This weekend was a great one for birding in Huerfano County and the San Luis Valley...Saturday April 30th, with the snowstorm due to hit Sunday, we decided to head out to the San Luis Valley. Armed with John J. Rowinski's Birding Hotspots of South-central Colorado...this was meant to be a "scouting trip" as some the areas are closed this time of year...we still wanted to check out the routes and familiarize ourselves with how to get to Blanca Wetlands for future reference. We visited San Luis Lake State Park, Home Lake, and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.
Before we left La Veta we duly checked out our backyard feeders and recorded the following: HARRIS'S SPARROW made a quick visit and has not been seen since PINYON JAYS (12-15) Song Sparrow Spotted Towhees Hairy Woodpeckers Downy Woodpeckers American Goldfinches (in the process of molting) Pine Siskins (over 100) Dark-eyed Juncos (these have really cleared out lately, just a few remain) Cassin's Finch (one lone female) White-breasted Nuthatch Blue Jays (we have started calling them "the gang of 6") Mourning Doves Eurasian Collared Doves 60+ Red-winged Blackbirds Common Grackles Brown-headed Cowbirds American Robin Evening Grosbeaks Black-capped chickadees Black-billed Magpie American Robin Next we headed to Daigre Lakes just west of us: Violet-Green Swallows N. Rough-winged Swallows Turkey Vultures (so nice to see the flying, and not trussed up in the tree next to Dr. Patrick Sternberg's office) 1 Great Egret 2 Snowy Egrets 1 Great Blue Heron 8 White-Faced Ibis Then it was off to a stock pond out of town a ways: Cinnamon Teal Mallard Greater Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Gadwalls Finally we headed off to the San Luis Valley...we did not leave La Veta until around 9:00 a.m. On the way to Blanca Wetlands, trying not to repeat those species we had seen earlier: Loggerhead Shrikes (5 of these for the day) Golden Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Sage Thrashers were abundant everywhere Western Meadowlarks Barn Swallows Swainson's Hawks American Kestrals (all over) European Starlings Common Raven Rock Doves Next it was off to one of our favorite places in the San Luis Valley - San Luis Lake State Park On our way at a stock tank & puddle we came across: Rock Doves House Sparrows Willets 20+ MARBLED GODWITS flew in while we were there 1 lone WHIMBREL At the San Luis Lakes State Park: Say's Phoebes Dozens of American Avocets American White Pelicans 2 Black-necked Stilts Green-winged Teals Northern Shovelers over 100 Wilson's Phalaropes BONAPARTE'S GULL FRANLKIN'S GULL FORSTER'S TERN Ring-billed Gulls PRAIRIE FALCON (harassing the waterfowl) Eared Grebes Least Sandpipers 1 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER 15 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS Dozens of White-faced Ibis (tried very hard to make at least one into Glossy...but they all insisted on being White-faced!) Chipping Sparrows were abundant 2 Buffleheads Lesser Scaups were abundant RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (1 lone male, our LIFER for the day!) PECTORAL SANDPIPER 50+ MARBLED GODWITS lots of WILLETS large rafts of Ruddy Ducks Least Sandpipers 20+ LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS Next we meandered over to Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, by way of Home Lake: Male and female Northern Harriers American Crow American Coots Canada Geese Ruddy Ducks American White-pelicans in (very close and great photo op) Eared grebes were abundant Western Grebes Clark's Grebes Hermit Thrushes Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge brought many repeats and many new species for the day: Common Mergansers Ruddy Ducks Great Egret Snowy Egret Great Blue Heron BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS Yellow-rumped Warblers Clark's Grebes Western Grebes Ruddy Ducks everywhere Canvasbacks Ring-necked Duck 2 Northern Pintails Double-crested Cormorants Hundreds of Yellow-headed Blackbirds Redheads Marsh Wrens were everywhere and 1 finally made the briefest of appearances Rock Wren was very bold Brewer's Blackbirds were abundant White-Crowned Sparrows SAGE SPARROW (only one...but great looks) Vesper Sparrow Killdeer Green-tailed Towhee (first of the season) Yellow Warbler (first of the season) House Wren Sharp-shinned Hawk GREATER SCAUP (one pair) Lesser Scaup Song Sparrow California Gull Horned Larks White-crowned Sparrow We stayed at the refuge until deep dusk hoping for owls...but it was not to be Sunday May 1st, in the midst of a late Spring Snow we headed to Lathrop State Park where we added: 5 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS 1 WESTERN SANDPIPER American Pipits NORTHERN PARULA (1 mixed in with a large flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers) Our first of the season for Huerfano County Yellow Warbler Mountain Bluebirds Western Bluebirds Belted Kingfisher Hermit Thrushes were abundant American Robins (100s) Blue-winged Teals more Wilson's Phalaropes All the rest were repeats of what we saw in the San Luis Valley When we arrive home there were 2 Green-tailed Towhees at our feeders (yard bird 119!) Sorry this went on for so long and was so late...but just wanted to let everyone know that things are hopping here in far Southern Colorado! Polly Wren and Paul Neldner La Veta Huerfano County -- 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.
