Re: [cobirds] Blue-winged Warbler between Fort Logon Natl. Cemetery and Denver's Bear Creek Park, in Denver County

[Michael Lester]

Hi all,

I just heard (calling) and saw the Blue-winged Warbler in the elm at the edge 
of the cleared area on the west side of the pond. Flew into the thicker willows 
at the SW corner of the pond. 

Michael Lester
Littleton


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 14, 2019, at 5:35 PM, Cole Sage  wrote:
> 
> Forgot to saw I am 
> Cole Sage,Denver 
> 
>> On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 4:57 PM Cole Sage  wrote:
>> Just had the Blue-winged Warbler with Frank Farrell and Beth Sage on the 
>> south end of pond along the access road right next to the big cottonwood.
>> 
>>> On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 2:25 PM Douglas Kibbe  wrote:
>>> This morning I briefly saw a Blue-winged Warbler in the thick brush 
>>> surrounding a small pond on the Cemetery property.
>>> The pond is due south of the Bear Creek Park parking lot on W. Kenyon 
>>> Avenue (midway between S. Sheridan Blvd. and S. Lowell Blvd.).
>>> The area can be accessed from the cemetery but is most easily reached by 
>>> parking in the lot on W. Kenyon Ave. and walking south across the avenue.  
>>> Be aware there are many Yellow Warblers in the area as well.  Be aware also 
>>> that the area swarms with homeless people and that vehicles have been 
>>> broken into at the lot.
>>> Doug Kibbe,  CWB 
>>> Littleton, Co.
>>> 
>>> Virus-free. www.avast.com
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Re: [cobirds] Blue-winged Warbler between Fort Logon Natl. Cemetery and Denver's Bear Creek Park, in Denver County

[Cole Sage]

Forgot to saw I am
Cole Sage,Denver

On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 4:57 PM Cole Sage  wrote:

> Just had the Blue-winged Warbler with Frank Farrell and Beth Sage on the
> south end of pond along the access road right next to the big cottonwood.
>
> On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 2:25 PM Douglas Kibbe  wrote:
>
>> This morning I briefly saw a Blue-winged Warbler in the thick brush
>> surrounding a small pond on the Cemetery property.
>> The pond is due south of the Bear Creek Park parking lot on W. Kenyon
>> Avenue (midway between S. Sheridan Blvd. and S. Lowell Blvd.).
>> The area can be accessed from the cemetery but is most easily reached by
>> parking in the lot on W. Kenyon Ave. and walking south across the avenue.
>> Be aware there are many Yellow Warblers in the area as well.  Be aware also
>> that the area swarms with homeless people and that vehicles have been
>> broken into at the lot.
>> Doug Kibbe,  CWB
>> Littleton, Co.
>>
>>
>> 
>>  Virus-free.
>> www.avast.com
>> 
>>
>> <#m_1144956379469481018_m_-6182099838819804145_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>>
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Re: [cobirds] Blue-winged Warbler between Fort Logon Natl. Cemetery and Denver's Bear Creek Park, in Denver County

[Cole Sage]

Just had the Blue-winged Warbler with Frank Farrell and Beth Sage on the
south end of pond along the access road right next to the big cottonwood.

On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 2:25 PM Douglas Kibbe  wrote:

> This morning I briefly saw a Blue-winged Warbler in the thick brush
> surrounding a small pond on the Cemetery property.
> The pond is due south of the Bear Creek Park parking lot on W. Kenyon
> Avenue (midway between S. Sheridan Blvd. and S. Lowell Blvd.).
> The area can be accessed from the cemetery but is most easily reached by
> parking in the lot on W. Kenyon Ave. and walking south across the avenue.
> Be aware there are many Yellow Warblers in the area as well.  Be aware also
> that the area swarms with homeless people and that vehicles have been
> broken into at the lot.
> Doug Kibbe,  CWB
> Littleton, Co.
>
>
> 
>  Virus-free.
> www.avast.com
> 
> <#m_-6182099838819804145_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>
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[cobirds] Least Flycatcher singing at Lory State Park (LARIMER)

[John Shenot]

For the second year in a row I've observed a Least Flycatcher singing on 
the Well Gulch Trail in Lory State Park in June. Same location as last 
year; possibly or probably the same individual. Near interpretive sign post 
#5, south of the trail. His singing was relentless this morning. He seems 
to be a courageous or confused fellow, or both. I alternately admire and 
feel sorry for him given the low odds of successfully finding a mate in 
this location. I wish I had such pluck and determination.

John Shenot
Fort Collins, CO

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[cobirds] Re: Tamarack

['The "Nunn Guy"' via Colorado Birds]

Hi all

Did a scholarly search of "russian olive birds" for fun ... results:

   - https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.2756
   - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rra.2713
   - https://www.jstor.org/stable/3784489?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
   - 
   
https://bioone.org/journals/The-Wilson-Journal-of-Ornithology/volume-113/issue-4/0043-5643(2001)113[0452:BBUOAN]2.0.CO;2/Breeding-Bird-Use-of-and-Nesting-Success-in-Exotic-Russian/10.1676/0043-5643(2001)113[0452:BBUOAN]2.0.CO;2.full
   - https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_journals/2016/rmrs_2016_sing_s002.pdf
   - 
   
https://bioone.org/journals/Northwest-Science/volume-86/issue-1/046.086.0104/Bird-Community-Response-to-Vegetation-Cover-and-Composition-in-Riparian/10.3955/046.086.0104.full
   - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196319300424

Hope this adds to the conversation ...

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org



On Friday, June 14, 2019 at 4:01:13 AM UTC-6, Steven Mlodinow wrote:
>
> Greetings 
>
> Russian Olive removal, ironically to preserve riparian habitat, is on 
> another part of ranch. There is electric fencing- which keeps the cattle 
> corralled within the riparian. The trampling and eating of understory brush 
> will severely damage habitat for Bell’s Vireo, chats, etc. There’s a reason 
> this portion has nearly all of the Bells at Tamarack 
>
> Best 
> Steve Mlodinow 
> Longmont 
>
> Sent from my iPhone 
>

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[cobirds] Bobolinks, Larimer County, Reservoir Ridge

[Libby Edwards]

Two beautiful male bobolinks were on a fence together on the path near Overland 
Drive, Reservoir Ridge Natural Area, Fort Collins, about 10 this morning.  They 
flew and chased each other and came back to the fence, only to fly off again.
Further along on the same path, near the marsh and pond south of the trail, 
there is a lone cottonwood.  Two adult red-tailed hawks were seen there, one 
sitting in the tree, the other circling overhead.  Near the top of the tree two 
chicks were standing up on the edge of a nest.  I distinctly heard one say 
“will someone come and teach us how to fly, please!”

Libby Edwards
Fort Collins, Larimer County

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Re: [cobirds] Tamarack

['arvind panjabi' via Colorado Birds]

My opinion is that Russian Olive removal is most-often ill-informed and 
misguided from a biological and practical standpoint, and as several people 
have already pointed out, destroys non-game bird habitat.  Unfortunately few 
biologists seem to want to acknowledge that Russian Olives play an important 
role for neotropical migrants during stopover, provide critical nesting habitat 
for endangered western yellow-billed cuckoos and other birds like bells vireo, 
yellow-breasted chat, blue grosbeak and others, and that it’s fruit is consumed 
by countless species of native birds (actually Dave Leatherman counted them - 
something like 100 species).  It’s unfortunate that these actions are likely 
deemed habitat improvement.  If so, the authorities undertaking them should be 
accountable and able to demonstrate the improvement with data from before and 
after. If not, the practice should stop.
Respectfully,

Arvind PanjabiFort Collins


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone


On Friday, June 14, 2019, 8:05 AM, 'Migrant' via Colorado Birds 
 wrote:

There is a program underway to remove all the Russian olives at Jackson SP. I 
am not biologically well-informed enough to know if this is an overall good 
idea, and I suppose we won’t know until we see the finished product. I do know, 
however, that they began the project by obliterating my favorite little patch 
in the park, a small marsh surrounded by mixed tree species (including olives) 
at the northwest corner of the park. This little grove always hosted a nice 
variety of migrants and could be counted upon for multiple warbler species. I 
arrived there one day to discover that all that remained was a pile of wood 
chips. The mature grove was completely destroyed, while of course all of the 
dozens of nearby small trees and seedlings were untouched. It would be nice if 
state personnel would at some point start consulting with knowledgeable field 
biologists before making some of these devastating changes to habitat on public 
lands.

Norm Lewis
Lakewood

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 14, 2019, at 7:40 AM, Duane Nelson  wrote:
> 
> All,
> 
> Loss of important non-game bird habitat on Colorado State Wildlife Areas 
> (SWAs) is not restricted to Northeast Colorado. There is an abundance of 
> property with public access in Bent County, and the great bird diversity in 
> Southeast Colorado is well known locally, nationally, and even 
> internationally. Three SWAs in Bent County have seen habitat changes that 
> have greatly diminished the diversity and numbers of some localized non-game 
> birds.
> 
> 1. John Martin SWA - Wood Thrush Grove. This site was on the Southeast corner 
> of Bent County Roads 16 and JJ, and rivaled Van's Grove as a migration 
> hotspot. I always stopped at Wood Thrush Grove whenever I was in the area 
> during migration. As I understand it, a local power company wanted to 
> mitigate the possible destructive impact of large trees close to power lines, 
> and asked a local CPW worker if they could remove some branches in around 
> 2001. Although this property is owned by the Federal Government as part of 
> John Martin Reservoir property, USACE was not informed of the plan to remove 
> branches. The power company removed ALL trees before USACE ordered work to 
> stop. This site is no longer worth stopping at, or even slowing down while 
> passing by.
> 
> 2.  Karney SWA. This was a private ranch along the Fort Lyon Canal about 3 
> miles north of US 50, between County Roads 17 and 19. I got tantalizing 
> glimpses of the birding potential of this area from the ditch road while 
> scouting for the John Martin CBC many years ago. I was careful never to 
> trespass. When stopping at the crossing of Gageby Creek and the ditch road, I 
> regularly saw Winter Wrens and Rusty Blackbirds in season, drawn there by the 
> permanent stream that never froze, the stately cottonwoods, and diverse 
> understory, a combination that always leads to good birds. When the property 
> became a SWA a few years ago, I thought it was the best thing ever to happen 
> to Bent County birding. Given access, I found this to be the best wintering 
> landbird site I'd ever seen in SE Colorado. With effort, it was possible to 
> find Hermit Thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, 
> Curve-billed Thrashers and more in the Russian Olive understory, and, on one 
> CBC, flocks of Field Sparrows and other uncommon birds. Invasion years 
> brought mountain birds like Steller's Jay and Mountain Chickadee. However, 
> this bird refuge changed when CPW started to remove the understory of Russian 
> Olive trees and salt cedar (tamarisk). Currently, there are isolated 
> cottonwoods remaining, with large piles of branches and trees extending south 
> from the headgate for close to 1/4 mile. Readers of cobirds may have read 
> about this site, because of the presence of resident Eastern and Western 
> Screech Owls together, one of the few places in the U.S. where

Re: [cobirds] Least Flycatcher, Walden Ponds, Boulder Co

[Ira Sanders]

A Cordilleran Flyc has been singing (?) in my front yard for 2 days.
Up to 6 Chats on the hillside in the open space.
Ira Sanders
Golden, CO

On Fri, 14 Jun 2019, 2:01 pm Charles Hundertmark, 
wrote:

> Thee was a Least Flycatcher singing at the southwest corner of Cottonwood
> Marsh this morning.
>
> Chuck Hundertmark
> Lafayette, CO
>
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[cobirds] Blue-winged Warbler between Fort Logon Natl. Cemetery and Denver's Bear Creek Park, in Denver County

[Douglas Kibbe]

This morning I briefly saw a Blue-winged Warbler in the thick brush surrounding 
a small pond on the Cemetery property.
The pond is due south of the Bear Creek Park parking lot on W. Kenyon Avenue 
(midway between S. Sheridan Blvd. and S. Lowell Blvd.).
The area can be accessed from the cemetery but is most easily reached by 
parking in the lot on W. Kenyon Ave. and walking south across the avenue.  Be 
aware there are many Yellow Warblers in the area as well.  Be aware also that 
the area swarms with homeless people and that vehicles have been broken into at 
the lot.
Doug Kibbe,  CWB
Littleton, Co.

[https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif]
Virus-free. 
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[cobirds] Least Flycatcher, Walden Ponds, Boulder Co

[Charles Hundertmark]

Thee was a Least Flycatcher singing at the southwest corner of Cottonwood Marsh 
this morning. 

Chuck Hundertmark
Lafayette, CO

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Re: [cobirds] Tamarack

['Migrant' via Colorado Birds]

There is a program underway to remove all the Russian olives at Jackson SP. I 
am not biologically well-informed enough to know if this is an overall good 
idea, and I suppose we won’t know until we see the finished product. I do know, 
however, that they began the project by obliterating my favorite little patch 
in the park, a small marsh surrounded by mixed tree species (including olives) 
at the northwest corner of the park. This little grove always hosted a nice 
variety of migrants and could be counted upon for multiple warbler species. I 
arrived there one day to discover that all that remained was a pile of wood 
chips. The mature grove was completely destroyed, while of course all of the 
dozens of nearby small trees and seedlings were untouched. It would be nice if 
state personnel would at some point start consulting with knowledgeable field 
biologists before making some of these devastating changes to habitat on public 
lands.

Norm Lewis
Lakewood

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 14, 2019, at 7:40 AM, Duane Nelson  wrote:
> 
> All,
> 
> Loss of important non-game bird habitat on Colorado State Wildlife Areas 
> (SWAs) is not restricted to Northeast Colorado. There is an abundance of 
> property with public access in Bent County, and the great bird diversity in 
> Southeast Colorado is well known locally, nationally, and even 
> internationally. Three SWAs in Bent County have seen habitat changes that 
> have greatly diminished the diversity and numbers of some localized non-game 
> birds.
> 
> 1. John Martin SWA - Wood Thrush Grove. This site was on the Southeast corner 
> of Bent County Roads 16 and JJ, and rivaled Van's Grove as a migration 
> hotspot. I always stopped at Wood Thrush Grove whenever I was in the area 
> during migration. As I understand it, a local power company wanted to 
> mitigate the possible destructive impact of large trees close to power lines, 
> and asked a local CPW worker if they could remove some branches in around 
> 2001. Although this property is owned by the Federal Government as part of 
> John Martin Reservoir property, USACE was not informed of the plan to remove 
> branches. The power company removed ALL trees before USACE ordered work to 
> stop. This site is no longer worth stopping at, or even slowing down while 
> passing by.
> 
> 2.  Karney SWA. This was a private ranch along the Fort Lyon Canal about 3 
> miles north of US 50, between County Roads 17 and 19. I got tantalizing 
> glimpses of the birding potential of this area from the ditch road while 
> scouting for the John Martin CBC many years ago. I was careful never to 
> trespass. When stopping at the crossing of Gageby Creek and the ditch road, I 
> regularly saw Winter Wrens and Rusty Blackbirds in season, drawn there by the 
> permanent stream that never froze, the stately cottonwoods, and diverse 
> understory, a combination that always leads to good birds. When the property 
> became a SWA a few years ago, I thought it was the best thing ever to happen 
> to Bent County birding. Given access, I found this to be the best wintering 
> landbird site I'd ever seen in SE Colorado. With effort, it was possible to 
> find Hermit Thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, 
> Curve-billed Thrashers and more in the Russian Olive understory, and, on one 
> CBC, flocks of Field Sparrows and other uncommon birds. Invasion years 
> brought mountain birds like Steller's Jay and Mountain Chickadee. However, 
> this bird refuge changed when CPW started to remove the understory of Russian 
> Olive trees and salt cedar (tamarisk). Currently, there are isolated 
> cottonwoods remaining, with large piles of branches and trees extending south 
> from the headgate for close to 1/4 mile. Readers of cobirds may have read 
> about this site, because of the presence of resident Eastern and Western 
> Screech Owls together, one of the few places in the U.S. where this occurs. 
> Karney SWA is a mere shadow of its former self.
> 
> 3. Setchfield SWA. About 25 miles south of Las Animas, this is the only 
> public access to juniper and canyon habitat in Bent County. Almost every 
> canyon country bird species can be found here (I would refer the reader to 
> Edition 2 of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas, where there is a summary of 
> birds I found atlasing here). Setchfield is the least visited SWA in the 
> state, according to the guidebook to SWAs, and I thought its remoteness and 
> lack of amenities would keep it pristine forever. Below the broken Muddy 
> Creek Dam, there has been an effort to remove salt cedar trees, a good thing 
> in my opinion. For reasons unknown to me, all of the native juniper trees 
> below the dam have been cut and removed, including old growth ones that 
> formerly harbored wintering Long-eared Owls. So far, the uplands have been 
> spared of tree removal.
> 
> Duane Nelson
> Las Animas, Bent County, CO
> 
>> Greetings
>> 
>> Russian Olive removal, ironically to preserv

Re: [cobirds] Tamarack

[Duane Nelson]

All,

Loss of important non-game bird habitat on Colorado State Wildlife Areas 
(SWAs) is not restricted to Northeast Colorado. There is an abundance of 
property with public access in Bent County, and the great bird diversity 
in Southeast Colorado is well known locally, nationally, and even 
internationally. Three SWAs in Bent County have seen habitat changes 
that have greatly diminished the diversity and numbers of some localized 
non-game birds.


1. John Martin SWA - Wood Thrush Grove. This site was on the Southeast 
corner of Bent County Roads 16 and JJ, and rivaled Van's Grove as a 
migration hotspot. I always stopped at Wood Thrush Grove whenever I was 
in the area during migration. As I understand it, a local power company 
wanted to mitigate the possible destructive impact of large trees close 
to power lines, and asked a local CPW worker if they could remove some 
branches in around 2001. Although this property is owned by the Federal 
Government as part of John Martin Reservoir property, USACE was not 
informed of the plan to remove branches. The power company removed ALL 
trees before USACE ordered work to stop. This site is no longer worth 
stopping at, or even slowing down while passing by.


2.  Karney SWA. This was a private ranch along the Fort Lyon Canal about 
3 miles north of US 50, between County Roads 17 and 19. I got 
tantalizing glimpses of the birding potential of this area from the 
ditch road while scouting for the John Martin CBC many years ago. I was 
careful never to trespass. When stopping at the crossing of Gageby Creek 
and the ditch road, I regularly saw Winter Wrens and Rusty Blackbirds in 
season, drawn there by the permanent stream that never froze, the 
stately cottonwoods, and diverse understory, a combination that always 
leads to good birds. When the property became a SWA a few years ago, I 
thought it was the best thing ever to happen to Bent County birding. 
Given access, I found this to be the best wintering landbird site I'd 
ever seen in SE Colorado. With effort, it was possible to find Hermit 
Thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, 
Curve-billed Thrashers and more in the Russian Olive understory, and, on 
one CBC, flocks of Field Sparrows and other uncommon birds. Invasion 
years brought mountain birds like Steller's Jay and Mountain Chickadee. 
However, this bird refuge changed when CPW started to remove the 
understory of Russian Olive trees and salt cedar (tamarisk). Currently, 
there are isolated cottonwoods remaining, with large piles of branches 
and trees extending south from the headgate for close to 1/4 mile. 
Readers of cobirds may have read about this site, because of the 
presence of resident Eastern and Western Screech Owls together, one of 
the few places in the U.S. where this occurs. Karney SWA is a mere 
shadow of its former self.


3. Setchfield SWA. About 25 miles south of Las Animas, this is the only 
public access to juniper and canyon habitat in Bent County. Almost every 
canyon country bird species can be found here (I would refer the reader 
to Edition 2 of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas, where there is a 
summary of birds I found atlasing here). Setchfield is the least visited 
SWA in the state, according to the guidebook to SWAs, and I thought its 
remoteness and lack of amenities would keep it pristine forever. Below 
the broken Muddy Creek Dam, there has been an effort to remove salt 
cedar trees, a good thing in my opinion. For reasons unknown to me, all 
of the native juniper trees below the dam have been cut and removed, 
including old growth ones that formerly harbored wintering Long-eared 
Owls. So far, the uplands have been spared of tree removal.


Duane Nelson
Las Animas, Bent County, CO


Greetings

Russian Olive removal, ironically to preserve riparian habitat, is on another 
part of ranch. There is electric fencing- which keeps the cattle corralled 
within the riparian. The trampling and eating of understory brush will severely 
damage habitat for Bell’s Vireo, chats, etc. There’s a reason this portion has 
nearly all of the Bells at Tamarack

Best
Steve Mlodinow
Longmont

Sent from my iPhone



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[cobirds] Tamarack

['Steven Mlodinow' via Colorado Birds]

Greetings 

Russian Olive removal, ironically to preserve riparian habitat, is on another 
part of ranch. There is electric fencing- which keeps the cattle corralled 
within the riparian. The trampling and eating of understory brush will severely 
damage habitat for Bell’s Vireo, chats, etc. There’s a reason this portion has 
nearly all of the Bells at Tamarack 

Best
Steve Mlodinow 
Longmont 

Sent from my iPhone

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