trilby Road is the first road to the west from Taft Hill on the south side of the Larimer County landfill.   I've attached a quick map showing this general location.  Trilby Rd west of Taft Hill is gravel and doesn't have a lot of traffic and birders have been parking alongside the road.  You never know which pole the falcon will choose so it's hard to tell you exactly where along Trilby to park.  And, of course, over a month's time, the falcon has been seen in a lot of different spots in this general area--on different poles, buzzing the landfill that is north of Trilby, flying in and out from various directions, etc.  If I had to bet, I would park myself along Trilby maybe halfway down (it dead ends eventually in a private lane) and just settle in to wait but constantly checking all the tops of powerpoles and generally scanning the whole horizon.

Some birders will also enter the landfill to look at gulls and perhaps be in the right spot if and when the falcon cruises by but you will need some luck with that.

Suggest you also go back and read all the various postings and reports on COBIRDS to get a sense of the variety of ways and places that the falcon has been observed.

Hope this helps.

Carl Bendorf

Longmont CO