[cobirds] Where the gulls are, Boulder County
Hello, Birders. If you're looking for rare gulls in Boulder County, Panama Reservoir is the place to be these days. Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, March 11th, in nice flat light, I saw 2 or 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 end-of-first-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 adult Thayer's Gulls, 1 first-cycle Thayer's Gull, and 3 interesting white-winged gulls. One of the white-wings was an end-of-first-cycle bird that I considered to be a good candidate for Iceland Gull. Imagine my delight, then, when it was joined by another end-of-first-cycle bird that looked even better for Iceland! The latter bird, which sat primly on the water and then gave 3 or 4 prolonged and close-up passes in flight, was as good as any candidate Iceland I've seen in Colorado: especially notable were the completely uniform, quite-pale-gray wing tips which were concolor with the uniform pale gray secondary bar; swimming, the bird had that buoyant, dainty look of an Iceland. So we'll call it one (1) Iceland Gull and one (1) Thiceland Gull. Also present was a big ole, white, end-of-first-cycle gull that initially struck me as being Glaucous-like, but, which, upon further inspection, didn't match up. To cut to the chase, my best guess is Nelson's Gull, i.e., a Glaucous x Herring hybrid. FYI, this bird seemed a paler than the Nelson's Gull photographed a while back by Bill Schmoker: http://blog.aba.org/2012/02/the-square-peg.html Thus, a different bird, or, if it's the same, then its plumage aspect has advanced quite a bit since Bill photo'd the bird. Or maybe it was just a pure -barrovianus- Glaucous Gull; -barrovianus- is the smallest and darkest of the Glaucous Gulls. So let's fine-tune things a bit further: one (1) phenotypic Iceland Gull; one (1) Thiceland Gull; and one (1) Glaucous-type Gull. Duck and goose numbers were way down from last week, but still many Bald Eagles. Finally, a comment about access. THIS LAKE IS PRIVATE. You can view ONLY from the north side, from the terminus of 115th Street. Park just off the road, BUT NOWHERE ELSE. Everything but the road and road shoulders is PRIVATE. I talked to a home owner, who seemed fine with birders being there. So let's not blow it. Just park at the terminus of 115th Street (but not IN the street), and don't wander into the adjacent fields, thickets, etc. Ted Floyd tedfloy...@hotmail.com Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado -- 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] Golden-crowned Sparrow - Red Rocks - Jeffco
Hi All, A young man named Jay and I watched the Golden-crowned Sparrow put in an appearance under the platform feeders at the Red Rocks Trading Post about 8:10 this morning. The number of juncos seems to be reduced considerably from a week ago. The PS x WW cross was there early. Other birds of note included a Downy Woodpecker Townsend's Solitaire in the area and a Canyon Wren was heard singing once from the rocks to the south. Checked the backside of Ship Rock and found the Raven sitting on the same nest as two years ago. Did not see any falcons today. 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] Cassin's Finches - by the hundreds - Brown's Creek, Chaffee Co
While travelling back from San Luis Valley on Sunday, I stopped at a location where I did an RMBO transect several years back - Brown's Creek, Chaffee County. It is off Hwy 285 and CR 270. You take it back to the foot hills east of Antero Peak. I got out of my car near where the side road to Brown's Creek is gated off for the season and heard a cacophony of singing finches. I am used to this racket to a certain degree at my home in Teller County - usually from a combination of house and cassin's finches along with pine siskins and evening grosbeaks. The level of noise in this open ponderosa woodland, at about 9,000' elevation, was incredible. It was coming from about a quarter mile away. So, I trudged across the snow to the edge of the noise in this open woodland. Cassin's Finches everywhere, singing. My home lot is exactly an acre - so I have a good estimate of the size of an acre. For at least 5 acres there were dozens of Cassin's Finches per tree - all singing. I expected to find pine siskins as well as perhaps other species, but all I could find were Cassin's Finches, exclusively! I attempted to estimate the number. I counted at least a dozen per ponderosa (the ponderosas in this stand were of a homogenous young age; perhaps 25-45 ft tall). In some, I could count upwards of 40+ per tree. Then I counted the trees in the immediate half-acre in front of me. And with an estimated avg of 20 per tree - I figured I had 400-600 Cassin's Finches just in the 25 trees in front of me (what I estimated to be a half acre). 5 acres of this (again just an estimate) would put the number of deafening singing Cassin's Finches at 4000-6000! There was not a lot of movement-type activity among the birds; e.g. chasing each other around, within or amongst the trees; simply mostly sedentary singing. When my dog and I approached the edge too closely; those in the immediate tree moved to a nearby tree and continued their singing without complaints from the current residents of the new tree. I moved left and right of this area in order to come up with my assessment of a total of 5 acres; instead of walking into the heart of the concentration. I had never seen or heard anything like this from Cassin's Finches. I am quite familiar with this species, as I have lived in their breeding habitat in Teller Co for 24 years now. And, while I do get them congregating in my woods near my feeder, at times numbering 40-50; 4000-6000 was a sight and sound to behold. You would not have been able to hear someone talking to you at a normal level from 20 ft away. The temp was about 41F, overcast, with not much breeze. Being reasonable and open for error, my estimate could be off by a factor - but you have the process I used above. I left after about 20 minutes; wishing I could stay and listen for hours. And they were still going at it. They had not moved. I haven't researched this yet to see if this is a known phenomenon documented by others for this species; so wondering if anyone else has seen such a thing of this magnitude from this species. Jeff J Jones ( mailto:jjo...@jonestc.com jjo...@jonestc.com) Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands -- 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] Small Black-Blue bird at feeder FRiday at home.
Hi Cobirders. Most birders get to come across a bird they can't identify even if they see it well at least a few times in birding. I have seen quite a few. Friday afternoon I noticed at the feeder between the Kitchen window and the Choke-cherry tree a tiny bird about 4 which was all very dark blue with small sharp bill, dark eye. Short wings ended where tail started. Tail was long with slight notch in center of end. It ate a couple of millet seeds and dropped down in the Chokecherry. It soon came up briefly before flying off to the Russian Olive . When it did so I noticed a flash of white on right side of tail near the body. It didn't come back. I was away most of Saturday and didn't observe much on Sunday but it did not return. I have brought the telescope in and if it shows again I will get a picture I hope. Sorry for late post. It was smaller and darker than an Indigo Bunting. Checking my 1973 Guide to Mexican Birds by Edward L. Chalif I found a Blue-black Grassquit 4 which fits nicely but not supposed to be here unless an escaped caged bird. Bob Spencer N.E. of Golden -- 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] Swans near Loveland, Larimer County
I drove west down County Road 16 from Hwy 287 until it dead-ended. From there, I had a vantage point over Bud Mielke Reservoir and saw a swan on the west side of the lake that did not appear to be a mute swan. Unfortunately, I did not have my scope so I could not tell for sure. As I was leaving, I looked north toward Ryan Gulch Reservoir and saw on the near shallow area another swan. Again, I could not see any orange on the bill. If someone with a scope is in the area, I would be interested to hear what kind of swans those are. My thought was that they are trumpeters. Rick Reeser -- 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] American Eagle's Nest Active in Fort Collins
Yesterday we were visiting friends who live on Ptarmigan Golf Course - in Fort Collins (east of I-25 / 392) and just north of the edge of the golf course is, what has become an annual nesting of a pair of Eagles. They have returned and we watched them in their nest (cottonwood tree) just north of the small county road - which leads to a Poudre River walking/bike trail. It is always a great sign of Spring when this pair returns. Ann Molison Fort Collins -- 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] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (12 Mar 2012) 2 Raptors
Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 12, 2012 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 6 6 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk0 2 2 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 30 30 Rough-legged Hawk0 1 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 1 1 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Prairie Falcon 0 5 5 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter0 2 2 Unknown Buteo1 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 2 56 56 -- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter:Roger Rouch Observers:Bill Flowers, Bill Wuerthele, Kelli Groy Visitors: Three hikers stopped briefly. One of them talked for a short while about the program. Rob, the volunteer park patrol visited for about a half hour and is credited with sighting Rascal the Roadrunner. Weather: A cool morning quickly giving way to unseasonably warm temperatures. A mild breeze shifting direction during the day. Good visibility with just a few clouds. Raptor Observations: Only two migrating raptors, a red-tail and an unidentified buteo. Numerous local red-tail mostly over the west and Green Mountain ridges, including a dark morph. Seemingly more unique birds than two or three pairs being re-sighted? A local golden soaring near Mt. Morrison and also Cabrini. The local prairie missing secondaries or primaries near one wrist perched on the power pole just north of the site. Also, a local kestrel. Day's end featured a red-tail swooping down to snatch a mouse from the shrub and then consuming it in short order atop one of the power poles below and east of the site. Non-raptor Observations: Small numbers of bush-tit, robin, solitaire, scrub jay, magpie, chickadee, and raven. Twelve deer on a ridge near Cabrini. About 13:00 (MST) the Dino Ridge roadrunner was sighted about 10 yards west of the site. He/she jetted south onto the hiking trail giving everyone a good viewing. Predictions: With little change in the weather predicted, few migrating raptors, but good entertainment watching local raptor behavior and other wildlife. Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.bi...@rmbo.org) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/ Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome. The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the first week of May. Directions to site: From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow small signs from the south side of lot to hawkwatch site. The
[cobirds] Roaring Fork - negative data
Hi all, I looked at Coryell Ranch ponds at dusk this evening, hoping to count a record number of Barrow's Goldeneyes.. Pah.. there were none at 7.25pm, just four Ring-necked Ducks and a Muskrat ! and a backhoe, parked by a big pile of freshly dug dirt next to one of the ponds.. I headed up to Blue Lake, El Jebel, a previously favored haunt for the Barrows (until a few winters ago) but alas, none there either. It is now 100% ice free. So tonight they are roosting at an unknown location. Good birding all Dick Filby Carbondale, 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.
Re: [cobirds] Cassin's Finches - by the hundreds - Brown's Creek, Chaffee Co
Jeff et al., This sounds like a remarkable observation, and it far surpasses anything in my experience, even though I've seen Cassin's Finches in what I thought were large singing flocks at this time of year (dozens of birds, but still less than 100). However, the Birds of North America account of the species seems to indicate that something similar may have been recorded before. Here's the relevant text: Breeds semicolonially (~100–1,500 individuals, Samson 1976bhttp://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib059; nests ~25 m apart on average, Mewaldt and King 1985http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib040). Spends remainder of year in flocks (e.g., Orr 1968http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib047, Samson 1977http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib060, Mewaldt and King 1985http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib040). ... Breeding colony may remain more or less intact as coherent group through winter (Mewaldt and King 1985http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib040). Apparently flocks in winter and during spring migration can be substantial (e.g., “large flock” on 31 May, Boulder, CO [Minot 1880http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib041]; “large flock” on 19 Feb, Tucson, AZ [Scott 1887http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib062]; flock of 39 birds, 2 Jan, Providence Mtns., CA [Johnson et al. 1948http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib031]; congregations up to 5,000 in Dec in Colorado [Chapin 1958http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/240/articles/species/240/biblio/bib010 ]). It might be worth a field note for *Colorado Birds*. Nathan Pieplow Boulder On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 10:06 AM, Jeff J Jones jjo...@jonestc.com wrote: While travelling back from San Luis Valley on Sunday, I stopped at a location where I did an RMBO transect several years back – Brown’s Creek, Chaffee County. It is off Hwy 285 and CR 270. You take it back to the foot hills east of Antero Peak. ** ** I got out of my car near where the side road to Brown’s Creek is gated off for the season and heard a cacophony of singing finches. I am used to this racket to a certain degree at my home in Teller County – usually from a combination of house and cassin’s finches along with pine siskins and evening grosbeaks. The level of noise in this open ponderosa woodland, at about 9,000’ elevation, was incredible. It was coming from about a quarter mile away. So, I trudged across the snow to the edge of the noise in this open woodland. *Cassin’s Finches *everywhere, singing. My home lot is exactly an acre – so I have a good estimate of the size of an acre. For at least 5 acres there were dozens of Cassin’s Finches per tree – all singing. I expected to find pine siskins as well as perhaps other species, but all I could find were Cassin’s Finches, exclusively! ** ** I attempted to estimate the number. I counted at least a dozen per ponderosa (the ponderosas in this stand were of a homogenous young age; perhaps 25-45 ft tall). In some, I could count upwards of 40+ per tree. Then I counted the trees in the immediate half-acre in front of me. And with an estimated avg of 20 per tree – I figured I had 400-600 Cassin’s Finches just in the 25 trees in front of me (what I estimated to be a half acre). 5 acres of this (again just an estimate) would put the number of deafening *singing Cassin’s Finches at 4000-6000*! ** ** There was not a lot of movement-type activity among the birds; e.g. chasing each other around, within or amongst the trees; simply mostly sedentary singing. When my dog and I approached the edge too closely; those in the immediate tree moved to a nearby tree and continued their singing without complaints from the current residents of the new tree. I moved left and right of this area in order to come up with my assessment of a total of 5 acres; instead of walking into the heart of the concentration. ** ** I had never seen or *heard* anything like this from Cassin’s Finches. I am quite familiar with this species, as I have lived in their breeding habitat in Teller Co for 24 years now. And, while I do get them congregating in my woods near my feeder, at times numbering 40-50; 4000-6000 was a sight and sound to behold. You would not have been able to hear someone talking to you at a normal level from 20 ft away. The temp was about 41F, overcast, with not much breeze. ** ** Being reasonable and open for error, my estimate could be off by a factor – but you have the process I used above. I left after about 20 minutes; wishing I could stay and listen for hours. And they were still going at it. They had not moved. I haven’t researched this yet to
