[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 30 July 2014
Compiler: Joyce Takamine Date: July 30, 2014 email: r...@cfobirds.org This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, July 30 sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species). Green Heron (Boulder) Snowy Plover (Kiowa, Otero) Broad-winged Hawk (*Fremont) Caspian Tern (*Weld) RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (*Otero) ACORN WOODPECKER (Pueblo) American Three-toed Woodpecker (Boulder, Delta, Douglas, Mesa, Park) Black Phoebe (Fremont) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Fremont) Black-throated Sparrow (Pueblo) Fox Sparrow (Mesa) Northern Cardinal (Boulder) Indigo Bunting (Boulder, Jefferson) BOULDER COUNTY: --A calling Northern Cardinal was reported by Boswell part way up Hawthorn Gulch on July 21. --Boswell reported an Indigo Bunting has been singing in the morning in the vicinity of Maxwell House on the east side of Sanitas on July 21. --6+ American Three-toed Woodpeckers were reported by Norfleet on the N side of Long Lake on July 28. --A Green Heron was reported by Whitehurst at Sawhill Ponds on July 27. DELTA COUNTY: --American Three-toed Woodpecker was reported by Dahl at Crags Crest CG on Grand Mesa on July 27. DOUGLAS COUNTY: --A f American Three-toed Woodpecker was reported by Suddjian on Rampart Range Road 0.5 mile from CR 67 on July 22. FREMONT COUNTY: --Miller reported a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on July 8 on CO 67, It was seen flying alongside the highway. It was seen 0.75 miles north of the Custer County line. On July 13, Miller reported seeing the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at the same spot. On July 14, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was reported by Walbek, Percival and Schultz. On July 16, Drummond reported Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at 0730 but not at 1030. On July 19, Hinds reported the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at the same spot. On July 20, Edwards reported that 2 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were seen and that they appear to be nesting in the dead tree. On July 22, Bill Maynard reported 1 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher before 0800. On July 23, Moss reported seeing the female Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. On July 25, Moss was able to see the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher pair exchange duty at the nest in the dead tree. On July 26, Kaempfer reported the pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were busy defending their nest. On July 27, Moss watched the f Scissor-tail forage from the driveway several hundered feet north of nest tree.. Moss spote to the property owner of the nest tree and it is okay to park in the driveway as long as you do not block the driveway and stay outside their fenceline. --At least 2 Black Phoebes were reported by Dunning at Florence River Park on July 20. --A juv Broad-winged Hawk was reported by Moss at Florence River Park on July 28. JEFFERSON COUNTY: --Singing Indigo Buntings were reported by Henwood east of Morrison on Soda Lakes Road on July 20. KIOWA COUNTY: --At Neegronda Reservoir on July 27, Dowell reported 23 Snowy Plovers. MESA COUNTY: --On July 25, Henwood reported 2 American Three-toed Woodpeckers (ad and fledgling m) and a Slate-colored Fox Sparrow at Fruita Reservoir #1 S of Glade Park. OTERO COUNTY: --At Lake Cheraw on July 27, Dowell reported 24 Snow Plovers. --A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (probably f) was reported by Mlodinow at Cheraw on July 29. It was seen at 3rd and Beymer. The yard has 3 feeders. PARK COUNTY: --A family of American Three-toed Woodpeckers was reported by Suddjian near Georgia Pass on July 21. --An American Three-toed Woodpecker was reported by Suddjian near Boreas Pass on July 21. PUEBLO COUNTY: --Knight reported 3 Black-throated Sparrows on July 5 near Pueblo West. Percival reported them again on July 8. The sparrows were found by parking at Liberty Point in Pueblo West at the end of Purcell Blvd. The rest involves a hike that isn't for those who are out of shape. Take the trail off to the right before the flag pole and memorial. Proceed to the bottom of the cliff keeping to your right. You will pass a cement "well" just before merging with a now unused dirt road which heads WNW to a distant pass in the cliff. The first arroyo with slab rocks is where the sparrows were. On July 12, Lilly reported Black-throated Sparrows at Pueblo West and on July 14, Joy reported Black-throated Sparrows at Pueblo West and an easier walk from south end of South Greenbrier Drive. South Greenbrier Drive is reached b driving south on Purcell from Hwy 50 for about 2.5 miles to East Linden Ave. Turn west on Linden, and then south on Greenbrier. On July 16, Drummond reported ad male and juvenile Black-throated Sparrows in Pueblo East area, using easier hiking point of South Greenbrier Drive. On July 20, Edwards reported Black-throated Sparrows continue at Liberty Point in Pueblo West. --An ACORN WOODPECKER family was reported by Percival at the dead Ponderosa Tree in the parking lot at Horseshoe Lodge at Pueblo Mountain Park on July 10. On July 12, Bohanno
[cobirds] Boulder County, July 30
Hi, The rain cancelled my work today so on the way home I took the opportunity to check out Gunbarrel Farm (open space) where Ted Floyd found a CASSIN'S KINGBIRD in June and where they were found in 2013. I easily located all three kingbird species during a short drive and short walk. Two Cassin's and maybe five Westerns flocked together, perching on thistles, fences and telephone wires. I also saw an Eastern Kingbird - 3 kingbird day in Boulder County! The Cassin's were silent but the darker gray upperparts contrasted with the lighter gray of the Westerns. The Cassin's did not show a white tail band, perhaps because of wear. One dark kingbird had white outer tail feathers as in Western so I don't know what is going on there. The location where I observed the Cassin's was the south side of Lookout Road, 1/4 to 1/3 mile east of the intersection of 79th St. A pulloff at a gate is on this side of the road. Also, has anyone had Red Crossbills in areas outside the mountains recently? I think I heard them as flyovers a few times this Monday and Tuesday in the city of Boulder. Bye, Scott Baron Loveland, Colo. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAKO-by963mzmJ4DiW9Y%2B6A9rseTc4kyHQseJn0tXF2JDvbP%2BVQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Bird Song ID Gadget
Hi It seems I'm frequently being asked if I know of a gadget that could be pointed at a singing bird that would ID the songster. I recently called the Laboratory of Ornithology and was put through to the Wild Bird Store associated with the Lab and was told "not yet, they are working on it." Apparently the technology is available and it is just the question of adapting the technology to bird songs and then to a gadget. If you are interested in how the technology works try the app "Soundhound" where you can point the iPhone to the radio playing a song and it will uncannily tell you the name of the song. Bob Righter Denver CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/4A39588F-FB6C-45D4-B4A3-A99D137DE28E%40earthlink.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Re: Boulder County, July 30
Scott: I haven't encountered any in town yet but did find some low down in Skunk Canyon (southwest Boulder) yesterday. In general, Red Crossbills are seemingly everywhere in the northern Colorado mountains this summer (based on my own observations plus the number of red dots -- recent reports -- on ebird). Has the deep soil moisture built up during the previous 10 months resulted in a good cone crop? David Dowell Longmont, CO On Wednesday, July 30, 2014 12:54:57 PM UTC-6, Scott Baron wrote: > > > Also, has anyone had Red Crossbills in areas outside the mountains > recently? I think I heard them as flyovers a few times this Monday and > Tuesday in the city of Boulder. > > Scott Baron > Loveland, Colo. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/1ecf6bdf-03cb-416b-a8e1-0533045cee8d%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
RE: [cobirds] Re: Boulder County, July 30
Scott, David, et al,
Re crossbills at lower elevations, and cone crops in general, I would say the
following:
Conifers produce cone crops at fairly irregular intervals, with what nursery
people refer to as "bumper" crops occurring only every 3-5 years for most
species of coniferous tree (in Colorado that would be pines, spruces, true
firs, and Douglas-fir). Heavy cone crops can be triggered by both moisture
(i.e. "good" growing conditions) and stress (i.e. "bad" growing conditions).
If the stress is bad enough, and the plant has a physiological sense it might
die, available energy can be, and often is, put into cone production as the
best means of sustaining the species. Last winter and the months hence have
generally had good moisture over wide areas of the Colorado mountains, so, as
David suggests, cone production this year is mostly in response to good
conditions.
Most conifer cones take one to two years to mature and produce viable seeds.
Cone production starts in late spring after pollination of female cones (called
"strobili") by pollen from male strobili. The resulting seed-bearing cones
develop during the summer, and the future "inventory" available for
exploitation the following winter (or the winter after that) becomes evident
about this time of year. Thus, crossbills which are highly dependant on such a
widely scattered, both geographically and temporally, resource as cones, need
to engage in extensive scouting. Type 2 Red Crossbills dependent on ponderosa
pine apparently have the ability to differentiate between 1-year old ("unripe")
and 2-year old ("ripe") cones during scouting. I am not sure if this is done
visually while on the wing (conifer cones are concentrated in tree tops AND the
color of these two ages of cones ARE different), or if they have to stop and
examine things/sample things more closely. Regardless of what exactly it
entails, in my experience, much scouting occurs from mid-July thru the onset of
winter (November-early December). How scouts convey information to the general
population of crossbills is also a mystery, at least to me. But if you've ever
watched a group of crossbills quietly feeding atop a conifer, and then heard
one of them begin to call ("I'm having a tougher and tougher time over here
finding seeds easily, I say we move on", or, "Is it just me, or do you guys
feel Merlin eyes beating down on you?", or whatever it is they say), followed
by a crescendo of the others calling in agreement, followed by them all flying
off, they are obviously able to vocally convey information.
Whether we see conspicuous numbers of crossbills in the foothills or out on the
plains probably depends a lot on the situation in the mountains. If cone crops
are good everywhere in the mountains, not much scouting elsewhere will be
necessary. But I would wager, diligent observation would result in at least a
few sightings in almost every county on the eastern plains, and that if they
occur, July-October would be the most likely time to see out-of-the-mountain
wandering crossbills (and corvids, which also eat a lot of conifer seeds).
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 13:29:08 -0700
From: dave...@gmail.com
To: cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Re: Boulder County, July 30
Scott:
I haven't encountered any in town yet but did find some low down in Skunk
Canyon (southwest Boulder) yesterday. In general, Red Crossbills are seemingly
everywhere in the northern Colorado mountains this summer (based on my own
observations plus the number of red dots -- recent reports -- on ebird). Has
the deep soil moisture built up during the previous 10 months resulted in a
good cone crop?
David DowellLongmont, CO
On Wednesday, July 30, 2014 12:54:57 PM UTC-6, Scott Baron wrote:
Also, has anyone had Red Crossbills in areas outside the mountains recently? I
think I heard them as flyovers a few times this Monday and Tuesday in the city
of Boulder.
Scott Baron
Loveland, Colo.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/1ecf6bdf-03cb-416b-a8e1-0533045cee8d%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/SNT148-W41965AC3AC7BB1FBA53AEEC1F90%40phx.gbl.
[cobirds] Re: Bird Song ID Gadget
Can't wait for this technology to materialize! :-) I recall probably five years ago some field researchers outfit having a field unit that did just that--lost track of who they are. Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn http://coloradobirder.ning.com/ Mobile: http://coloradobirder.ning.com/m On Wednesday, July 30, 2014 2:25:41 PM UTC-6, Robert Righter wrote: > > Hi > > It seems I’m frequently being asked if I know of a gadget that could be > pointed at a singing bird that would ID the songster. > > I recently called the Laboratory of Ornithology and was put through to the > Wild Bird Store associated with the Lab and was told ”not yet, they are > working on it.” Apparently the technology is available and it is just the > question of adapting the technology to bird songs and then to a gadget. If > you are interested in how the technology works try the app “Soundhound” > where you can point the iPhone to the radio playing a song and it will > uncannily tell you the name of the song. > > Bob Righter > Denver CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/9a593d62-720b-4d01-bab1-f4669058d9f3%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
