June always seems to be a time that strange birds show up, and sometimes stick around hoping to breed. I visited City Park in Fort Collins on Friday evening and Saturday morning (June 12-13) and noticed several unexpected birds (details below). Hopefully some of these are sticking around and can be relocated by other (if so, please share!):
Ferruginous Hawk - Flew over west to east near Mountain Avenue low over tree tops on Friday 6/12 at dusk. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER - heard-only in tall deciduous trees separating golf course from youth baseball field, late Friday afternoon only, . Gave up-slurred soft whistle (reminiscent of Semipalmated Plover call) about 6 times. I returned with binoculars and camera at dusk on Friday and dawn on Saturday but could not refind the bird to corroborate with a visual. I used to hear this call in June in Massachusetts, given from straggling migrants. I found a recording of it this morning which confirmed my suspicions. The call was recorded in Belize in Feb (available on Xeno-Canto.org). Perhaps it is a call used to attract a mate. (I don't think a single observer heard only report would be an acceptable first county record, unfortunately). On Saturday morning, 6/13: Cordilleran Flycatcher - songs and calls heard in 2 locations, one at the large picnic pavillion and one on the east side of Sheldon Lake, possibly the same individual. Lesser Goldfinch - a pair in the ornamental pines between the municipal pool and Sheldon Lake (as noted in previous posts on Cobirds, this species is increasingly turning up on the plains away from traditional foothills habitat) Ring-billed Gull - 2 non-breeding birds on Sheldon Lake. Other non-breeding waterbirds included several Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans. Black-crowned Night Heron - An adult in breeding condition worked the Sheldon Lake shoreline Chimney Swifts - hawking insects on the surface of Sheldon Lake. Nick Komar Fort Collins CO --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
