The following summarized interesting observations at Grandview Cemetery, Fort Collins (Larimer) since last Sunday the 12th. Visits, most of them multiple hours in duration, were made on the 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and today (the 19th). Every visit is different.
12th GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER (apparently a one afternoon wonder) Western Wood-Pewee (at least 6 snapping overhead, mostly working yellowjackets) Townsend's Warbler (3) Warbling Vireo (1 western race) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1 of only a few I've ever seen here) Hairy Woodpecker (1 mountain race working on a mountain pine beetle-infested Scots Pine) Cordilleran Flycatcher (1) Chaetura Swift (2) These two birds appeared very short-tailed and short-winged and were silent. I got a good view of one flying n to s and it appeared very pale on the throat and upper breast. I could not see the rump. While they were probably just late Chimney Swifts, all the qualitative marks for Vaux's Swift were right. I mentioned this to Arvind of RMBO and he pointed out a line drawn from part of the Vaux's breeding range the Pacific NW to their southern Mexico and Central America wintering areas goes right thru CO. What will it take for an acceptable CO record of this species? Probably a recording and/or specimen. I joked CFO or RMBO needs to fund Kim Potter to place miniature telemetry devices on some birds in the Pacific NW and track them to their wintering grounds. This is one species about which we have a lot to learn. Violet-green Swallow (1 late migrant) MacGillivray's Warbler (1m along the ditch) 14th WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (1 juv., only the second I've ever seen at Grandview, although a few probably sneak thru every year or two) Common Nighthawk (1, rather late) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, FOS at low elevation for me) Turkey Vulture (2 small groups of apparent migrants up pretty high, although they could have been from the Mt. Avenue roost) 16th Brown Creeper (2, FOS at low elevation for me) Mountain Chickadee (1, FOS at low elevation for me) Peregrine Falcon (1, circling overhead and then going into a stoop north of the cemetery (where the Rock Pigeons hang out)) Ferruginous Hawk (2, circling off to the west toward Poudre High School, perhaps hunting lambkins) Hermit Thrush (1, southeast corner) Brewer's Sparrow (1, with a small flock of migrant Chipping Sparrows) 17th Hammond's Flycatcher (1, located first by its distinctive "peek" call note, very bright freshly-molted bird) Clay-colored Sparrow (1 or 2, in with big flock of Spizella sparrows ) Empidonax #2 (never did get a good look, hunting very low off the peonies and headstones) MacGillivray's Warbler (show to me by a domestic cat hunting the ditch) 19th Red-naped Sapsucker (1 adult m) WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (apparently a second individual, judging by today's bird having a duller throat than the bird on the 14th) Spotted Towhee (1m, eating a crabapple in between doublefoot scratches for whatever it is they find doing that - this is a very unusual species at manicured, mowed Grandview Cemetery) Western Tanager (2) Black-capped Chickadee (2 were plucking hackberry leaves, standing on them, pecking out blistergall psyllids, dropping the leaves) no pewees today, for the first time in weeks Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- 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.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
