Birders, Ted's link to the flight call of the Uppie confirms for me that I had an Uppie flyover at 12:15 am on July 13 of this year in Golden, Jefferson County. Ted, thanks for the link.
Ira Sanders Golden, CO -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ted Floyd Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 6:08 AM To: cobirds Subject: [cobirds] Upland Sandpiper, etc., Boulder County Hello, Birders. At 4:09 a.m., this morning, Saturday, July 31st, at Greenlee Preserve, Boulder County, under hazy, moonlit skies, I heard the unmistakable flight call of an Upland Sandpiper. As some folks will recall, there was a rash of Upland Sandpiper detections over Boulder County in the "fall" (late July to early September) of 2009. The species is probably a regular, uncommon "fall" migrant through Boulder County airspace. Last year, one of Boulder County's great birders asked me, with perhaps a twinge of exasperation in his or her voice, "Well, where in the county do they LAND?" At the time, I assumed the answer was, "Not necessarily anywhere in Boulder County; maybe they keep going all the way to Douglas County or somewhere." I think I had the right idea, but it turns out I may have way understated the situation. In talking with the famous shorebird scientist Bob Gill, I've learned that the birds we're hearing along and near the foothills may be high-altitude, no-nonsense, long-distance migrants on sustained flights from Alaska; these birds may well not put down until they're completely out of the state of Colorado--and then some. Here's what the Upland Sandpiper's flight call sounds like: http://www.xeno-canto.org/europe/recording.php?XC=44110 And here's a fine verbal description, from Pete Dunne's "Essential Field Guide Companion": "The call often heard when the bird is flying overhead is a brusque, low, liquid 'quiddyquit,' which is not a harsh or loud sound, but it carries incredibly far." Along with the Upland Sandpiper, I heard a flyover Solitary Sandpiper, and I heard Chipping Sparrows flying over at a rate of 36 flight calls per hour. Definitely, the Chipping Sparrow night-flight is picking up: 4 flight calls per hour on the 26th and 27th at Greenlee, 20 per hour on the 28th, 26 per hour on the 29th, and 36 per hour earlier this morning. A few other passerines have entered the fray: 2 Lark Sparrows and 2 Yellow Warblers before dawn on the 29th. And on the 28th, I heard a Baird's Sandpiper flying over before dawn. More on Chipping Sparrows. Although many birds are flying out east to molt, some are dispersing up, up, up. Yesterday afternoon, at around 12,200 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park, Larimer County, Hannah and Andrew and I heard and saw a Chipping Sparrow flying above the tundra. Definitely not breeding habitat for the species. Speaking of breeding habitat, we saw American Pipits feeding dependent young pretty much everywhere above treeline. And although there were a lot of pipits up there, there were vastly more Phoebus [Rocky Mountain] Parnassians, Parnassius [smintheus] phoebus. In places, they covered the ground like tundra wildflowers. And they filled the air like big snowflakes. While I'm on the subject of insects, what's up with this dull-green tiger beetle I've been seeing everywhere in the Front Range region for the past coupla weeks? Quick!--Where's Leatherman when you need him? More on birds. A semi-notable, perhaps, in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday afternoon was a flock of Bushtits at the Beaver Meadows entrance station, Larimer County, elevation 8,200 feet. Well, the species continues its inexorable march northward and upward. Still more. In the early evening yesterday, Hannah and Andrew and I checked out a few lakes in northeastern Boulder County. Ish Reservoir had a hen Wood Duck with 4 young, a bunch of Great Blue Herons, and a female Hooded Merganser; Hooded Merg is a bit of an oddity in Boulder County in July. Over at McIntosh Reservoir, we easily found Mike Blatchley's Pacific Loon; also present were 3 Great Egrets. And down at Panama Reservoir, we saw 3 Wood Ducks and 12 Snowy Egrets. ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding Follow Birding magazine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BirdingMagazine ------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
