>From May 20-23, Paul Slingsby and I, aka the Roving Oscines, birded a number >of Las Animas County hotspots. Appropriately for our team name, we focused on >bird song and sound, often using Merlin Sound ID to confirm identification and >record sounds. It will take a few days to edit and post recordings and photos >to eBird checklists, but I thought a few highlights would be worth reporting.
We found more breeding birds on territories than birds clearly migrating, providing excellent song recording opportunities. At Bosque del Oso State Wildlife Area, an under-birded gem, Dusky Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Gray Catbirds, Green-tailed Towhees, and three warbler species were among the singers. Capping a full morning spent there, however, was a nice number of Lewis’s Woodpeckers. In the town of Cokedale, dozens of Evening Grosbeaks were feeding on elm seeds. At Riley Canyon (Trinidad Lake State Park), what seemed to be a few calling Pinyon Jays heard from out truck erupted suddenly into a flight of 60 or more birds. That marked the second time this month I’ve found respectable size flocks of these jays in Riley Canyon. Since the goal of the Colorado Birding Challenge is to raise funds for Pinyon Jay conservation, it was considerate of these birds to put in an appearance despite declining populations throughout their range. On Monday, a visit to Spanish Peaks State Wildlife Area, another under-birded area, produced the first excellent surprise with at least 4-6 singing Grace’s Warblers. There appears to be a healthy population of these warblers there. The morning of May 23 at Fishers Peak State Park produced nice number of Gray Flycatchers and Black-throated Gray Warblers along with other typical piny0n-juniper woodland breeders. The piece de resistance for the trip, however, was a singing Ovenbird. The Osita Ridge Trail, one of the recently opened trails at Fishers Peak, reaches Ponderosa Pine woodland. (The lower elevations trails are through predominantly pinyon-juniper.) Walking through the ponderosa pine, I heard a familiar song, but couldn’t quite place it. Merlin Sound ID, however, immediately identified an Ovenbird. Las Animas County offers a rich diversity of birding spots, particularly for those of us who have a fondness for southwestern habitats and birds. For those wishing to support pinyon jay conservations, birding challenge teams can accept donations through the end of May and perhaps a short time beyond. Chuck Hundertmark Lafayette, 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 For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/D1B1F5D7-0EEE-417B-8EF5-8E1305D2E393%40gmail.com.
