I took advantage of Sunday's amazingly cool temps to bird in the La Junta area where temps have been closer to the hundred mark. My first stop was at the sewage ponds in Fowler, a location that has either been poor for birding or the gate has been locked in previous attempts in the past year or so. Yesterday the gate was open and it was hopping with shorebirds (at least compared to other places I checked). I was most delighted to find at least 3-4 Solitary Sandpipers in various places around these ponds. Also had Semipalmated and Baird's Sandpipers, a few Greater Yellowlegs, many Killdeer and some Wilson's Phalarope. I have uploaded photos of a Solitary and a Semipalmated Sandpiper onto my BirdsAndNature <http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com>blog.
In the Swink area I found 2 Lewis's Woodpeckers. In Rocky Ford there were still 3 Mississippi Kites and at least one in La Junta. Lake Cheraw had little, a few Baird's Sandpipers and some ducks. However in areas around the town of Cheraw I found at least 8 Red-headed Woodpeckers in some large cottonwoods. In that same woodland were 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, one heard only and one I heard and saw flying. Near a farm field was an empid flycatcher sp (prob Willow/Alder) feasting on the zillions of yellow butterflies around the alfalfa. Also had Cassin's Sparrows on fences. I was surprised that Lake Holbrook wasn't packed with campers and boats, though some of the former and none of the latter. Not much in the way of birds either as it is still pretty high and lots of vegetation has grown up so little mud. I didn't even try Lake Henry or Meredith (from the highway I could see rv's lined up on shore) but did go check the Ordway feedlot sewage ponds. There were some Franklin's Gulls and lots of white-headed gulls plus some ducks--slim pickens for this often productive area. I did find at Burrowing Owls in 2 locations in Crowley County including 3 in one prairie-dog town. I will have photos of one rather cooperative owl up on my blog tomorrow. SeEtta Moss Canon City Personal blog @ http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com<http://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/> Now blogging for *Birds and Blooms* magazine @ Birds and Blooms blog southcentral/ <http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/category/southcentral/> -- 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.
