I read Dave Leatherman's excellent summary last night of Fort Collins area birding experiences, and felt like I should provide at least a report on my own albeit short experiences yesterday morning on the other side of town. I regularly bird at Dixon these days but I haven't always reported on what I find, if it's nothing out of the ordinary or if I'm too lazy. I won't be lazy any more....
Anyway, I had 39 species including a number FOSes in a little over an hour spent there. Very birdy there. In no particular order, except for the order they appear in my memory: Bullock's Oriole (FOS) Gray Catbird (FOS, singing) scads of Orange-crowned Warblers, including one group of at least 7! Yellow Warbler (not my FOS, but the first one I've seen at Dixon this year) Pine Siskins (I've had them almost every time I've been to Dixon this season, which is quite unusual) Ruby-crowned Kinglet Cordilleran Flycatcher (FOS) Least Flycatchers (2, FOS) - definitely a pair, since one was waylaid by a second as I watched. All empids were annoyingly silent. Sora - calling (AND singing!) Great Horned Owl - Only the second one I've ever seen while out there. Thought it had an eye injury when I looked at it in the binos, since it was keeping its right eye shut when looking at me while obviously alert and annoyed; but I took a few photos of it and in the last of the photos both eyes are open and looking normal Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Lincoln's Sparrow (very skulky of course, but singing) White-crowned Sparrow Vesper's Sparrows - SOS (second of season, first being yesterday at Coyote Ridge), singing near parking lot Yellow-rumped Warbler (photographed one male with a white AND yellow throat - possible "hybrid"?) possible (and I stress, only *possible*) Worm-eating Warbler. Didn't get a good look, but briefly saw a "flat" and drab looking warbler with what I thought were head stripes My most interesting bird was a Chimney Swift - or at least it was definitely some kind of Chaetura swift. I've never seen one out at Dixon before, and I almost didn't recognize it initially. FOS in Fort Collins anyway. Later that day during a run in the foothills just north of Dixon, I also had a FOS White-throated Swift. The area continues to be in a state of flood. It's still passable and "birdable", but passage through the interior and lakeside sections can be problematic with all the mud and foot-deep water. -- Eric DeFonso Fort Collins, CO -- 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] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en
