[cobirds] Colorado RBA, Monday, January 9, 2012
Compiler: Joyce Takamine Date: January 9, 2012 e-mail: r...@cfobirds.org phone: 303-659-8750 This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Monday, January 9, 2012 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 your 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) TRUMPETER SWAN (Delta, Larimer) TUNDRA SWAN (Boulder, Larimer) Long-tailed Duck (Denver, Larimer) Barrow's Goldeneye (*Adams, *Garfield) Thayer's Gull (Broomfield, Jefferson, Larimer, Pueblo) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Arapahoe, Broomfield, Pueblo) Glaucous Gull (Broomfield, Douglas/Jefferson, Pueblo) GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (Pueblo) White-winged Dove (Mesa) Greater Roadrunner (Pueblo) SNOWY OWL (*Adams) Red-bellied Woodpecker (Weld) YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (Larimer) Winter Wren (Pueblo) Northern Mockingbird (Weld) Fox Sparrow (Jefferson) Swamp Sparrow (Mesa) White-throated Sparrow (El Paso) Harris's Sparrow (*El Paso, Jefferson) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Boulder, *Jefferson) Lapland Longspur (*El Paso, *Weld) Snow Bunting (Pueblo) Rusty Blackbird (Pueblo) Black Rosy-Finch (*Huerfano, Montrose) Common Redpoll (Logan) Please note, detailed directions to most of the following locations can be found on the Colorado County Birding Website: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/index.php Adams County: --A m f Barrow's Goldeneye was reported by Gilberts on the Platte River approx. 2 blocks So. of the parking area at 78th St. and Steele on January 4. Kibbe refound the pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes on January 7. - A SNOWY OWL was found by Peter Plage on the Barr Lake CBC on January 2. Directions: Take Bromley Lane (152nd) east from I-76 and go 2 miles past Piccadilly to Harvest Road. Turn right and go south to 144th. On January 8, McBurney report both SNOWY OWLS could be seen from 138th Ave and Harvest Rd. The adult was to the south and the young one to the north. --An ad SNOWY OWL was reported by Vallieres near DIA on January 5. From E-470, take 96th east until it curves north, go another .3 to .5 mile further north and look at the snowy field to the NW. Arapahoe County: --A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Hudak at Centennial Park, on the ice shelf, on January 3. On January 5, Hudak refound the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Boulder County: --On the Boulder CBC on December 18, Severs reported GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. Directions for the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW: park in Teller Farms North Parking Lot on Valmont west of 95th St. The bird feeds along the east end of the juniper stand which is on the south side of the parking lot. On January 5, Bolton refound the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW at Teller Farms parking lot. --A TUNDRA SWAN was reported by Kaempfer at Valmont Reservoir on January 7. Broomfield County: --1 ad. Glaucous Gull, and 1 ad. Lesser Black-backed Gull, were reported by Boswell, at Siena Pond, which is at Sheridan Parkway Lowell Blvd. on January 4. On January 5, Filby reported an imm Glaucous Gull at Siena Pond. On January 7, Mlodinow reported 2 Thayer's Gulls (1 ad, 1 juv), 2 Glaucous (1 ad, 1 imm), 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (nearly adult). --1 ad. Glaucous Gull was reported by Boswell, at the the pond at Lowell Indian Peaks Parkway, on January 4. --On January 7 at the Anthem Ponds, Gent reported 2 1-st cyc Glaucous Gulls, 1 nearly ad Lesser Black-backed Gull and 1 imm Thayer's Gull. On January 7, Mlodinow reported 7 Thayer's Gulls (2 ad, 4 juv, 1 2-nd cyc), 2 Glaucous Gulls (both 1-st winter) at Anthem Ranch Pond. Delta County: --A TRUMPETER SWAN was reported by Garrison at Confluence Park on January 4. Denver County: --A female type Long-Tailed Duck was reported by Wuerthele at Duck Lake in City Park on November 22 and was relocated by Kaempfer on January 7. El Paso County: --A Harris Sparrow was reported by Teuton at the feeders at Fountain Creek Regional Park on January 3. The Harris's Sparrow returned to the feeder for Taylor on January 7. --All 3 species of Longspurs were reported by Peterson on Tamlin Road east of Colorado Springs on January 8. They were near where road goes from paved to dirt. Garfield County: --10 Barrow's Goldeneyes (including 2 ad m) were reported by Filby at Coryell Ranch in Carbondale on January 8. Huerfano County: --Once again the Rosy-Finches have returned to the yard of Beverly Jensen in La Veta on January 8. Please contact her at goldilou...@yahoo.com. Jefferson County: --Spencer reported that a Fox Sparrow was seen at the Red Rocks Trading Post on January 4. --Henwood reported that the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW on January 8 put on a good show for the DFO Field Trip at Red Rocks Trading Post. --At Upper Church Ranch
[cobirds] Long-tailed Duck - Denver
Yesterday afternoon, the Long-tailed Duck reported by Bill Kaempfer was easily viewed in the SE bay of Duck Pond in City Park at a distance of about 20'. Chuck Lowrie lowr...@mindspring.com -- 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.
[cobirds] Frankenduck, Denver County
On Saturday morning, 1/7/2012, Bill, Todd and I were admiring the previously reported Long-tailed Duck at Duck Pond at the Denver Zoo/ City Park. Bill Kaempfer suddenly noticed with horror an odd duck that had the head of one thing and the body of another. Other fearful monsters of this strain: Chimera: head of a goat, body of a lioness. Sphinx: face of a woman, body of a lion. Griffin: head of an eagle, body of a lion. The Fly, 1958 movie: head of a man, body of a fly, and by the way, a switcheroo vice-versa creature Anyway, Frankenduck seems to have the head of a male Redhead, body of a Graylag Goose, or something. Questions: Can Steve Mlodinow identify this creature? If so will Ted Floyd let me add it to my Denver County list? If cooked, would it taste interesting like a turduckhen? Is there a Redhead at the zoo with the head of a Graylag Goose? Photo of Frankenduck. http://twilberding.zenfolio.com/p1031827397/slideshow Tom Wilberding Boulder, 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. 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.
[cobirds] Harris's Sparrow - BCLP - Jeffco
Hi All, Stopped by Bear Creek Lake Park (BCLP) just east of Morrison this morning to try and locate the two Harris's Sparrows seen earlier in the winter. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Just as I pulled into the entrance of the parking lot at the Boat Launch area, I observed some American Tree Sparrows at the edge of the parking lot among the grass and large rocks on the right - both the adult and 1st winter Harris's Sparrows were with the group. Didn't even need to get out of my car - just sat and watched them feed for several minutes around 7:20 A.M. As you may recall, the two Harris's were at different locations (about 1/2 mile apart) earlier this winter. For those of you wanting to locate the Harris's Sparrows at BCLP, I would suggest parking in the Boat Launch parking lot, then walking around the parking lot and checking the area areas between the parking lot and the lake and the area directly to the east along the lake. God luck, Mike Henwood Morrison Jefferson 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.
[cobirds] NE Colorado yesterday: Jackson Res Gulls, Barrow's Goldeneye, and Common Grackle
Greetings All, Sorry for the delayed report, but got home late last night and was at work early this morning. Tim Smart and I headed out for NE Colorado yesterday. No Megas, but a good day of birding, with several uncommon-rare species and HUGE numbers at Jackson and Jumbo Reservoirs. High number tallies are as follows: JACKSON RES Cackling Geese: 7000 Canada Geese: 1000 Mallard: 7500 Common Merganser: 210 Herring Gull: 302 (yes, counted by ones...) LITTLE JUMBO (aka Red Lion SWA) Cackling Goose: 12,500 Canada Goose: 2000 parvipes and 350 moffitti/maxima JUMBO RES: Mallard: 27,000 Snow Goose: 33,500 Ross's Goose: 1500 Tasty sightings for the day included JACKSON: Barrow's Goldeneye (1 male) Thayer's Gull (11: 9 adults, 2 imms) Lesser Black-backed Gull (ad and 3rd year) Glaucous Gull (imm) White-winged Junco (1) Common Grackle (2) LITTLE JUMBO: adult Ross's x Snow Goose (1) JUMBO: imm Ross's x Snow Goose (1) G White-fronted Goose (2) Again, we remained Snowy Owl free -- I can only find 'em if I can find a bunch of birders staring at 'em. Longspur and lark numbers dramatically down from a month ago. Great day, windless, sunny. Fabulous visibility. Thanks to Tim for his tireless counting. Good Birding Steven Mlodinow Longmont 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. 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.
[cobirds] GREATER ROADRUNNER on Dinosaur Ridge. First valid Jefferson County record. (long and arguably worth it)
Early this afternoon (12:58 PM) in mild, sunny weather, I hiked up to Dinosaur Ridge and saw a Greater Roadrunner. This was a great experience and it was especially fun, as it took a little detective work to close it on it. The bird was first seen last August by the sharp-eyed Dino Ridge tour leaders who guide and educate visitors through the exhibits of footprints, fossils, etc of birds' distant ancestors - the dinosaurs. Subsequent to the first sighting, the bird was seen about once a month and photographed well. These Dino Guides posted clear photos of the roadrunner on their Facebook page, where comments about its ID soon appeared. Is it a roadrunner? Maybe a Scaled Quail? then a consensus as to the correct ID emerged. The missing link between that Facebook page and the field class fraternity turned out to be Cole Wild. He was somehow scanning Facebook, when he looked at the Face of the roadrunner on a Facebook page and emailed me with the news and an implicit, Go get it! My first thought was that this photo was on the Facebook site of a Dino Ridge in Arizona or Texas. Having been born in the middle of the last century, I did not know much about FB, or even who owned that Facebook site, so I sought assistance from ornithology's answer to NextGen, Marcel Such. He helpfully took an interest, took pity and sent me the Dino Ridge phone number. I called there and spoke to Erin and Amber, who were extremely keen and helpful. I sent them a CFO rare bird report form, and they will be relieved to learn that I will now be able to fill it out myself. Sue, the Dino Ridge bus driver, had seen the bird twice on January 5th. I made a couple of futile hikes into the area, then I enlarged the search party by calling a few avid Jeffco listers who both lived nearby and had the time to visit the Ridge repeatedly. Now we had a search party, but when Dick Schottler and Mark Chavez and I hiked up there on Saturday, we struck out again. Ira Sanders was out of town and Cole Wild could not venture down from his boreal residence. I was concerned that if everyone knew about this bird, there was sure to be a message on a secondary site that the bird had been seen the day before. Finally after a long search yesterday and again today, I saw the bird, right where it has been seen most often by the Dino guides, and also by a frequent hiker I ran into today. He has seen it three times since October and did not realize that it was rare here. The route to the site is to go to roughly a mile south on Morrison Road from I-70, and park in one of the few spots where Alameda Avenue slices off to the southeast. (This happens to be just opposite the northern entrance to Red Rocks Park). Alameda is closed to vehicles between that parking site and Rooney Road on the east side of Dino Ridge, but is open to bikers and hikers. Walk south up Alameda to the where it makes a hairpin turn and dives back down the eastern slope. The best area to wait and wait and look and look and wait is the 50 yard stretch of the rocky slope that lies just before the hairpin turn. It has been seen on the east side, but usually is spotted on the west side of that hairpin, where it often sits and suns. A few minutes after I saw it today, it swiftly darted (cartoon-like) across the road and up the west side of the ridge, south of Alameda. In that area there are far fewer hikers and bikers, but is difficult to see there from the road. Other notes. I quizzed a couple of hikers who walk the ridge trail 4-5 times weekly over the past year, they have never seen it. They know the bird from having lived in Arizona. So I suspect that it is more often on the slopes instead of the ridge itself. I asked Dave Leatherman what this roadrunner might be eating through the dark winter, and he suspected that its diet has switched away from usual herps to small rodents, perhaps the same grasshoppers that support our February returning bluebirds, and even juniper berries and seeds. I wondered whether it might eat dog-food, but housing and pets are scarce in the area. None of the local ranchers had seen it around their outbuildings. There are a few records of Greater Roadrunner north of its usual southeast CO range. For example in 1946, one was spotted in Logan County, another just last summer in Morgan County. There are several reports, mostly far back in time, from the greater Denver metro area and Clear Creek County. There are no valid Jefferson County records, just an unverified report from a non-birder. One of the hikers I met today had seen one south of Boulder a couple of summers ago, but could not recall many details. I will be going back tomorrow, Tuesday, if anyone wants to join me. Please send me a personal email at jroll...@gmail.com, so I will know the size of the group. I can then decide whether we are a small enough party to park where I described above, or whether we might park at one of the park-and-rides at the junction of I-70 and Morrison Road (eg, the spot where we
[cobirds] Snowy Owls in Adams Co. Sun, but not today, 2 Ferrugs seen - photos
Many people were looking for the Snowy Owls near 138th Ave and Harvest Rd today, but Mary Burger and I did not find them. I had seen them yesterday and got lousy, distant 400-mm photos of the snowy juv and the head of the adult snowy that had just flown to the south side of 138th Ave. I just learned from Steve Dinsmore that the Snowy Owls in IA are rapidly dying. So, perhaps these in CO finally did too. We did see 2 ferrugs today, one a tame one on a pole near the RMBO office at Barr L! I posted the photos on http://www.kayniyo.com/trip_Unusual_Birds.htm. Yesterday we saw several harriers and one ferrug also. Kay Kayleen A. Niyo, Ph.D. Niyo Scientific Communications Kay Niyo Photography mailto:k...@kayniyo.com k...@kayniyo.com http://www.KayNiyo.com www.KayNiyo.com __ 5651 Garnet Street Golden, CO 80403 Phone: (303) 679-6646 Fax: (866) 849-8013 -- 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.
[cobirds] Lifetime County Lists updated
COBirders, I have updated the Lifetime County Lists. As always, if you find any mistakes please let me know as soon as possible. The Horizontal Lists will be coming as soon as I can get them finished. There is a lot of work to be done on these as I am still catching up on the changes to the order. Please visit the CFO site to see the updated lists at: http://www.cfobirds.org Once there go to the Birding Resources header and choose Lists Forms. Look down the left hand column for COUNTY LISTS. Enjoy! - Mark Peterson Colorado Springs -- 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.
