[cobirds] Fighting Falcons in N. El Paso County

At 12:37pm today, Jeanne and I witnessed six falcons streaking across the skies of northern El Paso county. The birds had white backs with blue underbellies resembling a Thunderbird of western US lore. The subspecies is know as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and comes equipped with an onboard pilot

[cobirds] Pacific Loon still at Big Johnson, El Paso County

First, thanks to Aaron Driscoll and Mark Peterson. Without their posts, we may not have noticed the differences between the Common and Pacific Loons on the reservoir this morning. Not being in breeding plumage, the telltale black chin strap was a great ID help on the Pacific Loon. Also on

Re: [cobirds] Glossy Ibis , El Paso County

I agree with John about the parking where the Ibis are. I was there this a.m. and parked near the pond and walked down the road. I had to set my scope up on the south side of the road by the one large tree in order to stay out of the traffic lanes. The road on both sides drops off and you

[cobirds] Southeast El Paso County today, 4/15

Greetings, Cobirders. After being gone for over 2 weeks, Jeanne and I finally got out to do some birding yesterday and today. We went to Big Johnson yesterday and had some great views of Western, Horned, Eared, and Pied-billed Grebes. There were a couple of Common Loons, too. Today we had

[cobirds] Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Ramah SWA, El Paso cty

Gary Koehn found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Ramah SWA this morning. We are currently looking at the bird and several other people have been here. On the north Shore by the boat ramp. Mel Goff Colorado Springs Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App -- You received this message because you are

[cobirds] Pectoral Sandpiper at Ramah SWA, El Paso County Thursday 8/13

After reading Ted Floyd's post about the meteor shower, we determined we would get up at 0300 HRS and go out to Raman SWA to view it and stay for morning light. Well we got up at 0300 saw the cloud cover and were back in bed by 0305. We did get up after sunrise and read David Suddjian's report

[cobirds] Western Slope Colorado Life Birds - 6/16

Hi, Cobirders.   After two very long days, we are home and I can report on our Chukar Chase to the western slope. Jeanne and I were joined by Lynne Miller as we left early yesterday morning, Tuesday, to go after two target birds: the Chukar and the Lesser Nighthawk.   We arrived at Cameo in

[cobirds] El Paso Yard Birds Redux

I spoke too soon. In the few minutes since my other post, we have had a Lincoln's Sparrow, a House Wren, and two Spotted Towhees.   Mel and Jeanne Goff Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To unsubscribe from

[cobirds] Yard Birds - El Paso County

Hi, Cobirders.   Like others we are experiencing a lot of activity in our yard today.   This morning we had Black-headed Grosbeak. This afternoon we have two Lazuli Buntings, a White-crowned Sparrow, a Chipping Sparrow, and a Green-tailed Towhee. Add that to our resident WW Doves and a

[cobirds] Common Loon, Long-tailed Duck, Gulls Galore, Big Johnson Res., El Paso Cty, 4/3

Hi, cobirders.   Following Mark Peterson's eBird report of yesterday, I made my way out to Big Johnson Reservoir on the southeast side of Colorado Springs this evening. I did not seee any of the swallows Mark saw, but the lake was crazy active otherwise.   As I drove up there was a beautiful

[cobirds] Mtn Plovers NOW El Paso Cty

We just saw 2 mountain plovers on Squirrel Creek Rd in eastern El Paso country. They were directly across the road from the red brick ruins of a school. There were 2 walking in a prairie dog field Directions : take Myers Road east of Peyton highway to squirrel Creek Road. go north so you are

[cobirds] Ross's geese, Doubletree hotel pond, El Paso cty, Feb 6th

This morning Jeanne and I saw 3 Ross's geese at the Doubletree Hotel in Colorado Springs. Mel Goff Colorado Springs Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop

[cobirds] Rosy finches Teller County 12/12

At 11:45 a.m. Jeanne and I were driving south on Hwy 67 south of Divide in Teller county. We were right by the turnoff for the Crags campground when we saw a huge mixed flock of rosy finches on the power lines on the east side of the road. They flew off up the hill toward the campground. We failed

[cobirds] Baird's Sparrow, El Paso County

Hi, cobirders.   This morning at 8:13 a.m., Jeanne and I saw the Baird's Sparrow on Drennan Road about .25 mile west of Hemmingway Rd. It sat up on a fence wire for nearly 20 seconds before flying out into the field. A couple of minutes later it returned to the fence and was also spotted by

[cobirds] RFI Timely Reporting for Non-Techies

All,   I am looking for suggestions about timely reporting, especially of rare species. We do not have a smart phone and do not have texting on our modest cellphone. I recently have seen a couple of pretty good birds, but could not report them for several hours due to our location and other

[cobirds] Deafening Silence at Turkey Creek Ranch, El Paso County, 5/16

Hello Cobirders. That quiet you hear was Turkey Creek Ranch (Fort Carson) in El Paso County.   In its infinite wisdom, the army is discontinuing recreational activities at TCR. All the picnic tables have been removed along with the archery range and observation tower. I talked to several of

[cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch, El Paso and Pueblo Counties on 5/15

Hi, Cobirders.   Jeanne and I made our way to a very birdy Chico Basin Ranch (fee area) today. We birded the banding area, Bell's Grove, the HQs area and pond and Rose Pond. We met up with Michael Kiessig and Kate Frost at the banding station and had a nice time birding with them at various

[cobirds] Hermit Thrush in yard, El Paso Cty

For the first time in 10 years we have recorded a Hermit Thrush in our yard. The only other sightings we have listed were three times in May of 2004. We live in the Old Farm subdivision in northeast Colorado Springs. Pretty cool, we think.   Mel and Jeanne Goff Colorado Springs, CO -- You

[cobirds] All 3 teal and more at Mallard Pond, El Paso 4/14

Hi all. Today Jeanne and I stopped by Mallard Pond (aka Drake Lake) near Falcon in El Paso County. We had all three teal among the waterfowl. The number of species was high even if the number of birds was a little low. We had a chance to see the GH Owl on nest just east of US 24 on Judge Orr

[cobirds] Eastern Phoebe on Goldfield Road, El Paso County, 4/4/14

Hi, Cobirders.   On a whim late this afternoon Jeanne and I decided to see if we could find the Chukar that was reported on south Marksheffel Road. No luck there so we went over to Big Johnson and saw a nice selection of birds on the reservoir.   Then we went below the damn on Goldfield

[cobirds] Aiken Audubon Bluebird Field Trip Cancelled, El Paso County

All, Due to weather and an almost total absence of birds on our scouting trip, we are regretfully cancelling the Aiken Audubon Bluebird Field Trip scheduled for this Sunday, March 2nd. We will try to schedule another spring trip to Turkey Creek Ranch. If you have any questions, please let

[cobirds] Big things at Big Johnson, El Paso County

Hi, Cobirders. Ten of us went birding this morning and had great success at Big Johnson Reservoir in El Paso County. Highlights included: PACIFIC LOON COMMON LOON SABINE'S GULL - A life bird for two of our group Franklin's Gull Herring Gull 138 Sandhill Cranes 1 Cattle Egret (with the

[cobirds] Yellow-bellied SS in Colo Spgs, El Paso Cty today

Hi, Cobirders. Today 13 of us got lucky in the Garden of the Gods and Rock Ledge Ranch area of Colorado Springs. At GoG we had nice views of Prairie Falcons (2), a Sharp-shinned Hawk and at least a dozen Townsend's Solitaires. We then moved over to Rock Ledge Ranch. After seeing

[cobirds] Sabine's Gull still at Big Johnson Reservoir, El Paso County

Hi, all. Nine birders had great views of the Sabine's Gull just before the noon hour today. It is an adult in breeding plumage. Other highlights included a big raptor show with Ferruginous Hawks, Golden and Bald Eagle, Red Tail Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and American Kestrel. We also saw Wilson's

[cobirds] Sabine's Gull, Big Johnson Reservoir, El Paso County (Resend)

All , Apparently my message did not have my signature (although my sent file showed it). So, here goes. Hi, all. Nine birders had great views of the Sabine's Gull just before the noon hour today. It is an adult in breeding plumage. Other highlights included a big raptor show with

Re: [cobirds] El Paso county --- Sabine's Gull 9/21/13

Hi, all. Jeanne and I also saw the Sabine's Gull at Big Johnson. We also had a flock of several hundred Yellow-headed Blackbirds. From Big Johnson we went to Hwy 67 and drove from Sedalia to Manitou Lake. Along the way we had an American Three-toed Woodpecker just south of mm 118. At Lake

[cobirds] Lewis's WPs Back at Turkey Creek Ranch, El Paso County

Hi, Cobirders. Sorry for the late post, but I had some email problems last night. Yesterday, 9/9, we were at Turkey Creek Ranch (on Fort Carson military reservation) off CO Hwy 115 in El Paso county. On a visit there six weeks ago, we saw NO Lewis’s Woodpeckers. Yesterday in 3 hours of

[cobirds] Backyard Milestone, El Paso Cty

Hey, Cobirders! Jeanne called me to the window at 3:15 this afternoon and there was a Lark Sparrow in our grass. We have finally cracked the 100 species level for our yard. Good spot, Jeanne! Mel Goff Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to

[cobirds] Surprise Grosbeak in Yard, El Paso County

Hi, Cobirders. Each spring we get Black-headed Grosbeaks at our feeders for a few days, but this morning we were visited by a female for the first time in August. It has been around all morning. Good birding, everyone. Mel Goff -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the

[cobirds] Laughing Gull still at Big Johnson El Paso County

Cobirders (especially Brandon), At 11:00am the Laughing gull was still at Big Johnson. It was walking on the east shore near the south end of the water. Pacific Loon on north edge, many WF Ibis on east shore. Tried to make one a Glossy, but failed. Mel Goff Colo Spgs -- You

[cobirds] eBird Report - Turkey Creek Ranch, El Paso County Jun 3, 2013

Hi Cobirders. This morning a group of 20 birders met for the annual Aiken Audubon field trip to Turkey Creek Ranch. As always, the big draw was the Lewis's Woodpeckers and they did not disappoint. We saw a half-dozen, or so. Another favorite this morning was a Lazuli Bunting. Several of the

[cobirds] Mini-fallout, New Yard Bird, Old Farm COS, El Paso Cty

Hi, CoBirders. We just had a really cool group of birds in our backyard. First was our returning BH Grosbeak, then we saw our second-ever Western Wood-pewee. A couple of minutes later we had yard bird #99 when a beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak joined the party. Wow! Good birding, all.

[cobirds] New Yard Bird - El Paso County, 5/16

Hi, Cobirders. We have a new yard bird today in the Old Farm subdivision of the Springs  - A pair of Evening Grosbeaks. While we always have a pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks pass through in mid-May, this is the first time Evening Grosbeaks have stopped by. We also have a Mountain

[cobirds] 3 FOS Birds, Fountain Creek Nature Center, El Paso Cty, 4/29

Hi, everyone. This morning Jeanne and I went to Fountain Creek to look for some of the birds reported over the weekend. We ended up with three unexpected birds that really made the morning fun. First we saw a Western Wood-pewee on a snag at the south end of Rice’s Pond. Our earliest before

[cobirds] Bohemian Waxwings, Simpson Ponds SWA, Larimer County

Hi, Cobirders. For what seems like the thousandth time we left home this morning to chase the mythical Bohemian Waxwing. This time we headed north to Loveland and the Simpson Ponds SWA. After parking and speaking to two folks who just saw them before they flew off we started walking

[cobirds] Holcim Wetlands in Fremont County, 3/8/13

Hey, cobirders. For some unexplainable reason we ventured down to Holcim Wetlands in Fremont County thinking we might acutally see one of the Bohemian Waxwings reported by Brandon Percival and SeEtta Moss. It is to laugh! We ran into SeEtta when we first arrived and searched for

[cobirds] Brant Yes, Iceland Gull and Pine Warbler No, Jefferson and Larimer Counties

We just got home from a long day up north and we had a lot of fun. Jeanne and I were joined by Lynne Miller and E.B. Ellis. We tried for the gull at the beginning and end of the day at Chatfield, but could not find it. In between those times we went to Loveland looking for the Brant. We

[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

[cobirds] Varied Thrush in Jefferson County

Jeanne and I would like to thank Judy Carrier and Karen Martin for posting their Varied Thrush to cobirds. We got there a little before noon and met Will Burt and Barbara Isaacs scanning the many feeders. Within 20 minutes, the thrush - an adult male - made its appearance. We had great

[cobirds] Pueblo County and Big Johnson (El Paso Cty) Today

Hi, Cobirders. Today Jeanne and I had a chance to bird with visiting birder Ian de la Rosa. It was a banner day for Ian as he picked up FOUR LIFE BIRDS (in all caps below). Highlights: Pueblo County Park - ACORN WOODPECKERS , Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches, Wild Turkey,

[cobirds] Sandhill Cranes flying over Colo Spgs, El Paso Cty

Hi, all. In the past hour we have had 5 groups of Sandhill cranes fly over our part of Colo Spgs. The smallest group was about 75 cranes, while the largest totaled over 100 birds. I think I just heard another group - so it's back to the patio for me. Mel Goff Colo Spgs -- You

[cobirds] Hermit Warbler at Last Chance, Washington County

Thanks to all who reported on the Hermit Warbler at Last Chance. We got a late start today and did not arrive there until just a couple of minutes after 3pm. We went straight to the northeast corner and began our search. After about 20 minutes, the bird landed on one of the mailboxes and

[cobirds] 2nd ever Steller's Jay in yard - El Paso County

Hi, Cobirders. We live on the east side of Colorado Springs and yesterday we had only the second Steller's Jay we have ever recorded. I don't know if anyone else on this side of town has had a Steller's Jay, or not. (Ted - I am still using the possessive form, but it is how I learned.)

[cobirds] Lincoln County Birding 9/17

Today Jeanne and I took a ride out to Lincoln County. We birded south of CO Hwy 94 starting on Cty Rd 11 working our way south to Brett Gray Ranch. We had never been there before, but after asking permission to bird there, we were quite impressed. Highlights: Chestnut-collared Longspur

[cobirds] First ever three Hummer day in our yard - Colo Spgs, El Paso County

Today we had our first-ever day with 3 hummingbird species in our yard. This morning we had one male R ufous. This evening we had two Broad-tailed and one male Calliope. It was the first time we had ever seen a Calliope in our yard. It was really fun to have them here. Mel Goff Colo

[cobirds] Red-throated Loon and Roadrunner at John Martin Res, Bent County

Hello, all. First let me say the navigating the south side of John Martin Reservoir is not for the feint of heart. The roads are soft, unmarked, and confusing. Having said that, Jeanne and I had a wonderful day there. We got to meet Polly and Paul Neldner from La Veta. We also got a

[cobirds] Reddish Egret at first NO, But Wait! - Lake Cheraw, Otero County

I got up way too early this morning and drove to Lake Cheraw to look for the Reddish Egret being reported on eBird and cobirds. When I first arrived, I stopped along Hwy 109 on the west side of the lake. I saw a lot of nice birds, including Snowy Plover and some Wilson's Phalaropes, but no

[cobirds] Stay away from Colorado Springs

Conditions with the fires in Colorado Springs have deteriorated rapidly. An explosion of flame crossed the front range in the west side of the city and a mass evacuation is underway. Visibility is so bad that we do not even know how bad things are. Smoke has reached our home on the east

[cobirds] Bobolinks at Castlewood Canyon, Douglas County

It was a beautiful day in Castlewood Canyon today with lots of birds. The highlight was seeing the bobolinks on south Castlewood Canyon Road. This area is outside the state park, and can be reached on Castlewood Canyon Road from the north a mile west of Franktown or from the south off DC Road

[cobirds] Fountain Creek Nature Center, El Paso Cty, Highlights 5/12

Greetings!   Today was a great day to bird at FCNC. Ken Pals led the annual spring count and we had a great time. Jeanne and I worked Area 4, then after the group meeting we birded areas 2 and 3. Highlights: Area 4 (including warbler alley): Western Tanagers, Cedar Waxwings,

[cobirds] Red-necked Grebe, Big Johnson Reservoir, El Paso County

Greetings, All. Today Jeanne and I went to Big Johnson in search of the Red-necked Grebe reported last evening on Cobirds. The short report is yes we saw it. Now for details. Between 2pm and 3pm we got three looks at the grebe as it came out from the point just north of the unpaved

[cobirds] Fremont Cty - White-eyed Vireo, Yes - Field Sparrow, No

First of all, thanks a lot to Brandon Percival for his report on the White-eyed Vireo on the Canon City Riverwalk. Jeanne and I had already planned to go to Canon City today, but because of Brandon's post we listened to several recordings of the vireo and the field sparrow. We never did

[cobirds] Ross's Gull early this morning

Jeanne and I found the Ross's Gull at the sand spit on the west end of the reservoir at 8:00am this morning.  We watched it work the spit for almost 30 minutes and as people began to arrive the gull took off following the north shore. It was a great site, and we thank all those who have

[cobirds] Songfinder Update

Good morning. We are back from our trip to Hawaii and I will have a full review of the Songfinder digital frequency converter later this week for anyone who is interested. Several of you emailed me, and I will send you a copy of the review. I got the product the day before we left, and I