Here's something fun, from the archives: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/cobirds/c/oqCyicSjiHc/m/S8EvX70veekJ
Literally, from the COBirds archives. That was the first San Luis Valley road trip Hannah and I ever did together. And, now, a mere 17 years later... :-) (No sandstorms and snow devils for that 2007 expedition, but how 'bout the incident with the car and the flame-thrower!) —Ted Floyd, Lafayette, Boulder Co. On Mon, Mar 18, 2024 at 5:55 AM Ted Floyd <[email protected]> wrote: Hey, all. > > Hannah Floyd and I were down in south-central Colorado for much of the > past week—whilst so many of the rest of you were dealing with the big > winter storm in the Front Range foothills and along the I-25 corridor. But > we got to experience some weather ourselves, including an intense > sandstorm, several prolonged bouts of graupel, and even an impressive "snow > devil." Some quick highlights: > > 1. Lathrop State Park, Huerfano Co., Tues., Mar. 12. Breezy and warm and > kinda slow birdwise, with 4 *Woodhouse scrub-jays,* 2 *juniper titmouses,* > 2 *American bushtits,* 2 *Bewick wrens,* 1 *curve-billed thrasher,* and > the first of the many hundreds, perhaps 1,000+, *mountain bluebirds* that > we would see during our expedition. Also a nice showing by green claybank > tiger beetles, *Cicindela denverensis*; we succeeded in audio-recording > their sonations!—a first for us, for sure, and perhaps for anyone. > > 2. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa Co., Tues., Mar. 12. Arriving > there at sundown and climbing the dunes during a sandstorm was > memorable—but also unconducive to birding. We saw and heard nothing! > > 3. Medano Ranch [PRIVATE], Alamosa Co. On Wed., Mar. 13, as snow squalls > were coming down off the Sangre de Cristo range, a singing > *loggerhead shrike,* 1 *sage thrasher,* and at least 7 *sagebrush > sparrows.* On Thurs., Mar. 14, in heavy snow, 3 northbound *killdeer,* a > *golden > eagle,* the famous *ferruginous hawk x red-tailed hawk,* back now for the > 7th year; and an enchanting North American porcupine, *Erethizon dorsatum*, > covered in snow and watching our group from just above eye level in an old > willow. > > 4. Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area [FEE, PERMIT], Costilla Co., Wed., > Mar. 13. In rain, sleet, graupel, and then snow flurries, large numbers and > a good diversity of ducks, including 100+ *northern pintails,* 150+ *common > mergansers,* and 1 *red-breasted merganser;* 3,500+ *sandhill cranes;* 1 > *Wilson > snipe;* and 2 *merlins.* > > 5. Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Rio Grande Co. On Thurs., Mar. > 14, in on-and-off snow squalls and then a steadier snow, 4 *cinnamon > teal, *40+* ruddy ducks,* and 2 more merlins. On Sat., Mar. 16, in bright > sunshine and then heavy graupel, an amazing anserine showing, with 13 *snow > geese,* 4 *greater white-fronted geese, *4,500 *cackling geese* (their > numbers at the refuge have gone off the charts in recent years), a few > *"lesser" > Canada geese* still hanging on, 2 *Anser x Branta hybrids,* and, just off > the refuge, 5 *domestic swan ("Chinese") geese;* *bald eagles* at a nest; > and 4 *marsh wrens.* > > 6. Home Lake, Rio Grande Co., Fri., Mar. 15. In bright sunshine, 125+ > *gadwalls;* early shorebirds including 1 female *American avocet* and 6 > *greater > yellowlegses;* 5 *American white pelicans;* and wonderful viewing of a > pair of muskrats, *Ondatra zibethicus*. > > 7. Lane 5, Alamosa Co., Fri., Mar. 15, & Sat., Mar. 16. Roadside stops > produced hundreds more (but not thousands) of sandhill cranes, a *ferruginous > hawk* and a *prairie falcon,* and large roadside flocks of mountain > bluebirds and especially *horned larks. * > > 8. Zapata Ranch [PRIVATE], Alamosa Co., Sat., Mar. 16. Under cloudy skies, > 2 marvelous singing *long-eared owls,* including one in a nearby juniper; > 5 *great horned owls;* 40+ *pinyon jays;* surprisingly, two pairs of > nest-excavating *pygmy nuthatches* (the habitat here does not seem > suitable for them); and our only *western bluebird* of the trip amid > several mountain bluebirds. > > 9. Center, Saguache Co., Sun. Mar. 17. After a promisingly mild and sunny > start to the morning, overcast with flurries, and our first and only *Say > phoebe* of the trip; thought we mighta had a few tree swallows there, > too, but not sure. > > 10. Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area, Saguache Co., Sun., Mar. 17. Under > cloudy and cool conditions with snow squalls nearby, a likely Mallard x > Mexican Duck intergrade, 1 notably pale *Streptopelia collared-dove,* > golden and bald eagles, 2 agonistic loggerhead shries, a marsh wren, a > screeching *great-tailed grackle,* and adult male winter midges, *Diamesa > mendotae*. > > 11. Saguache, Saguache Co., Sun., Mar. 17. In a snow squall, an exuberant > *Cassin > finch.* > > 12. Como, Park Co., Sun., Mar. 17. In off-and-on overcast and sunshine, > with bright glare in the deep snow, 3 *Hepburn rosy-finches,* 2 *nominate > (tephrocotis) gray-crowned rosy-finches,* 1 *brown-capped rosy-finch,* > and 1 *pine siskin.* > > Ted Floyd > Lafayette, Boulder Co. > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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