Hey everyone,
Seven of us got out and re-found the SPRAGUE'S PIPIT in south Boulder this
afternoon. It took about an hour of persistence for everyone to get decent
looks. The bird is acting like any self-respecting Sprague's Pipit, running
around on the ground and performing remarkable disappearing acts. It was silent
the entire time we watched it. Thank goodness it piped up earlier in the day or
I would not have been able to identify it. I flushed a mystery bird twice and
all I could think was "boy, that longspur just doesn't have any white in the
tail, must be a Horned Lark plus this heat...". But when it finally did flush
and I saw the bold white outer tail feathers and it began to utter the distinct
call notes, it all made sense. Thanks to the other CObirders who have recently
reported this species. By doing so you prompted me to study up so I was ready
when the time came.
Here are some photos of the bird: http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/
Please email me privately if you want to go look for it tomorrow. I'd be
willing to go early, around 7 am, or later in the day around 5 pm. Or both. It
really helps to have a crew of people.
A few more interesting sightings today. A MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was in a prairie
dog colony near Boulder Reservoir this morning. A few yards from one of my
initial Pipit sightings, I spotted an adult TIGER SALAMANDER basking at the
mouth of a prairie dog burrow. Life amphibian!! On my bike ride home, I passed
a church whose daily message board had the most appropriate message possible
"Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the LORD" Proverbs 20:10.
Christian NunesBoulder, CO
[email protected]
--
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.
