Greetings All,
I promise to end my fixation with Weld County gulls. Actually, that was not at all how the day started, as Christian Nunes and I began at Crow Valley Campground. There was little in the way of migrant action, but a TAIGA (aka, eastern/northern) HERMIT THRUSH was apparently a good find. This bird is much browner backed than the usual CO Hermit Thrushes, which are of the Interior Mountain group (larger, gray-backed, gray flanks). It also had some buffy wash on the flanks. Its call, still roughly translated as "chuck" was less Varied Thrush-like than I am used to from Pacific Coast and Western Interior birds. Not sure if that has meaning, or if just this individual called oddly. Also at Crow Valley, we had our first HOUSE WREN of the spring, about on time, as I can gather, and some lingering juncos including an Oregon and a Cassiar's. At Murphy's Pasture in the Pawnee, we had 9 CC Longspurs and 3 McCown's. On a side road we had an apparent migrant Rock Wren. Later in the day, at Loloff Lake in Weld, we had a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, along with 2 Semi Sands and 5 Leasts. Chris and I spent the end of our day together at Windsor Lake, where we refound Cole Wild's 1st year BL KITTIWAKE. It was sitting on the water in a rather desultory fashion, as a number of Franklin's and Bonaparte's Gulls swept about feeding. I dropped Chris off, and as clouds had rolled in, went to Black Hollow Res, finding one 1st year LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, one 3rd year GLAUCOUS GULL, and 2 THAYER'S GULLS (one first and one second year). I went back to Windsor Res, and there were even more birds there. Some nice tallies include 70 RB Mergs 300 Common Mergs 100 DC Cormorants 100 Franklin's Gulls 30 or so Bonaparte's Gulls The kittiwake was still floating about, ignoring the incredibly active feeding action. After a bit, it rose up, flopping somewhat awkwardly, gathered some height, and drifted off to the west, to same direction that a number of cormorants were heading. I am not sure that it left... it may have been heading off to an evening roost. Best Wishes Steven Mlodinow Longmont, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
