[cobirds] Farewell (No Sightings)

Dear Cobirders, It is with great sadness that I must say goodbye (for now) to Colorado. I have accepted a job in southern California and will be leaving soon. The up-side for me is the enormous size of the California state list! The down-side for me is leaving the great people, the

[cobirds] Sandpiper?, Cottonwoods Trail, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, A non-birder friend of mine informed me yesterday that he saw a sandpiper on Friday evening, along the Cottonwoods Trail in Boulder just south of Jay Rd. The bird perched up on a wooden fence-post and didn't seem too bothered by the light foot traffic. While he isn't

[cobirds] Boulder Foothills Birding

Dear Cobirders, I decided to finally check out some of the trails in the foothills between North and South St. Vrain Creeks yesterday. I started by driving up US 36 past Pinewood Springs to FS 181 (paved). Although the road begins in Larimer County it quickly crosses back in to Boulder

[cobirds] Common Nighthawk, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, I just had my FOS Common Nighthawk at Twin Lakes in Gunbarrel. Summer is here. Cheers, Walter Szeliga 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] Possible Connecticut Warbler, Cottonwood Marsh, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, This morning 22 May, from 1045 until about 1050, I and another birder (John, didn't catch a last name) observed an Oporornis sp. Warbler at the western end of the Cottonwoods Marsh boardwalk. Distinguishing features of the bird we observed were the complete, even-width

[cobirds] Migrant Report for 15 May, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, A big thanks to Richard Trinkner for posting the Blackpoll Warblers this morning. I was already out when he posted them, and had not yet seen him when I ran into about half-a-dozen more Blackpoll Warblers (all male). It was a great day for Warblers, with at least

[cobirds] Possible Cape May Warbler, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, Further inspection of the relevant Warbler guides and online photographs suggest that a peculiar Warbler observed by four of us this morning along the southeast side of the eastern Twin Lake was a dull first Spring female Cape May Warbler. The bird initially presented

[cobirds] Migrant Report for 12 May, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, I initially attempted to bird Twin Lakes this morning, but the dripping snow and drooping branches and general lack of birds made it difficult. When Nathan Pieplow called offering a quick trip to Clover Basin to see the Whimbrel (we saw two!), I gladly left Twin Lakes

[cobirds] Migrant Report Report for 11 May, Twin Lakes Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, This looks like the slowest day both for number of individual migrants and for total species. Highlights were three Empidonax sp. one of which strongly suggested Willow Flycatcher and one which suggested Dusky Flycatcher; both of these individuals were calling but not

[cobirds] Migrant Report for 10 May, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, Another slow day at Twin Lakes. Mike Blatchley and I walked the east-west path early and found lower numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers than in previous days. A handful of Orange-crowned Warblers and at least two Yellow Warblers rounded out the Warbler mix. The far

[cobirds] Migrant Report for 9 May, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, I headed out to bird Twin Lakes this morning with Elena Holly Klaver. The birding started off slowly, with fewer Warblers than I have seen the past few days. Mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and what appears to be a now resident Yellow Warbler.

[cobirds] Everybody, Fall-Out!, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, Given the late night switch to SE winds following yesterdays bluster, I assumed that the birding would be good first thing in the morning at Twin Lakes in Gubarrel. I was not disappointed. There were numerous species of Warblers and in large numbers as well. There

[cobirds] More Migrants, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, To paraphrase Ice Cube, I'd have to say it was a good day. I took a short walk to the park near Twin Lakes this afternoon with my kids and managed to find a Gray Flycatcher (actually, my one-year-old found it), a Great-tailed Grackle, Bushtits and some migrating Swainson's

[cobirds] Warblers! Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Although variety was low, the actual number of Yellow-rumped Warblers was enormous along the Boulder Creek path this afternoon. The best concentration was around the ponds immediately west of Foothills at a place called The Confluence (a big stone sign said so). This

[cobirds] Great Egret, Walden Ponds, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, A quick walk around Walden/Sawhill Ponds in Boulder this evening (4/17) uncovered a First-of-the-Season Great Egret. This individual was first seen just west of Duck Pond and then at Cottonwood Marsh itself. Few Warblers around, with just two Myrtle Warblers, hopefully

[cobirds] Walden Ponds Goodies

Dear Cobirders, Earlier today, while searching Walden Ponds for the Mexican Duck, I found out about the Eastern Phoebe and so I bailed, never having a chance to thoroughly check Walden. So, I headed back to Walden Ponds this evening and was delighted to see and hear many more

[cobirds] Sage Sparrow Photos, Lagerman Reservoir

After Todd's post this afternoon, I was able to re-relocate the Sage Sparrow at Lagerman Reservoir with Nathan Pieplow and company and photograph it. It was by the dock from 620--644 PM (7 Apr 2010). Also present was a single vocalizing Eared Grebe and a very vocal American Avocet along

[cobirds] More Boulder County Birds

Dear Cobirders, As a brief preface: I promise this is my last post that will mention Turkey Vultures, unless I find a Black Vulture with some Turkey Vultures. I headed out to Lagerman Reservoir this morning hoping that the high winds would keep one of the Sage Sparrows around. There

[cobirds] Possible Mexican Mallard, Walden Ponds, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I forgot to mention that there was a Mallard in Sawhill Pond #16 that looked good for Mexican Mallard this morning. I know that people have reported this species at Walden in past years, but this is the first time I've seen it. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO -- You

[cobirds] Turkey Vulture and other First-o-the-seasons, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Yesterday evening at 5PM there was a single Turkey Vulture above the intersection of Foothills and Colorado Ave. In addition, during the morning, I found at least 6 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs along with many Grackles at Walden Ponds. Still no sign of any

[cobirds] More Turkey Vultures,Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I just had 13 Turkey Vultures and a Sharp-shinned Hawk kettle over Gunbarrel. I assume this means they are back. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send

[cobirds] Golden-crowned Sparrow + Juniper Titmouse, Jefferson County

Dear Cobirders, I headed out this morning to try again for the Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post. Unlike last time, I only had to wait about 5 minutes before he appeared at the platform feeder. He hung around for a bit before heading north into the Native Plant Garden.

[cobirds] Harris' Sparrow, Greenlee Preserve

Dear Cobirders, Given the strong north winds last night and this morning, I figured Ted Floyd's Harris' Sparrow should still be around today. I headed out to Greenlee at around 9AM and was surprised to immediately find the Harris' Sparrow (it was the first bird I saw!). It was in the

[cobirds] Bushtit, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirds, Cold NE winds have brought one singing Bushtit to my yard in Gunbarrel. I usually have a hard time tracking this species down in Boulder County, so it's nice to have found one so soon in the year! Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO -- You received this message because

[cobirds] Evening Grosbeaks Plus, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, After an email from Nathan Pieplow this morning that there had been Evening Grosbeaks sighted in Ward, I headed up. By the time I had arrived at the Ward Community Church, it was snowing pretty hard. I was not disappointed — there were at least 35 Evening Grosbeaks in the

[cobirds] First Sunday Birding Plus, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I led three brave souls through snowy Walden Ponds this morning for the Boulder Bird Clubs First Sunday Bird Walk. Although species numbers were low, we had great looks at adult Bald Eagles, nearly two dozen American Tree Sparrows and a cooperative Sharp-shinned Hawk.

[cobirds] Thomas Reservoir Gull is an aberrant California Gull

Dear Cobirders, Nick Komar will post more on this topic later including photos, but I thought I would just quickly post that the bird initially identified as a Black-tailed Gull yesterday was relocated this morning (12/26) at Thomas Reservoir. The bird was observed by many and

[cobirds] BLACK-TAILED GULL, Thomas Reservoir, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I hate using all caps, but ... Today (12/25) from 2:00 PM until 2:30 PM, I observed an adult Black-tailed Gull at Thomas Reservoir in Boulder County. I was able to observe the Gull unobstructed for at least 25 minutes at a distance no greater than 400 ft under ideal

[cobirds] Lesser Black-backed Gull, Ferruginous Hawk, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I headed up to Nelson Rd. and Hwy 36 to look for Todd's large Falcon this morning, but wasn't able to find it. I swung by Lagerman Reservoir on the way back and spotted a Northern Harrier sitting on the shore apparently eating buds off of a low plant. Lagerman is

[cobirds] Large, large Falcon, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, Although I didn't spot Todd's large Falcon from earlier today, I off- handedly mentioned an encounter I had with and enormous Falcon along the Eagle Trail in Boulder County on 12/12 to Nathan Pieplow this evening. I first spotted this Falcon along a north-south fence

[cobirds] Valmont Reservoir, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I stopped by Valmont proper (the 75th St. entrance) at lunch today to test my cold weather gear. The ever-so-slight north wind coupled with the 11F temperatures made viewing anything difficult due to tear build-up in my eyes. It seemed like today there were more Hooded

[cobirds] Goose Quadrophenia, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I stopped by Boulder Reservoir this evening and basically struck out (one FOS American Tree Sparrow, that's it). As a consolation, I decided to swing by Dodd Reservoir on the way home and had better luck. I arrived just after 4 PM and the reservoir was packed with

[cobirds] Basic Gull Identification Resource

Cobirders, As the Winter gets closer, more and more Gulls will appear throughout the state. They will be of various ages with various plumages and mixed parentage. I've stumbled upon a wonderful tool to help narrow the possibilities when looking at a Gull here in Colorado. As a

[cobirds] Murrelet Watch

Murrelet Watch in effect until 0Z Wednesday The National Weather Service has issued a Murrelet Watch for Montana, eastern Wyoming and the Front Range area of Colorado. A strong Pacific storm will be bringing westerly winds to the north Cascades and northern Rockies. These conditions have

[cobirds] Pacific Wren, Swamp Sparrow and Surf Scoters, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I got up and out the door early this morning (11/10) to help with Charles Thornton-Kolbe's trip to find North American species for visiting Ecuadorian bird guide Xavier Munoz. We started the morning at Gregory Canyon, where it was initially quiet, but we managed to

[cobirds] Boulder Reservoir, Before the Storm

Dear Cobirders, Before the snow, and before the rain, there was wind. I headed to the south shore of Boulder Reservoir this afternoon in the hopes of spotting a Murrelet (wrong type of weather system, but we're getting close!), or a Loon, or a Long-tailed Duck. I found wind ---

[cobirds] Possible Arctic Loon, Union Reservoir

Dear Cobirders, I headed out to Union Reservoir this morning to try to relocate the possible Yellow-billed Loon spotted yesterday by Mike Blatchley and Bob Zilly. Upon arriving, I quickly scanned the reservoir and was able to relocate one basic plumaged Common Loon. Also present

[cobirds] Broad-winged Hawk, Gunbarrel, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, Now that the skies are clearing and the air is heating up, I just spotted a Broad-winged Hawk soaring over my house in Gunbarrel. Hopefully there will be Sandhills this evening! Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~

[cobirds] Long-billed Dowitchers, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I headed out to Prince Lake #2 this morning in the hopes that some of the Sandhill Cranes remained. The county roads were lined with Hawks of nearly every flavor and I wouldn't be surprised if some were Rough- legged Hawks to complement the Ferruginous Hawks Nathan

[cobirds] ID Confirmation, Large Yellowlegs, Prince Lake #2

Cobirders, The large Yellowlegs at Prince Lake #2 doesn't sit well with me. It flew in with a group of Dowitchers and I wasn't able to confirm that it's uppertail covert pattern was definitely that of Greater Yellowlegs and not Common Greenshank. If there is anyone who wants to

[cobirds] Field Sparrow, Dowdy Draw, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Given a decent run through my books and a listen to birdsong on the internet, I realized that my unidentified passerine was a Field Sparrow. This individual was about 200 yards south of the Dowdy Draw parking lot where a small wooden fence that runs east from the

[cobirds] Stilt Sandpipers, Prince Lake #2, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I birded some of the reservoirs with shorebird habitat in Boulder County today to see what the mild upslope brought. Boulder Reservoir and Lagerman Reservoir were quiet, containing mostly Snowy and Great Egrets. The best variety was at Prince Lake #2. I found 9

[cobirds] Boulder Reservoir

Dear Cobirders, Boulder Reservoir is still a loud and people-filled location, but I managed to find one Solitary Sandpiper, two Franklin's Gulls, one Osprey and at least two Sterna sp. from the north shore this afternoon (09-09-09, neat). I suspect that a more miserable weather day

[cobirds] Pectoral Sandpiper, Prince Lake #2, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, On Ted's urging, I headed out to Prince Lake #2 this afternoon to see what shorebirds were around. Right next to the car on the eastern shore of the lake was one easy to observe Pectoral Sandpiper! The moment I returned home, Nathan Pieplow called to let me know

[cobirds] Northern Goshawk, Brainard Lake, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I headed up Mt. Audubon at Brainard Lake in Boulder County yesterday to look for Ptarmigan. Along the trail up, we found one juvenile Chipping Sparrow, many Townsend's Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, one Three-toed Woodpecker and other resident

[cobirds] Boulder County Shorebird Habitat

Dear Cobirders, I didn't have a chance to scan it, but the northwest side of Boulder Reservoir currently has extensive mudflats. It might be the only decent shorebird habitat in the county right now. There is no charge to visit the northwest side of the reservoir if you park in

[cobirds] Blackburnian Warbler, Betasso Preserve, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, I headed out to the Ponderosa Pine forests of Boulder County this morning (8/25) to try and track down a Townsend's Warbler. First stop was Bald Mountain Open Space, where we quickly realized that the bird- of-the-day was going to be Western Bluebird. These guys

[cobirds] Willow and Least Flycatcher, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Even in the stifling heat this afternoon (6/30), the Least Flycatcher was still Che-bek'ing away along the eastern edge of the large pond on the White Rocks Trail in eastern Boulder County. Not too much further along the stream, the Willow Flycatcher was

[cobirds] Black Swift, Park County

Dear Cobirders, While climbing Mt. Cameron in Park County (better known as the 14er that doesn't count on the Lincoln-Democrat-Bross hike) I observed a Black Swift flying/being-blown from south to north over the ridge connecting Cameron and Democrat, nearly hitting me. The Swift

[cobirds] Swifts? Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, Do Black Swifts migrate in groups? Do they soar in migration? If so, the dozen black colored, swift-like birds that passed high over my house about 15 minutes ago (7:45) were probably Black Swifts. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO

[cobirds] Kentucky Warbler, Gregory Canyon, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Nathan Pieplow just called me to say that he is currently (7:30) recording the singing Kentucky Warbler in the parking lot of Gregory Canyon. Good Luck, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ Colorado County Birding:

[cobirds] Brainard Lake, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I headed up to Brainard Lake this morning in Boulder County in search of my hypothesized late May high-altitude Warbler push. It was a gorgeous day, but not very birdy. Wilson's Warblers are present, but they seem to be in smaller numbers than in years before.

[cobirds] Green Herons, Twin Lakes, Gunbarrel

Dear Cobirders, I spotted two Green Herons this afternoon (5/29) in the reeds along the south shore of the western Twin Lake in Gunbarrel (Boulder County). I saw them fly over the lake and into the cattails, so I don't know how easy they would be to find otherwise. Cheers, Walter

[cobirds] American Redstart, CU Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Quite a turn-over from yesterday with zero Western Tanagers on campus at the University of Colorado at Boulder. There was a singing first Spring male American Redstart on the northwestern corner of the campus pond around lunchtime today though. I guess migration

[cobirds] Update: Warbler Woods, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Nathan Pieplow and I headed back down to Boulder Creek to try to relocate the Pine Warbler from I found this morning. We were unable to relocate it, but we did find many more Western Tanagers, one Northern Waterthrush and an Eastern race Warbling Vireo. In

[cobirds] Rose-brested Grosbeak, Warbler Woods, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Things were awfully quiet this morning at Warbler Woods, just below Folsom Field on the CU campus in Boulder. The only unusual bird was a vocalizing male Rose-breasted Grosbeak near the middle Boulder Creek bridge. The only other interesting sighting (or not) was a

[cobirds] Veery, Warbler Woods, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, This morning, I walked upstream from Scott Carpenter Park along Boulder Creek to Warbler Woods below CU. The field at Scott Carpenter Park was full of Sparrows, particularly Clay-colored Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows and Lark Sparrows. The creek was littered with

[cobirds] Black-throated Green Warbler, Twin Lakes, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, Another birdy morning at Twin Lakes in Gunbarrel this morning (5/10). I ran into Peter Gent, Maggie Boswell, Joyce Takamine, Joanie Kleypas, Mary (? I think, sorry) and two other birders (sorry again, I need to do a better job with birder identification) and we

[cobirds] Red-necked Phalaropes, Sombrero Marsh, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, Knut Waagan just called to let my know that there were Red-necked Phalaropes mixed in with the Wilson's Phalaropes at Sombrero Marsh in Boulder. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ Join us at the 2009 Convention in

[cobirds] Black-throated Gray Warbler, Twin Lakes, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I stepped out quickly this afternoon to see if the Summer Tanager stuck at Twin Lakes. Unfortunately nothing seems to be sticking here lately and I was unable to relocate it. I did, however, find a single Black-throated Gray Warbler high in the trees along the

[cobirds] Hooded Warbler, Twin Lakes, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, I was able to walk the trails around Twin Lakes twice today (5/8). First, in the morning with Joyce Takamine and Maggie Boswell, the typical warblers were present, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroat. We were

[cobirds] Indigo Bunting, Walden Ponds, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, More good migrants are coming. Yesterday afternoon, I had a Plumbeous Vireo in my yard in Gunbarrel, around noon today, I had another male Western Tanager in Warbler Woods (CU Campus along the creek) and this afternoon (5/4) I had a molting male Indigo Bunting

[cobirds] Western Tanager, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, It could be a good birding day today in Boulder County. I just had my FOY Western Tanager in my yard out here in Gunbarrel; about a week earlier than the last three years. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Boulder, CO --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ Join

[cobirds] Northern Parula and Long-billed Curlew, Boulder County

Dear Cobirders, After attending Christian's excellent DFO Doudy Draw walk this morning, one that was full of first-of-the-season birds, I headed out to Pella Crossing to look for the Northern Parula found yesterday (4/25) by Bob Zilly. I was initially hesitant to chase this bird

[cobirds] Long-billed Curlews, Lafayette

Dear Cobirders, After a wonderful and tiring day of birding that included the soaking Walden Ponds walk that resulted in a county record Vermillion Flycatcher and then seeing a Rusty Blackbird at Boulder Reservoir (thanks to Andrew Spencer) I headed to the WOW museum (Lafayette,

[cobirds] Boulder County Storm Birding

Dear Cobirders, I dug up my most water-resistant clothing this morning and headed out to make a deposit into the birding karma bank. The northwest corner of Boulder Reservoir yield 1/105th the number of Ibis compared to yesterday and hosted 7 American White Pelicans and untold

[cobirds] Mew Gull, Walden Ponds, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, A quick pre-storm jaunt around Walden Ponds this afternoon (4/15) revealed an early, singing Common Yellowthroat along the west side of the Ricky Weiser Wetlands, an Audubon's Warbler just east of the Field Station (where the A-frame once stood) and, the almost late-

[cobirds] Walden Ponds Update (long)

Dear Cobirders, It felt a little bit like Patagonia, AZ at Walden Ponds (Boulder County) this afternoon, (only a little and only for a minute). After receiving a call from Maggie Boswell about the Black Phoebe this morning, I skipped my lunch and hurried out to Walden Ponds.

[cobirds] An Afternoon of Firsts (Boulder County)

Dear Cobirders, An afternoon walk at Pella Crossing today (4/5) produced first-of-the- season Tree Swallows. The Swallows were continuously circling Laguna Heron, but were surprisingly difficult to find. A pair of Chickadees were performing a wing-fluttering behavior with an

[cobirds] Mew Gull, Walden Ponds, Boulder

Dear Cobirders, This afternoon (3/29) Knut Waagan and I birded a snowy and muddy Walden Ponds. As soon as we arrived, Knut plopped his scope down and immediately spotted the adult Mew Gull in Cottonwoods Marsh. The Gulling was decent by Walden standards with Ring-billed Gulls,

[cobirds] Lamar Woods and Lesser Prairie-Chickens (KS)

Dear Cobirders, Given that the Campo Lek is closed this year, I thought this would be pertinent. I finally headed down to Elkhart, KS to watch natures very own chicken fighting yesterday (3/23). I had intended to arrive in Elkhart last evening and scope out the east lek in