[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Monday, December 17, 2012
Compiler: Joyce Takamine Date:December 17, 2012 email: rba AT cfobirds.org phone: 303-659-8750 This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Monday, December 17, 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) BRANT (Larimer) TRUMPETER SWAN (Larimer) TUNDRA SWAN (Boulder, Denver, Freemont, Larimer) EURASIAN WIGEON (*Fremont) Surf Scoter (Weld, Denver) White-winged Scoter (Denver) Long-tailed Duck (Denver, Jefferson, *Larimer, Pueblo) Barrow's Goldeneye (Pueblo, Summit) Pacific Loon (Pueblo) MEW GULL (Pueblo) Thayer's Gull (Pueblo) Lesser Black-backed Gull (*Arapahoe, Pueblo) Great Black-backed Gull (Pueblo) White-winged Dove (Boulder, *Fremont, Pueblo) SNOWY OWL (Weld) ACORN WOODPECKER (El Paso) Red-bellied Woodpecker (Yuma) YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (*El Paso, Fremont) Hammond's Flycatcher (*Fremont) Eastern Phoebe (Boulder) Chihuahuan Raven (Boulder, Denver) Winter Wren (Boulder, Morgan) Common Yellowthroat (*Boulder) Pine Warbler (Pueblo) Palm Warbler (El Paso) Fox Sparrow (*Adams, Yuma) Swamp Sparrow (Pueblo, Yuma) White-throated Sparrow (Freemont, *Larimer) Harris's Sparrow (Boulder, *Larimer, Pueblo, Yuma) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Jefferson) VARIED THRUSH (*Jefferson, *Archuleta) Snow Bunting (Pueblo, Sedgwick, Yuma) Northern Cardinal (Boulder, Yuma) Rusty Blackbird (Morgan) Grey-Crowned Rosy-Finch (Jefferson) PURPLE FINCH (Yuma) Common Redpoll (Boulder, *Jefferson, *Larimer, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Weld, Yuma) Adams County: --A red Fox Sparrow was reported by Mlodinow at the Barr Lake feeders on December 16. Arapahoe County: --On December 11, Hudak reported a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Centennial Park. On December 16, Hudak reported that the Lesser Black-backed Gull continues at Centennial Park. Archuleta County: --A f Varied Thrush was reported by Dexter in Pagosa Springs downstream form the walking bridge at the hot springs on December 15. Boulder County: --At Baseline Reservoir in Boulder on November 17, the BBC field trip led by John Vanderpoel had 5 TUNDRA SWANS (2ad, 3 juv). On December 11, Nunes reports the TUNDRA SWANS are still at Baseline Reservoir. --On December 13, Dowell reports 14 TUNDRA SWANS (ad) at Boulder Reservoir. There is major construction at Boulder Reservoir, but birders are still welcome. Just stop at the temporary entrance gate on your way in. --A Chihuahuan Raven was seen by Mlodinow along Valmont Rd., not far west of Teller Farms, on December 11. --A Northern Cardinal was found by Jinx Cooper in Hawthorne Gulch in Boulder on November 11. From Broadway, turn N on Hawthorn and drive to the end and park. Continue on the trail for about 200 yards. Bird was near pump house. On December 13, Heinrich viewed the Northern Cardinal in Hawthorn Gulch. --A White-winged Dove was reported by Mlodinow at the corner of Oxford and 119th near Panama Reservoir on December 15. --On the Longmont CBC on December 15, Prather reported an Eastern Phoebe at St Vrain Park in South Central Longmont. Good numbers of Harris's Sparrows were seen as well and Common Redpolls and Winter Wren. --A f Common Yellowthroat was reported by DeFonso in the Qualcomm parking lot in N Boulder on December 16. Denver County: --7 TUNDRA SWANS were reported by T. Jones at Marston Reservoir on December 13, on the west side of the lake, off of Old Wadsworth Blvd. next to the wire fence They were in a group. All were in Ad. plumage. The Swans were bobbing their heads up and down, continually, the whole time they watched them. They were in the middle of the lake and then were in the south part of the lake and flew once. The swans were seen around 4pm. You could see how the eye looked separate from the bill somewhat, unlike in a Trumpeter. --A juv White-winged Scoter was reported by Tina Jones at Marston Reservoir on November 22. On December 14, T. Jones relocated the White-winged Scoters in the northern section of Marston Reservoir. Tina recommends when viewing birds at Marston Reservoir, please beware of signs in this area especially if viewing from the SW, PLEASE let's not give birders a bad name and PLEASE watch the birds from the sidewalk or right next to the sidewalk. --On December 15, Sanders reported 2 White-winged Scoters and a Long-tailed Duck at Marston Reservoir. --A Chichuahuan Raven fly by was reported by Sanders at Fort Logan on December 15. El Paso: --A Western Palm Warbler was reported by Farese on the Colorado College Campus. It was found by Surano on December 12 and was seen again on December 15 several times. It has been seen on the S side of Barnes
[cobirds] Brant, Loveland, Larimer County
Hello CoBirders, Around 9 this morning my family and I went over to Lake Loveland to make another attempt (after a week and a half of searching) to see the Brant. Not that long after we arrived, we were able to spot it with a few other geese that were standing on an ice shelf off of the north shore of the lake. After we had been watching for a few minutes, half of the group of geese (the Brant included) decided to take off and head over to a field immediately southeast of Loveland High School. Over at the field, the Brant stayed for about an hour before leaving with 400 or so other geese. Sean Walters Loveland,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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] 71st Boulder CBC, Sunday, 16 Dec.
Folks- scores of volunteers fanned out across 30 territories yesterday for the 71st iteration of the Boulder CBC. It will be a while before the tally is final, but we have a preliminary 109 species found on the count, with three more ticked for count week. We added one species to the historic total, with the long-staying Northern Cardinal in NW Boulder marking #210 for the count. Other birds judged scarce as being seen 10 or fewer previous times on the count included Clark's Grebe, Barn Owl, Marsh Wren, and Common Grackle (10 prior), Fox Sparrow (9 prior), Tundra Swan (6 prior, the 8 birds previously at Baseline Res seen at Valmont yesterday), Lesser Black-backed Gull and Northern Saw-whet Owl (5 prior), Chihuahuan Raven and Golden-crowned Sparrow (3 prior), and Common Yellowthroat (2 prior.) Birds seen on at least half the Boulder counts but not found yesterday (to my knowledge so far) include Rough-legged Hawk (seen on 58 prior counts), Ring-necked Pheasant (53 prior), Cassin's Finch (46 prior), Clark's Nutcracker (44 prior), and Red Crossbill (35 prior.) The Boulder foothills have a very poor cone crop this year. Finally, I think we will exceed triple digits for Common Redpoll, likely setting a high count for the Boulder Count (though currently I can't get the re-tooled Audubon site to give me historic results… Thanks to all of the leaders, participants, and feeder-watchers for another successful Boulder CBC! Enjoy- Bill Schmoker, Longmont __ • Bill Schmoker • __ http://schmoker.org http://brdpics.blogspot.com bill.schmo...@gmail.com 720/201-5749 __ -- 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] Acorn Woodpecker/Palm Warbler (El Paso) yes
COBirders, I watched the Colorado Springs female Acorn Woodpecker for about 30 minutes this a.m. As reported previously, it was found by the Marty Wolf party on Saturday's Colorado Springs CBC. Although I first saw the woodpecker pecking on a low branch of a silver maple along Willow Circle near Cheyenne Blvd (not Cheyenne Rd and not Cheyenne Mtn Blvd), it eventually came to a hanging wooden cylindrical suet feeder at the house on the corner of Cheyenne Blvd and the lower end of Willow Circle near the previously mentioned coffee store. This house has a bigger than life-sized inflated green animal Santa (I am sure it has a name) with a red hat and red waistcoat in the front yard. Also, the Colorado College Western Palm Warbler is back skulking in its usual spot by the science building adjacent to the pink brick Palmer Building, the bird staying mostly hidden on the ground or in the low shrubbery by the bicycle racks. Photos of both birds will be posted to the CFO Group on Facebook, a good spot to post single photographs. Bill Maynard 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] FW: [ia-bird] Satellite-tracked Snowy Owl in Iowa
CO Birders, Just received this fascinating post by Matt Wetrich, Carroll Co., IA biologist, about the release of a satellite-tracked Snowy Owl. The new facility and SOAR project is new since I left IA! Bob Anderson of Raptor Resource Project has helped along with many others. Should be fascinating to see where this rehabilitated Snowy Owl goes if she and her tracking device survive the winter. She was brought in for rehab in Jan 2012 and just released Nov 28. 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 From: bounce-ia-bird-7...@lists.iowabirds.org [mailto:bounce-ia-bird-7...@lists.iowabirds.org] On Behalf Of Matthew T. Wetrich Sent: Monday, December 17, 2012 12:14 PM To: IA-BIRD Subject: [ia-bird] Satellite-tracked Snowy Owl in Iowa Birders, I wanted to inform you that the Snowy Owl that was reported Friday morning (12/14) near the Onawa Exit on I-29 is a bird that is a rehabilitated owl from last winter's irruption event. The reason I know this is because she is wearing a satellite tracking device that will help scientists learn more about Snowy Owl behavior. She was returned to the wild in late November at Owego Wetlands south of Sioux City. She seems to have found her way down to the Onawa area and has set up shop there for over a week now. This is a project partnered by Raptor Resource Project (of Decorah Eagle fame) and Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR) with assistance from Carroll County Conservation. If you happen to see her, please report sightings to me so we can add the sightings to the data base. There is an antenna comimg off her backpack that will let you know it is her. As with all birds, please remember your birding ethics regarding distance of viewing, not approaching, etc. This is a very excitng project and when there is some additional information regarding her travels and about the project in general, I'll post links to the partnering webpages. A photo by IOU's head man and a quick synapsis can be seen at SOAR's webpage. www.soarraptors.org Here is a link to Raptor Resource Project's Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/pages/Raptor-Resource-Project/103786266324668?fref=ts Bird On... matt -- 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] Eurasian Wigeon, Canon City, Fremont County 12/17 YES!
Greetings all! Last night I got a call from Debbie Barnes about a Eurasian Wigeon found on Sunday’s CBC by Bill and Dan Maynard. This morning we followed her directions and came upon a small pond that had about 16 wigeons in it. We parked and had just found the Eurasian Wigeon in the group when all but one of the birds lifted off and flew to the west then circled around toward the north (to the river?). The one bird that stayed, amazingly, was the object of our trip. We had a good 8-10 minutes to watch it before it, too, took off. We waited for a while to see if any of the birds would return, but none did. The best part of all was that this Eurasian Wigeon (excuse me not knowing the proper 4-letter abbreviation) was our 350th species for Colorado this year. What a thrill it was! To see this pond, take US Hwy 50 west to Canon City. Turn left on Mac Kenzie (south) and drive to the junction with CO Hwy 115. Turn right and go west on 115 to Willow Road. Turn right and go north to Willow Lane. Turn right on Willow Lane and go until it dead ends at the entrance to a dairy farm. There will be two tiny ponds on the right, and the birds were right there. (Lots of “rights”.) We also saw a Belted Kingfisher, several Common Ravens around town, some Black-billed Magpies, not to mention the NEW McDonalds. Thanks to Debbie for calling and to all who have wished us well over the last couple of weeks. Good Birding! Mel and Jeanne Goff 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] Possible Vega Gull at Lake Loveland, Larimer County
Staging gulls this afternoon at Lake Loveland included: Ring-billed Gull – approx. 400 Herring Gull – 18 California Gull – 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2 (1 ad, 1 1st-cycle) Vega Gull – 1 adult The candidate Vega Gull is discussed and photographed at http://www.pbase.com/quetzal/mysterygullae. Nick Komar Fort Collins 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] Birding with FRS Radios Channel 11-22 Is it time for a change? Some Food for Thought
Hello COBIRDERS, For birders who utilize Family Radio Service (FRS) walkie-talkies (channel 11-22 the Birder Channel) here is some food for thought - Channel 11-22 has been designated as the Birder Channel, however, since finding this split frequency on your device often poses a challenge (especially for some of us senior birders) I would propose changing the channel to channel 21 for a few reasons. Channel 21 is easier to find and dial into on your radio. Channels 15 and higher (15 up to 22) have superior transmission range. More bang for your buck . . . Using an un-split frequency means you can buy cheaper radios (the split-frequency capable radios are usually a few bucks higher). In all my experience using FRS radios while birding, I have never encountered other birders on the channel 11 -22. Maybe they can't find it? Bob Santangelo (aka BirderBob) Wheat Ridge CO (p.s. @ Todd - sorry for my error earlier today - I've refreshed myself on COBirder etiquette for posting) -- 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. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/cobirds/-/likShpPoy6sJ. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
[cobirds] American Dipper in Adams County this afternoon
I saw a single American Dipper in Clear Creek just east of Lowell Blvd. (Adams Co.) today at 4:05 pm This is the regular location. I was looking off of the Lowell bridge near 55th Pl. Also saw an American Kestrel from same spot. Bob Canter, Denver Colo. -- 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. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/cobirds/-/YTtaGtOZCtUJ. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.