Hello, Birders. Got back in a little while ago from a quick inspection of the southwest corner of Greenlee Preserve, Boulder County. Things were hopping around 10am this morning, Thursday, June 9th. I saw at least 7 Western Wood-Pewees and 3 Western Tanagers; neither species breeds at the preserve. Also present were a Common Yellowthroat, an "interesting" unseen warbler (maybe just another yellowthroat), and another "interesting" heard-only warbler chip note. Especially tantalizing was a call note that sounded great for Alder Flycatcher. If the bird was an empid, I'm pretty sure it was an Alder; honestly, though, with all those wood-pewees out there, I can't rule out a Contopus on that call-note. The bird was calling from within the now-riotously-verdant midstory vegetation at the trailhead near the marsh. Well, it's "one that got away." Bummer. One of these years, I'll have the experience in Colorado of actually seeing *and* hearing a presumed Alder at the same time...won't I?
There was a Clark's Grebe, calling loudly, over on nearby Waneka Lake. That's my first this year at the site; Westerns have been present for more than a month. Needless to say, we're experiencing perfect conditions, this very instant, for good birds in and near the foothills: an "upslope" system with light winds out of the northeast, light drizzle, and a low cloud ceiling. Don't let the date throw you off; now is when Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Alder Flycatchers, and such are on the move across the Midwest. Back on Tuesday, June 7th, by the way, I had my first Blue Grosbeak of the season at Greenlee. As Steve Mlodinow has noted, the bulk of the Blue Grosbeak flight though Colorado comes quite late in Colorado. And on June 7th, I also had a Northern Bobwhite just outside the preserve. Just a reminder: For several years now, Northern Bobwhites have been showing up all up and down the "287 corridor," if you will, of eastern Boulder County. They're here. As to how they got here, who knows. But they're here, they're cool, and they're certainly worth paying attention to. ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding Blog: http://tinyurl.com/4n6qswt Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/2ejzlzv Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/2wkvwxs ------------------------------- -- 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.
