Highlights at Chico Basin Ranch yesterday Oct 5th: El Paso County: At the banding station was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Cassin's Vireo, Broad-winged Hawk, pair of Brown Creepers. Two Cassin's Kingbirds on the road going east from banding area. On the dirt roads I saw two Curve-billed Thrashers, heard another two, and saw one Sage Thrasher.
Pueblo County: Chico doesn't get multiple shorebirds very often, so I wanted to mention at Rose Pond there were Pectoral Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper, about 25 Lesser Yellowlegs, one White-faced Ibis, and 32 Long-billed Dowitchers. At headquarters Pond, Virginia Rail and flyover Wilson's Snipe. At Upper Twin Pond I saw and photographed an Eastern Phoebe, took me a bit to nail down the ID because I wasn't expecting it. Most remarkably, while standing at headquarters willows between about 1 and 2 o'clock there was a raptor migration show in the afternoon that I can only call a procession. Not big groups or bunched tightly, but a seemingly non-stop fly-by of multiple Coopers Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, multiple Osprey, and Turkey Vultures. I've never seen anything quite like it. All day long were the awesome sound of flyover Sandhill Cranes, I saw probably just over a thousand. On my way home about 125 landed south of Peyton Highway in a large shallow pond, making me think that perhaps some cranes spent the night around some water in Chico Basin. Dan Stringer Larkspur, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/991ae8b7-f80a-469d-bf7e-8b552cb9c6b3%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
