This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 5 am sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.
Highlight species include (*Denotes that there is new information for this species in this report) Long-tailed Duck (Adams) Barrow's Goldeneye (Adams, Denver, Summit) Mandarin Duck (Boulder) RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (*Weld) Thayer's Gull (Pueblo) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Pueblo) Glaucous Gull (Pueblo) GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (Pueblo) SNOWY OWL (*El Paso) Carolina Wren (Baca, Prowers) Curve-billed Thrasher (Bent) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Jefferson) Northern Cardinal (Prowers) PURPLE FINCH (Prowers) White-winged Crossbill (*Larimer) To skip this recording to leave a message, press the star key at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions including the county and dates for all sightings. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name. Adams County: --A Long-tailed Duck was reported by Roller on a reservoir south of 88th and east of the Platte and bounded on the east by Dahlia on January 4. Breitsch reported 3 Long-tailed Ducks (1f, 2 juv) on West Gravel Lake on January 4. On January 10, Schaumberg reported that a Boy Scout merit badge group saw a Long-tailed Duck on West Gravel Lake. On January 13, Dunning reported a tail-less male Long-tailed Duck on West Gravel Lake. --A male Barrow's Goldeneye was reported by Lechleitner by the water tower on January 10. A male Barrow's Goldeneye was reported by Dunning at the lake south of 88th between the Platte and Dahlia. Baca County: --At Two Buttes Leatherman reported 1 Carolina Wren on a hillside south of first pond to east of dam and 1 m Red-bellied Woodpecker. --Leatherman reported Lapland Longspurs on CR W. Bent County: --A Curve-billed Thrasher was reported by Leatherman at Fort Lyon at the junction of CR 15 and GG.5 on January 11. Denver County: --A pair of Barrow’s Goldeneye was reported by Henwood along the S. Platte River just north of the bridge on W. Evans Ave on December 14. On January 13, Blakeslee reported the male Barrrow's Goldeneye north of the Florida Bridge. El Paso County: --A SNOWY OWL was reported by Cipoletti on Hwy 24 east of Elbert Road on December 27. Cipoletti refound the owl in the same area on January 8. Many birders saw the owl on January 10. Directions: On Hwy 24 drive east of Falcon to the first road east of Elbert Road, Scott Road W. Turn south, turn right at next intersection, and right again onto Prairie View Lane. Check roof tops and fence posts anywhere in area. Look for whitewash on rooftops for favored perches. Thanks to Bill Maynard for posting the information. On January 15, Wilson reported that owl was seen by a few birders in the same neighborhood. Birders please be considerate of the bird, property owners, and other birders. Do not walk on private property to get a better look or photo. Do not block streets. Jefferson County: --A juv GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW was reported by Brown behind the Trading Post at Red Rocks on December 19 and was seen by several birders. The sparrow was seen on January 14 by Henwood. Birders suggest taking birdseed and scattering it to attrack the birds. Larimer County: --A pair of White-winged Crossbills was reported by Leatherman in Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins on November 22. The pair was seen by Dunning on the north side of Section 8 on January 13. Prowers County: --At Lamar Community College Woods on January 10, Leatherman reported 1 Carolina Wren, a pair of Northern Cardinals, and a m Red-bellied Woodpecker. Oswald also had a male Northern Cardinal on January 10. --A female PURPLE FINCH was reported by Leatherman on January 12 in the Willow Valley Subdivision of Lamar at a feeder. --1 imm Harris's Sparrow was reported by Leatherman at the Arkansas River and the Prowers Bridge on January 12. Pueblo County: --At Pueblo Reservoir on January 12, Percival reported 1 ad Glaucous Gull, 1 ad Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 ad GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, and 1 2nd-cycle Thayer's Gull. The Glaucous Gull and Thayer's Gull were are the South Shore Marina tires and the Lesser Black-backed and GREAT BLACK-BACKED Gulls were in the se corner of the reservoir. Summit County: --About 85 Barrow's Goldeneyes were reported by Nims at the Blue River (Silverthorne) Water Treatment Plant on December 28. On January 10, Nims reported 49 Barrow's Goldeneyes at the treatment plant. Weld County: --An imm RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was reported by DeFonso at the Kodak SWA near Windsor on January 6. It was discovered earlier by Elens. The hawk is moving around. On January 15 Arensen reported the hawk on the Poudre Trail side, actually in a tree by the road to the Kodak Plant. It later flew to the wildlife area. The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, January 16 will be to Belmar Historic Park led by Karleen Schofield (303-936-8661). Meet at 0900 at 800 S. Wadsworth. Turn west on Ohio Aveue from Wadsworth, straight ahead for 2 blocks into Irongate parking area next to the lake. 1/2 day trip, easy walking. The DFO Field Trip for Sunday, January 17 will be to Bear Creek Lake Park and Bear Creek Green Belt led by Mike Henwood (303-716-9551). Meet at 0800 at Park entrance (SE corner of Morrison Road and C470). $5 fee per vehicle. 1/2 day trip Good Birding, Joyce Takamine Boulder, Co