The place was one species shy of 30 this morning. Think this is a high species count for me at the cemetery in July.
Highlights: CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER (1, presumably a male) Singing its brains out all over the cemetery and even up east onto Mountain Avenue, probably the same individual Nick Komar reported from nearby City Park a few weeks ago. This bird appeared to be in first-winter plumage (July to November, according to Sibley), as it had distinctly brownish wingbars. The eye-ring was white and broken in front, distinctly teardropped toward the rear and the throat contrasted well with the rest of the upper body (thus, I would rule out Yellow-bellied, which Nick strongly suspected he heard the same day he had the Cordilleran in the same general location). I have had Cordillerans in the cemetery in fall before, never in mid-summer. Broad-tailed Hummingbird (1 female) She was mostly gone foraging and then coming back to a Colorado Blue Spruce nest along the east side ditch north of the entrace to feed young. On one occasion I could see her buzzing around the very top of a 70-foot spruce about 100 yards from the nest tree, gathering flying insects. Although I didn't specifically time her, I would estimate trips to the nest during mid-morning (temperature about 65 degrees) were spaced 20 minutes apart. The neatest thing she did was hassle two Fox Squirrels who were feeding on green cones well above the nest. When the squirrels, their muzzles all gummed up with spruce pitch, came down to about the level of the nest, she nailed them several times and got the response she wanted, which was the squirrels moving away from the nest. Lesser Goldfinch (at least two pairs, maybe more) One pair engaged in courtship flight, following eachother around, lots of calling. Cooper's Hawk (pair) Flew over "in formation", one behind and a bit to the side of the other. Chipping Sparrow (heard trilling in the section due south of the entrance office) Here's the rest of the list (in the order they were observed, minus the above spp.): House Finch (several, mostly involved with nesting or eating mulberries) Common Starling (you did say this was the new common name of this species, right Bill Maynard?) Black-capped Chickadee (one observed eating a mulberry (red, not ripe like other blacker ones that were available) American Robin (feasting on mulberries and seen carrying these to young in the nest) American Crow (heard off to the east) Pine Siskin ( several, including adults observed visiting a nest in a Colorado Blue Spruce) Blue Jay (at least 6-8 seen flying thru at various times) Mourning Dove House Sparrow (few near the entrance bridge) Northern Flicker (several, including fledglings who already knew the drill: drill the turf for ants, and one adult male red-shafted drumming on a light pole as if thinking about brood #2 for this year) Rock Dove (1 flyover) American Goldfinch (few) White-breasted Nuthatch (heard 1) Western Meadowlark (heard off to the north across Mountain Avenue) Barn Swallow House Wren (1 heard) Off to the northeast before the car traffic picked up, this is not a normal species for Grandview, for some reason (too groomed?). Ring-billed Gull (1 flyover) Common Grackle (several, mostly hassling the red-tail) Red-tailed Hawk (1 came in from the north and landed on a light pole northwest of the cemetery) Downy Woodpecker (heard at least 2) Red-breasted Nuthatch (at least two different individuals heard) Great Horned Owl (1 young of the year) Mallard (pair with 5 young) In the ditch, the young plucking insects (and seeds?) from grasses overhanging the ditch American Kestrel (1 male) Perched briefly atop a spruce, finally chased off by House Finches (who must know kestrels occasionally eat nestling House Finches) Also seen: one miscellaneous very big, rare bird, 60+ years past its prime but still looking and sounding good - a restored B-17. Wikipedia says 12,731 were built and only about 20 are still flying. Outright misses or birds conceivably present at Grandview this time of year: Eurasian Collared-Dove (definite miss) Mountain Chickadee (not normal in summer but a pair apparently nested this summer) Turkey Vulture (fly-over coming and going from Mountain Avenue roost) Western Wood-Pewee (present some summers and earlier this year) Chimney Swift (overhead foragers) Cliff Swallow (overhead foragers) Violet-green Swallow (overhead foragers) Common Nighthawk (overhead foragers, sometimes roost on the big horizontal limbs of honeylocusts and American elms) Great Blue Heron (fly-over) White Pelican (fly-over) Belted Kingfisher (visitor to the ditch) If all these species were seen, the total would be 40 - impressive for one square mile of urban habitat in mid-summer. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
