[cobirds] All around the state!

[William H Kaempfer]

John Vanderpoel and I undertook a whirlwind tour of much of Colorado this 
weekend as a replacement for a trip to the underwater world of North Dakota for 
Baird's Sparrows, Sprague's Pipits and Gray Partridge.  John, as you might 
know, is doing a Big Year (see http://www.bigyear2011.com ) and having a whole 
lot of fun in the process.

Friday afternoon we set off for Bent's Old Fort outside of La Junta in search 
(well audio search) of Black Rail.  On the way we saw two well equipped 
photographers stopped by the side of the road for no visible reason.  Upon 
inspection it turned out to be a den of 6 Swift Foxes only yards from the road; 
pretty exciting.  See John's website for photos.

Next we stopped at the High Plains Sportsman Club pond off CO 71 between Limon 
and Ordway.  I spotted an odd black bird sleeping in a dead snag in the pond 
and said, "That looks funny."  The bird had its head tucked between it wings, 
but movement of some Black-crowned Night Herons caused a ruckus and the bird 
lifted its head to hiss at the offensive herons.  Short thin bill; black lores, 
thin neck, long tail, etc.  Neotropic Cormorant-that makes my second Gulf Coast 
water bird on a tiny dry-plains body of water this year (the first being Brown 
Pelican in Kit Carson!).

We got to Bent's Old Fort NHS right at sundown to try for rails.  
Unfortunately, while Virginia's called continuously, we had no Black Rails.  
After both of us had swelled to blimp size from mosquito bites, we decided to 
go on to Ft. Lyons.  Here the Blacks were calling like crazy-maybe about 6 of 
them.  A high five ensued (John's year bird number 646) and it was off to a 
pretty unsatisfying dinner on the road and a late night in Pueblo. (12:00 
midnight bed times are not good for this aging birder.)

Saturday we raced out of Pueblo to the west slope for more birding fun.  Just 
short of Monarch Pass we stopped and found a Gray Jay followed by a little 
dance-Colorado year bird #300 for me.  Going on to Gunnison we headed down the 
road just west of the airport to try for thirsty Gunnison Sage Grouse.  No luck 
(who says these write ups are just one unrepeatable success after another?); 
maybe we were too early in the year or too late in the day.  This is still my 
favorite place to try for this chicken.

We continued on to Montrose and then down to Ouray.  I thought Black Swifts 
would be a certainty in Box Canyon.  Well they are now!  The first female to 
lay an egg had done so on Friday or Saturday and by Saturday afternoon was on 
nest.  You could see at least one other nest all ready for the happy event.  
Mission accomplished (#647 for John) we headed back to Delta.  We could find no 
evidence of Common Black Hawk in Confluence Park (I guess our luck had run out 
on black birds), but we were surprised by a Caspian Tern on the lake-what an 
oddity.

We still had enough time for a trip up to the Escalante Canyon even as the 
temps inched close to 100.  At the three mile mark past the bridge over the 
Gunnison John shouted me to a halt-Chukar chick!  I saw the mother as she tried 
to distract us then John had another chick.  (Again, see John's web site for 
photos of his #648.)  As we proceeded we had a second group of four Chukar's 
and then two more for a total of nine.  Time to raise a glass.

This morning we sped up to Colorado National Monument to try for Gray Vireo-out 
of the frying pan and into the Devil's Kitchen!  We hiked in past the 
Black-chinned Sparrow spot and I've never experience such silence!  Here it 
was, 7:00 a.m. in the morning in the middle of great Pinyon-Juniper habitat in 
a National Monument and there was not one bird making a sound!  Discouraged, 
John and I decided to retreat and try another more distant stop.  But then I 
heard a bit of a call-"That's a Gray!"  We saw a bird horribly back lit and 
moved around to get a better look.  It was singing a song like a Plumbeous but 
without a "Vireo" at the end.  Once we had a better sun angle we had the bird 
come in a couple of times (clearly a Gray not a Lead) and even found the nest 
that it was building in a Juniperand trying on for size.  Wow! (#649 and the 
main neo-tropical migrants out of the way).  Plus it was early enough for us to 
try our first trip up the Land's End Road onto Grand Mesa.

So, up and up and back and forth and back and forth we went until we hit the 
first bit of aspens along the road.  And right as Peter Gent as told 
us-Red-naped Sapsucker.  Well that's not the biggest heart stopper among 
Colorado birds, but it was John's #650 for the year.

We went on up and along and over and down Grand Mesa, then past the always 
enjoyable Fruitgrowers' Reservoir, up to McClure Pass and down to Glenwood 
Springs on our way home.  Word to the wise-don't try that at least on a Sunday 
afternoon.  It took us 45 minutes to move 0.3 miles in Glenwood Springs and the 
going on I-70 wasn't much better through the canyon.  Beyond that things were 
okay until

[cobirds] Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Glenmere Park, Greeley, Weld County, June 26

[Marilyn]

Some friends and I observed the Yellow-crowned NIght Heron on the nest
at Glenmere today from about 11:00 am to 1:30 pm.  As previously
reported, the best viewing of the nest is from the north side  of the
lake facing the island.  The bird's nest is in the tallest tree on the
far west side of the island.  To locate the nest, point your
binoculars or scope about 3 feet to the right of the rock at the base
of the tree/island and pan up about half way toward the top of the
tree.  The nest is buried in branches and can only be seen when the
wind blows the branches out of the way.

Although a number of juveniles were seen on other nests, on the ground
and flying, I assume they were Black-crowned Night Herons.  The Yellow-
crowned did not leave the nest the entire we were there.  She stood up
and preened and paid a lot of attention to the nest.  Is it possible
she's still sitting on eggs or hatchlings?

This was my second attempt at locating the bird.  Good luck!

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[cobirds] FW: Mountain Plover flock at Pawnee Grasslands

[JoAnn Hackos]

Bill and I found a Mountain Plover flock, or a family group of 6 with immatures 
and adults, on the Pawnee National Grasslands this morning. They were N and W 
of the intersection of CR 96 east of CR 69. N 40 degrees 40' 59" W 104 degrees 
24' 56".

Not far along CR 96 further east found a Chestnut-collared Longspur.

JoAnn

JoAnn T. Hackos, PhD
President
Comtech Services, Inc.
303-232-7586
joann.hac...@comtech-serv.com

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[cobirds] DFO Rigli Ranch trip, Morgan Co.

[Kayleen A Niyo]

Several birders enjoyed a birding tour with Joe Rigli of their "sand hills"
short-grass prairie ranch in Morgan Co., CO yesterday.  Birds we don't often
see nearer the foothills included 4 chicks in a Loggerhead Shrike nest:

http://www.kayniyo.com/birds_shrike_vireo.htm

 

Grasshopper Sparrows:

http://www.kayniyo.com/birds_warbler_sparrow.htm

 

Cassin's Sparrows (alas, no photos), a singing 1st year male Orchard Oriole
(lousy silhouetted photo), Northern Mockingbirds, Burrowing Owls, and one
lone American Pelican on a ranch pond that Joe says contains water all year.
It was capable of flight as it flew when we got too close.

 

Thanks, Joe, for an enjoyable tour!

 

Kay

Kayleen A. Niyo, Ph.D.
Niyo Scientific Communications
Kay Niyo Photography
  k...@kayniyo.com

  www.KayNiyo.com
__
5651 Garnet Street
Golden, CO 80403
Phone: (303) 679-6646
Fax: (866) 849-8013 

 

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[cobirds] Cassin's Sparrow: Larimer; American Redstart: Boulder

[Steven Mlodinow]

Greetings All,


Cassin's Sparrows:
I birded the road heading north from Hwy 36 (which connects Lyons and Estes 
Park) that is the continuation of Apple Valley Road.
In other words, heading towards Estes Park from Lyons on Hwy 36, you'll come 
across two left turns labelled "Apple Valley Road." At the westernmost of 
these, turn north instead of south. In about 2 miles, you will enter Larimer 
County. Within the next mile, I had 2 Cassin's Sparrows on fence posts in the 
early morning (around 6-6:30am) along with a number of Vesper Sparrows. 


American Redstart. Singing about 1/2 mile south of Hwy 36 on the easternmost 
turnoff onto Apple Valley Road. 


Total of 17 Gray Catbirds and 25 YB Chats for the morning was fun as well. All 
Warbling Vireos in this area were (and have been) westerns, but the avifauna is 
more montane that it is at Teller Farms or Walden Ponds, with birds such as 
Pygmy Nuthatch, Steller's Jay, and Canyon Wren present. All of the Downy 
Woodpeckers have been eastern or indeterminate (between eastern and montane 
forms). By the time one enters Larimer County on Hwy 36, the switch to montane 
Downys has pretty much been made, as far as I can tell, but then again, the 
dominant habitat has switched from broadleaf riparian to pine.


Good Luck Birding,
Steve Mlodinow
Longmont, CO












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[cobirds] Indian Peaks Birds-including Boreal Owl

[Eric Schuette]

Hello,
 
I have not posted in awhile but during a hiking trip in the Indian Peaks 
Wilderness I saw a few birds I thought would be of interest. I hikes some of 
the peaks out of the 4th of July trailhead. I started very ealry but the as the 
morning went on the whole area was very birdy with most of the expected 
mountain species including several Wilsons Warblers at ~11,400 ft of elevation. 
Birds of interest included:
 
Evening Grosbeak-just below the mine
Brown-Capped Rosy-Finch-Several around Old Baldy and South Arapaho peaks
Black Swift-Viewed from the summit of Old Baldy
White-Tailed Ptarmigan-Just above the mine
 
The best bird was a Boreal Owl that I stumbled across off the trail. The bird 
was below the trail at around ~10,5001 feet and a 1-1 1/4 miles from the 
trailhead. I was off the trail at this point so I don't have an exact location 
but I saw it for long enough in the headlamp and with the habitat/elevation I 
am sure of the ID. I have seen them several times before (including daylight) 
in the Cameron Pass area. 
 
With the great scenery it is certainly a worthwhile trip for anyone wanting to 
escape the heat and see some good birds (lots of pikas and marmots as well).
 
Good Birding
Eric Schuette
Broomfield
 
 
 
  

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[cobirds] Western Gull at Chatfield - NOT

[Joey Kellner]

Again this morning (yesterday also) I failed to located the adult Western
Gull.  There is a possibility that it is in the area (flying around or in a
new location at the lake), but my guess is that is has departed for
location(s) unknown.  I'd recommend looking at your local gull haunt for
this individual.  Here's an opportunity for you horizontal County Listers!

Joey Kellner
Littleton, CO

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[cobirds] Black swan, Garfield County

[Tom Wilberding]

Black Swan: a surprise event that has a major impact and is
rationalized by hindsight. The theory was developed by Nassim Taleb.

I’m talking about toxic water and air pollution from hydraulic
fracturing for natural gas, not only in Garfield county, but also Weld
and across the U.S. See “Gasland,” a documentary nominated for an
Oscar for best documentary in 2010. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 97%.
Available on NetFlix. The EPA has been absent and impotent regarding
this threat to humans and all wildlife, including Colorado birds. The
oil and gas industry disagrees. Check it out.

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[cobirds] Colorado RBA, Sunday, June 26, 2011

[Joyce Takamine]

Date:   June 26, 2011
e-mail: rba@cfo-link.
phone: 303-659-8750
compiler:  Joyce Takamine

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, June 26, 2011
updated at 5 AM, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.  If you are phoning in a message, you
can skip the recording by pressing the star key (*) on you phone at
any time.  Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions,
including county and dates for each sighting.  It would be helpful if
you would spell your last name.

Highlight species include: (* denotes that there is new information on
this species in this report)

Chukar (*Delta)
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Crowley)
Green Heron (El Paso)
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Weld)
GLOSSY IBIS (Weld)
COMMON BLACK-HAWK (*Delta)
Broad-winged Hawk (Douglas)
WESTERN GULL (Douglas/Jefferson)
Caspian Tern (*Delta, Larimer)
ARCTIC TERN (Costilla)
LESSER NIGHTHAWK (Montrose)
Eastern Phoebe (Douglas/Jefferson)
ACORN WOODPECKER (LaPlata)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Prowers)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Larimer, Rio Grande)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Otero)
White-eyed Vireo (Douglas)
LUCY'S WARBLER (Montezuma)
Northern Parula (Custer)
Ovenbird (Larimer)
Hooded Warbler (Boulder, *Weld)
HEPATIC TANAGER (Huerfano)
Black-throated Sparrow (Fremont)
BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW (Mesa)
Harris's Sparrow (Weld)
Indigo Bunting (Fremont)
White-winged Crossbill (Lake, Hinsdale)

Boulder County:
--A Hooded Warbler was reported by Andrews in Long Canyon on
Flagstaff on June 16.

Costilla County:
--A 1st year ARCTIC TERN was reported by Wild at Smith Reservoir on June 18.

Crowley County:
--A NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was reported by Kaempfer and Vanderpoel on a
pond at High Plains Sportsmens Club on Hwy 77 on June 24.

Custer County:
--A Northern Parula was reported by Truan at Lake Isabel near the big
fishing parking lot on June 16

Delta County:
--A COMMON BLACK-HAWK was reported by O'Brien at Confluence Park on June 23.
--A Caspian Tern was reported by Kaempfer at Confluence Park in Delta
on June 25.
--I know Chukars are not usually reported on the RBA, but some birders
might want
to see them for their year list.  Kaempfer reported 3 groups of
Chukars in Escalante Canyon the first 3 miles past the Gunnison Bridge
and 2 more groups further.  There are chicks so the adults are
relucant to fly.

Douglas County:
--An adult Broad-winged Hawk first seen on June 11 by Roller continues
at least through June 21 as reported by Todd on Hwy 67 south of
Sedalia where the American Three-toed Woodpeckers were
reported earlier.

Douglas/Jefferson Counties:
--An ad WESTERN GULL was found by Walbek on the Marina Sandspit at
Chatfield SP on June 1.  The WESTERN GULL was reported by Kellner at
the tires at the Marina on June 18.  This is a first state record (if
accepted by the Records Committee).
--A singing White-eyed Vireo was reported by Kellner at the south
Marina Sand spit in trees at the base of the spit on June 18.
--A pair of Eastern Phoebes was reported by Burt on June 14.  They
were seen from the pedestrian bridge (named Phoebe Bridge) across Plum
Creek.  Walbek reported juvie Eastern Phoebes at Chatfield on June 17.
 The Eastern Phoebe family continues at Phoebe Bridge at least through
June 23 as reported by Roller.

El Paso County:
--A Green Heron was reported by Kosar at the Hansen Nature Area of
Fountain Creek RP on June 19.

Fremont County:
--2 Black-throated Sparrows were reported by Moss south of Canon City
on June 18,  Black-throated Sparrows were seen by the Moss field trip
on June 19.

Hindsdale County:
A f White-winged Crossbill was reported by Wild at the top of
Slumgullion Pass on June 18.

Huerfano County:
--A HEPATIC TANAGER was reported by Wild south of Walsenburg on June 18.

Lake County:
--A White-winged Crossbill was reported by Wild in a campground just
below Mount Elbert Forbay on June 16.

La Plata County:
--2 ACORN WOODPECKERS were reported by Wild in Wildcat Canyon on June 17.

Larimer County:
--At Rist Canyon 6 miles west of 27E on 52E on the south side of the
road Leatherman reported a nesting pair of American-Three-toed
woodpeckers and heard an Ovenbird
on June 17.
--2 Caspian Terns first reported by Wild on June 10 were refound by
Gillilan at Kechter Pond on June 23.

Mesa County:
--2 BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS were reported by Teuton in Colorado
National Monument on June 16.

Montezuma County:
--4 LUCY'S WARBLERS were reported by Wild in lower Yellow Jacket
Canyon on June 17.

Montrose County:
--3 LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were reported by Wild at the Nucla Sewer Ponds on June 17.

Otero County:
--2 Great Crested Flycatchers were reported by Chartier at Oxbow SWA
on June 18.

Rio Grande County:
--An American Three-toed Woodpecker was reported by Wild at 1 Million
Reservoir west of South Fork on June 18.

Weld County:
--A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was reported by Elens at Glenmere Park
in Greeley on June 5 and was seen again by Lefko on June 7.  On June
7, Komar reported that the YELLOW-CROW